No abstract

Our aim was to describe the differences in consumption of types of meal (complete/incomplete) eaten at lunch and dinner by gender in people of different age groups (children, young adults and seniors). In particular, we wanted to investigate the differences in choice of meal based on perceived weight. The study involved 516 participants, of which 156 were children (8-12y), 187 were young adults (19-30y) and 173 were elderly (65-90y). A cross-sectional analysis was carried out into the choice of meal type based on the different age groups and genders, on the three Body Mass Index categories (under, normal, overweight), on the three levels of self-perception (slim, normal and heavy) and on the degrees of perception of one's body weight (underestimation, accurate estimation, overestimation). The food eaten was grouped into three types of daily meal: (a) incomplete, (b) complete lunch or dinner, (c) always complete. Differences emerged in the type of meal eaten according to age, gender and perceived weight. The results show gender differences in associations with meal type according to the way in which body mass is measured or perceived. The choice of complete/incomplete meal type changes according to whether real weight or perceived weight is considered.

To study the self-projective representations expressed by diabetic children, aged between 10 and 15 yr., and to compare these with representations of a control group the Draw-a-person test associated with those for subsequent Draw-a-sick-person were administered to 23 children regularly checked by an Antidiabetic Centre. The diabetic subjects drew an image of "sick person" having projective elements with a regressive value and denoting a refuge in the past, together with depressive signs of retiring into themselves and of less consideration of the self. Also, the diabetic children seemed to be less prone to the cultural stereotype which requires a smiling and happy image of "the healthy person." At the same time there was also a transparent symbolic defense which allowed the diabetics to adapt variously and to move from their anxious state toward psychological recovery.

The discrepancies between parents and their children on the description of the behavior and representations of their children have been shown in various studies. Other researchers have reported the parents’ difficulty in correctly identifying the weight status of their children. The purpose of our study was to investigate the parent’s attributional accuracy on their children’s body weight perception in relation to the children attachment security. It was hypothesized that insecure children’s parents have a greater discrepancy with their children compared to secure children with their parents. The research participants were 217 children, aged between 5 and 11 years of both genders, and their parents. The attachment pattern was measured by the SAT of Klagsbrun and Bowlby, with the Italian version of Attili. The children were also shown a set of figure body-drawings with which to measure the perception of their weight status. Parents answered a questionnaire to find out the parental attribution of their children’s perception. The results show that the body weight perception of insecure children’s parents have a greater discrepancy with their children’s body weight perception compared with parentally secure children. In particular, parents of insecure children tend to underestimate the perception of their children. This result is most evident in disorganized children. In addition, the perception of insecure children’s parents show a greater correlation with children’s actual weight rather than with their children’s perception. These results suggest that the discrepancies on the perception of children’s body weight between parents and children may be influenced by the poor parental attunement to their children’s internal states, which characterizes the insecure parent–child attachment relationship.

The aim of the research was to study the use of a word processor to improve writing and revising skill by 28 pairs of primary school children. Analysis confirmed greater difficulty in the drafting of texts than with traditional handwriting, but the increase in the number of words and errors does not imply improvement in lexical and orthographical aspects. The guided revision of texts on a word processor may support beginning writers' expression and, with increasing ease, allow them to use greater precision in the process of revision.