Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

XXXVII CYCLE

My research focuses on decision-making processes and aims to outline best practices to guide people through the complexity of decision-making. Having a clear vision of decision-maker’s mechanism, considering the context, and exploring the information communicated to make the best possible choice are the major steps to study decision-making.

Supervisor: Prof. Michela Balconi

Keywords: Decision-making, Neuroscience, Assessment, Communication, Critical Context

 

My research mainly focuses on perinatally. Specifically, my Ph.D. project will investigate the antecedents of childbirth-related PTSD, validate the Italian version of the City Birth Trauma Scale, as well as explore the impact of childbirth-related PTSD on the parent-infant relationship.

Supervisor: Prof. Chiara Ionio

Keywords: Pregnancy, Parent-infant Relationship, Childbirth, Trauma, Mental Health

 

My research mainly focuses on young individuals with At-Risk Mental States (ARMS). These individuals are more prone to develop full-blown psychosis, because of both state and trait risk factors. My doctoral project aims at investigating the role of personality traits and mentalizing abilities in this population.

Supervisor: Prof. Oasi Osmano

Keywords: Personality Traits, PID-5, At Risk Mental States (ARMS), Psychopathology, Mentalization

 

My research focuses on social and organizational psychology, specifically Diversity & Inclusion. The Doctoral Research explores how Organizational Culture of Differences (OCDs) impacts the quality of life at work. Quality of life is viewed as fostering creativity, innovation, and balancing productivity with employee wellbeing.

Supervisor: Prof. Caterina Gozzoli

Keywords: Diversity Management, Organizational Culture of Difference, Workforce Diversity, Human Resources Management, Quality of Life at Work

 

My research interests regard interpersonal relationships, particularly couples. My Ph.D. project focuses on the use of Social Network Sites (e.g., WhatsApp and Instagram) within couples, especially exploring how partners intentionally use those Platforms to communicate things they won’t communicate face-to-face, and outcome of such communication, using a mixed-method approach.

Supervisor: Prof. Silvia Donato; Prof. Ariela Pagani; Prof. Dominik Schoebi

Keywords: Couple Relationships, Interpersonal Relationships, Social Network Sites, Mixed Method, APIM

 

My field of research concerns green exercise, namely physical activity practiced in natural outdoor places, and its relationship with the connection with nature and community. My work aims to foster a new stream of research concerning the benefits of outdoor green sports for young people while investigating the moderating variables.

Supervisor: Prof. Daniela Marzana; Prof. Chiara D'Angelo

Keywords: Outdoor Sport in Natural Spaces, Sense of Community, Relatedness to Nature, Orienteering

 

My field of research focuses on the mind-body relationship, not understood as a structural dualism, but in a circular and dialectical relationship. As such, I investigate the field of health psychology in order to promote effective interventions and improve the lives of people and patients as active agents.

Supervisor: Prof. Francesco Pagnini

Keywords: Mind-body Relationships, Women's Health, Placebo, Mindfulness

 

My research area explores psychological variables in chronic pelvic pain (CPP). CPP significantly impacts patients' daily life. Psychological factors like anxiety, depression, and pain catastrophizing are linked to CPP. The project aims to investigate the role of psychological flexibility in these patients.

Supervisor: Prof. Gianluca Castelnuovo

Keywords: Chronic Pain, Pelvic pain, ACT, Psychological Flexibility, Multidisciplinary

 

My research interest revolves around psychiatric care and group rehabilitation interventions in this field. Specifically, my Ph.D. project aims to identify ways of assessing the 'good functioning' of group rehabilitation activities offered in a residential psychiatric setting in Lombardy, based on a Grounded Theory and according to a PREM approach.

Supervisor: Prof. Cesare Cavalera

Keywords: Psychiatry, Groups, Grounded Theory, PREM Interventions

 

The study concerns how competencies learned in non-formal and informal contexts (e.g., volunteering, sports) are enhanced in organizations. Qualitative research will be conducted using observations, focus groups, and interviews with HRs and managers to create a repertoire of competencies and practices to help organizations avoid wasting skills.

