Editorial: a validade nos instrumentos de avaliação

Face ao número crescente de artigos sobre a validação e usos de instrumentos de avaliação que chegam à RPICS, talvez seja o momento para refletir sobre a questão da validade dos mesmos. A RPICS espera que os autores nos seus artigos discutam explicitamente sobre a validade dos instrumentos na secção dos Métodos. Caso os autores utilizem um instrumento estudado previamente com o mesmo formato, com as mesmas características de sujeitos e para o mesmo objetivo, então é suficiente citar a referência prévia. Caso o instrumento seja modificado, o número de itens alterado, o objetivo diferente ou o ponto de corte se modifique, então é necessário apresentar informação suplementar sobre a adaptação. No caso de novos instrumentos criados pelos autores, é essencial explicitar o decurso da elaboração, as medidas de confiabilidade, os resultados do estudo piloto e outras informações que credibilizem o uso do instrumento de avaliação. Seguem-se alguns conceitos fundamentais no domínio da validade e confiabilidade

Calcular e apresentar tamanhos do efeito em trabalhos científicos (1): As limitações do p < 0,05 na análise de diferenças de médias de dois grupos

A Revista Portuguesa de Investigação Comportamental e Social exige que os autores sigam as recomendações do Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 2010) na apresentação da informação estatística. Uma das recomendações da APA é de que os tamanhos do efeito sejam apresentados associados aos níveis de significância estatística. Uma vez que os valores de p decorrentes dos resultados dos testes estatísticos não informam sobre a magnitude ou importância de uma diferença, devem então reportar-se os tamanhos do efeito (TDE). De facto, os TDE dão significado aos testes estatísticos, enfatizam o poder dos testes estatísticos, reduzem o risco de a mera variação amostral ser interpretada como relação real, podem aumentar o relato de resultados “não-significativos” e permitem acumular conhecimento de vários estudos usando a meta-análise. Assim, os objetivos deste artigo são os de apresentar os limites do nível de significância; descrever os fundamentos da apresentação dos TDE dos testes estatísticos para análise de diferenças entre dois grupos; apresentar as fórmulas para calcular os TDE, fornecendo exemplos de estudos nossos; apresentar procedimentos de cálculo dos intervalos de confiança; fornecer as fórmulas de conversão para revisão da literatura; indicar como interpretar os TDE; e ainda mostrar que, apesar de frequentemente ser interpretável, o significado (efeito pequeno, médio ou grande para uma métrica arbitrária) pode ser impreciso, havendo necessidade de ser interpretado no contexto da área de investigação e de variáveis do mundo real

Values, Ethics and Theoretical Perspectives of the Hartford Social Competency Scale-II: Factorial Structure and Reliability of a Portuguese Version

Social work practice with the older population demands assessing gerontological competencies, for which values and ethics are central. This study aimed to test the adjustment of the Portuguese version of the Hartford Geriatric Social Work Competency Scale II subscale— values, ethics and theoretical perspectives (GSWCS-II-VEPT) to a bifactor structure and to analyse its reliability in a sample of social workers. The study enrolled 534 social workers employed in older adults’ care organisations. The confirmatory factorial analysis showed that the items presented factorial loads more than 0.60, and the bifactorial component model fitted well with the data. The two components consisted of ‘nuclear competencies’ and ‘specialised skills’. The GSWCS-II-VEPT presented excellent reliability (Cronbach’s a¼0.90). However, high interfactor correlations demanded the test of a single-factor solution. The single-factor model did not fit the data as well as the two-factor solution, and the Akaike information criterion value was smaller in the two-factor model, indicating a superior fit. The results support adequate psychometric properties of GSWCS-II-VEPT in evaluating ethical skills, values and theoretical perspectives in Portuguese social workers and can be used as a tool for self-evaluation of these professionals’ ethical behaviour

Questões emocionais e avaliação em adolescentes e adultos jovens

Este artigo não tem resumo; as primeiras 117 palavras aparecem abaixo. Os artigos do presente número da Revista Portuguesa de Investigação Comportamental e Social apresentam estudos relevantes para os interessados na investigação com populações adolescentes e jovens adultos, sendo pesquisados temas especialmente relacionados com a imagem corporal, mas também aspetos relativos a experiências traumáticas de natureza interpessoal no seio destas populações. Nas últimas décadas, as sociedades modernas têm vindo a atribuir um valor excessivo à aparência e forma corporais. Um ideal de um corpo idealmente esbelto e firme, nem sempre acessível, pode envolver consequências negativas para a saúde física e mental. Este ideal é um produto de um momento cultural e tem vindo a expressar-se como insatisfação corporal e distorção da imagem corporal em cada vez mais pessoas

Dissociative disorders and other psychopathological groups: exploring the differences through the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire (SDQ-20)

The Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire is a self-report questionnaire that has proven to be a reliable and valid instrument. The objectives of this study were to validate the Portuguese version and to determine its capability to distinguish patients with dissociative disorders from others with psychopathological disorders. Method: 234 patients answered the translated version of Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire. The Portuguese Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule was used to validate clinical diagnosis. Patients with dissociative disorder (n = 113) were compared to a control group of 121 patients with various anxiety and depression disorders. Results: Reliability measured by Cronbach’s α was 0.88. The best performance of the Portuguese form was at a cut-off point of 35, which distinguishes between dissociative disorder and neurotic disorders with a good diagnostic efficacy (sensitivity = 0.73). The somatoform dissociation was significantly more frequent in dissociative disorder patients, conversion disorder patients and post-traumatic stress disorder patients. Conclusions: These findings suggest that dissociative disorders can be differentiated from other psychiatric disorders through somatoform dissociation. The Portuguese version of the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire has fine psychometric features that sustain its cross-cultural validity

Portuguese Validation of the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES)

Objective: The Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) is a widely used screening tool for dissociative symptoms. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the validity and internal consistency of a Portuguese version and determine if it accurately identified dissociative pathology. Method: The original DES underwent a “forward–backward” translation process. The translated form was used on 570 participants divided into 3 subgroups: 113 patients with dissociative symptoms, 233 psychiatric patients with vari- ous psychopathological disorders, and 224 normal individuals. Results: A principal components analysis with all of the partici- pants yielded 4 factors that accounted for 56.3% of the variance. Reliability as measured by Cronbach’s alpha was .94. The receiver operating characteristic curve applied to the cutoff analysis revealed a value of 30 comparing the 2 clinical groups and con- trasting the dissociative-based group with the nonclinical group. The ability of the DES to correctly classify those with and without the disease was very good. Sensitivity was 65.0% and specificity was 86.0% with the cutoff score of 30 from the comparison between dissociative symptomatic disorders and the other psychopathological disorders. Comparing the dissociative symptomatic group with the nonclinical group, we found that sensitivity was 65.0% and specificity was 100%. The mean DES scores for the 3 subgroups were significantly different. Conclusion: These findings are in some degree analogous to those in other studies and suggest that the DES is a reliable and valid screen for the Portuguese population

Psychiatric Symptoms and Dissociation in Conversion, Somatization and Dissociative Disorders

Objective: Conversion, dissociation and somatization are historically related in the long established concept of hysteria. Somewhere along the way they were separated due to the Cartesian dualistic view. The aim of the present study was to compare these pathologies and investigate whether symptoms of these pathologies overlap in their clinical appearance in a Portuguese sample. Method: Twenty-six patients with conversion disorder, 38 with dissociative disorders, 40 with somatization disorder, and a comparison group of 46 patients having other psychiatric disorders answered questions about dissociation (Dissociative Experiences Scale), somatoform dissociation (Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire), and psychopathological symptoms (Brief Symptom Inventory). Results: Dissociative and somatoform symptoms were significantly more frequent in dissociative and conversion disorder than in somatization disorder and controls. There were no significant differences between dissociative and conversion patients. Conclusions: Conversion disorder is closely related to dissociative disorders. These results support the ICD-10 categorization of conversion disorder among dissociative disorders and the hypothesis of analogous psychopathological processes in conversion and dissociative disorders versus somatization disorder

Qualidade Subjetiva do Sono, Sintomas Depressivos e Sentimentos de Solidão em Idosos Institucionalizados e Não Institucionalizados

