The Spanish Journal of Psychology (ISSN 1138-7416, ISSN-e 1988-2904) is an annual journal that aims to promote international dissemination of empirical research and relevant methodological proposals in several areas of research within Psychology. Cambridge University Press has been responsible for its publication since January 2013.
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The importance of pragmatic aspects in conditional reasoning.
Dispositional Optimism is Unidimensional or Bidimensional? the Portuguese Revised Life Orientation Test
The aim of the study is to adapt and then discuss the appropriateness of the Life Orientation Test as a one or two dimension scale. The research includes two studies; one is composed of a sequential sample of 280 people with multiple sclerosis, 71 % female, and another includes a convenience sample of 615 individuals from the community, 51.1% female. Because the construct is built upon a theoretical assumption that has one dimension, we examine the hypothesis of one or two factor solutions through confirmatory factor analysis, and the two-dimension solution premise demonstrates better adjustment for both samples. The other psychometric properties explored show appropriate results for the Portuguese sample, and similar to the original ones; the Test therefore seems appropriate for use in cross cultural studies. Based on our results, we discuss whether the questionnaire is a one or two dimension instrument, concluding that it appears appropriate to accept the recommendations of the original authors to use it as a one-dimensional tool and, when necessary, to use both dimensions.
Spanish Version of the Time Management Behavior Questionnaire for University Students
The main objective of the study is to analyze the psychometric properties and predictive capacity on academic performance in university contexts of a Spanish adaptation of the Time Management Behavior Questionnaire. The scale was applied to 462 students newly admitted at the Universitat de València in the 2006-2007 school year. The analyses performed made it possible to reproduce the factorial structure of the original version of the questionnaire with slight modifications in the ascription of various ítems. The underlying factorial structure includes four interrelated dimensions (Establishing objectives and priorities, Time management tools, Perception of time control and Preference for disorganization), which present satisfactory levels of reliability and an adequate convergent validity with the Time management subscale of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. The scores on the dimensions of time management show significant levels of association with academic performance in the first year of university studies, especially highlighting the predictive capacity of the subscale dealing with the Establishment of objectives and priorities. These results show the reliability and validity of this adaptation of the scale for evaluating how the students manage their academic time, and predicting their performance in the year they initiate the degree program, thus aiding in the development of intervention proposals directed towards improving these skills.
Personality Traits and Sick Leave in Workers Diagnosed with Nonorganic Neck Pain
Previous research has suggested that personality can influence the perception and reporting of physical symptoms, such as pain. To assess the relationship between the course of nonorganic neck pain and the individual’s personality, we studied the association between two indicators of neck pain prognosis, such as the duration of sick leave associated with neck pain and sick leave recurrence, and 15 personality traits in a sample of 64 workers suffering from disabling neck pain without any signs of physical abnormalities in the neck area. The TEA Personality Test (TPT), a selfreport instrument designed to evaluate personality traits related to organizational behaviors, was used. Compared to the normative data, the study sample obtained high scores in the Depression, Anxiety and Emotional Instability scales, thus suggesting a personality profile primarily characterized by high neuroticism-related scores. Controlling for age, gender, and any rehabilitation undergone, we found a positive relationship between Depression and the duration of sick leave (in weeks). Moreover, lower scores on the TPT personality trait Dynamism and activeness were associated with higher likelihood of sick leave recurrence. These findings highlight the need for further research into the role played by personality at the onset and in the maintenance of nonorganic neck pain. Furthermore, they suggest that a complementary psychological approach may be useful to nonorganic neck pain management.
What Predicts Retention on an In-Prison Drug Treatment Program?
The effectiveness of treatments for substance use disorders is strongly related to retention, since early dropout from treatment is associated with greater likelihood of relapse. The purpose of this prospective, ex post facto study is to analyze the effect of individual variables on retention in a treatment program carried out in a prison drug-free unit. The Addiction Severity Index, motivation and personality profile of fifty inmates were assessed on entry to the prison. Inmates were monitored for a year to identify length of stay. Results: Motivation variables at intake play a vital role in the prediction of retention in a prison drug-free unit; scores on the Aggressive-Sadistic and #arcissistic scales are also strong predictors of treatment retention.