Supervisor: Prof. Caterina Gozzoli

Keywords: Informal and Non-formal learning, Skill waste, Organizational culture practices

 

My research focuses on the relationship between emotion regulation and well-being. I want to investigate if emotion regulation can be an underlying mechanism of the functioning of well-being by analyzing ER as a theoretical framework for the effectiveness of positive psychology intervention and whether ER is associated with better outcomes after an intervention.

Supervisor: Prof. Stefania Balzarotti

Keywords: Emotion Regulation, Wellbeing, Psychophysiological Measurements, Positive Psychology Intervention, Positive Psychology, Hope

 

My research area focuses on consumer and health psychology. Specifically, I am exploring participatory and multistakeholders research methodologies in the areas of sustainable production and consumption as well as care system improvement.

Supervisor: Prof. Guendalina Graffigna

Keywords: Consumer psychology, Participative Research, Citizen Science, Sustainability, Health Psychology

 

My research focuses on working modalities (remote working, working from office) and workplaces reconfiguration in the New Normal and how they can have an impact on people's identity and meaning-making connected to work.

Supervisor: Prof. Silvio Carlo Ripamonti

Keywords: Workplaces, Work Identity, Meaning Making, Workspaces Reconfiguration

 

My research interests concern the use of nudges to promote behavioral change in workplace environments, mainly related to sustainable behaviors. Specifically, my Ph.D. project concerns the promotion of energy-saving behaviors and the improvement of industrial waste separation in an Italian manufacturing plant. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches are adopted.

Supervisor: Prof. Edoardo Lozza

Keywords: Nudge, Economic Psychology, Workplace, Pro-environmental Behaviors, Sustainability

 

My research primarily revolves around exploring the influence of aesthetic experiences facilitated by emerging technologies like Virtual Reality. The objective is to examine the combined effects of art and new technology on human well-being, as these experiences have the potential to profoundly affect individuals on emotional and cognitive levels.

Supervisor: Prof. Alice Chirico

Keywords: Aesthetics, Virtual Reality, Transformative Experiences, Complex emotions

 

My research interests concern behavioral finance and sustainable consumption. Specifically, my doctoral project investigates consumers's decision to invest in socially responsible investments (SRI), or a financial approach that combines economical profits with sustainability concerns. The purpose is to understand which psychological and personal characteristics are associated with sustainable investments.

Supervisor: Prof. Paola Iannello

Keywords: Socially Responsible Investments; Investment Decision-making; Financial Market Participation; Individual differences; Sustainability

 

My research focuses on using technologies to assess or implement interventions that target well-being. My first line of research focuses on improving cancer patients' well-being using a multidimensional approach, while the second one, aims at assessing Instagram users' well-being, with particular attention to body dissatisfaction.

Supervisor: Prof. Giuseppe Riva

Keywords: Well-Being, Virtual Reality, Social Media, Cancer, Empathy, Communication

 

My research focuses on Irisin, a newly discovered hormone released in response to exercise. It plays a crucial role as a regulator of the physical and cognitive benefits derived from exercise. I investigate the effects of exercise on the release of irisin and its impact on wellbeing and cognitive functions.

Supervisor: Prof. Daniela Tavian 

Keywords: Health-enhancing Physical Activity, Physical Health, Health psychology, wellbeing, biomarkers, myokines.

 

My project aims to explain consumers' motivations for buying counterfeit and luxury products. It will investigate luxury consumption practices from the non-academic bibliography and, by scaling the Slippery Slope Framework model in the consumer world, explore consumer barriers and drivers in the counterfeit market.

Supervisor: Prof. Cinzia Castiglioni

Keywords: Counterfeiting, Luxury Goods, Slippery Slope Framework, Consumer Behavior