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Browsing EM - Artigos Científicos by Field of Science and Technology (FOS) "Ciências Sociais::Psicologia"
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- Adverse childhood experiences : relationship with empathy and alexithymiaPublication . Cerqueira, Andreia; Almeida, Telma CatarinaSeveral studies showed that adults who have experienced childhood adversity are more likely to develop alexithymia and low empathy. Therefore, this research aims to analyze the relationship between childhood adversity and alexithymia and empathy in adulthood and verify a predictive explanatory model of alexithymia. The sample comprised 92 adults who responded to the sociodemographic questionnaire, the Childhood History Questionnaire, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and the Alexithymia Scale of Toronto. Childhood adversity showed a positive relationship with alexithymia and a negative relationship with empathy. Predictive validity showed that marital status, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and empathic concern predicted higher alexithymia scores. These results show the impact of these childhood experiences on adult life, underlining the importance of developing intervention programs in this field.
- Children exposed to interparental violence : a study of Portuguese children from 7-9 years of agePublication . Almeida, Telma Catarina; Gonçalves, Rui Abrunhosa; Sani, Ana IsabelIntroduction: Exposure to interparental violence is a type of child maltreatment linked to a higher risk of physical and mental health problems. This research considers the experiences of young Portuguese children exposed to interparental violence. The goal is to explore the associations between interparental conflict in children, their perceptions of conflict properties, threat, self-blame, and the relationship with their parents. Method: The research protocol was applied to 888 Portuguese children between 7 and 9 years of age, of whom 123 are victims of interparental violence. Results: The results showed that witnessing interparental conflict is positively correlated with children’s self-blame and insight into conflict properties and negatively correlated with children’s insight into the parent-child relationship. Conclusion: These results provide strong support for the hypothesis that witnessing interparental conflict is associated with adverse outcomes in young children. Findings highlight the importance of identifying children exposed o interparental conflict in order to develop appropriate intervention programmes.
- The different contexts of domestic violence before and during the COVID-19 pandemic : a Portuguese overviewPublication . Ribeiro, Rita; Almeida, Iris; Saavedra, Rosa; Caridade, Sónia; Oliveira, Ana; Santos, Manuela; Soeiro, CristinaThe COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent restrictions impacted the world in numerous ways. These restrictions resulted in victims of domestic violence spending more time with their abuser, contributing to a rise in requests for help. The contexts for domestic violence include intimate partner violence (IPV), abuse of children/adolescent and victimization of the elderly within the family. This article compares the prevalence of domestic violence contexts between a pandemic and a non-pandemic year. Based on the assessment of data, taken from a Service Management Platform (PLAGA) and provided by the Portuguese Association for Victim Support (APAV), 12,576 requests from 2019 to 2020 were analyzed. Findings revealed that a 13.3% increase in requests for help, mainly from child/adolescent victims, was registered in 2020 compared with 2019, with a 100.7% increase solely during the lockdown period. Physical and psychological violence, often reported by victims of IPV, children/adolescents and elders, also increased during this period. Requests for help through distance support increased substantially in the pandemic year. The importance of support for victims during the pandemic and the need for new support strategies have been highlighted if victims, bystanders and professionals are to be assisted.
- The difficulties in emotion regulation scale – short form (DERS-SF) : psychometric properties and invariance between gendersPublication . Gouveia, Patrícia; Ramos, Catarina; Almeida, Telma C.; Cardoso, Jorge; Brito, JoséBackground: The understanding of how individuals manage their emotional experiences has flourished dramatically over the last decades, including assessing of emotion (dys)regulation. The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) is a well-validated and extensively used self-report instrument for emotion regulation problems. Despite the wide use of DERS in both clinical and research settings, its length potentially increases fatigue and frustration in respondents and limits its inclusion in brief research protocols. Consequently, a short-form version of the DERS (DERS-SF) was developed, which requires cross-cultural adaptations and the study of its reliability and validity. Objectives: In order to address this issue, this study aimed to analyze the factorial structure and psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of DERS-SF and examine the DERS-SF factor structure invariance between men and women. Methods: The sample comprised 646 participants aged between 18 and 66 years (M = 29.93, SD = 11.71). Results: The correlated six-factor structure of the original version has an acceptable fit, good reliability, and convergent validity. Our results also suggested the invariance of the factor structure of the DERS-SF across genders. Conclusion: The DERS-SF has good psychometric properties, and it may be useful for future research and clinical work to use this six-factor brief version and improve emotion regulation assessment.
