RISULTATI RICERCA

Pensando al fare psicoterapia, l’Autore si ritrova nelle premesse di una psicoterapia basata sulle risorse per il suo pensare al cambiamento come opportunità per sviluppare le proprie competenze. Insieme a un gruppo di lavoro, ha studiato le applicazioni cliniche del FACES IV, in particolare della Clinical Rating Scale, e il modello del Prepare Enrich che struttura un approccio alle coppie attraverso una valutazione on-line e una guida al trattamento. A complemento di questo approccio, ha trovato stimolante il modello della Terapia Ricostruttiva Interpersonale di Lorna Smith Benjamin che utilizza strumenti di valutazione per riconoscere la presenza di sequenze interattive significative nella storia dei pazienti, fra questi e le proprie figure di riferimento e, conseguentemente, indirizzare il trattamento. Riassumendo i suoi attuali orientamenti, le valutazioni e le indicazioni sulle modalità di trattamento, l’Autore rileva un aiuto nel condurre i colloqui clinici, nel tradurre gli assunti relazionali in modo semplice, a formulare obiettivi chiari e condivisi. Poi, come ricorda Whitaker, “tutte le teorie sono distruttive; e so che anche l’intuizione è distruttiva” e, consapevole di questo, l’Autore naviga fra l’una e l’altra, inserendo le sue intuizioni fra le “valutazioni” e le sorprese delle storie che le persone, le famiglie portano in terapia.

L’articolo sottolinea l’importanza di allargare l’ottica dei terapeuti sistemici a una maggiore contestualizzazione dei sistemi familiari nel macrosistema, tenendo conto delle grandi trasformazioni socioeconomiche e tecnologiche degli ultimi decenni. Viene presentata una rassegna dei principali contributi che consentono di tracciare una mappa dell’impatto del macrosistema sui sistemi familiari e delle conseguenti indicazioni rispetto alle conseguenze sulla salute mentale. Accanto all’invito ad approfondire una ricerca e una pratica clinica che includa il macrosistema, vengono avanzati alcuni suggerimenti per la valutazione e l’intervento clinico.

Population aging and the digitalization of healthcare are reshaping European societies, posing both challenges and opportunities. Older adults, as primary users of healthcare services, often lack the digital skills needed to benefit fully from ehealth innovations, increasing the risk of social exclusion. Digital literacy is therefore essential to support autonomy, wellbeing, and equitable access to care. While various instructional methods exist, peertopeer learning remains underexplored despite its established use in other healthcare domains. This paper presents a scoping review aimed at mapping existing studies on peertopeer digital literacy courses for older adults. Specifically, it examines the structural characteristics of these courses and how their effectiveness and impact on wellbeing are assessed. The review addresses a gap in the literature and informs future development of inclusive digital education strategies for older populations.

The article analyses the views of elderly patients suffering from cognitive decline or heart failure, and their caregivers on their relationship with healthcare professionals within outpatient services, a care setting increasingly relevant for the management of chronicity in old age. Through the analysis of 36 interviews and adopting Strauss’s theory of negotiated order, we investigate the relational dynamics that regulate the therapeutic interaction, with particular attention to the possible presence of ageist practices. The results show a significant participation of patients and caregivers in the coconstruction of the care pathway, but also highlight critical issues related to the asymmetry of power between the actors present in the cure setting.

Drawing on Strauss’s theory of negotiated order (1985), this article examines the everyday practices of physicians, nurses, and social workers within four Italian outpatient services serving elderly patients with cognitive decline or heart failure. Adopting a qualitative approach and based on 19 interviews, the study explores how professionals interpret and navigate organisational constraints that shape negotiations among actors and therapeutic interactions, with particular attention to the risks of ageism. Findings suggest that, alongside the risk of the routinisation of discriminatory practices, there is room for resistance through adaptive and situated professional microactions. Often subtle and invisible, these actions affirm the subjectivity of older patients and acknowledge the role of caregivers, without overtly challenging the institutional order.

With the global population growing older, promoting healthy ageing is a priority. Ageism, the stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination people have towards others or themselves based on age, can have a significant impact on the ageing process. Ageism against older people has a wide range of origins, but the media can play an important role in contributing to the formation of stereotypes or reinforcing existing ones. The consequences of ageism are widespread and have an effect on people’s health. Negative views on ageing are linked to a shorter lifespan, worse quality of life, depressive symptoms, worse memory and functional decline. Ageism is also present within the healthcare system, where it can lead to reduced access to treatment or preventative measures for older adults, as well as to barriers to engage in health promoting behaviours or even refusal to access healthcare. The present paper provides recommendations on how to address ageism, for example, through awareness campaigns, intergenerational contact, the development of agesensitive communication guidelines, more focus on prevention and health promotion early in life, and implementation of policies that prevent age discrimination. Overall, if people age in a healthier way, they will be more capable to deal with the challenges of a society of longevity, which will ultimately benefit the society as a whole.

The ageing of the population, a complex phenomenon that increasingly challenges contemporary societies, calls for multidimensional analysis and critical reflection on its social construction. This article, which introduces the Special Issue, explores key sociological themes, questioning the persistent dichotomies between autonomy and dependancy and between agency and passivity, that often frame the discourse on ageing. It begins by reflecting on the sociocultural dimensions of ageing, continues with an examination of ageism in healthcare settings, and concludes by considering care practices as situated and privileged sites through which the risks of ageism can be observed and addressed.

This paper explores nudges as a communicative alternative for institutions in situations of environmental and health risks to cope with emergencies by increasing social responsibility. Specifically, it presents the results of a study on 20 national and international cases, which, on the one hand, explored the architectures of choices and applied communication strategies, and, on the other hand, assessed the effectiveness of these tools in risk mitigation, going to the strength of their thrust toward greater economic, environmental and social sustainability. The research showed how nudges are an inherently economic tool that is useful in risk management, including in enhancing social equity and global justice through the empowerment of communities and/or specific groups in vulnerable situations.