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Background: Self-image is the subjective perception about one's own self, body, mental functioning, social attitudes, and adjustment in different aspects of life. Research has linked negative self-image with a number of problem behaviors and psychiatric symptoms in adolescence; however, studies of the relationship between self-image and anxiety disorders are still scarce. Method: This study involved a community sample of 1305 high-school students (51.4% female) who ranged in age from 14 to 19 years old. They completed self-report measures of self-image and social anxiety disorder (SAD). Results: A quarter of the students reported high levels of social anxiety. Statistical analyses showed significant differences between these students and the other students in all the self-image subscales. Several dimensions of impaired self-image (emotional tone, social attitudes, vocational and educational goals, family relationships, external mastery, and psychological health) were associated with high levels of social anxiety, with some gender differences underpinning these relationships. Conclusions: Clinicians treating SAD in youth may wish to consider that a negative self-image may play a critical role in the onset and retention of social anxiety symptoms. Key Practitioner Message• Self-image is a multifaceted construct encompassing subjective perceptions about oneself, one's body, mental functioning, social attitudes and adjustment in different aspects of life.• Several self-image dimensions can be impaired in adolescents suffering from social anxiety disorder. • Treatment of adolescents suffering from social anxiety symptoms should take into account impairments in selfimage that may damage normal development and affect well-being.• Treatment of adolescents suffering from social anxiety symptoms should promote affect regulation, mastery, positive health behaviors, and the development of supportive peer-relationships.

The relationship between social anxiety (SA) and cannabis use among adolescents and young adults is a highly debated topic. In this cross-sectional study, we tested whether cannabis use expectancies mediated the association between SA and cannabis use severity in a sample of 343 young adults (74.3% male) who used cannabis. They completed self-report measures for the screening of problematic cannabis use (Cannabis Use Problems Identification Test) and SA symptoms (Social Interaction Anxiety Scale and Social Phobia Scale). A multiple mediation analysis was used to test whether marijuana effect expectancies mediate SA effect on problematic cannabis use. SA was negatively associated with cannabis use severity in this sample, and we found evidence that cannabis use expectancies fully mediated this relationship. Specifically, global negative effect expectancies influence the relationship between SA and problematic cannabis use. These findings may inform current prevention strategies and clinical intervention for young adults who use cannabis.

The effects of the Mafia have been extensively studied from sociological, economic, and historical points of view. However, little research has investigated the influence of the Mafia on individuals and communities in terms of its psychological and social impact. In order to contribute to the advancement of our understanding of the psychological effects of the Mafia on individuals and communities and to promote a participative process of social change, a group analytic intervention was conducted within a Community Based Participatory Research carried out in Corleone, a small Sicilian town with a historically recognized role in the evolution of the Mafia, as well as in the fight against its control. Qualitative findings from the group intervention revealed the development of an awareness process that allowed participants to become aware of their social unconscious anxieties and defenses and to recognize and manage the strong emotional impact related to the Mafia's presence in their lives. Highlighting how psychological processes can have negative impacts on individual and collective capacity to pursuit transformation and resilience, this article provides important insight on how clinical psychology may operate in socio-cultural contexts to promote the reconstruction of the traumatic social dimensions in the community.

Cannabis use is frequently related to social anxiety in young adulthood, but the nature of this\ud relationship is unclear. Moreover, much research has been conducted on the role of cannabis\ud effects expectancies and their relationship to social anxiety among young adults, but less is\ud known about adolescence. The study examined the relationship between social anxiety,\ud cannabis use patterns, and cannabis effects expectancies among a nonclinical sample of\ud 1,305 adolescents (51% female). Non-users reported higher social anxiety scores than\ud non-problematic and risky users. Compared to users, non-users had more negative\ud expectancies. Risky and problematic users showed higher social and sexual facilitation\ud expectancies and perceptual and cognitive enhancement expectancies. In addition, social\ud anxiety was related to global negative expectancies and social and sexual facilitation\ud expectancies. Moreover, we found that among socially anxious adolescents, social and\ud sexual facilitation expectancies are dissuasive reasons to use cannabis. Clinical\ud implications and future directions are discussed