- Instrumentos de avaliação psicológica do sono com estudos na população portuguesaPublication . Marques, Daniel Ruivo; Salvado, Ana Catarina; Amado, Catarina; Marrinhas, Daniel; Silva, Daniela; Araújo, Eliezer; Gonçalves, Filomena Marisa; Canário, Jéssica; Teves, Raúl; Machado, Roberto; Raposo, Rosa; Rofino, Rui; Cardoso, Jorge; Almeida, Telma Catarina; Gomes, Ana AllenA avaliação psicológica é uma área fundamental que norteia todos os campos de intervenção e investigação em Psicologia. Ao longo das últimas décadas tem-se assistido a um crescente envolvimento dos psicólogos no âmbito do sono e das suas perturbações, sendo a Psicologia do Sono uma especialidade reconhecida pela American Psychological Association (APA) desde 2013. Paralelamente, constata-se o desenvolvimento de múltiplos instrumentos de avaliação psicológica relacionados com o sono, seguidos das respetivas adaptações e validações transculturais. Neste artigo pretende-se elencar e descrever sucintamente os instrumentos de avaliação do comportamento de sono, considerando os estudos publicados que tenham recorrido a instrumentos validados, ainda que, por vezes, o processo de validação apresente apenas um carácter preliminar. Assim, constituiu o nosso objetivo apresentar uma listagem e súmula descritiva dos instrumentos de avaliação de sono disponíveis em Portugal, passíveis de serem utilizados na prática clínica e a nível da investigação.
- ISPO : a serious game to train the interview skills of police officersPublication . Guimarães, Manuel; Prada, Rui; Santos, Pedro A.; Dias, João; Soeiro, Cristina; Guerra, Raquel; Steiner-Stanitznig, Christina; Molinari, AndreaThe training of Police Interview competencies relies on the hiring of actors to play the role of victims, witnesses and suspects. While role-play can be a particularly effective training technique, it requires a significant amount of resources. The Interview Simulation for Police Officers (ISPO) is a serious game developed as a collaboration of Gameware Europe with the Portuguese School of Police Officers. The objective of the game is to train police officers in communication competencies related to the interview of victims, witnesses, and suspects. Through ISPO, players can take the role of a police interviewer and practice the techniques and methodologies learned in theoretical classes. The serious game offers a safe, lightweight and easily repeatable experience. In order to evaluate the training effectiveness of the serious game, a study was conducted with 194 participants where general subjective learning effectiveness was measured. Overall, the ISPO game improved the self-perceived competence of its players. Additionally, participants changed their opinion regarding the most valuable attitudes necessary to conduct a successful interview. Finally, the interaction with the game had a stronger effect on inexperienced users. These results lead us to believe that ISPO can be an added value to police officer schools.
- Meaning in life, meaning-making and posttraumatic growth in cancer patients : systematic review and meta-analysisPublication . Almeida, Margarida; Ramos, Catarina; Maciel, Laura; Basto-Pereira, Miguel; Leal, IsabelIntroduction: The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to assess the association between meaning in life (MiL), meaning-making and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in the context of cancer. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in eighteen electronic databases. The screening and selection process followed the PRISMA guidelines. For the purpose of the meta-analysis, the correlation coefficients between meaning in life and posttraumatic growth were extracted from the included studies. The effect size (r) was calculated using the restricted maximum-likelihood estimator, a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed through the Q statistic, I2 index and forest plot, while publication bias was analyzed with the use of the funnel plot and Egger’s test. Results: 889 records were considered according to the inclusion criteria. A total of nine articles, published between 2006 and 2021, were included in the systematic review. More than half were published in the last five years. The sample was mostly diagnosed with breast cancer. The meta-analysis included five articles (N = 844) and the results indicate a significant moderate correlation between meaning in life and posttraumatic growth (r = 0.43, 95% IC [0.36, 0.50]). Discussion: In conclusion, there is a clear association between meaning in life and posttraumatic growth in cancer patients. Future research should explore this relationship further, in order to better assist and guide meaning centered interventions that can potentiate a positive adjustment and possibly growth from the cancer experience.
