Restoration involves individuals’ physical, psychological, and social resources, which have diminished over the years in the process of meeting the demands of everyday life. Psychological restoration can be provided by specific environments, in particular by natural environments. Studies report a restorative effect of nature on human beings, specifically in terms of the psychological recovery from attention fatigue and restored mental resources that were previously spent in activities that require attention. Two field studies in two Italian primary schools tested the hypothesized positive effect of recess time spent in a natural (vs. built) environment on pupils’ cognitive performance and their perceived restorativeness, using standardized tests. In Study 1, children’s psychological restoration was assessed by measuring sustained and selective attention, working memory, and impulse control, before and after the morning recess time. Team standardized playtime was conducted in a natural (vs. built) environment, and the perceived restorativeness was measured after each recess time. Results showed a greater increase in sustained and selective attention, concentration, and perceived restorativeness from pretest to posttest after the natural environment condition. In Study 2, the positive effect of free play recess time in a natural (vs. built) environment was assessed during the afternoon school time on sustained and selective attention and perceived restorativeness. Results showed an increase in sustained and selective attention after the natural environment condition (vs. built) and a decrease after the built environment break. Higher scores in perceived restorativeness were registered after the natural (vs. built) environment condition. Team standardized playtime and individual free play recess in a natural environment (vs. built) support pupils’ attention restoration during both morning and afternoon school times, as well as their perceived restorativeness of the recess environment. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in terms of nature’s role both for the school ground design or redesign and for the organization of the school’s activities.

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Work stress is considered as the product of an imbalance between environmental demands (stressors) and individual differences (capabilities, resources or needs), associated with adverse health outcomes as well as adverse work outcomes. According to the literature in this field, teaching has ranked among the most stressful occupation. In order to investigate the role of Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Locus of Control as personal capabilities to cope with environmental demands, this study examines the interactions among these psychological features in a group of schoolteachers. Results of this survey suggest that self-efficacy belief represents one of the most important "protective" factors in response to psychological stress.

This study investigated the individual and social characteristics, moral disengagement strategies and cognitive distortions toward children among 120 sex offenders in Italian jails. A semistructured interview was administered to collect data about family, social and medical histories, utilizing the Moral Disengagement Scale and the Hanson Sex Attitude Questionnaire. Results showed that sex offenders with sexual abuse trauma in their past had higher scores of moral disengagement and cognitive distortion toward children than sex offenders without sexual abuse trauma. In particular, the highest levels of moral disengagement, cognitive distortions related to children as sexual objects and sexual entitlement were shown by sex offenders who had been physically and sexually abused in their past. Moreover, moral disengagement predicted cognitive distortions related to children being sexy and sexual entitlement. Studying self-regulatory mechanisms and cognitive distortions is important to expand the literature about sexual behaviors committed by offenders and implement the promotion of effective and targeted treatment strategies.

This article investigates mechanisms of moral disengagement and psychopathy in offender detainees (sex offenders and non-sex offenders). In particular, this article investigates whether, in all offenders, moral disengagement and psychopathy are correlated, if there are any differences between sex offenders and non-sex offenders as to psychopathy, and if there are any differences between rapists and child molesters in regard to their levels of psychopathy. The results indicate that, in all offenders, levels of moral disengagement are associated with levels of psychopathy, while sex offenders are more selfish, more insensitive and less remorseful than non-sex offenders. It is also found that rapists display more antisocial behaviour problematic elements in their lifestyle than child molesters. As well as increasing the dedicated literature, studying the mechanisms and characteristics of offenders-and of sex offenders in particular-may be of considerable importance for the promotion of effective and targeted treatment strategies.