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- Post-traumatic stress symptoms, rumination, and posttraumatic growth in women with a traumatic childbirth experiencePublication . Abreu, Wilson; Brandão, Sónia; Brandão, Tânia; Prata, Ana Paula; Silva, Rosa; Riklikiene, Olga; Jarasiunaite-Fedosejeva, Gabija; Mesa, Ernesto S. González; İsbir, Gözde Gökçe; Inci, Figen; Akik, Burku Komurcu; Uriko, Kristiina; Governo, Tatiana; Thompson, GillBackground: Rumination can either prolong distress or foster growth following traumatic experiences like childbirth. This study investigates the association between post-traumatic stress symptoms and post-traumatic growth in women who underwent traumatic childbirth, examining the potential mediating role of two types of rumination – intrusive and deliberate. Methods: A cross-sectional study in Northern Portugal from January 2020 to December 2021 surveyed 202 women with infants under 12 months, self-reporting traumatic childbirth experiences. Instruments included the City Birth Trauma Scale, Event-Related Rumination Inventory, and Post-traumatic Growth Inventory. Results: Women experienced various childbirth-related traumatic events, with most showing post-traumatic stress symptoms for over three months. Approximately 60% met post-traumatic stress disorder criteria. The results indicate that post-traumatic stress symptoms were positively correlated with post-traumatic growth, and both showed positive associations with intrusive rumination and deliberate rumination. Mediation analysis revealed deliberate rumination significantly
- “Until COVID-19 do us part”: A qualitative study on perceived sexual intimacy and mental health in heterosexual older couples during the Covid-19 pandemicPublication . von Humboldt, Sofia; Low, Gail; Leal, IsabelThis study aims to explore the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on heterosexual older couples’ sexual intimacy and in relation to their mental health. A content analysis of the ideas and insights shared by 391 older persons (between 65 and 87 years of age) from three different countries was most instructive. The most frequent themes were less sexual satisfaction (68%) and less sexual desire (67%). In terms of mental health, the most frequent themes included less anxiety and distress (78%) and greater attention to negative emotional states (55%) Cultural differences emerged, with Brazilian and Portuguese participants more frequently reporting negative themes compared to British participants, who emphasized stronger emotional bonds. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, ongoing research and interventions should prioritize understanding and addressing the implications of reduced physical contact and heightened emotional stress on sexual intimacy.
- Investigative interviews with individuals who perpetrated sex crimes: A scoping reviewPublication . Sousa, Marta; Cláudia, Gouveia; Castro-Rodrigues, Andreia de; Caridade, Sónia; Cunha, OlgaSex crimes (CS) are a global public health problem with profound negative consequences for victims, their families, and society. The perpetrator's testimony is crucial for case outcomes because sexual offenses are frequently underreported, often due to limited evidence and lack of victim testimonies. Therefore, perpetrator investigative interviews play a decisive role in criminal investigations. The aim of this scoping review is to identify and describe evidence-based investigative interview techniques for gathering testimony from SC perpetrators using a structured methodology. Studies were identified through manual reference checking and in five electronic databases: Scopus, B-On, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and PubMed. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Most of the studies focused on rape and child sexual abuse. Five studies presented interview protocols, while three focused on interview techniques that interviewers should employ to elicit more information. It was possible to conclude that both the presented interviews and the techniques share a similar general structure. Clinical, forensic, and criminal implications are elaborated.