Parece existir uma associação entre solidão e uma pobre qualidade subjetiva do sono. Em reforço desta ideia, alguns estudos mostraram que os sentimentos de solidão se associam a uma menor satisfação do sono, mesmo que a sua duração não esteja diminuída. Outros mostraram que a solidão se associa a sintomas depressivos. Sabe-se que na institucionalização são frequentes os problemas de sono, depressão e solidão. No entanto, falta saber o que se passa nas respostas sociais portuguesas. Assim foram os nossos principais objetivos descrever a qualidade subjetiva do sono e analisar a intensidade dos sintomas depressivos e dos sintomas de solidão em idosos institucionalizados, comparar com uma subamostra de idosos não institucionalizados e analisar a relação entre estas variáveis nas duas subamostras. Cento e quarenta idosos, com 70 institucionalizados e 70 não institucionalizados foram emparelhados por idade, sexo, escolaridade, estado civil e sem défice cognitivo. A média de idades foi de 76,58 (DP = 6,10), sendo 104 mulheres e 36 homens. Como instrumentos para a análise utilizámos um Questionário Sociodemográfico, o Questionário sobre o Sono na Terceira Idade, o Inventário de Depressão Geriátrica e a Escala de Solidão da Universidade da Califórnia, Los Angeles. Verificou-se que os idosos institucionalizados apresentavam mais sentimentos de solidão do que os não institucionalizados. Contudo, não se verificaram diferenças entre as duas subamostras em relação aos sintomas depressivos e à qualidade subjetiva do sono. Através de uma análise correlacional verificou-se nas duas subamostras que quanto pior a qualidade subjetiva do sono mais sintomas depressivos se observavam e quanto mais sintomas depressivos, mais sentimentos de solidão. Concluímos que não houve diferenças na qualidade subjetiva do sono pelo tipo de resposta social ainda que haja mais sintomas depressivos e sintomas de solidão nos idosos institucionalizados. Não encontrámos também relação entre o sono e a solidão nos idosos institucionalizados. / There seems to be an association between loneliness and poor subjective sleep quality. In support of this idea, some studies have shown that feelings of loneliness are associated with less satisfaction sleep, even if your life is not diminished. Others have shown that loneliness is associated with depressive symptoms. It is known that in the institutionalization are frequent problems with sleeping, depression and loneliness. However, lack know what is happening in the Portuguese social responses. So were our main objectives describe the subjective quality of sleep and analyze the intensity of depressive symptoms and loneliness symptoms in institutionalized elderly, compared with a non-institutionalized elderly subsample and analyze the relationship between these variables in both subsamples. One hundred and forty older adults, with 70 institutionalized and 70 non-institutionalized were matched by age, sex, education, marital status and without cognitive impairment. The average age was 76.58 (SD = 6.10), including 104 women and 36 men. As tools for the analysis we used a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Questionnaire About Sleep in the Older Adults, Geriatric Depression Inventory and the Loneliness Scale of the University of California, Los Angeles. It was found that the institutionalized older adults had more feelings of loneliness than noninstitutionalized. However, there were no differences between the two subsamples in relation to depressive symptoms and subjective sleep quality. Through a correlational analysis it was found in the two subsamples that the worse the subjective sleep quality more depressive symptoms were observed and the more depressive symptoms, more feelings of loneliness. We concluded that there no differences in subjective sleep quality by the type of social response even though there are more depressive symptoms and symptoms of loneliness in the elderly. Also we did not find relationship between sleep and loneliness in the elderly

Demographic and Mental Health Factors Associated with Pathological Dissociation in a Portuguese Sample

Pathological dissociation has been extensively studied in many countries; however, little is known about it in Portugal. This research examined the role of demographic variables and mental health on dissociation in Portugal. We assessed 505 participants from 6 samples consisting of dissociative patients (n = 37), conversive patients (n = 26), somaticizing patients (n = 59), posttraumatic stress disorder patients (n = 50), other psy- chiatric patients (n = 174), and nonclinical subjects (n = 159). Dissociation was measured by Portuguese versions of the Dissociative Experiences Scale and Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire; the LEAD procedure and subscales of the Brief Symptom Inventory indicated mental health. Pathological psychological dissociation was significantly more frequent in women, in the youngest of the participants, and in those with less education. Multiple logistic regression revealed that psychoticism, paranoid ideation, and depression symptoms made both men and women more vulnerable to psychological dissociation. Furthermore, psychological dissociation was more probable in men having symptoms of obsession and paranoid ideation and in women having symptoms of psychoticism and paranoid ideation. Pathological somatoform dissociation was significantly more probable in women with less education. Moreover, somatoform dissociation was more likely in women with somatization symptoms and more likely in men with symptoms of somatization and psychoticism. Even though significant associations were found, causal relations could not be established because the study was cross-sectional

Social networks of elderly with social services support living in two different areas of Portugal

Focusing social support networks of the elderly, we present a study centered on the assessment of social resources, by analyzing differences between living in a coastal urban area, or in a rural inner region of Portugal. We had 176 participants, 119 elderly users of home care services in the municipality of Penamacor in an interior region of Portugal, and 57 elderly users of day care and residential care in the municipality of Coimbra in a littoral (coastal) region of the country. Their social resources were assessed by Americans Resources and Services Program (OARS). The participants are mostly over 80 years old (72%), 70% women, 63% widowed and 71% are illiterate. The main findings indicate that the network size is much bigger in the elderly of interior region with significant differences between the samples, but the numbers of visits and telephone calls these elderly do or receive are very similar. Curiously, the elderly of Penamacor tend to express that they feel alone sometimes and the most part of the elderly of Coimbra doesn’t express loneliness, as well as the last ones feel that have someone to help when they need and the first only sometimes have someone to help them. This probably happens because the social services settings are different. Older adults from Coimbra present better levels of social resources when compared with elderly from Penamacor. These last group present mostly severe limitations and the first ones present mostly good or low limitations, on the OARS classification scale. Both activate their contacts with the social network especially with sons and daughters or other family members. These results need further study to discuss possible asymmetries, inequalities and other differences. However, Social Work must reflect on these indicators to be able to promote a more equity access to social resources, and to increase an effective social support on the elderly social networks