A dual-factor model of mental health and social support: evidence with adolescents in residential care

Mental health must be viewed as a complete state, including well-being and psychopathology indicators. Social support is a protective factor to the psychological adjustment in the adolescence. A dual factor model of mental health as including two dimensions was found as more appropriate than a one-dimensional one. Our findings reinforce that the absence of significant problems is not enough for an optimal psychological functioning. A more straightforward knowledge on mental health of young people is important to address their needs in residential careinfo:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of place attachment scale for youth in residential care

Background: Although the significant scientific advances on place attachment literature, no instruments exist specifically developed or adapted to residential care. Method: 410 adolescents (11 - 18 years old) participated in this study. The place attachment scale evaluates five dimensions: Place identity, Place dependence, Institutional bonding, Caregivers bonding and Friend bonding. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, content validity, construct validity (Confirmatory Factor Analysis), concurrent validity with correlations with satisfaction with life and with institution, and reliability evidences. The relationship with individual characteristics and placement length was also verified. Results: Content validity analysis revealed that more than half of the panellists perceive all the items as relevant to assess the construct in residential care. The structure with five dimensions revealed good fit statistics and concurrent validity evidences were found, with significant correlations with satisfaction with life and with the institution. Acceptable values of internal consistence and specific gender differences were found. Conclusions: The preliminary psychometric properties of this scale suggest it potential to be used with youth in care.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Participation of young people in residential care: Professionals’ perceptions about barriers and facilitators in Portugal

Fulfilling young people’s right to participation in residential care is critical, as it is associated with better psychological outcomes. This chapter describes a qualitative study, involving Portuguese professionals working in residential care (N = 87) who completed an online survey with a set of open-ended questions. Content analysis revealed six core categories – the Concept of Participation, Participation Life Domains, Residential Care Domains of Participation, Participation Enablers, Barriers to Participation, Benefits of Participation – and 18 main subcategories. Participation was mostly defined as the opportunity for children to have a voice and express their opinion, ensuring also that their views are considered and taken seriously. Professionals acknowledged the young people’s participation in group home activities and dynamics, as well as issues related to young people’s personal functioning as the two most reported domains of participation. Human resource factors were the most frequent enablers pointed out by the participants (e.g., skilled professionals), and the barriers were mostly related to the residential care context (e.g., human resource management constraints, lack of suitable space). The benefits of participation were mostly related to young people’ outcomes (e.g., well-being, empowerment, sense of belonging). These findings call for the importance of fostering participation in residential care, which may also enhance young people’s well-being and the quality of residential care provided. A set of practice and policy implications are discussed, namely, the need for policy makers’ awareness about this issue.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

‘I always say what I think’: a rights-based approach of young people’s psychosocial functioning in residential care

Adolescents in residential care tend to be socially devalued and are psychosocially vulnerable. For that reason, a rights-based approach must be adopted to empower them and promote their participation. Focus group discussions were developed with 29 adolescents aiming to explore their rights perceptions during the placement in residential care and how it could be related to their well-being. Results from the grounded model showed that youth’s perceptions on the non-fulfilment of their rights are related to perceived emotional and behavioral difficulties. Their psychological functioning seems to be particularly affected when a set of dimensions are perceived as not fulfilled, namely, education, private life, non-discrimination, perceived social image and respect for themselves and their families by the protection system. Also, a set of individual, relational and socio-cognitive variables were identified as conditions and processes that provide additional explanatory potential to this model. These results underpin the relevance of adopting a rights-based approach to understand psychosocial functioning in residential care, strengthening the importance of social influences to human development. Implications for practice are also explored in the present work.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Seismic vulnerability of churches in Faial and Pico islands, Azores

Earthquakes represent one of the main cause of serious damage and loss of historic and architectural heritage. Interventions to preserve these building should start with a careful knowledge and assessment of their seismic vulnerability, in order to support any needed retrofitting and strengthening measures. This paper proposes a procedure to register and diagnose of the level of damage on churches after the occurrence of an earthquake, and also to assess the seismic vulnerability of this type of construction. This procedure was applied to sixteen churches in the Azores islands which were hit by the July 9th 1998 earthquake. Belfries of church towers are elements with a particular seismic vulnerability. For this reason, and based on the Italian methodology proposed by the Linee Guida (2006), it is applied to belfries of two churches from Pico (Azores), a simplified mechanical model for assessment of seismic vulnerability of this type of structures

Adolescents’ resilience in residential care: A systematic review of factors related to healthy adaptation

