The progress of technology and the increasingly widespread use of the Internet are leading to deviant behaviours such as cyber violence and, among these, cyberbullying. The latter is a growing phenomenon among adolescents that has forced institutions to implement action plans, such as legislative interventions, to prevent and counteract cyberbullying. The aim of this contribution was to provide a brief overview of the projects and laws implemented at international level to prevent this phenomenon as well as the fundamental role of teachers and parents. The analysed studies demonstrate how widely the phenomenon of cyberbullying is widespread in numerous countries with percentages that grow year by year and the Italian situation also appears in line with the international context. Further projects should be implemented to prevent the growing phenomenon of cybercrime in general. Article visualizations:
The advent of the Internet and social networks has reduced human and empathic relationships, consequently increasing virtual ones. Cyberspace offers the possibility of carrying out illegal acts with the perception of remaining unpunished. In this article we discussed the differences between crime and cybercrime which takes different forms within cyberspace such as cyberstalking, cyberbullying, online sexual offences and property crimes such as white-collar crimes. Furthermore, the evolution of criminal profiling in the digital age has been described and the profile of the cyber-criminal has been defined as outlined by the Italian State Police. The multiplication of criminal activities perpetrated through the web has led the Legislator to wonder about the most effective repressive methods to repress and try to ward off the numerous dangers that are wandering within cyberspace. The Italian legislator, through various legislative interventions, has introduced changes to the Penal Code as in article 612-bis, introducing in paragraph 2 an increase in punishment for the case in which the crime is committed through IT tools such as e-mail, SMS, chat malware and, above all, social networks. Also, the legislator included article 612-ter in the Penal Code to prosecute the illegal dissemination of sexually explicit images and videos. Finally, criminological research must consider that cybercrime has different variables than traditional crime and the evaluation of criminal behaviour should take into account the influence of the virtual dimension on the cognitive processes of the subjects. Article visualizations:
Criminal organizations, with the advent of new information technologies, have found additional ways and spaces through which to commit crimes, especially in online hidden markets and through new means of laundering illicit proceeds. The opening of these new illegal markets has helped to increase the capital of criminal organizations which, if spread and rooted in the territory, can influence the various spheres of politics and decision-making processes of an entire country. Despite the seriousness of the threat, organised crime is not sufficiently understood. Although regulatory interventions and actions to prevent and combat cybercrimes perpetrated by organised crime have been implemented, through the international collaboration of the police forces with the various investigative agencies, the individual states intend to maintain full sovereignty in the area of criminal justice; all this leads to a lack of uniformity between both national and European institutions in the area of organized crime, while adequate regulation is still lacking in the dark web. In the light of the exponential increase in online criminal activity in recent years and even 25% between the first and second quarter of 2020 due to the coronavirus emergency, it is therefore essential that the individual Member States put aside uncertainties, exploiting the European Union as a fulcrum in the fight against transnational organised crime. A common solution would be to criminalize access to some areas of the Onion Routing, integrate the provisions of the article 416 of the Penal Code to apply them also to the digital context and establish the crime of mafia-type criminal association in the European legislative landscape as explained in article 416-bis of the Italian Penal Code. Interpol; Europol; Postal police; Criminal law; Darknet
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of demographic and occupational characteristics, anthropometric indices, lifestyle adopted and physical activity levels, free (leisure) or structured in the form of institutional training (Physical Education), sources of Stress and coping strategies, and the perception of the state of physical and mental health of the State Police of Puglia. Methods: The sample consists of 101 police officers (age 46.08 ± 5.66 years, weight 81.60 ± 14.04 kg, height 173.47 ± 6.14 cm) volunteers for this study. The Occupational Stress Indicator and the Short Form-12 were used, along with a questionnaire of socio-demographic, occupational and anthropometric data. Statistical analyzes were performed using descriptive analyzes followed by the analysis of multiple linear regression with the stepwise method. The level of significance was set at p <0.05. Results: To follow an active lifestyle, practicing motor sports or sports at any level, especially in institutional training environments (Physical Education), can enable State Police operators to cope with stress by adequately increasing coping strategies. In addition, the beneficial effects of active lifestyle on some sources of stress and perception of the physical health status are mediated by some bio-anthropometric data, such as abdominal circumference, which inversely correlate with the intensity and continuity of the sports motorcycle practice Structured and motivated. Conclusions: These findings encourage Formation of the Order's Forces to adopt an institutional policy that allows police practitioners to regularly attend Physical Education, Adapted Physical Education programs to their age and working characteristics in order to maintain and improve their form Psycho-physical, performance and quality of life. Scopi: Il presente studio ha voluto determinare gli effetti delle caratteristiche demografiche e occupazionali, indici antropometrici, stile di vita adottato e livelli di attività fisica, libera (Tempo Libero) o strutturata sotto forma di percorso formativo istituzionale (Educazione Fisica), sulle fonti di stress e le strategie di coping, e sulla percezione dello stato di salute fisica e mentale degli operatori della Polizia di Stato della Puglia. Metodi: Il campione è costituito da 101 operatori di polizia (età 46.08 ± 5.66 anni, peso 81.60 ± 14.04 kg, altezza 173.47 ± 6.14 cm) volontari per questo studio. Sono stati utilizzati l'Occupational Stress Indicator e lo Short Form-12, insieme ad un questionario di dati socio- demografici, occupazionali e antropometrici. Le analisi statistiche sono state effettuate usando le analisi descrittive seguite dall'analisi della regressione lineare multipla con il metodo stepwise. Il livello di significatività è stato fissato a p<0.05. Risultati: Seguire uno stile di vita attivo, praticando attività motoria o sportiva a qualsiasi livello, soprattutto nei contesti formativi istituzionali (Educazione Fisica), può consentire agli operatori della Polizia di Stato di fronteggiare lo stress adeguatamente incrementando le strategie di coping. Inoltre, gli effetti benefici dello stile di vita attivo su alcune fonti di stress e sulla percezione dello stato di salute fisica sono mediati da alcuni dati bioantropometrici, come la circonferenza addominale, che correlano inversamente all'intensità ed alla continuità della pratica motorio sportiva strutturata e motivata. Conclusioni: Questi risultati incoraggiano i responsabili della Formazione delle Forze dell'Ordine ad adottare una politica istituzionale che consenta agli operatori di polizia di seguire regolarmente programmi formativi di Educazione Fisica Adattata all'età ed alle caratteristiche lavorative allo scopo di mantenere e migliorare la loro forma psico-fisica, la prestazione lavorativa e qualità della vita.
Drug addiction may cause health problems and social exclu- sion (Neale, 2006, In R. Hughes (Ed.), Drugs, policy and politics (pp. 201–226). Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill/Open University Press). Although studies indicate that physical activity levels are inversely related to substance use disorders, it is not clear the role of exercise during drug abuse treatment (Weinstock, Barry, & Petry, 2008, Addictive Behaviors, 33, 1072–1075). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 8-week exercise intervention, as an adjunct to treat- ment for drug dependent patients (cannabis, opiates, amphe- tamines, cocaine and heroin addicted), on psychological and physical fitness variables. With institutional ethics approval, 34 male participants (mean age: 45.2 ± 12.6 years; stature: 1.77 ± 0.06 m; body mass: 74.2 ± 9.7 kg) were assigned to an experimental group (n = 17) that performed exercise inter- vention (i.e., aerobic-anaerobic exercise at moderate-intensity plus behavioural training), or a control group (n = 17). At baseline and after 8-week, COPE-NVI (60-item self-report questionnaire), CD-RISC (10-item scale) and physical fitness tests (i.e., Stork balance stand, functional reach, lateral side- step and push-up tests) assessed coping skills, resilience and fitness levels, respectively. A 2-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures and paired t-test analysis were performed to locate between- and within-trial variance, and the magnitude of significant effects was determined using Cohen's d effect sizes. Statistical significance level was set at P < 0.05. Adherence to exercise was 94 ± 2,6% and after intervention significant improvements in the skills and strate- gies adopted to cope with stressful events (P < 0.01, d = 0.80) and in ability to deal with negative experiences (P < 0.01, d = 0.87) were found. In addition, the physical fitness compo- nents as static (P < 0.01, d = 0.96) and dynamic balance (P < 0.01, d = 0.75), anaerobic power and coordination (P < 0.01, d = 0.89), and endurance of the upper body muscu- lature (P < 0.01, d = 0.58) are significantly improved in the experimental group. No relevant changes were found in the control group. Findings highlighted the positive relationship between increased physical fitness and improved functional and adaptive modalities used to cope with stressful events and negative experiences. Therefore, exercise intervention was effective to improve mental and physical wellbeing in drug addicts.
Futsal is a sport that originates from soccer and is increasingly practiced all over the world. Since training and warm-up protocols should be sport-specific in order to reduce injuries and maximize performance, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of 5 weeks of the FIFA 11+ warm-up program on explosive strength, speed, and perception of physical exertion in elite female futsal athletes. Twenty-nine elite female futsal athletes participating in the Italian national championships were divided into two groups: the experimental group (EG) underwent 5 weeks of the FIFA 11+ warm-up program, and the control group (CG) underwent 5 weeks of a dynamic warm-up. We evaluated any effect on explosive strength (by Squat Jump test), speed (by Agility T-test), and perception of physical exertion (by Borg CR-10 scale). All measurements were carried out by a technician of the Italian Football Federation before (T0), at the middle (T1), and at the end (T2) of the protocol. The EG showed significant improvements on performances between T0 vs. T1 and T0 vs. T2 both in the Squat Jump test (p = 0.0057 and p = 0.0030, respectively) and in the Agility T-test (p = 0.0075 and p = 0.0122). No significant differences were found in the Squat Jump test performances in the CG, while significant improvements were detected in the Agility T-test performances (p = 0.0004 and p = 0.0053, T0 vs. T1 and T0 vs. T2, respectively). As for the Borg CR-10 scale, we found a significant difference between T0 and T2 in the EG (p = 0.017) and no differences in the CG. This study showed that 5 weeks of the FIFA 11+ warm-up program improves the jumping performance of female futsal athletes without adversely affecting speed. These findings can be useful for coaches and athletic trainers in order to consider FIFA 11+ warm-up program also in female futsal athletes.
Background: Paralympic powerlifting (PP) is performed on a bench press, aiming to lift as much weight as possible in a single repetition. Purpose: To evaluate thermal asymmetry and dynamic force parameters with 45 and 80% 1 Repetition Maximum (1 RM) in PP athletes. Methods: Twelve elite PP male athletes were evaluated before and after a training session regarding skin temperature (thermography) and dynamic force indicators (Average Propulsive Velocity-MPV, Maximum Velocity-VMax, and Power). The training consisted of five series of five repetitions (5 × 5) with 80% 1 RM. The force indicators and dynamics before and after (45% 1 RM) were evaluated in series "1" and "5" with 80% 1 RM. Results: The temperature did not present asymmetry, and there were differences between the moment before and after. In MPV, Vmax, and Power, with 45% 1 RM, there were differences both in asymmetry and in moments (p < 0.005). With 80% 1 RM, asymmetry was observed, but no differences between moments (p < 0.005). Conclusion: No thermal asymmetry was observed. There were reductions in MVP and VMax at 45 and 80% 1 RM but without significant differences between time points (before and after). However, there was asymmetry in the moments before and after within a safety standard, where Paralympic powerlifting was safe in terms of asymmetries.
