​Department of Sociology and Social Research

Data discussed and analyzed in the paper Degli Antoni, G. & Vittucci Marzetti, G. (2022), Estimating the effect on happiness through question randomization: An application to blood donation, Social Science & Medicine, DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115255

Panel data on municipal waste and recycling.

This study uses retrospective population data from the 2015 face-to-face multi-purpose survey by ISTAT. This survey focused on collecting data about eating habits and nutritional aspects, and it was conducted through face-to-face guided interviews with a pre-defined questionnaire. The survey aimed at Italian families; each family was selected with random criterion by the municipal registry lists, according to a statistically representative sample of the population residing in Italy. Among 45,336 interviewees (19,158 families) of all ages, we focus on participants with 6-10 years old children (2,125 interviewees) and their parents. Information is provided directly from all subjects over 14 aged; for children aged 6-10 years a parent or an adult component of the family answered the questions in proxy modality. Only a part of the items was devoted to children, differently adults answered all the various parts of the questionnaire (ISTAT 2016).

Abstract Background This paper aims to assess the presence of gender differences in medication use and mortality in a cohort of patients affected exclusively by hypertension, in 193 municipalities in the Lombardy Region (Northern Italy), including Milan's metropolitan area. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted (N = 232,507) querying administrative healthcare data and the Register of Causes of Death. Hypertensive patients (55.4% women; 44.6% men) in 2017 were identified; gender differences in medication use (treatment, 80% compliance) and deaths (from all causes and CVDs) were assessed at two-year follow-ups in logistic regression models adjusted for age class, census-based deprivation index, nationality, and pre-existing health conditions. Models stratified by age, deprivation index, and therapeutic compliance were also tested. Results Overall, women had higher odds of being treated, but lower odds of therapeutic compliance, death from all causes, and death from CVDs. All the outcomes had clear sex differences across age classes, though not between different levels of deprivation. Comparing patients with medication adherence, women had lower odds of death from all causes than men (with a narrowing protective effect as age increased), while no gender differences emerged in non-compliant patients. Conclusions Among hypertensive patients, gender differences in medication consumption and mortality have been found, but the extent to which these are attributable to a female socio-cultural disadvantage is questionable. The findings reached, with marked age-dependent effects in the outcomes investigated, suggest a prominent role for innate sex differences in biological susceptibility to the disease, whereby women would take advantage of the protective effects of their innate physiological characteristics, especially prior to the beginning of menopause.

Abstract Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is still present in many African countries, as well as a few others. The United Nations has targeted women’s empowerment in terms of both women’s health and gender equality as one of its Sustainable Development Goals. In this paper, we aimed to study the possible link between women’s empowerment and support for the continuation of FGM/C. We used DHS data from seven African countries and considered both the empowerment and FGM/C modules. We selected empowerment variables based on Kabeer’s conceptual framework and used multilevel logistic models to evaluate the putative role of empowerment in support for discontinuing the practice. The multilevel models highlighted the protective effect of education. Other variables, including justification of intimate partner violence (IPV) and having experienced FGM/C, were associated with FGM/C support. The relationship between decision-making and FGM/C support appears complex, while the unmet need for contraception and job conditions do not seem to play a role. Our findings confirm that some aspects of women’s empowerment (education and rejection of IPV) may enhance the discontinuation of FGM/C. However, the relationship between empowerment and support for continuation of FGM/C is complex and should not be treated as self-evident. Thus, using DHS data, we empirically support the UN’s proposal for discontinuing FGM/C through sustaining women’s empowerment.

Introduction. CMG are usually low-grade tumors often found in pediatric age. Histological findings, treatments and classification have been much the same for 40 years, although histological and molecular classifications have largely been developed for other pediatric CNS tumors. The management and treatment of pediatric CMG is still conducted by many authors according to their anatomical location and characteristics, independently from histology. Methods. We conducted a literature review in PubMed (Medline) to identify relevant contributions about pediatric CMG published until December 31st, 2021. We also analyzed a series of 10 patients with CMG treated from 2006 to 2021 at IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori. The aim of the present review is to see whether and how the diagnosis, treatment and classification of cervicomedullary gliomas (CMG) in children have developed over time, especially in the context of molecular advancements, and to analyze our single center experience in the last 15 years. Results. Thirty articles have been included in the review. Articles have been divided in two historical periods (1981-2000 and 2001-2021) and data from different series were analyzed to see how much the management and treatment of pediatric CMG have changed during years. Analysis of our series of 10 patients affected by CMG was also performed to compare it with the literature. Discussion. Management and classification of CMG in children has not dramatically changed during years. However, new insight from molecular diagnostics and target therapies and development of radiological, neurophysiological and radiotherapy techniques have updated treatment modalities in the last 20 years. Treatment modalities and their innovations have been reviewed and discussed. Further studies are needed to standardize and customize treatment protocols for these tumors.

Social networking sites (SNSs) might be important tools to contrast social exclusion in old age. However, the so-called gray digital divide (GDD) may undermine the potentialities of SNSs. Despite its relevance, there is very little research, which documented the characteristics of the digital divide in SNS use among the old-age population in Europe. Drawing on the “material access in resources and appropriation” theory developed by van Dijk, this work contributes to consolidate the body of research, documenting the nature of the GDD in SNS use in Europe and evaluating the role that older people’s categorical, personal, and positional characteristics together with ICT characteristics play in gaining access to digital technologies. We analyze data from the 2013–2016 Eurostat Community Statistics on Information Societies (CSIS) survey and perform bivariate and multilevel regression analysis. Key findings are (i) the persistence of the intergeneration digital divide in old age together with the marked cross-countries differences in SNS use across European countries and over time and (ii) the stability over old-age generations, countries, and time of the positional categories associated with SNS use in old age, providing further empirical support to van Dijk’s theory.

The widespread diffusion of smartphones has opened new challenges regarding the psychological consequences of their usage on social relationships. The term phubbing (a combination of phone and snubbing) indicates the act of ignoring someone in a social context by paying attention to the smartphone. The few existing studies show that phubbing is widespread, mutually reinforced, and socially accepted, with possible negative consequences for social and individual well-being. Phubbing can occur in every social context, including romantic relationships, workplaces, and family. However, to date, minimal attention has been given to the possible impact that phubbing carried out by parents can have on their children. To start filling this gap, in this paper, we introduced a new scale that measures the perception of being subject to parental phubbing and showed the prevalence of perceived phubbing on a stratified sample of 3,289 adolescents. Firstly, the dimensionality, validity, and invariance of the construct were proven. Moreover, our results showed a positive relationship between children’s perceived levels of parental phubbing and their feelings of social disconnection with parents, thus suggesting that the more children felt that one or both of their parents were phubbing them, the less the children felt connected with their parents.

Despite today’s ubiquitous nature of smartphones among adolescents, little is known about behavioural online and offline longitudinal predictors of problematic smartphone use (PSU). Guided by Uses and Gratifications Theory, we applied latent class analysis on survey data collected in 2017 from a cohort of 1096 adolescents (Mage = 12.4, SDage = 0.56) and regressed PSU measured 1 year later on class membership, controlling for socio-demographic characteristics, social desirability and autoregressive effects. We extracted four distinct classes: social-recreational onliners (n = 228), weekend onliners (n = 331), balanced (n = 404) and noninvolved (n = 153). Characterised by significantly more time spent online for recreational and social networking activities, both during weekdays and weekend days, as well as less time for sleep, the social-recreational onliners class showed significantly higher levels of PSU over time. Future studies should assess not only duration but also the frequency of daily online activities to provide further insights into behavioural predictors of PSU.

Digital Well-Being – Parental Phubbing is a cross-sectional database extracted from the second wave of data collection of the Digital Well-being – Schools project, funded by the University of Milano-Bicocca (Innovation Project Grant). The invitation to take part in this project was extended to all the high school in the territorial areas 23, 27 and 28 of the provinces of Milan and Monza-Brianza (Lombardy region, Northern Italy). At the end of the recruitment process, 18 out of 42 schools signed the training agreement, with a final enrollment rate of 43%. In May 2018, all the students at grade 10 (15-16 years old) of the 18 participating schools were surveyed through a CAWI methodology (Computer Assisted Web Interviewing) under the supervision of external observers. The questionnaire was finally administered to 3,289 participants located in 171 classes, achieving a total response rate of 90%. The dataset refers to an extract from the original questionnaire and provide detailed information on students perceived parental phubbing, social disconnection, and a set of socio-demographic and school related characteristics. Thanks to this dataset, the authors developed a brief and psychometrically valid scale to assess parental phubbing in adolescents, the Parental Phubbing Scale (PPS). Indeed, the PPS measures perceived phubbing distinctly and separately from each parent and, at the same time, these two dimensions jointly measure the overall dimension of parental phubbing.