Spanish version of the Positive Expectancies for Drinking and Driving for Youth
In most developed countries, motor vehicle accidents are a leading cause of death among young people, and a large proportion of motor vehicle accidents are alcohol-related. In Spain there are no currently available instruments for assessing positive expectancies related to drinking and driving behavior. Attempting to modify these expectancies may be an effective prevention approach, so there is a need for a valid and reliable scale to measure the construct. The aims of the present study were to translate, culturally adapt, and examine the psychometric properties of a Spanish-language version of the Positive Expectancies for Drinking and Driving for Youth (PEDD-Y) in a sample of Spanish young adults. A total of 352 college students with drivers licenses were recruited at a university in southeast Spain. We examined the factor structure, psychometric properties (reliability and validity) and temporal stability of the Spanish version of the PEDD-Y among Spanish young adult drivers. Findings indicated that the Spanish version of the PEDD-Y demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties and was shown to significantly predict lifetime prevalence and future intentions to drink and drive as well as riding with a drunk driver. The Convenience factor performed with the most consistent reliability and predictive validity. Limitations and future research questions are discussed.
A Revised Thai Multi-Dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support
In order to ensure the construct validity of the three-factor model of the Multi-dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and based on the assumption that it helps users differentiate between sources of social support, in this study a revised version was created and tested. The aim was to compare the level of model fit of the original version of the MSPSS against the revised version - which contains a minor change from the original. The study was conducted on 486 medical students who completed the original and revised versions of the MSPSS, as well as the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965) and Beck Depression Inventory II (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996). Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to compare the results, showing that the revised version of MSPSS demonstrated a good internal consistency - with a Cronbach’s alpha of .92 for the MSPSS questionnaire, and a significant correlation with the other scales, as predicted. The revised version provided better internal consistency, increasing the Cronbach’s alpha for the Significant Others sub-scale from 0.86 to 0.92. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed an acceptable model fit: χ2 128.11, df 51, p < .001; TLI 0.94; CFI 0.95; GFI 0.90; PNFI 0.71; AGFI 0.85; RMSEA 0.093 (0.073-0.113) and SRMR 0.042, which is better than the original version. The tendency of the new version was to display a better level of fit with a larger sample size. The limitations of the study are discussed, as well as recommendations for further study.
A Method to Analyse Measurement Invariance under Uncertainty in Between-Subjects Design
In this research we have introduced a new test (H-test) for analyzing scale invariance in between group designs, and considering uncertainty in individual responses, in order to study the adequacy of disparate rating and visual scales for measuring abstract concepts. The H-test is easy to compute and, as a nonparametric test, does not require any a priori distribution of the data nor conditions on the variances of the distributions to be tested. We apply this test to measure perceived service quality of consumers of a sports services. Results show that, without considering uncertainty, the 1-7 scale is invariant, in line with the related works regarding this topic. However, de 1-5 scale and the 1-7 scale are invariant when adding uncertainty to the analysis. Therefore, adding uncertainty importantly change the conclusions regarding invariance analysis. Both types of visual scales are not invariant in the uncertainty scenario. Implications for the use of rating scales are discussed.
Behavioral Regulation Assessment in Exercise: Exploring an Autonomous and Controlled Motivation Index
The main purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-2) and to test the hypothesis that the different types of behavioral regulation can be combined on a single factor to assess autonomous and controlled motivation. Data were collected from 550 members of private fitness centres who ranged in age from 14 to 69 years. The analysis supported an 18-item, 5-factor model after excluding one item (S-Bχ² = 221.7, df = 125, p = .000, S-Bχ²/df = 1.77; SRMR = .06; NNFI = .90; CFI = .92; RMSEA = .04, 90% CI = .03-.05). However, the analysis also revealed a lack of internal consistency. The results of a hierarchical model based on 2 second-order factors that reflected controlled motivation (external and introjected regulation) and autonomous motivation (identified and intrinsic regulation) provided an acceptable fit to the data (S-Bχ² = 172.6, df = 74, p = .000, S-Bχ²/df = 2.33; SRMR = .07; NNFI = .90; CFI = .92; RMSEA = .05, 90% CI = .04-.06), with reliability coefficients of .75 for controlled motivation and .76 for autonomous motivation. The study findings indicated that when item 17 was excluded, the Portuguese BREQ-2 was an appropriate measure of the controlled and autonomous motivation in exercise.