Research with young people in Residential Care (RC) has primarily focused on mental health problems, overlooking resilience and adaptation. Considering that previous trauma experiences and adversity (e.g., previous abuse and neglect) cannot be changed, it is critical to identify the current protective factors of adaptation in RC. Purpose: this systematic review aims to identify the protective factors or the resilience portfolio that may be positively associated with adolescents’ healthy adaptation in RC. Method: based on the PRISMA statement and using a combination of keywords related with RC, adolescents, resilience, and adaptation a search in eight databases was conducted in November 2020: Academic Search Complete, APA PsycArticles, APA PsycINFO, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, ERIC, MEDLINE, Web of Science and Scopus. This search yielded 4442 articles and 11 studies met our inclusion criteria. Results: Overall, the studies reported protective factors at different levels, namely, individual assets, resources from different contexts (family, RC, and community), appraisals and coping behavior. Conclusion: this review highlighted the importance of exploring resilience as a dynamic process of assets and resources rather than as a stable individual attribute. This review aims to contribute to a deep discussion about resilience in RC, informing policy-making and professional practices and enhancing young people’s adaptation in RC.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Avaliação da eficiência do tratamento preservante em moirões de Eucalyptus dunnii pelo método de substituição de seiva.

Organizado por Patricia Póvoa de Mattos, Celso Garcia Auer, Rejane Stumpf Sberze, Katia Regina Pichelli e Paulo César Botosso

Comportamento do Angiostrongylus costaricensis em planorbídeos

Some terrestrial mollusks are natural hosts of Angiostrongylus costaricensis. In the laboratory, this nematode can be maintained in certain planorbids, which are aquatic mollusks and intermediate hosts of Schistosoma mansoni. Mollusks can be infected with Angiostrongylus costaricensis by ingestion of or active penetration by the first-stage larvae. In this work we assessed the ability of Biomphalaria glabrata to attract first-stage larvae of A. costaricensis. Movement of the nematode larvae towards the mollusks was observed after 15 min, 30 min and 1 h. B. glabrata did not attract the first-stage larvae of A. costaricensis in any of the three intervals. The susceptibility of two populations of Biomphalaria tenagophila to infection by A. costaricensis was also determined. One population was genetically selected for the susceptibility to S. mansoni while the other was not. Third-stage larvae were recovered from the snails 30 days after exposure of the two populations to 120 first-stage larvae. All the mollusks were infected. However, a significantly higher number of third-stage larvae were recovered in mollusks not genetically selected.Alguns moluscos terrestres são hospedeiros naturais do Angiostrongylus costaricensis. No laboratório, esse nematódeo pode ser mantido em planorbídeos, que são moluscos aquáticos e hospedeiros intermediários do Schistosoma mansoni. Os moluscos podem ser infectados com A. costaricensis por ingestão ou por penetração ativa de larvas de primeiro estágio. Neste trabalho, testamos a habilidade de Biomphalaria glabrata em atrair larvas de primeiro estágio de A. costaricensis. A movimentação das larvas do nematódeo em direção aos moluscos foi observada após 15 minutos, 30 minutos e 1 hora. B. glabrata não atraiu as larvas de primeiro estágio de A. costaricensis nos três intervalos de tempo. Verificamos também a suscetibilidade de duas populações de Biomphalaria tenagophila à infecção por A. costaricensis. Uma população era selecionada geneticamente para a susceptibilidade ao S. mansoni, enquanto a outra não o era. Larvas de terceiro estágio foram recuperadas dos moluscos 30 dias após a exposição das duas populações a 120 larvas de primeiro estágio. Todos os moluscos estavam infectados. Entretanto, um número significativamente maior de larvas de terceiro estágio foi recuperado em moluscos não geneticamente selecionados.19920

Child Maltreatment Severity Questionnaire (MSQ) for professionals: development, validity, and reliability evidence

This article presents the development and validation of the child Maltreatment Severity Questionnaire (MSQ), aiming to contribute to increase the quality and efficiency of evaluation processes in the Child Protection System (CPS). To obtain a valid and reliable instrument, a set of studies was developed: Study 1—Based on two previous studies, the questionnaire was developed and the severity level of the items within maltreatment subtypes was assigned by 93 professionals from the welfare and CPS system. Consensus about the severity levels was assessed and described in terms of within-item reliability rankings; Study 2—The MSQ was filled out for 253 children and adolescents referred to the CPS. To ensure that the items within different subtypes of maltreatment were homogenous and had internal consistency, a reliability analysis was performed; Study 3—The MSQ was filled out for 1,000 children and adolescents referred to the CPS. This study involved testing validity evidence through an exploratory and a confirmatory factor analysis. We also analyzed the internal consistency, sensibility (i.e., sex and age differences) and concurrent validity of the MSQ. Findings support the adequacy and reliability of the MSQ to be used by CPS professionals in evaluating child maltreatment.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio