Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2021"
Now showing 1 - 10 of 537
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- How couple’s relationship lasts over time? A model for marital satisfactionPublication . Abreu-Afonso, José; Ramos, Maria Meireles; Garcia, Inês; Leal, Isabel Maria PereiraHigh rates of divorce seem related to low marital satisfaction levels; however, there is still a lack of a model that can help understand the couple's resilience and fragility throughout the life cycle. This research explores the role of communication patterns, their own and partner's motivation for conjugality, cohesion and flexibility within a couple, and several sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., stage of the family life cycle) that can explain marital satisfaction. A sample of 331 Portuguese in a marital relationship completed a sociodemographic questionnaire and marital satisfaction measures, communication and conflict management competencies, cohesion and flexibility, and motivation. Adequate statistical analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling. Both measurement and structural model performed in the study presented a good fit, with five significant predictors of marital satisfaction (that accounted for 85% of the variability): intrinsic motivation (β = .64), communication (β = .31), families with young children (β = -.08), families with teenagers (β = -.07) and professional/academic status (β = .06). By identifying a model for marital satisfaction, this research provides clues regarding which aspects might need to be considered in couples' clinical work to promote healthier relationships.
- Memory awareness in patients with major depressive disorderPublication . Mendes, Tiago; Cardoso, Sandra; Guerreiro, Manuela; Marôco, João Paulo.; Silva, Dina; Alves, Luísa; Schmand, Ben; Couto, Frederico Simões Do; Figueira, Maria Luísa; De Mendonça, AlexandreSubjective Memory Complaints (SMC) along with cognitive deficits are frequently observed in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). The relationship between SMC and objective memory performance in patients with MDD was evaluated, in comparison with patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment due to Alzheimer's Disease (MCI-AD) and healthy controls (HC).
- Operationalizing intentionality in primate communication: Social and ecological considerationsPublication . Rodrigues, Evelina Daniela; Fröhlich, MarlenAn intentional transfer of information is central to human communication. When comparing nonhuman primate communication systems to language, a critical challenge is to determine whether a signal is used in intentional, goal-oriented ways. As it is not possible to directly observe psychological states in any species, comparative researchers have inferred intentionality via behavioral markers derived from studies on prelinguistic human children. Recent efforts to increase consistency in nonhuman primate communication studies undervalue the effect of possible sources of bias: some behavioral markers are not generalizable across certain signal types (gestures, vocalizations, and facial expressions), contexts, settings, and species. Despite laudable attempts to operationalize first-order intentionality across signal types, a true “multimodal” approach requires integration across their sensory components (visual-silent, contact, audible), as a signal from a certain type can comprise more than one sensory component. Here we discuss how the study of intentional communication in nonlinguistic systems is hampered by issues of reliability, validity, consistency, and generalizability. We then highlight future research avenues that may help to understand the use of goal-oriented communication by opting, whenever possible, for reliable, valid, and consistent behavioral markers, but also taking into account sampling biases and integrating detailed observations of intraspecific communicative interactions.
- Levels of trust in information sources as a predictor of protective health behaviors during COVID-19 pandemic: A UAE cross-sectional studyPublication . Figueiras, Maria Joao; Ghorayeb, Dr. Jihane; Coutinho, Mariana V. C.; Maroco, João; Thomas, JustinHealth information sources and the level of trust in a particular source may influence the subsequent adoption of advocated health behaviors. Information source preference and levels of trust are also likely to be influenced by sociodemographic (culture, age, gender) variables. Understanding these source-trust-behavior relationships across various national and cultural contexts is integral to improved health messaging. The present study identified the sources most frequently consulted to obtain information about COVID-19 during the pandemic’s early stages in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study quantified levels of trust across an array of information sources, factoring in sociodemographic variables. Finally, the study explored the relationship between sociodemographic variables, levels of trust in information sources, and the adoption of COVID-19 related protective behaviors. Participants (n = 1585) were recruited during the first 2 weeks of April 2020 via announcements in the UAE media and through email networks. All participants completed a web-based survey presented in English or Arabic, as preferred. The most frequently consulted information sources were websites (health information websites), social media, government communications, and family and friends. The sources rated most trustworthy were: personal physicians, health care professionals, and government communications. There were differences in the use of sources and levels of trust according to age, gender, and education. The levels of trust in sources of information were associated with the adoption of protective behaviors, significantly so for citizens of the UAE. These findings may help inform the improvement of pandemic–related health messaging in multicultural contexts.
- The meaning making model applied to community-dwelling adults with chronic painPublication . Ferreira-Valente, Maria Alexandra; Fontes, Fernando; Pais-Ribeiro, José; Jensen, MarkPurpose: Chronic pain is a multidimensional experience that is influenced by biological, psychological, social, and spiritual factors. The Meaning Making Model is a recent cognitive behavioral model that has been developed to understand how psychosocial factors influence adjustment to stressful events, such as having a chronic illness. This qualitative study aims to understand the potential utility of this model for understanding the role of meaning making in adjustment to chronic pain. Materials and Methods: Eighteen community-dwelling adults with chronic low back pain or chronic pain due to osteoarthritis participated in four focus groups. Participants were asked open-ended questions about their pain experience, pain-related beliefs, meaning of pain, and the perceived association between pain and their meaning in life and sense of purpose. Data were submitted to thematic analysis and the identified themes were considered in light of the Meaning Making Model. Results: Three overarching themes emerged, each of which included two themes. The first overarching theme – “appraised meaning of pain” – included the themes “causal attributions” and “primary appraisals.” The second – “meaning making processes” – included the themes “assimilation” and “accommodation.” The third – “meanings made” – included the themes “pain as an opportunity” and “acceptance.” Conclusion: The key themes that emerged as individuals with chronic pain discussed pain and its impact are consistent with those that would be hypothesized as important from the Meaning Making Model, providing preliminary support for the utility of this model in the context of chronic pain. People with chronic pain appear to appraise pain in terms of its cause, controllability, threat, loss, or challenge. When a discrepancy between the appraised meaning of pain and one’s global meaning emerged, participants engaged in meaning making processes (accommodation and assimilation), resulting in meanings made, such as a reappraised meaning of pain, perceptions of growth, and acceptance.
- On the relationship between authentic leadership, flourishing, and performance in healthcare teams: A job demands-resources perspectivePublication . Marques-Quinteiro, Pedro; Graça, Ana Margarida; Coelho, Francisco Antonio; Martins, DanielaThis study integrates the job demands-resources model and authentic leadership theory to test the general hypothesis that authentic leadership is a job resource that enables flourishing and performance in healthcare teams. Furthermore, this article tests the hypothesis that the daily bed occupancy is a job demand that weakens this relationship. Participants were 106 nurses that were distributed across 33 teams from two hospitals. The results suggest that the authentic leadership of team leaders is positively related with subjective and objective team performance, but only when daily bed occupancy is low. Authentic leadership had no relationship with team flourishing, regardless of the daily bed occupancy. Our findings suggest that the extent to which authentic leadership is adequate to promote the performance of teams working in a hospital setting is sensitive to contextual boundary conditions. Leading authentically might only be effective under specific circumstances.
- Allopreening in the Black‐browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophris): an exploration of patterns and possible functionsPublication . Gillies, Natasha; Guilford, Tim; Catry, PauloThe functions of display between breeding pairs of animals have been given little attention outside of sexual selection. Yet evidence suggests that display between partners is in fact most commonly observed following mate choice, and is often just as elaborate. In many bird species, allopreening, when one member of a pair preens the other, is a major component of display both pre- and post-pair formation. Despite this, there has been little investigation into its functions. Explanations that have been put forward tend to focus on its role in feather hygiene, which has limited phylogenetic support, or its function in the maintenance of the pair bond, though how this might occur or indeed what this actually represents has not been adequately explained. Phylogenetic evidence reveals that allopreening is most commonly observed in those species exhibiting high levels of partner retention and biparental care, and it appears to be functional in maintaining cooperation in parental behaviour in at least one species. In our observational study, we explored the patterns and putative functions of allopreening during the nest-relief displays of breeding pairs of Black-browed Albatrosses Thalassarche melanophris during incubation and chick-provisioning. Allopreening was an important feature of displays, constituting 30% of display time. We found that the bird returning from its foraging trip usually initiated allopreening, and preened more than its partner prior to change-over of nesting duties. We further found a positive relationship between the amount of time the pair spent in display and the duration of the subsequent foraging trip, providing tentative support for a function in maintaining cooperative parental behaviour between the parents. Although we cannot be conclusive as to its exact functions, we add to a limited literature the first exploration of functions for this conspicuous behaviour in albatrosses.
