Excessive problematic sexual behavior in the form of compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD), hypersexuality (HS), and sex addiction has gained increasing credibility in recent years and has led to the development of various psychometric instruments to assess such behavior. However, there is still considerable controversy over the operational definition of such concepts and whether they can be used interchangeably to describe the behavior. One recently developed tool is the Bergen–Yale Sex Addiction Scale (BYSAS) based on the “components model of addiction.” The present study validated the Italian version of the BYSAS. The BYSAS was administered to a large Italian-speaking sample of Italian adults [N = 1230, aged 18 to 67 years] along with psychometric instruments assessing the “Big Five” personality traits, self-esteem, depression, and two other measures of addictive sexual behavior (i.e., PATHOS and Shorter PROMIS Questionnaire–Sex Subscale). Confirmatory factorial analysis supported a one-factor solution. Furthermore, the scale had good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.787). The BYSAS was positively associated with extroversion, openness to experience, depression, and problematic sexual behavior, and negatively associated with self-esteem, conscientiousness, emotional stability, agreeableness, and age. Based on the findings, the BYSAS is a brief, psychometrically reliable and valid measure for assessing sex addiction among Italian adults.

Positive dimension, reflecting "the pleasure you derive from being able to do your work well. For example, you may feel like it is a pleasure to help others through your work. You may feel positively about your colleagues or your ability to contribute to the work setting or even the greater good of society". Compassion Fatigue (CF) represents the negative dimension of professional quality of life. It, in turn, includes two subdomains: Burnout (BO) and Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS). Burnout is characterized by chronic emotional and physical exhaustion, frustration, and a sense of inefficacy, often resulting from prolonged exposure to demanding work environments. It typically develops gradually and is associated with feelings of hopelessness, decreased job performance, and the perception that one's efforts are futile. Contributing factors may include excessive workload, lack of support, and organizational stressors. Secondary Traumatic Stress, on the other hand, refers to the emotional distress that arises from indirect exposure to traumatic experiences through one's work with affected individuals. STS symptoms may include intrusive thoughts, sleep disturbances, hypervigilance, and avoidance behaviors related to the trauma encountered by those being helped (Stamm, 2005)." Using the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL), Su and colleagues (2021) conducted a large-scale study into hospital staff in Taiwan, and found moderate levels of burnout (mean: 24.9), low levels of compassion fatigue (CF) (mean score: 20.9) but moderate levels of compassion satisfaction (CS) (mean score: 32). Perhaps, as some authors have proposed, a sense of purpose and of undertaking a shared mission could increase CS and possibly protect HCWs from lasting distress (Dwyer et al., 2021). Therefore compassion satisfaction could represent a protective factor in reducing stress and depression, as confirmed in other findings (Ruiz-Fernandez et al.,