Adaptation of the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire in a Spanish Sample of Athletes
In this paper, we offer a general version of the Spanish adaptation of Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ) designed to measure the syndrome of burnout in athletes of different sports. In previous works, the Spanish version of ABQ was administered to different samples of soccer players. Its psychometric properties were appropriate and similar to the findings in original ABQ. The purpose of this study was to examine the generalization to others sports of the Spanish adaptation. We started from this adaptation, but we included three alternative statements (one for each dimension of the questionnaire), and we replaced the word “soccer” with the word “sport”. An 18-item version was administered to a sample of 487 athletes aged 13 and 29 years old. Confirmatory factor analyses replicated the factor structure, but two items modification were necessary in order to obtain a good overall fit of the model. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the questionnaire were satisfactory.
Validation of Children’s Depression Scale in the Basque-Speaking Population
The aim of this study was to validate the Basque version of the CDS (Children’s Depression Scale, Lang & Tisher, 1978), one of the most widely used questionnaires for the assessment of childhood depression, which has already been proved to be a valid and reliable tool in different cultures. The questionnaire was administered to a community sample of 886 participants (432 males and 454 females) aged between 8 and 16. A two-factor solution was obtained (Depressive dimension and Positive Dimension), which accounted for 29.86 % of the variance. Reliability with regard to internal consistency level and long-term stability was good (α = .95 and .79; and R = .73 and .59 for Depressive and Positive dimensions, respectively). Analysis of Differential Item Functioning with respect to age and gender showed that 91% and 88% of the items, respectively, did not present DIF. External validity evidence for the questionnaire was also obtained. We consider that the present work offers researchers and professionals interested in this area of study a valid and reliable tool for assessing depressive symptoms in Basque-speaking children and adolescents.
When I don't Like Myself: Portuguese Version of the Internalized Shame Scale
In the past two decades, there has been a growing theoretical and empirical interest on the role of shame, namely internal shame, on the conceptualization of human functioning and several interpersonal and emotional problems. The current study explores the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Internalized Shame Scale (ISS), a self-report measure which assesses trait shame, composed by an Internal Shame subscale, measuring internalized shame, and a Self-Esteem subscale. The factor structure, internal consistency, test-retest reliability and convergent and discriminant validity for both subscales, are presented, in a sample of 385 college students. The Principal Components Analyses reveal that both Internal Shame and Self-Esteem subscales present a onedimensional structure which explains, respectively, 48.54% and 57.7% of the variance. The subscales present high internal consistency, with high Cronbach’ alphas (.95 and .85) and moderate to high item-total correlations. The two subscales present an excellent temporal stability. Convergent and discriminant validity of the subscales was corroborated through the moderate correlations with a measure of shame and of social comparison, and through the low and moderate correlations with the subscales depression, anxiety, and stress. The Portuguese version of the ISS is a valid and reliable instrument to measure internalized shame.
The Memory Failures of Everyday (MFE) Test: Normative Data in Adults
One approach to the study of everyday memory failures is to use multiple-item questionnaires. The Memory Failures of Everyday (MFE) test is one of the most frequently used in Spain. Our objective is to provide normative data from the MFE in a sample of healthy, Spanish, adult participants for use in clinical practice. The sample consists of 647 employees at a large company ranging in age from 19-64 years-old. Everyday memory failures were evaluated by means of the MFE with the following response format: 0-2 (0 = never or rarely; 1 = occasionally, sometimes; 2 = frequently, often). Results: Mean MFE = 15.25 (SD = 7.50), range 0- 40. Correlation with age: .133 (p = .001); and with years of education: - .059 (n.s.). A constant increase in MFE was not observed across age groups (F = 4, 59; p = .003, η2 = .02), but differences were revealed between the 19-29 and 40-49 age groups; no differences were observed between the remaining age groups. Only slight differences between men and women occurred, the women’s mean being slightly higher than the men’s, but the confidence intervals overlapped (F = 5, 71; p = .017, η2 = .01). These results indicate that age, years of education, and sex had no significant effects. In light of the above, the sample was viewed as a whole when computing the percentiles reported here.