- Developing and evaluating a Portuguese-language meditation App for medical students: motivation, adherence, and emotional effectsPublication . Soares, Ana Rita; Soares, Sandra; Brandão, Tânia; Teixeira, Ricardo João; Tavares, IsauraThe well-being of medical students is affected by high stress levels. The relevance of a mindfulness mediation app (Med@Med) specifically produced to help medical students at a Portuguese medical school cope with stress was evaluated. The app, consisting of 21 short meditations, was totally developed in Portuguese to fulfill with the needs of some of the students. The motivations to use the app, adherence to it, and its emotional benefits were evaluated. A total of 147 medical students were enrolled in the study. Students completed questionnaires related to emotional regulation (Emotion Regulation of Others and Self) and emotional thermometers before the first meditation and at the end of the project. Before and after each meditation, the students were invited to identify their basic emotion (joy, fear, disgust, anger, or sadness), no perceived emotion, or no reply. Participants received daily motivational messages (scientific or in lay language) or no message during the first 7 days of the project and the retention was registered. The main motivations to use the Med@Med app were to experience meditation (33%), decrease stress/anxiety (25%), or implement a daily meditation routine (16%). The remaining motivations of the students were sleep improvement or enhancement of academic performance. The self-motivation to use the app was high (7.3 ± 3.2 on a 1–10 scale). Participants that received daily messages in lay language, which summarized scientific findings about the benefits of meditation, were more likely to continue to use the app. The emotions changed from pre- to post-practice, with an increase in self-identification with joy and decrease of fear and sadness. An improvement in the intrinsic emotional regulation subscale (p < 0.01) was detected. In comparison with age-matched students that did not use the Med@Med app, the students that used the app presented less emotional distress and anxiety as evaluated by emotional thermometers. This study shows that medical students are motivated to use a meditation app. The improvement of emotion-related parameters after the use of the Med@Med app is a promising result. The benefits of using the Med@Med meditation app prepared in Portuguese keeping in mind the needs of medical students should be evaluated in other Portuguese-speaking medical schools.
- Couples and parenting dynamics during Covid-19 pandemic: A systematic review of the literaturePublication . Sentieiro, Maria Leonor; Ferreira, Luana Cunha; Miranda, Mariana Pires de; Vitória, Beatriz Araújo; Chrysanthi LioupiThe COVID-19 pandemic constituted a public health crisis bound to impact couples, parents, and families globally. However, the literature on the impacts of COVID-19 in families is not yet integrated. This systematic review aims to (1) provide an overview of how the COVID-19 pandemic potentially changed family systems, especially the couples and parenting dynamics, as well as (2) integrate inconsistent findings, and, finally, (3) define new avenues for research and clinical practice. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined for this review. The data was collected in bibliographic databases using a combination of keywords. The study includes empirical research published in English, Spanish, Italian, or Portuguese, appearing in peer-reviewed journals, focusing on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the functioning of different-gender or same-gender couples, married or cohabitating, or cohabitating parents with children aged 2 to 18, between April 2020 and December 2023. Within 381 articles, 58 studies met the inclusion criteria, which 50 were quantitative, four qualitative, and four mixed methods studies. A qualitative thematic analysis of the reviewed articles identified 12 categories that were organized by stress sources, mediators, and outcomes. There is consistent evidence across the literature showing some sources of stress during COVID-19, such as Gender Inequalities (e.g., Unequal Division of Household Duties and Lack of Support for Mothers), and External Stress. Also, we identified some themes on the mediators such as Coping Strategies (e.g., Dyadic Support, Communication as a Mediator and Adaptation to New Daily Routines) and finally as outcomes, Lower Psychological Well-Being, and Relational Growth. However, some inconsistencies were found in Relationship (In) Satisfaction, Sexual Functioning and Communication as an Outcome. Explorations of moderators showed that these inconsistencies should be understood in reference to (1) quality assessment (2) coping and (3) income. After conducting a comprehensive analysis of inconsistencies, our study revealed no notable differences in either relationship satisfaction or sexual frequency before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, a decline in sexual satisfaction was observed during the COVID-19 period. No conclusive associations were identified between income, relationship satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, sexual frequency, and stress related to COVID-19. Nonetheless, our observations indicated that individuals with moderate or high income, in conjunction with the implementation of effective coping strategies, exhibited a diminished impact of COVID-19-related stress on both relationship satisfaction and sexual functioning. Future studies should focus on a dyadic perspective at various stages of the family cycle, including longitudinal perspectives, as well as studies focused on the role of dyadic coping during times of crises. Findings must be considered with caution because not all studies had equal methodological rigor.
- Displacement, personal loss, and psychological strain among physicians and nurses working in Gaza, 2023–2024Publication . Qudaih, Mohanad S. A.; Daqqa, Hamza A. Abu; AlNajjar, Omar R.; Wehedi, Dalia T. A.; Khoury, Rasha; Bouquet, Benjamin; Matos, Lisa; Sariahmed, Karim; Tereza HendlOn January 26th2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) recognized plausible grounds for genocide being committed in Gaza by Israel. A hallmark of the violence has been unprecedented attacks on health workers since October 7, 2023. We use the word “genocide” to refer to this period of accelerated violence and displacement in Gaza, following ICJ findings, detailed reports by human rights organizations, and statements by genocide scholars concluding that Israel is indeed committing genocide. To assess impacts of this violence, between December 2023 and January 2024 we conducted an anonymous cross-sectional online survey of physicians and nurses working in Gaza prior to and during the genocide. Participants reported on workplace displacement, personal losses, and psychological impacts using the Professional Quality of Life Scale for Health Workers (ProQOL-H). 56 participants completed one or more survey components. Among 46 participants reporting on displacement, 25 (54%) reported having to change workplaces at least once. Among 41 participants documenting personal loss, 17 (41%) reported that a family member was killed and 32 (78%) reported that a close colleague was killed. Among 35 participants completing the ProQOL-H, 17 (49%) respondents reported “high” compassion satisfaction (scores of 24–30), 13 (37%) reported high burnout, and 13 (37%) reported high secondary traumatic stress. This is markedly different from CS, BO, and STS scores reported by nurses in the West Bank in a recent study, likely reflecting the genocide in Gaza. Further work with survivors is needed to characterize their experiences and reconcile them with culture-specific coping strategies such as sumud.Culturally relevant, mixed methods follow up to this work is needed to inform interventions to support the recovery of survivors and rebuild Gaza’s healthcare system. This will only be possible when the genocide is brought to a permanent end, along with the conditions which have enabled it.
- Neural mechanisms of learned suppression uncovered by probing the hidden attentional priority mapPublication . Huang, Changrun; Moorselaar, Dirk van; Foster, Joshua; Donk, Mieke; Theeuwes, JanAttentional capture by an irrelevant salient distractor is attenuated when the distractor appears more frequently in one location, suggesting learned suppression of that location. However, it remains unclear whether suppression is proactive (before attention is directed) or reactive (after attention is allocated). Here, we investigated this using a ‘pinging’ technique to probe the attentional distribution before search onset. In an EEG experiment, participants searched for a shape singleton while ignoring a color singleton distractor at a high-probability location. To reveal the hidden attentional priority map, participants also performed a continuous recall spatial memory task, with a neutral placeholder display presented before search onset. Behaviorally, search was more efficient when the distractor appeared at the high-probability location. Inverted encoding analysis of EEG data showed tuning profiles that decayed during memory maintenance but were revived by the placeholder display. Notably, tuning was most pronounced at the to-be-suppressed location, suggesting initial spatial selection followed by suppression. These findings suggest that learned distractor suppression is a reactive process, providing new insights into learned spatial distractor suppression mechanisms.
- Intergenerational transmission of attachment: The role of intelligencePublication . Runze, Jana; Ijzendoorn, Marinus H. Van; Witte, Annemieke M.; Cecil, Charlotte A. M.; Bakermans‐Kranenburg, Marian J.In their recent paper, Del Giudice and Haltigan argue that attachment in childhood and attachment representations in adulthood are influenced by the cognitive capabilities of children and parents, that would causally link parents' attachment states of mind to children's attachment.In the current pre‐registered study, we empirically explored the idea of an association between attachment and cognition using phenotypic child IQ and parent and child IQ‐related polygenic scores as predictors of children's attachment behavior and attachment representations. We used data from the Leiden Consortium on Individual Development study (L‐CID, n = 992), a two‐cohort longitudinal twin study, in which attachment representations were measured in parents and their 9‐year‐old children using the Attachment Script Assessment (ASA). Polygenic scores of IQ were computed for parents and their children using PRSice‐2 and phenotypic child IQ was measured as well. We split the twin sample in two groups randomly to prevent non‐independence of data and conducted structural equation models. Neither parental nor child polygenic scores of IQ predicted representations of attachment. In one cohort, phenotypically measured IQ predicted attachment. This preliminary study did not find convincing support for a role of IQ in the intergenerational transmission of attachment.
- Models of care and associated targeted implementation strategies for cancer survivorship support in Europe: A scoping review protocolPublication . Prue, Gillian; Czamanski-Cohen, Johanna; Kassianos, Angelos P; Pilleron, Sophie; Ladas, Aristea; Can, Aysun Akcakaya; Roldán-Jiménez, Cristina; Csaba Laszlo; Degi, Gökçe Işcan; Arslan, Sevban; Boer, Angela G E M de; Celebic, Aleksandar; Doñate-Martínez, Ascensión; Alhambra-Borrás, Tamara; Mitrevski, Boce; Marzorati, Chiara; Pravettoni, Gabriella; Grasso, Roberto; Nazik, Evsen; Pawlowska, Ewa; Mucalo, Iva; Patrick, John; Tripkovic, Katica; Vojvodic, Katarina; Karekla, Maria; Moschofidou, Maria; Bayram, Sule Biyik; Brandão, Tânia; Arndt, Volker; Jaswal, Poonam Jaswal; Semerci, Remziye Semerci; Bozkul, Gamze; Sahin, Eda; Toygar, Ismail; Frountzas, Maximos; Martins, Rui Miguel; Jefford, Michael; Keane, Danielle; Hegarty, JosephineIntroductionCancer and its treatments can lead to a wide range of side-effects that can persist long after treatments have ended. Across Europe, survivorship care is traditionally hospital-based specialist-led follow-up, leading to gaps in supportive care. Improved screening, diagnosis and treatment increase survival rates. With more individuals living with, through and beyond cancer, the predominance of the hospital-based specialist model is unsustainable, costly and resource-intensive. An understanding of what alternative Models of Care are available and the barriers and facilitators to their implementation is a first step towards enhancing supportive care across the cancer journey. The aim of this scoping review is to source and synthesise information from studies evaluating patient-oriented models of cancer survivorship supportive care for adults in Europe.Methods and analysisThe scoping review will be reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses—Scoping Review Extension guidelines and will be guided by a six-stage methodological framework. A search strategy has been developed according to the Population, Concept and Context structure and will be applied to seven databases. A targeted search of grey literature will be completed. All identified records will be screened using predefined eligibility criteria by at least two researchers and undergo full-text review for inclusion. Data pertaining to the conceptualisation, evaluation and implementation of sourced Models of Care will be extracted.Ethics and disseminationAs there is no primary data, ethical approval is not required. This review will be conducted as part of the EU COST Action CA21152—Implementation Network Europe for Cancer Survivorship Care. The protocol and subsequent scoping review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. The Action involves representatives from most countries across Europe which will assist with the dissemination of the work to key stakeholders.
- Exploring the factor structure of criminogenic cognitions in incarcerated males: Psychometric evaluation of the Criminogenic Cognitions Scale (CCS)Publication . Pereira, Teresa; Oliveira, Catarina; Basto Pereira, MiguelDespite the importance of criminogenic thinking in addressing criminal behavior, validated instruments to measure these cognitions in Portuguese forensic settings are scarce. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to explore the psychometric properties of the Criminogenic Cognitions Scale (CCS) in a sample of 364 Portuguese incarcerated males (Mage = 37.88, SD = 10.88). An exploratory factor analysis was conducted, indicating a 15-item, two-factor structure (KMO = 0.82; Bartlett’s test, χ2 = 1841.2, df = 105, p < 0.001). The CCS dimensions, comprising Short-Term Orientation and Responsibility Evasion and Authority Resistance, demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties, including convergent validity with antisocial traits, moral disengagement, and self-control dimensions, as well as internal consistency (omega coefficient = 0.60–0.77; composite reliability = 74–91; coefficient H = 89–95), and sensitivity of items. The CCS is a valuable tool within prison settings for assessing criminogenic thinking patterns, supporting risk assessment, the development of targeted rehabilitation programs, and monitoring cognitive changes over time to reduce recidivism, thereby promoting inmates’ safer reintegration into society. Overall, our findings suggest the CCS is a promising tool for assessing criminogenic cognitions in the forensic Portuguese population.