Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2023-06"
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- The role of child, maternal and household factors in the reported use of physical punishment practices by Portuguese mothersPublication . Rancheiro, Telma; Guedes, Maryse; Verissimo, ManuelaAbstract: Physical punishment is the use of physical force to cause to body pain or discomfort, to correct children’s misbehaviour (Gershoff, 2008) and negatively impacts children’s development (Gershoff, 2002). To overcome limitations in the current state-of-art knowledge in Portugal, this study aimed to describe the maternal reports about the use of different physical punishment practices in the last year and to analyse the predictive role of child, maternal and household characteristics in the use of different physical punishment practices in the last year. A total of 289 Portuguese mothers of children aged 5 to 14 years completed the Escala de Crenças sobre a Punição Física (Machado et al., 2003) and the Inventário de Práticas Educativas Parentais (Machado et al., 2015). According to results, spanking child at the buttocks with the hand and slapping child’s hand, arm, or leg were the most reported punishment practices. Maternal tolerance toward physical punishment was the strongest and most consistent predictor of spanking child at the buttocks with the hand and slapping child’s hand, arm, or leg during the last year. Future cross-cultural studies may continue to explore the most used physical punishment practices and the characteristics that predict their use.
- Dominant Affective Temperaments and its variance among people with depression, bipolar disorder, and a non-clinical sample : validation of the Affective Temperament Questionnaire (ATQ)Publication . Azevedo, Julieta; Carreiras, Diogo; Castilho, Paula; Rodrigues, Joana; Macedo, AntónioAbstract: Affective temperaments are frequently described as a biologically determined early emerging variation in emotional reactivity, with solid temporal stability. We aimed to analyse affective temperament variation and dominance while adapting and translating the Affective Temperament Questionnaire (ATQ) to European Portuguese in both clinical (Major Depressive Disorder – MDD and Bipolar Disorder – BD) and non-clinical samples. ATQ was administered to 42 subjects with MDD, 64 with BD and 411 non-clinical. A 3-factor model CFA was performed (comprising hyperthymic, cyclothymic and dysthymic temperaments), revealing good adjustment and acceptable internal consistency levels. ATQ subscales showed a general higher internal consistency in people with mood disorders. Support for convergent validity was found. BD and MDD presented higher prevalence in Cyclothymic and Dysthymic temperaments than non-clinical, although they did not differ significantly between them regarding the last one. Findings suggest ATQ is a valid and reliable self-report measure to assess affective temperaments in the Portuguese population and proved to be acceptable for either clinical or non-clinical samples. This measure can be applied to detect early vulnerability to affective disorders, which can be very helpful in clinical settings and primary care.
- Psychometric properties of the Portuguese teacher-version of the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits in PreschoolersPublication . Figueiredo, Patrícia; Ramião, Eduarda; Moreira, Diana; Barroso, Ricardo; Barbosa, FernandoAbstract: Several authors suggest that Callous-Unemotional (CU) traits may be useful in identifying adolescents who exhibit initial, severe, chronic, and aggressive conduct problems. The Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU) was developed to assess these traits, later associated with psychopathy, in children and adolescents. This study aims to analyze the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the teacher-report ICU for preschool-age children. The sample was collected in public schools and comprised the responses of 46 preschool teachers concerning 131 children (62 girls) between 3 and 6 years of age. Results indicate that a two-factor model revealed the best fit to our data, including a Callous and an Uncaring factor, resorting to 12 of the original 24 items. Additionally, the results of this study also provide evidence of measurement invariance across sex for the ICU, allowing us to compare mean levels of CU traits between boys and girls. The results of the present study showed that the Portuguese version of the ICU scale (teacher’s version) seems reliable and valid for evaluating CU traits in preschool children.
- Perceived job insecurity and sickness presenteeism among public service employees : moderated mediation model of organisational culture and genderPublication . Akanni, Abimbola A.; Oduaran, Choja; Ekundayo, OpeyemiAbstract: Previous research efforts have concentrated on the link between personal factors and sickness presenteeism, with few attempts to research the roles of contextual factors such as organisational culture and perceived job insecurity. Also, the mechanism through which the link exists has not been examined across the gender divide. Therefore, this paper examined the moderated mediation effects of gender on the relationship between perceived job insecurity and sickness presenteeism through organisational culture. A total of 244 (F=140; M=104) respondents participated in the study. The Stanford Presenteeism Scale and Job Insecurity and Organisational Culture scales were used for data collection. Results of the correlation analysis revealed that perceived job insecurity is negatively associated with organisational culture and sickness presenteeism. It also revealed that organisational culture is positively related to sickness presenteeism. The Hayes PROCESS macro analysis showed that organisational culture mediated the relationship between perceived job insecurity and sickness presenteeism. Furthermore, the results of the moderated mediation analysis showed that gender moderated the mediating role of organisational culture in the relationship between perceived job insecurity and sickness presenteeism. The study concluded that the indirect effect of perceived job insecurity on sickness presenteeism through organisational culture was higher among female respondents than their male counterparts.
- A biopsychosocial perspective of mental health risk in Italy during phase two of the COVID-19 lockdownPublication . Rossi, Martina; Jarego, Margarida; Ferreira-Valente, Maria Alexandra; Miró, Jordi; Sánchez-Rodríguez, Elisabet; Ciaramella, AntonellaAbstract: Introduction: Research into the first phase of the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy showed an association with an increased susceptibility to adverse mental health (MH) in the general population. We investigated in the same population the correlations between the various demographic, socioeconomic, biological/clinical history and psychological dimensions and MH in the second, “opening-up”, phase of the lockdown. Methods: An anonymous online survey collected data from 26 May to 4 July 2020 on demographic, socioeconomic, perceived risk, general health and quality of life appraisals, worry, interference in life, life satisfaction, perceived happiness and MH by using Mental Health Inventory-5 (MHI-5). Results: Of the 300 participants, only 195 responded to MH questions. Older age was positively associated with better MH (r=.15), as was education (r=.19). A negative correlation with MH, with medium-high effect size, was found with quality of life (r=.40) and health (r=.34) appraisals, and the factors “worry about sustenance” (r=.23) and “interference with life” (r=.32). A positive correlation, with strong effect size, was found between MH and life satisfaction (r=.53) and perception of happiness (r=.64). Discussion: During phase two of the lockdown, rather the real impact of COVID-19 restrictions on employment or economic resources, it was worry about finances that was associated with worse MH. Mental distress was associated with the loss of some positive psychological factors. From a homeostatic and biopsychosocial perspective of MH, life satisfaction and perceived happiness represent important mental resources for counteracting the effects of lockdown on MH.
- “Caught by the pandemic” : social, academic, and psychological functioning of college students, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemicPublication . Campos, Luísa; Dias, Pedro; Rodrigues Da Cruz, MatildeAbstract: This study examined the social, academic, and psychological functioning (anxiety, depression, and stress), during the first lockdown due to COVID-19 (March-July 2020), of a group of Portuguese college students. Aims: (a) to characterize the perception of the social, academic, and psychological impact of the lockdown; (b) to examine the relationship between social, academic, and psychological impact and sociodemographic, contextual, and academic characteristics; (c) to study predictors of the psychological impact of the lockdown (anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and stress). The sample consisted of 247 students who responded to a sociodemographic, contextual, and academic questionnaire, and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales-21. Data were analyzed using Chi-square tests, independent-sample t-tests, and linear multiple regressions. The negative psychological impact was predicted by gender, physical activity, problems connecting to the internet, and study cycle. This study highlighted the need to promote the social-emotional development of higher education students “caught by” the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Associations between secure base script knowledge in early childhood and perceived quality of attachment in middle childhoodPublication . Fernandes, C.; Fernandes, M.; Antunes, Marta; Santos, António J.; Vaughn, Brian; Verissimo, ManuelaAbstract: Previous studies suggest that mental representations of attachment can show moderate stability across childhood but none of these considered the child’s use of the Secure Base Script (SBS). This study tested the longitudinal stability of attachment representations from early to middle childhood, providing data that will allow us to determine whether the SBS score behaves like other attachment measures for early childhood in this regard. A sample of 70 Portuguese preschool children (36 girls) was assessed regarding their access to and use of the SBS when producing narratives relevant to attachment themes (e.g., separation, fear of ambiguous threat) at age 5 years using the Attachment Story Completion Task. Follow-up assessments were obtained at 8 and 9 years of age using the Kerns Security Scale. Security scores for both parents were obtained from the child in both years. All crosstime correlations were positive and significant. Subsequent tests on correlation magnitudes for mothers vs. fathers were not significant. Finally, correlations for mother/father security scores were significant at both age levels. Our findings indicate that children’s access to and use of the SBS in early childhood does predict their perceived quality of attachment with parents in middle childhood. Overall, our results indicate that access to and use of SBS in young children’s attachment-relevant narratives is a valid and potentially productive measure.
- The mediating role of burnout syndrome between regulatory focus/motivation and intention to leave in teachersPublication . Carlotto, Mary Sandra; Gonçalves, Sónia P.; Geremias, Rosa Lutete; Câmara, S. G.Abstract: Teachers are exposed to various occupational stressors which, if persistent, can lead to Burnout Syndrome and to recurrent thoughts of leaving the profession and culminate in total withdrawal. Thus, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the mediating role of Burnout Syndrome between the two dimensions motivational system that is constituted by the regulatory system with a focus on prevention and promotion and the Intention to Leave the profession among teachers in Southern Brazil. A total of 781 elementary school teachers from public and private schools participated in the research. The research instruments used included the Burnout Syndrome Questionnaire, the Regulatory Focus Scale, and a single item to evaluate the Intention to Leave the profession. The results obtained by Structural Equation Modeling confirmed the hypothesis that Burnout Syndrome plays a mediating role between promotion regulatory focus and the Intention to Leave the profession. The results reveal the importance of interventions that contemplate the reduction of occupational stressors for the prevention or rehabilitation of Burnout Syndrome in teachers.
- Behavioral descriptions pretested for racial stereotypicality and valence : data from an American and a Portuguese samplePublication . Quarenta, Joana; Palma, Tomás; Correia dos Santos, Ana Sofia; Correll, JoshuaAbstract: In social psychology research, there are several kinds of stereotypical materials that can be used – faces, videos, lists of words, attributes. However, when it comes to behavioral sentences, there is a lack of pre-tested racial stimuli available in the literature. To fill the gap, this paper provides two lists of 154 short behavioral sentences, with stereotypicality (white to black) and valence (negative to positive) ratings. The first list was pre-tested with an American sample (Study 1), while the second list was pre-tested with a European Portuguese sample (Study 2). Importantly, this paper focuses on the broader meaning of black stereotypes’ and not just the narrower definition of the African American stereotype, whose differences are discussed. T-tests identified 73 and 118 stereotypical behavioral descriptions, for future use, respectively for the American and European Portuguese samples. Additional comparisons within and between samples are also provided. Full behavioral descriptions, along with pertinent statistical data, are available to the reader, as a useful working instrument for future research.
- Validation of the Compassion Fatigue Short Scale among Portuguese firefightersPublication . Rodrigues, Fabiana; Bártolo, Ana; Sabino, Daniela; Santos, Isabel M.; Pereira, Anabela; Silva, Carlos Fernandes; Boscarino, Joseph; Adams, Richard E.Abstract: This study aimed to adapt the Compassion Fatigue-Short Scale to Portugal and examine the reliability and validity of the Portuguese version of the scale (Pt-CF-Short Scale) among Portuguese firefighters. The factor structure of the Pt-CF-Short Scale was compared to the one-factor model fit and a two-factor model and second-order factor model in a sample of 512 firefighters. Confirmatory factor analysis procedures confirmed the good fit of a second-order factor model with two first-order factors (secondary trauma and job burnout). The Pt-CF-Short Scale showed good internal consistency evidence. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10), the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and WHOQOOL-Bref were used as convergent measures to assess psychological distress, anxiety, depression, and interpersonal sensitivity and quality of life, respectively. The measure presented a strong correlation with psychological distress and weak and negative association with quality of life. The Pt-CF-Short Scale contributes to understanding compassion fatigue and its correlates within the context of emergency workers. Results indicate that this scale is a valid and reliable assessment tool in evaluating compassion fatigue.