Measuring the Desire for Control: a Spanish Version of Burger and Cooper's Scale
The following study will present findings on the validity of the adaptation of the Burger and Cooper’s Desirability of Control Scale into Spanish. Two samples are present: the first involving 1,999 people to study their psychometric properties. In the second sample, 111 people were included to estimate test/ retest reliability. Cultural adaptation was performed using the translation & back-translation method. Item analysis, internal consistency and test/retest reliability were assessed, then evidence of the validity of the internal structure was determined by using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Subject recruitment was performed to gather the 1,999 subjects stratified by age, gender quotas as designed in the sampling plan. Of the subjects, 51% were female, average age of 45 years old (SD = 17.5). All items from the original scale were understood correctly, while five items presented ceiling effect. Cronbach’s alpha = .736 and a test-retest correlation r = .713 were obtained. The factor structure indicated the presence of four dimensions: forecast, autonomy, power and influence and reactance which were reassured in the confirmatory analysis (χ2/df = 4.805, CFI =.932, TLI =.954, RMSEA = .062). The basic dimensions of the scale have shown to be stable and well-defined, though not perfect. The scope, possible applications of the scale and further research are later proposed and discussed.
School Motivation Questionnaire for the Portuguese Population: Structure and Psychometric Studies
It is presented the structure and psychometric studies of the “School Motivation Questionnaire”. The SMQ is a self-report questionnaire with 101 items, organized in sixteen scales that measure the students´ goal orientations, the perceived classroom goal structures, the perceived teacher’s autonomy support and the use of learning strategies. Twelve scales are adapted from the “Learning Climate Questionnaire”, “Perceptions of Instrumentality” and “Cuestionário a Estudiantes”. Four scales and five additional items are created new. The psychometric studies rely on a convenience sample consisting of 9th and 12th grade students ( = 485) of Portuguese schools. The factorial and construct validity, verified through several exploratory factorial analyses to the data, presents a final solution of six factors, labelled Strategies (F1), Teacher Extrinsic Goals (F2), Student Extrinsic Goals, Externally Regulated (F3) Teacher Intrinsic Goals (F4), Student Extrinsic Goals, Internally Regulated (F5), and Student Intrinsic Goals (F6). The six-factor solution explains a significant variance of the scale results (53.95%). Good coefficients of internal consistency are obtained for all factors, never below (.858; F6). In sum there is strong evidence to support the multi-dimensionality of SMQ, upholding that the data obtained is exploratory and applies for future validation studies.
Development and Validation of a Measuring Instrument for Burnout Syndrome in Teachers
This paper is part of a research done on Burnout Syndrome, and its objective is to develop and validate an instrument for measuring the syndrome in Secondary School teachers, taking as a principal starting point Maslach, Schaufeli, and Leiter´s theory (2001). After developing and testing the instrument on a sample of 794 teachers in the Community of Madrid (Spain), we analyzed the reliability, content and construct validity (the latter by means of Structural Equations Models implemented with Software AMOS 7.0). The reliability analysis (α = .911 for the total instrument; .849, .899 and .674 for the dimensions of Exhaustion, Reduced Personal Accomplishment and Depersonalization respectively) and the Confirmatory Factorial Analysis (CMIN/DF = 4.163, CFI = .904, RMSEA = .60, PRATIO = .874) showed highly satisfactory results. The discrimination coefficient scores for items in the final instrument ranged between .22 and .74. Thus, the instrument presented combines the necessary technical characteristics for it to be considered a valid and reliable tool for measuring the syndrome
Measuring Autonomy Support in University Students: the Spanish Version of the Learning Climate Questionnaire
The goals of this research were to translate and analyze the psychometric properties of the Learning Climate Questionnaire (LCQ) and to develop a short form. The LCQ is a 15-item selfreport measure that assesses autonomy support in educational settings. A total of 422 students (60 men and 362 women) took part in this study. Results showed evidence of construct validity and adequate reliability for the LCQ. The short form consists of five items that showed sound psychometric properties. Results of Pearson correlation and Gower index showed high agreement between the long and short forms. In conclusion, both forms can be considered as preliminary versions of the original questionnaire to assess autonomy support in educational settings.
School Social Behavior Scales: an Adaptation Study of the Portuguese Version of the Social Competence Scale from SSBS-2
This study analyses the psychometric proprieties of a Portuguese version of the social competence scale from the School Social Behavior Scales (SSBS-2, Merrell, 2002). It is a rating instrument of children and adolescents behavior, to be used by teachers and other school personnel. This scale includes 3 subscales: self-management/compliance, peer relations and academic behavior. In our first sample, 175 teachers rated 344 students from grade 1 through 12. On the second sample 13 teachers rated 251 3rd and 4th grades students. The results from the Portuguese adaptation support the multidimensional structure of the social competence scale from the SSBS-2, although an alternative model demonstrated a better fit to the data than the model originally proposed by the author. The scale showed good internal consistency and good intercorrelations between subscales, as well as between subscales and the total scale. The final model was well replicated in the second sample. These results encourage us to pursue the SSBS-2 Portuguese adaptation, in order to provide a useful and validated instrument for the assessment of social competence and for educational interventions.
Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder in a University Psychology Clinic
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is the most prevalent mental disorder in our environment, and one of the main causes of disability. While several empirically supported treatments (ESTs) for MDD exist, some doubts have been cast on the applicability—in time, components, and effectiveness—of these ESTs in routine clinical practice. A few attempts have been made to contrast the effectiveness of ESTs, but usually the precise components of the treatment developed are not considered in detail. The purpose of this study is to analyze the components of an EST-based treatment on a sample of 69 MDD cases from a University Psychology Clinic, and to benchmark them against the results of published efficacy studies on ESTs (behavioral activation, cognitive therapy, interpersonal therapy). Results show that treatments delivered at this clinical facility are similar in components, length, and effectiveness (in effect size, completers and improved ratio) to the benchmarked studies. Cognitive restructuring is the most frequent component of the delivered treatments. Therapy results show a 3.12 effect size, and a 55.1% improved ratio over initial sample, an 80% of completers. Results and limitations of the current study, especially those related to sample and center characteristics, are discussed.
Prediction of PTSD in Police Officers after Six Months - a Prospective Study
The aim of this prospective study was to explore the predictors for the development of PTSD in police officers six months after encountering situations of a potentially traumatic nature. Fifty-nine police officers were studied immediately after the event (T1) and six months later (T2). At T2 PTSD was assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I). PTSD was predicted by intrusions (Impact of Event Scale–Revised; IES-R), the impairment scale (is), global assessment of functioning scale (GAF), gender, age and sense of coherence scale (SOC). The diagnosis of an acute stress disorder (ASD) at T1 had a high specificity for identifying PTSD at T2. The strongest predictor for the development of PTSD was found to be the factor intrusions. Contrary to our expectations, age was not a significant predictive factor for PTSD. Thus, acute stress disorder (ASD) and a high degree of intrusions experienced immediately after a traumatic incident helped to identify early police officers at risk of developing chronic PTSD.
Impact of Acceptance-Based Nursing Intervention on Postsurgical Recovery: Preliminary Findings
Research has shown that teaching individuals to experience pain and anxiety as inevitable products of the actions they freely and responsibly undertake yields healthier reactions to suffering. This preliminary study assesses whether a brief acceptancebased psychological intervention along with the usual presurgical protocol for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy will produce healthier reactions to postsurgical pain, and will reduce anxiety, duration of postsurgical hospitalization, and demand of analgesics. After admission, screening, and consent procedures, we assessed pain and anxiety. Patients in the experimental condition (n = 6) then received a brief acceptance-based nursing intervention addressing the individual meaning of surgery, and including a metaphor and defusion practice, along with routine care. Patients in the control condition (n = 7) received routine care only. Twenty-four hr following the intervention, surgery took place. Pain, anxiety, and patients’ demand for analgesics were assessed 24 hr or 48 hr after surgery. All six experimental patients, as compared to three of seven control patients, demanded fewer analgesics and left the hospital within 24 hr or 48 hr from surgery even in the presence of frequent and/or intense pain. Anxiety slightly decreased in the experimental patients. The brief acceptance-based intervention was effective in improving postsurgical recovery. These preliminary findings support the potential of this type of intervention as a cost-effective strategy to be implemented in the sanitary context.
Effectiveness of Rhythmic Movement Therapy for Disordered Eating Behaviors and Obesity
The aims of the present study were: a) to examine associations between pre-treatment BMI, body dissatisfaction, perfectionism, alexithymia, and restraint, emotional and external eating behaviour in obese patients; b) to analyze the impact of the pre-treatment measures in psychological variables on the outcome of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) program; c) to test the effectiveness of rhythmic movement therapy (RMT) in the treatment of disordered eating behaviors and obesity with the CBT non-responders. At the first stage of treatment a total of 104 patients (32 males and 72 females, mean age was 37.6±6.7 years) self-referred or referred by professionals to CBT weight management program were selected at random. At the second stage 58 obese CBT-non-responders were randomly divided among the continuing CBT individual treatment group and RMT group. Control group was included. Results revealed that: a) significant associations existed between pre-treatment BMI, external eating and two dimensions of perfectionism, as well as between emotional and external eating and all dimensions of perfectionism, alexithymia and body image dissatisfaction; b) pre-treatment means of psychological variables significantly impacted the CBT program outcome; c). the efficacy of RMT approach for weight reduction as well as for the improvement of psychological status for CBT-non-responders was confirmed.
Social Representations, Correspondence Factor Analysis and Characterization Questionnaire: a Methodological Contribution
The characterization questionnaire is inspired by Q-sort methodologies (i.e. qualitative sorting). It consists in asking participants to give their opinion on a list of items by sorting them into categories depending on their level of characterization of the object. This technique allows us to obtain distributions for each item and each response modality (i.e. characteristic vs. not chosen vs. not characteristic). This contribution intends to analyze these frequencies by means of correspondence factor analysis. The originality of this contribution lies in the fact that this kind of analysis has never been used to process data collected by means of this questionnaire. The procedure will be detailed and exemplified by means of two empirical studies on social representations of the good wine and the good supermarket. The interests of such a contribution will be discussed from both methodological points of view and an applications perspective.
Degree of Proximity in the Construction of Social Representations: the Case of Intelligence
The present article is devoted to the empirical endeavor of studying the effect of the degree of proximity, defined by specific socio-educational insertions, on the organization of social representations of intelligence. A questionnaire was answered by a sample of 752 participants belonging to five different social categories with different degrees of proximity and knowledge about intelligence: mothers, fathers, mother-teachers and non-parent students (psychology and science students). The questionnaire included different topics, namely concerning the concept of intelligence, its development and the effectiveness of teaching procedures. Results show that the principles organizing the contents of representations are linked to the personal involvement in intelligence, on which subjects more or less implied take different positions. Results produced suggest, therefore, that the content of representations is directly linked to the activation of social roles and the salience of the object, reflecting the functional character that the organization of representations has to specific social dynamics.
Autonomy Support, Basic Psychological Needs and Well-Being in Mexican Athletes
Based on Basic Needs Theory, one of the mini-theories of Self-determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2002), the present study had two objectives: (a) to test a model in the Mexican sport context based on the following sequence: perceived coach autonomy support, basic psychological needs satisfaction, and psychological well-being, and b) to analyze the mediational effect of the satisfaction of perceived coach autonomy support on indicators of psychological well-being (satisfaction with life and subjective vitality). Six hundred and sixty-nine young Mexican athletes (Boys = 339; Girls = 330; Mage = 13.95) filled out a questionnaire assessing the study variables. Structural equations analyses revealed that perceived coach autonomy support predicted satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Furthermore, basic need satisfaction predicted subjective vitality and satisfaction with life. Autonomy, competence and relatedness partially mediated the path from perceived coach autonomy support to psychological well-being in young Mexican athletes.
Well-Being and Prejudice toward Obese People in Women at Risk to Develop Eating Disorders
The literature has found that eating disorders (ED) patients usually have a depression and anxiety diagnosis. However, not many investigations have studied the relationship between ED and well-being. One of the main problems of patients with ED is their body image. These individuals usually see themselves too big but there are not many investigations that focus on how these patients see people with real weight problems. For this reason in this study it is analyzed how women in risk to develop ED see obese people. 456 female students were selected. It was found that women with high scores in the different subscales of the Eating Attitudes Test 26 (EAT-26; dieting, bulimia and oral control) had lower well-being (both subjective and psychological) and worse attitudes toward obese people (measured with Antifat Attitudes Test, AFA, Beliefs About Obese People Scale, BAOP, and Attitudes Toward Obese People Scale, ATOP) compared with women with low scores in the EAT-26.
Quality of Life and Emotional Distress among HIV-Positive Women during Transition to Motherhood
The purpose of this preliminary study was to describe the quality of life (QOL) and emotional distress during pregnancy and early postpartum, and to examine the ability of psychopathological symptoms to predict QOL at early postpartum. A sample of 75 pregnant women (31 HIV-positive and 44 HIV-negative) was assessed during the second trimester of pregnancy and two to four days postpartum. QOL was assessed with the WHOQOL-Bref. The emotional distress was assessed with the Brief Symptom Inventory, and with the Emotional Assessment Scale. Seropositive women reported increased negative emotional reactivity and lower scores in social relationships and overall QOL during pregnancy than HIV-negative women. Both HIV-positive and HIV-negative women reported better QOL after the birth of their child, when compared with the pregnancy period. Among HIV-positive women, lower anxiety and depressive symptoms during pregnancy were, respectively, significant predictors of better psychological QOL and overall QOL at early postpartum. Less intense somatic symptoms predicted better physical QOL. Longitudinal assessment of QOL and emotional status may provide potentially useful information for tailoring psychological interventions in the maternity care of HIV-infected women, during their transition to motherhood.
Portuguese Adolescents: the Importance of Parents and Peer Groups in Positive Health
The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of peer groups and parents on adolescents’ health. It was examined how communication relationships with peer groups and parents affect youngsters life satisfaction, sadness, irritability, being nervous, fear and troubles in falling asleep. The sample was comprised of individuals that participated in the study in continental Portugal, integrating the European study HBSC – Health Behavior in School – aged Children. The study was made during January 2006 and included a total of 4,877 students attending the 6th, 8th and 10th grades from Portuguese public schools, with an average age of 14 years of age. The instrument used was the HBSC questionnaire. The results showed that adolescents’ health is influenced by their relationship with their parents and peers. When the communication with both is easy, youngsters are more satisfied with life and have less health negative symptoms. When compared with peers, parents influence positively the adolescents’ health.
Professionals’ Criteria for Detecting and Reporting Child Sexual Abuse
Professionals who are likely to come into contact with children play an essential role in the protection of children, thus we aimed to study the criteria they use to identify and report child sexual abuse cases. Based on the Factorial Survey design, we presented 974 Spanish (90%) and Latin American professionals from six fields (Psychology, Social Services, Education, Health, Law and Security) with hypothetical situations of sexual interaction with minors (systematically varying the type of sexual act, the child’s and the other person’s sex and age, the use of coercion and the type of strategy employed to involve the child), in order to examine their perception of abuse and willingness to report. According to results, the factors or criteria that most impact assessments are age asymmetry and use of coercion. Specifically, professionals are significantly more likely to perceive abuse and intend to report it if the other person involved in the interaction is much older than the minor and/or uses a coercive strategy, especially force, drugs or blackmail. Another relevant criterion is the type of sexual act, since acts involving intercourse, digital penetration or oral sex are significantly more likely to be deemed as abuse and reported.
Reciprocity of Temporary and Permanent Workers: an Exploratory Study in an Industrial Company
The increasing use of temporary work prompts the need to understand to what degree workers with this type of contract differ from permanent workers as to the relationship they establish with the organization they work for. This study used a sample of temporary workers ( = 78) and permanent workers ( = 196) within the same company of electronics in Portugal. The results show that, regardless of the type of contract, the perception of human resource practices was related to the perception of psychological contract fulfillment by the company. Additionally and according to the norm of reciprocity, we verified that when workers thought the company was fulfilling its obligations they responded favorably showing more affective commitment towards the company. However, we found differences between these two groups of workers: for the permanent performance appraisal, training and rewards were human resources practices that were significantly related to psychological contract fulfillment, while for the temporary ones there weren’t any specific practices that had a significant relationship with that variable. The practical implications of these findings for the management of temporary workers are discussed.