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FrancoAngeli Journals

Regular Articles

No. 1 (2025)

Hospital Psychology Services: Representations of structural and functional changes

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3280/rpc1-2025oa19832
Submitted
marzo 25, 2025
Published
2025-09-15

Abstract

This study explores the evolution of Hospital Psychology Services (HPS) over the past decade, analyzing how professionals represent structural, functional, and managerial changes. Grounded in Semiotic-Cultural Psychology Theory (SCPT), the research employs Automated Co-occurrence Analysis for Semantic Mapping (ACASM) to examine interview data from 27 Italian HPS. Four themes emerged: Organizational complexity, Organizational challenges, Service networking, and Service consolidation. Results reveal bipolar semantic structures organizing these representations, notably Professional practice vs Networking and Challenges vs. Empowerment. The study provides a first overview of how the representational world of hospital psychologists can serve as a marker of the transformations taking place in the sector.

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