Educar (n)a conjugalidade : variáveis psicossociais na promoção do ajustamento diádico, da qualidade relacional e do bem-estar pessoal

Tese de doutoramento, Psicologia (Psicologia da Educação), Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Psicologia, 2015The central theme in this dissertation consists of a number of psychosocial variables which have a potential impact on the personal and relational well-being of individuals in a couple relationship. Considering that a successful couple relationship is a significant component of most individuals' life plans, the main goal of this thesis was to expand the knowledge on the promotion of optimal dyadic functioning, from a proactive perspective, deeming the latter as intrinsically important, and not merely an adjunct to disturbance and rupture prevention. Considering a vast body of scientific research and literature on the effects of family stability versus family fragmentation, a growing public and private interest has emerged in other countries, particularly over the last decade, in helping couples construct and maintain strong and healthy conjugal relationships. Such is not the case in Portugal, hence, through an innovative approach, we set out to identify a set of pro-relationship processes and to enable the development of a marriage education program, as a theoretical and empirically based intervention. The conceptual perspectives of Marriage Education and Positive Psychology underlie the seven empirical studies presented herein, and the final proposal of a range of guidelines regarding proactive and preventive intervention with couples. By means of a mixed exploratory approach (document analysis, qualitative and quantitative data) and based on the perspectives of both married and cohabiting individuals, the main focus of analysis was on conjugal relationships in their first ten years, precisely those considered to be the most difficult and demanding years in love committed relationships. The results highlight several dimensions that are relevant to couples’ relational experience, which are consistent with existing research, but also innovative in some cases. Commitment, conjugal prospective coping (as a way of coping based on resourcefulness, responsibility and vision regarding the relationship), savoring strategies (as emotion regulation processes moderating the effect of positive events on positive feelings) and dyadic coping (referring to the interplay between the stress signals of one partner and the coping reactions of the other) may be deemed important dimensions within the couplehood context. As a result of this reflection on the data and literature, the marriage education program “Ties that bind us” [Nós e os laços, in the original xvi version] aims to be a useful resource in contributing to the development of stable and satisfying couple relationships.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, SFRH/BD/70789/2010); Fundo Social Europeu (FSE), QREN (Quadro de Referência Estratégico Nacional 2007-2013), POPH (Programa Operacional Potencial Humano

(Os) nós e os laços : vinculação, suporte social e bem-estar em jovens adultos

Tese de mestrado em Psicologia (Stress e Bem-Estar: intervenção na família, na escola e no trabalho), apresentada à Universidade de Lisboa através da Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação, 2008Enquadrados pelo Modelo Ecológico de Desenvolvimento Humano (Bronfenbrenner, 1979, 2000) e partindo da Teoria da Vinculação (Bowlby, 1969, 1980), alargada a todo o ciclo de vida, quisemos compreender as relações entre a vinculação aos pais, a vinculação aos pares, o suporte social percebido e os níveis de bem-estar psicológico e subjectivo numa população de jovens adultos. A amostra é constituída por 200 sujeitos com idades entre 18 e 25 anos de ambos os sexos. Os instrumentos utilizados são: Questionário de Vinculação ao Pai e à Mãe (versão revista; Matos & Costa, 2001), Escala de Vinculação do Adulto (Canavarro, 1995), Escala de Provisões Sociais (Moreira, 1996), Escala de Bem-estar Psicológico (Novo, Duarte Silva & Peralta, 2004), Escala de Satisfação com a Vida (Diener et al, 1985; Neto, 1993) e Inventário de Afectividade Positiva e Negativa (Moreira, 1998). Todos os instrumentos se encontravam, à partida, devidamente estudados e adaptados para a população portuguesa, tendo os resultados provenientes da análise da sua fiabilidade na presente investigação (alphas de Cronbach, correlações inter-itens e item-total) oferecido garantias para a utilização dos dados. Os resultados indicam que a dimensão da inibição da exploração e individualidade é, relativamente a ambos os progenitores, a que mais fortemente se relaciona com o estabelecimento da vinculação na idade adulta. Observamos correlações, embora baixas, da qualidade do laço emocional à Mãe com as dimensões positivas da vinculação adulta, assim como da vinculação a ambos os pais (com excepção para a ansiedade de separação e dependência) com a percepção do suporte social. Esta correlaciona-se negativamente com uma vinculação ansiosa aos pares. Exceptuando a dimensão ansiedade de separação e dependência, verificamos que a vinculação aos pais, a vinculação aos pares e a percepção do suporte social se correlacionam de modo significBased on Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Model of Human Development (1979, 2000), and beginning with Attachment Theory (Bowlby, 1969, 1980) widespread to the entire life cycle,we intended to understand the relations among attachment to parents, attachment to peers, the perceived social support and the levels of psychological and subjective wellbeing in a population of young adults. The sample consisted in 200 subjects aged from 18 to 25 years old from both genders. The instruments used were: Questionário de Vinculação ao Paie à Mãe The Father/Mother Attachment Questionnaire (revised version; Matos & Costa,2001), Escala de Vinculação do Adulto Adult Attachment Scale (Canavarro, 2005), Escala de Provisões Sociais Social Provisions Scale (Moreira, 1996), Escala de Bem-estar Psicológico Psychological Well-Being Scale (Novo, Duarte Silva & Peralta), Escala de Satisfação com a Vida Satisfaction With Life Scale (Diener et al, 1985; Neto, 1993) and Inventário de Afectividade Positiva e Negativa Positive and Negative Affect Inventory (Moreira, 1998). All instruments had been studied and are adapted to the Portuguese population, having the outcomes of the assessment of their reliability in the present investigation (Cronbach's alphas, inter items and item-total correlations) offered guarantees for the use of the obtained data. The results evidenced that individuality and exploration inhibition is, in both parents, the most strongly related with the establishment of attachment in adulthood. We observed positive correlations, although small, between quality of the emotional bond to the mother and the positive dimensions of adult attachment as well as between attachment to both parents (with the exception of separation anxiety and dependency) and social support perception. This one correlates negatively with an anxious attachment to peers. With the exception of dimension separation anxiety and dependency, we verify that attachment t