Treino da resistência psicológica na recruta militar em Portugal: o papel da coesão militar, da autoestima e da ansiedade na resiliência

The present study aims to explore the impact of military training on the psychological resilience of army recruits; the moderator role of other variables relevant for the military training (namely, group cohesion, self-esteem, and anxiety proneness) is also considered. A convenience sample of 104 military recruits was evaluated before and after the first six weeks of the Enlisted Basic General Military training. Although results showed a non significant global effect of the recruit training on resilience, individual changes in resilience levels between the beginning and the final of the training period seem to be moderately associated with participants' self-esteem and group cohesion perception. The results are discussed regarding to their implications in military training context.Este trabalho investiga o impacto do processo de treino militar de resistência psicológica na resiliência dos recrutas, considerando o papel moderador da coesão de grupo militar, da autoestima e da predisposição para a ansiedade. Uma amostra de conveniência de 104 militares foi avaliada antes e depois do Curso de Formação Geral Comum dos Praças do Exército Português, seguindo um desenho metodológico de medidas repetidas. Os resultados revelam que, embora não se possa atribuir ao processo de recruta alterações significativas nos níveis globais de resiliência, as variações individuais observadas na resiliência entre o início e o final da recruta se associam moderadamente à autoestima e à perceção da coesão do grupo. Estes resultados são discutidos quanto às implicações no contexto do treino militar. Palavras-chave: resiliência, coesão de grupo militar, autoestima, ansiedade, treino militar.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia [FCT UID/PSI/00050/2013]; EU FEDER e COMPETE [POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007294]

MF Calculator: A Web-Based Application for Analyzing Similarity

This paper presents the metric-frequency calculator (MF Calculator), an online application to analyze similarity. The MF Calculator implements a metric-frequency similarity algorithm for the quantitative assessment of similarity in ill-structured data sets. It is widely applicable as it can be used with nominal, ordinal, or interval data when there is little prior control over the variables to be observed regarding number or content. The MF Calculator generates a proximity matrix in CSV, XML or DOC format that can be used as input to traditional statistical techniques such as hierarchical clustering, additive trees, or multidimensional scaling. The MF Calculator also displays a graphical representation of outputs using additive similarity trees. A simulated example illustrates the implementation of the MF calculator. An additional example with real data is presented, in order to illustrate the potential of combining the MF Calculator with cluster analysis. The MF Calculator is a user-friendly tool available free of charge. It can be accessed from http : //mfcalculator.celiasales.org/Calculator.aspx, and it can be used by non-experts from a wide range of social sciences.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Psychometrics of the personal questionnaire : a client-generated outcome measure

We present a range of evidence for the reliability and validity of data generated by the Personal Questionnaire (PQ), a client-generated individualized outcome measure, using five data sets from three countries. Overall pre-therapy mean internal consistency (alpha) across clients was .80; within-client alphas averaged .77; clients typically had one or two items that did not vary with the other items. Analyses of temporal structure indicated high levels of between client variance (58%), moderate pre-therapy test-retest correlations (r =.57), and high session-to-session lag-1 autocorrelations (.82). Scores on the PQ provided clear evidence of convergence with a range of outcome measures (within-client r = .41). Mean pre-post effects were large (d = 1.25). The results support a revised caseness cut-off of 3.25 and a reliable change interval of 1.67. We conclude that PQ data meet criteria for evidence-based, norm-referenced measurement of client psychological distress for supporting psychotherapy practice and research

Young People Who Meaningfully Improve Are More Likely to Mutually Agree to End Treatment

Objective: Symptom improvement is often examined as an indicator of a good outcome of accessing mental health services. However, there is little evidence of whether symptom improvement is associated with other indicators of a good outcome, such as a mutual agreement to end treatment. The aim of this study was to examine whether young people accessing mental health services who meaningfully improved were more likely to mutually agree to end treatment. Methods: Multilevel multinomial regression analysis controlling for age, gender, ethnicity, and referral source was conducted on N = 8,995 episodes of care [Female = 5,469, 61%; meanAge = 13.66 (SD = 2.87) years] using anonymised administrative data from young people's mental health services. Results: Compared to young people with no change in mental health difficulties, those showing positive meaningful changes in mental health difficulties were less likely to have case closure due to non-mutual agreement (Odds Ratio or OR = 0.58, 95% Confidence Interval or CI = 0.50-0.61). Similarly, they were less likely to transfer (OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.49-0.74) or end treatment for other reasons (OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.50-0.70) than by case closure due to mutual agreement. Conclusion: The findings suggest that young people accessing mental health services whose symptoms meaningfully improve are more likely to mutually agree to end treatment, adding to the evidence that symptom improvement may be appropriate to examine as an indicator of a good outcome of accessing mental health services

Advances in Problematic Usage of the Internet Research – A Narrative Review by Experts from the European Network for Problematic Usage of the Internet

© 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Global concern about problematic usage of the internet (PUI), and its public health and societal costs, continues to grow, sharpened in focus under the privations of the COVID-19 pandemic. This narrative review reports the expert opinions of members of the largest international network of researchers on PUI in the framework of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action (CA 16207), on the scientific progress made and the critical knowledge gaps remaining to be filled as the term of the Action reaches its conclusion. A key advance has been achieving consensus on the clinical definition of various forms of PUI. Based on the overarching public health principles of protecting individuals and the public from harm and promoting the highest attainable standard of health, the World Health Organisation has introduced several new structured diagnoses into the ICD-11, including gambling disorder, gaming disorder, compulsive sexual behaviour disorder, and other unspecified or specified disorders due to addictive behaviours, alongside naming online activity as a diagnostic specifier. These definitions provide for the first time a sound platform for developing systematic networked research into various forms of PUI at global scale. Progress has also been made in areas such as refining and simplifying some of the available assessment instruments, clarifying the underpinning brain-based and social determinants, and building more empirically based etiological models, as a basis for therapeutic intervention, alongside public engagement initiatives. However, important gaps in our knowledge remain to be tackled. Principal among these include a better understanding of the course and evolution of the PUI-related problems, across different age groups, genders and other specific vulnerable groups, reliable methods for early identification of individuals at risk (before PUI becomes disordered), efficacious preventative and therapeutic interventions and ethical health and social policy changes that adequately safeguard human digital rights. The paper concludes with recommendations for achievable research goals, based on longitudinal analysis of a large multinational cohort co-designed with public stakeholders.Peer reviewe

Psychometrics of the personal questionnaire: a client-generated outcome measure

We present a range of evidence for the reliability and validity of data generated by the Personal Questionnaire (PQ), a client-generated individualized outcome measure, using 5 data sets from 3 countries. Overall pretherapy mean internal consistency (alpha) across clients was .80, and within-client alphas averaged .77; clients typically had 1 or 2 items that did not vary with the other items. Analyses of temporal structure indicated high levels of between-clients variance (58%), moderate pretherapy test–retest correlation (r = .57), and high session-to-session Lag-1 autocorrelation (.82). Scores on the PQ provided clear evidence of convergence with a range of outcome measures (within-client r = .41). Mean pre–post effects were large (d = 1.25). The results support a revised caseness cutoff of 3.25 and a reliable change index interval of 1.67. We conclude that PQ data meet criteria for evidence-based, norm-referenced measurement of client psychological distress for supporting psychotherapy practice and research

Citizen Consultation on Problematic Usage of the Internet: Ethical Considerations and Empirical Insights from Six Countries

© 2021 Gjoneska, Jones, Vella, Bonanno, Flora, Fontalba-Navas, Hall, Ignjatova, Kirtava, Moreno Sanjuán, Vaz-Rebelo and Sales. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Scientists and citizens can work together to improve the collective well-being, if citizens are inspired to help the advancement of science, and researchers motivated to listen to the voices of citizens. The benefits of such collaboration are increasingly recognized by both citizens and scientists, as reflected in the growing number of related publications and initiatives. This is especially relevant for emerging areas of research, where early involvement of citizens could help to envision, prioritize and plan prospective studies. The Problematic Usage of the Internet (PUI) is one such area, which is fast becoming a public mental health concern. However, there remains a lack of clarity regarding the practical guidelines and ethical requirements for citizen involvement at the earliest stages of PUI. In our paper, we propose 12 a conceptual framework and a template for citizen involvement in PUI. They are derived from our community case studies, conducted in six European countries (Georgia Greece, Malta, North Macedonia, Portugal and Spain) and consisting of consultation with diverse groups of interested citizens (students, parents, teachers and health professionals). Informed by our consultation exercises, we also highlight four ethical aspects for citizen involvement in the research on PUI or novel disciplines in general. They follow simple guiding principles to make sure that scientists: enable a long-term commitment and inclusive opportunities for citizens, challenge established power hierarchies, and support collaboration, co-production and co-authorship with citizens.Peer reviewe

Lysyl oxidase-like 2 deaminates lysine 4 in histone H3

Methylation of lysine 4 (K4) within histone H3 has been linked to active transcription and is removed by LSD1 and the JmjC domain-containing proteins by amino-oxidation or hydroxylation, respectively. Here, we describe the deamination catalyzed by Lysyl oxidase-like 2 protein (LOXL2) as an unconventional chemical mechanism for H3K4 modification. Infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry analyses demonstrated that recombinant LOXL2 specifically deaminates trimethylated H3K4. Moreover, LOXL2 activity is linked with the transcriptional control of CDH1 gene by regulating H3K4me3 deamination. These results reveal another H3 modification and provide a different mechanism for H3K4 modification