- Early attachment to mothers and fathers: Contributions to preschoolers' emotional regulationPublication . Fernandes, Carla; Fernandes, Marilia; Santos, António J.; Antunes, Marta; Monteiro, Lígia; Vaughn, Brian E.; Verissimo, ManuelaChildren acquire and develop emotional regulatory skills in the context of parent-child attachment relationships, nonetheless empirical studies have focused mainly on mother and less information is available regarding the role of both parent-child attachment relationships. Furthermore, despite its importance, there is no information regarding preschool years. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring the potential influences of both mother-child and father-child attachments on preschooler’s later emotion regulation observed in the peer group. Fifty-three Portuguese nuclear families (mother, father and focal child) participated in the study; 47% of the children were boys and 53% were girls. Attachment Security was assessed at home using the Attachment Behavior Q-set when children were 3 years of age, and emotion regulation was observed in the preschool classrooms attended by the children at age 5, using the California child Q-sort to derive an Emotion Regulation Q-Scale. Results showed that the combined influence of both parent-child attachment security predicted better emotion regulation results, than did the specific contributions of each parent per se. Findings are consistent with integrative approaches that highlight the value of including both mother- and father-child attachment relationships, as well as their combined effect, when studying emotion regulation.
- Designing strategies and actions to support open science: building capacity in an academic institutionPublication . Lopes, Carlos; Antunes, Maria Da Luz; Sanches, TatianaIntroduction: The access of information to new learning devices, the ability to interconnect with libraries and repositories without barriers of time or space, and the way in which information is processed and made available highlight the urgency of reflection and access to the production and dissemination of scientific production by its stakeholders. To address these issues, academic institutions, together with their libraries, can devise and develop strategies that enable them to make fuller use of these resources, assisting them to interact with the Open Science movement with greater autonomy and effectiveness. Aim of the study: A curricular proposal for a postgraduate course targeted at researchers, science managers, and information professionals is presented, given the gap in higher education offer in this area in Portugal. Methods: A literature review was performed and a proposal for a postgraduate course was developed, based on the international FOSTER project. Results: The course has been structured in contents that aim to fulfill the objective of disseminating Open Science best practices in the context of higher education, articulated with information literacy. The subjects, distributed by semester, workload. and ECTS, are adaptable to the needs of teaching and dissemination, ensuring the training of researchers, science managers, and information professionals in skills appropriate for navigating this movement. Conclusions: The proposed postgraduate course aims to reinforce the importance of building the capacity and best practices’ training of stakeholders within Open Science.
- Examining the Factorial Structure of the Maternal Separation Anxiety Scale in a Portuguese SamplePublication . Guedes, Maryse; Monteiro, Lígia Maria Santos; Santos, António J.; Torres, Nuno; Verissimo, ManuelaThe increase in women's labor market participation emphasizes the importance of understanding maternal separation anxiety, that is, the unpleasant maternal emotional state, due to the actual or anticipated short-term separation from the child. Drawing on the insights of the attachment and psychoanalytic perspectives, the Maternal Separation Anxiety Scale (MSAS) was developed to overcome existing measurement gaps. However, prior research did not replicate its original three-factor structure in the contemporary context and in other cultural settings, using large samples composed of mothers of preschool children. This study aimed to examine the factorial structure of the MSAS in a sample of 597 Portuguese mothers of children aged 5-84 months who completed the questionnaire. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) conducted in subsample 1 revealed a four-factor structure: Maternal Negative Feelings, Beliefs about Exclusive Maternal Care, Need of Proximity, and Perceptions of Separation Benefits for Children. Confirmatory factor analyses conducted in subsample 2 revealed that the original three-factor structure revealed a poor fit, whereas the four-factor solution (obtained in the EFA) revealed an acceptable fit. As in previous studies, our findings report deviations from the original three-factor structure of the MSAS. Three of the newly identified factors seem to reflect specific sub-dimensions that originally guided item development in the MSAS, namely, maternal negative feelings, maternal attitudes about the value of exclusive maternal care, and the need of proximity with the child. The last factor appears to represent a refinement of original items pertaining to perceptions about separation effects for children.