The Role of Psychological Adjustment in the Decision-Making Process for Voluntary Termination of Pregnancy

BACKGROUND: This study's objective was to evaluate the role of psychological adjustment in the decision-making process to have an abortion and explore individual variables that might influence this decision. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we sequentially enrolled 150 women who made the decision to voluntarily terminate a pregnancy in Maternity Dr. Alfredo da Costa, in Lisbon, Portugal, between September 2008 and June 2009. The instruments were the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS), Satisfaction with Social Support Scale (SSSS), Emotional Assessment Scale (EAS), Decision Conflict Scale (DCS), and Beliefs and Values Questionnaire (BVQ). We analyzed the data using Student's T-tests, MANOVA, ANOVA, Tukey's post-hoc tests and CATPCA. Statistically significant effects were accepted for p<0.05. RESULTS: The participants found the decision difficult and emotionally demanding, although they also identified it as a low conflict decision. The prevailing emotions were sadness, fear and stress; but despite these feelings, the participants remained psychologically adjusted in the moment they decided to have an abortion. The resolution to terminate the pregnancy was essentially shared with supportive people and it was mostly motivated by socio-economic issues. The different beliefs and values found in this sample, and their possible associations are discussed. CONCLUSION: Despite high levels of stress, the women were psychologically adjusted at the time of making the decision to terminate the pregnancy. However, opposing what has been previously reported, the women presented high levels of sadness and fear, showing that this decision was hard to make, triggering disruptive emotions

O bom leitor: Preditores da literacia de leitura dos alunos portugueses no PIRLS 2016

In 2016, 4642 Portuguese students, randomly selected from all Portuguese regions, attending fourth grade in public and private schools, participated in the PIRLS 2016. In this edition, Portuguese students achieved an average performance of 528 points (SE = 2.3), 13 points significantly below the average observed in PIRLS 2011. In this paper, using hierarchical linear regression models applied to the students’ plausible values of literacy, variables at the students’ and the families’ level and at the teachers’ and the schools’ levels are identified that can better explain the variability observed in the PIRLS 2016 reading literacy. About 26% and 32% of this variability can, respectively, be explained by a reduced set of variables characterizing the student and their family, and teachers and schools. At the student and family level, student confidence as readers and the educational resources available at home are the best predictors of students’ performance variation. At the school and teacher level, the school’s emphasis on academic success and teachers ‘perceptions of students’ willingness to succeed academically are the best predictors of the observed variation of the Portuguese students’ performance in PIRLS 2016.En 2016, 4642 étudiants Portugais, sélectionnés au hasard dans toutes les régions Portugaises, fréquentant la 4ème année de scolarité dans les écoles publiques et privées, ont participé au PIRLS 2016. Dans cette édition, les élèves nationaux ont obtenu une performance moyenne de 528 points (SE = 2,3), soit 13 points de moins que la moyenne observée dans PIRLS 2011. Dans cet article, en utilisant des modèles de régression linéaire hiérarchique appliqués aux valeurs plausibles de la littéracie de lecture, nous avons tenté d’identifier les variables au niveau de l’élève, des familles, des enseignants et des écoles capables d’expliquer la variabilité observée dans les résultats de la littéracie de lecture d’étudiants Portugais. Environ 26% et 32% de cette variabilité peuvent, respectivement, s’expliquer par un ensemble réduit de variables caractérisant l’élève et la famille, les enseignants et les écoles. Au niveau de l’apprenant et de la famille, la confiance des élèves en tant que lecteurs et les ressources éducatives disponibles à la maison sont les meilleurs prédicteurs de la variation du rendement des élèves. Au niveau de l’école et de l’enseignant, l’accent mis par l’école sur la réussite scolaire et la perception des enseignants de la volonté des élèves de réussir sur le plan scolaire sont les meilleurs prédicteurs de la variation observée dans la performance des élèves Portugais dans PIRLS 2016.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bridging sd1 molecular knowledge with recent breeding strategies for the improvement of traditional rice varieties - a japonica case-study

The rice semidwarfing gene, sd1, also known as the &#8220;green revolution gene&#8221;, has been studied intensively due to its contribution to the increase of crop production. Although sd1 breeding was extensively applied since the 1960s, the recent advances in the molecular basis of this gene alloweddesigning a more precise breeding strategy - marker assisted backcrossing (MAB) - to track sd1 introgression in two traditional rice varieties. For selection of sd1 plants we first confirmed the efficiency of specific markers based on Os200 x 2 gene sequence. Background selection was alsoperformed with the help of microsatellites markers (SSR) and a total of 7 breeding lines were recovered containing a higher percentage of recurrent parent genome (RPG). Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) using mean progenitor plant height as covariate was performed to compare several agronomic and quality-related parameters in two different environments. The results suggest that plant height differs significantly between the two environments F(1, 220) = 155.336; p &lt; 0.001. From the total variability ofplant height we could conclude that 73% is due to the genotype, while 10.4% depends on the environment. In addition, the percentage of RPG seems negatively correlated with plant height (p &lt; 0.005). MAB and background selection thus revealed as useful tools to assist breeding forsemidwarfism in traditional rice varieties

Do Self-Reported Psychopathic Traits Moderate the Relations Between Delinquent History Predictors and Recidivism Outcomes in Juvenile Delinquents?

The present study investigates whether self-reported psychopathic traits moderate the relationships between delinquent career features (i.e., age of first detention in a juvenile detention center, crime frequency, crime diversity, crime charges, and Conduct Disorder) and 1-year general delinquency and violent delinquency recidivism outcomes. The sample was composed of male youth (N = 214, M = 16.4 years, SD = 1.3 years) originating from the juvenile detention centers managed by the Ministry of Justice of Portugal. Results mostly suggest that neither the Antisocial Process Screening Device––Self-Report total score nor its Callous-Unemotional, Impulsivity, and Narcissism factor scores moderate the relationships between the delinquent career variables and general and violent delinquency recidivism outcomes. The notable exception was the interaction between crime frequency and callous-unemotional traits in predicting general recidivism. The current findings question the relevance of self-reported psychopathic traits as moderators of recidivism among juveniles despite the general association between psychopathy and conduct problems among youthinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

An antisocial alchemy: Psychopathic traits as a moderator of the different forms and functions of aggression in delinquency and conduct disorder among youth

The aim of the present study is to examine the possible role of psychopathic traits as a moderator of the aggression-antisociality/delinquency link. Our sample was composed of 567 youth (M = 15.91 years, SD = 0.99 years, age range = 14-18 years) from Portugal. Results indicated that psychopathic features significantly moderate four different forms and functions of aggression - proactive overt, proactive relational, reactive overt, and reactive relational - when predicting delinquency. However, psychopathic traits only significantly moderate proactive relational aggression when predicting Conduct Disorder. Psychopathic traits and aggression constitute an antisocial alchemy for antisocial behavior but more research is needed about moderation effects therein particularly among clinical and justice system involved samples of youth to inform behavioral interventions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cross-cultural psychometric assessment of an appetite questionnaire for patients with cancer

Objective: To evaluate the psychometric properties, along with cross-cultural invariance analysis, of the Cancer Appetite and Symptom Questionnaire (CASQ). Method: Data from 555 United Kingdom (UK) cancer patients were used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the CASQ. Construct validity was assessed through factorial and convergent validity. We conducted a confirmatory factor analysis using as indices the chi-square ratio by degrees of freedom (χ2/df), the comparative fit index (CFI), the goodness of fit index (GFI), and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). Convergent validity was estimated by the items’ average variance extracted (AVE). Reliability was estimated by composite reliability and internal consistency. Factorial invariance analysis of the CASQ was evaluated by multigroup analysis (∆χ2) using the UK and Brazilian samples. Results: All items showed adequate psychometric sensitivity in the UK sample. One item was removed and four correlations were included between errors with an appropriate fit of the model (χ2/df = 2.674, CFI = 0.966, GFI = 0.964, RMSEA = 0.055). The reliability of the CASQ was adequate and the convergent validity was low. The factorial structure of the CASQ differed across countries, and a lack of measurement invariance for the two countries was observed (λ: ∆χ2 = 64.008, p < 0.001; i: ∆χ2 = 3515.047, p < 0.001; Res: ∆χ2 = 4452.504, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The CASQ showed adequate psychometric properties in the UK sample. The ability to estimate loss of appetite and the presence of symptoms was different between UK and Brazilian patients