- Predictors of pornography use : difficulties in emotion regulation and lonelinessPublication . Cardoso, Jorge; Ramos, Catarina; Brito, José; Almeida, Telma C.Background: Pleasure-seeking reasons are the main drivers of pornography use (PU), but the regulation of unpleasant states, namely distraction from or suppression of negative emotions and stress relief, are other potential predictors of this behavior. Aim: Our main objective is to develop an explanatory model of problematic PU, assessing difficulties in emotion regulation, loneliness, perceived stress, as well as age and gender as predictors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted that included a total of 340 participants (M = 28.50 years, SD = 10.32). Self-report inventories were administered that measured problematic PU (PPCS), difficulties in emotion regulation (DERS-SF), loneliness (UCLALS-3), and perceived stress (PSS-10). Results: The findings were indicative of recreational PU, with only a small number of participants (4.6%) reporting a possible problematic PU. There were statistically significant gender differences (F(1,337) = 33.306, P ≤ .001), namely that men were more likely to report problematic PU (M = 36.03, SD = 21.30) than women (M = 25.32, SD = 9.24). Problematic PU was significantly and positively correlated either with difficulties in emotion regulation, loneliness, perceived stress and age. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis showed that difficulties in emotion regulation (β = 0.259, P ≤ .001), loneliness (β = 0.209, P = .001), and gender (β = -0.377, P ≤ .001) define the best subset of predictors of problematic PU. Age and perceived stress were not selected as predictors in this subset. Clinical Translation: The promotion of better emotion regulation abilities and strategies for adaptive coping with loneliness must be taken into consideration, namely in cases of problematic PU or compulsive sexual behavior disorder. Strengths & Limitations: Being a cross-sectional study with a convenience sample and the fact that these variables explain only a part of the explained variance of the problematic PU are the main limitations. Despite the limitations, the principal contribution of this study is the understanding that gender, difficulties in emotion regulation, and loneliness remain as main predictors of problematic PU, even when combined in the explanatory model. Conclusion: The current study provides a better understanding of the predictors of problematic PU related with the reduction or avoidance of unpleasant states. Emotion regulation, loneliness, and perceived stress, studied simultaneously, provide a better understanding of the complex relationships between these factors and problematic PU. Difficulties in emotion regulation and loneliness are predictors of higher problematic PU, as well as the expected gender effect.
- Psychosocial risks factors among victim support workers during the COVID-19 pandemic : a study with the Copenhagen Psychosocial QuestionnairePublication . Caridade, Sónia; Oliveira, Ana; Saavedra, Rosa; Ribeiro, Rita; Santos, Manuela; Almeida, Iris; Soeiro, CristinaBackground: Being a victim support worker (VSW) involves exposure to victims' suffering, pain, and traumatic events, which may trigger the risk of VSWs developing mental health problems. Psychosocial risks (PSR) and work-related stress are considered the most challenging issues in occupational safety and health, considering they impact individuals, organizations, and economies. Methods: The purpose of the present study was to identify the PSR in a sample of 196 Portuguese victim support workers (VSW) (Mean age = 36.49; SD = 10.52). A questionnaire with socio-demographic characteristics, variables related to VSW's job, and the Portuguese medium version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire II (COPSOQ II) were used to assess these professionals' perception of PSR factors. Results: The results reveal that although VSW recognizes some psychosocial factors favourable to their health and well-being, they also identify some PSR that place them at intermediate and severe risk, i.e., emotional and cognitive demands, which are the main areas of risk to the VSW. VSW over 38 years old scored higher in job insecurity, burnout, and offensive behaviours. Conclusions: These findings give important insights into the areas that must be enhanced in this context involving VSW. Additionally, the results highlight the relevance of encouraging a healthy and supportive work environment, preventing and promoting the health and well-being of VSW, particularly when considering the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
- Remote support to victims of violence against women and domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemicPublication . Caridade, Sónia Maria Martins; Saavedra, Rosa; Ribeiro, Rita; Oliveira, Ana Cristina; Santos, Manuela; Almeida, Iris Sofia; Soeiro, CristinaPurpose: This paper aims to characterize the type of support provided to victims of violence against women and domestic violence (VAWDV) during the first lockdown, assessing the training of professionals to use remote support (RS). Design/methodology/approach: This cross-sectional study involves a sample of 196 support professionals, mainly women (91.8%) and who integrate the Portuguese National Support Network for victims of domestic violence (NSNVDV) (Mean age = 36.49; SD = 10.52). Findings: Telephone emerges as the main RS communication media used in the lockdown (43.9%) and the emergency state periods (57.1%). Participants reported to have never used any social applications (41.8% vs 41.8%) or videoconference (46.4% vs 58.2%), in both periods assessed, i.e. lockdown and emergency state, respectively, and 82.7% assumed to have no training with RS to assist VAWDV victims. However, support professionals recognized several advantages in using RS such as dealing with isolation, reducing inhibition, fear and shame and in promoting the victims’ empowerment. Research limitations/implications: Given the exploratory nature of this study, only descriptive analyzes were conducted. Originality/value: During the COVID-19 pandemic, little is known about effective RS given by professionals to victims of VAWDV in the Portuguese context. The paper aims to add knowledge to the studied field.