Research LaboratoriesHealth psychology

Health psychology

Coordinator: Silvia Casale

Address: Lab 11, ground fl., San Salvi, Pavillion 26, Bldg code 107.00 (see map).

Staff: Davide Dèttore, Cecilia Ieri, Barbara Giangrasso, Marco Giannini, Rosapia Lauro Grotto.

Activity:

The Health Psychology Laboratory carries out activities of research, teaching and intervention related to the psychology of health and disease in the following areas: 

• Risky behaviours in youth, especially concerning smoking and eating habits;
• Pathological use of internet and new addictions;
• Risk factors and protection of the quality of life in chronic and terminally ill patients with special attention to dementia, Alzheimer, hearth diseases, cancer;
• Development of qualitative research techniques according also to the phenomenological-hermeneutic approach;
• Occupational well-being, with special attention to mobbing, stress and burn-out;
• Remote care and use of communication technologies for psychological intervention;
• Affectivity and sexuality in disability;
• Secondary psycho-social interventions in disaster-stricken populations;
• Psycho-social development interventions towards populations object of international cooperation projects;
• Evaluation of processes and outcomes in psychotherapy and counselling;
• Cross-cultural aspects of dysmorphophobia (Italy, United States and China);
• Ideas and dysfunctional convictions related to male erectile dysfunction;
• Meta cognitive processes and their applications in psychopathology, in particular the influence of knowledge of one's own cognitive processes in the aetiology and maintenance of  psycho-pathological diseases;
• Alteration of cognitive specific modules in obsessive-compulsive disorder;
• Diagnosis, treatment and prevention of learning difficulties;
• Study of cognitive processes in neurological development disorders;
• Adaptation and validation of psycho-diagnostic investigation tools.

 

Equipment:

A complete set of polygraph machinery to perform biofeedback. 

Machinery for experimental testing of panic induction with a 10 litre tank (35% CO₂ - 65% O₂) filled at100 bar linked to a respirometer Wright Mark 8; airflow controlled by an Enotox Entonox delivery set with valve.