Burnout e intenção de desistir do curso: o efeito moderador do envolvimento académico

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Social comparison in parents of children with chronic conditions: results from the Portuguese version of the Iowa-Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure

ABSTRACT: Aim: The Iowa-Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure (INCOM) is a measure for assessing individual differences in social comparison orientation. Despite the relevance of social comparison orientation in understanding adult patients' adjustment responses to chronic health conditions, the impact of parental social comparison processes in the context of chronic pediatric conditions remains unexplored. This study’s main goal was to examine the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the INCOM with parents of children with chronic health conditions. Method: Two samples of parents of children with chronic pediatric conditions (asthma, epilepsy, diabetes and obesity) were used (test sample, N = 301; validation sample, N = 192). Parents completed self-reported measures of social comparison orientation, anxiety and depression symptoms and neuroticism. Results: Regarding factorial validity, results supported the unidimensionality of a revised INCOM scale, comprised of nine items. Results also supported the reliability of the measure, and provided evidence of concurrent validity: parents with higher social comparison orientation presented more anxiety and depressive symptoms, and higher neuroticism scores, consistent with what was theoretically expected. Conclusion: This study opens an important door in the field of pediatric chronic conditions, supporting the relevance of examining parents’ social comparison differences in future research, and the utility of the INCOM in the assessment of those differences.Objetivo: O Iowa-Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure (INCOM) é uma medida para avaliar as diferenças individuais na orientação para a comparação social. Na compreensão do ajustamento psicossocial de doentes adultos com condições crónicas de saúde, os processos de comparação social tem-se relevado importantes determinantes. Permanece por explorar a importância destes processos no contexto das condições crónicas pediátricas. O principal objetivo deste estudo consiste em analisar as propriedades psicométricas da versão Portuguesa do INCOM com pais de crianças com condições crónicas de saúde. Método: Foram utilizadas duas amostra de pais de crianças com condições crónicas pediátricas (asma, diabetes, epilepsia e obesidade) (amostra teste, N = 301; amostra de validação, N = 192). Os pais preencheram questionários de comparação social, neuroticismo e sintomatologia ansiosa e depressiva. Resultados: Os resultados apoiam a unidimensionalidade da versão revista da INCOM, composta por 9 itens, a fiabilidade da escala, e a respetiva validade concorrente: pais com níveis superiores de comparação social evidenciam maior sintomatologia ansiosa e depressiva, e níveis superiores de neuroticismo, consistente com o esperado teoricamente. Conclusão: Este estudo abre oportunidades de investigação futura ao atestar a relevância de examinar as diferenças na orientação para a comparação social entre os pais de crianças com condições crónicas pediátricas, e a utilidade da INCOM na avaliação dessas diferençasFundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Different MMSE domains are associated to cognitive decline and education

The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is a long-established test to screen for dementia, estimate the severity and monitor the progression of cognitive impairment. The MMSE total score is dependent upon demographic factors, particularly education, but little is known about how education influences the 6 distinct MMSE cognitive domains. The present study aims to understand how the performances in the MMSE cognitive domains reflect clinical diagnosis and educational level. The study recruited 1043 participants, comprising 388 healthy controls, 360 patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and 295 patients with dementia. The association of the MMSE cognitive domains scores with clinical diagnosis (healthy, MCI, dementia) and educational level (primary education, middle school, high school and university/college) was analyzed with a multivariate ordinal regression model. The scores in all MMSE domains were generally higher in healthy controls as compared to patients with MCI, and higher in these as compared to patients with dementia. The MMSE domain Constructional ability was associated to the education level, the domains Orientation, Recall and Language were associated to diagnosis, Attention and calculation was associated to both education level and diagnosis, and Registration was not associated to either education or diagnosis. In conclusion, impairment in specific MMSE domains pinpoints cognitive decline, probably indicating brain areas affected by neurodegeneration, and impairment in others reflects lower education levels and the lack of acquisition of relevant schooling abilities.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio