Instituto Universitário de Ciências Psicológicas, Sociais e da Vida
Repositório do ISPANot a member yet
10030 research outputs found
Sort by
Neural processing of cry sounds in the transition to fatherhood: Effects of a prenatal intervention program and associations with paternal caregiving
Get PDFThis study examined whether neural processing of infant cry sounds changes across the transition to fatherhood (i.e., from the prenatal to postnatal period), and examined whether an interaction-based prenatal intervention modulated these changes. Furthermore, we explored whether postnatal activation in brain regions showing transition or intervention effects was associated with sensitive care and involvement. In a randomized controlled trial, 73 first-time expectant fathers were enrolled, of whom 59 had at least 1 available fMRI scan. Intervention and transition effects on cry processing were analyzed in the amygdala and superior frontal gyrus (SFG) using linear mixed effect models with all available data and with intent-to-treat analyses. Further, exploratory whole-brain analyses were performed. ROI analyses suggest that the transition to fatherhood is characterized by decreasing activation in response to cry vs control sounds in the amygdala but not SFG. Exploratory whole-brain analyses also show a decrease in activation over the transition to fatherhood in the sensorimotor cortex, superior lateral occipital cortex, hippocampus, and regions of the default mode network. In the putamen and insula, larger decreases were found in fathers with more adverse childhood caregiving experiences. In regions showing transitional changes, higher postnatal activation was associated with more concurrent parenting sensitivity. No effects of the intervention were found. The decrease in activation from the pre- to postnatal period may reflect fathers’ habituation to cry sounds over repeated exposures. The positive association between postnatal neural activation and paternal sensitive care suggest that continued sensitivity to cry sounds may be conducive to parenting quality.European Research Councilinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Sexual stigma and mental health of LGB older adults: A systematic scoping review
No full textIntroduction Studies that examine the mental health of gay, lesbian, and bisexual (LGB) older adults have increased significantly over the last two decades, evidencing sexual stigma as one of the main factors associated with poorer mental
health in this population. However, scientific evidence linking mental health and sexual stigma in older adults has not been
systematically reviewed.
Methods We conducted a systematic scoping review investigating the relationships between sexual stigma and mental health
in LGB older adults aged 60 and over. EBSCO Host, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Scielo were used to search for
peer reviewed studies following PRISMA guidelines and 17 studies were included. The research covered studies between
2000 and 2020 and data collection was carried out between 2020 and 2021.
Results Sexual stigma showed a strong relationship with mental health in LGB older adults, being mainly associated with
worse mental health outcomes, such as anxious and depressive symptoms, psychological distress, and substance abuse.
Hypervigilance, invisibility, feeling socially rejected, concealment of sexual orientation, and internal conflicts were suggested among the main mediator/moderator factors between sexual stigma(s) and the older LGB mental health indicators.
The findings suggest that sexual stigma affects older LGB people throughout their life course cumulatively, by decreasing
their quality of life and access to health care. Yet, LGB older adults have developed resilience and adaptive strategies to
manage sexual stigma.
Conclusions and Policy Implications Sexual stigma has a significant relationship with worse levels of mental health in LGB
older adults, affecting their well-being. It is important that future studies address oldest old LGB individuals (e.g., aged 80
or over), particularly evaluating how they manage sexual stigma. Further, there is an urgent need for research that evaluates
the positive determinants of mental health in LGB older adults, such as well-being and successful aging, as well the role of
the internet and social media in stigmatizing older LGB people.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Unraveling the sequences of risk factors underlying the development of criminal behavior
Get PDFThis work aims to investigate the role of sequences of risk factors from childhood to young adulthood in predicting subsequent criminal convictions. This study uses the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development (CSDD) dataset, a prospective longitudinal research study that followed 411 males from South London from the age of 8 to 61 years. Temporal sequences of risk factors at ages 8–10, 12–14, and 16–18 were analyzed as predictors of subsequent criminal convictions up to the age of 61. Risk factors related to poverty, parenting problems, and children’s risk-taking predisposition at ages 8–10 emerged as prevalent starting points for the most highly predictive developmental sequences leading to convictions. The risk of a criminal conviction significantly increased if these risk factors were followed by low IQ scores or association with delinquent friends at ages 12–14, and by school and professional problems or drug addiction during late adolescence (ages 16–18). At each developmental stage, specific risk factors intricately combine to form chains of risk during development, subsequently predicting criminal convictions. A trajectory-of-risk-need-responsivity approach that identifies and breaks chains of risk factors that generate and enhance favorable conditions for criminal convictions is discussed.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
When competence and confidence are at odds: A cross-country examination of the Dunning–Kruger effect
No full textResearch has shown that some students who underperform in mathematics overestimate
their performance, while others who excel in mathematics underestimate it. Looking at
this mismatch of performance and confidence judgement—the Dunning–Kruger effect
(DKE)—the current study investigates how well students’ confidence judgement and itemspecific
mathematics competence relate with each other and whether such a relationship
differs across six European countries (i.e., Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Serbia and
Portugal). We also examine whether perceived competence, mathematics identity, gender,
socioeconomic status and immigration background predict this mismatch and whether
these demographic factors function differently between the examined countries. The results
show that the DKE could be found across grades three and four in all six countries. However,
there are country-specific patterns regarding the relationship between performance,
mathematics identity and perceived competence; the DKE; and how different demographic
variables predict its occurrences in particular subpopulations.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Understanding the expectations of parents regarding their children's school commuting by public transport using latent Dirichlet Allocation
No full textParents’ perceptions regarding public transport and active modes influence the youth's acceptance and support for sustainable school commuting. Urban mobility surveys can gather such insights by utilizing closed and open-ended questions. The latter, particularly, holds the potential for nuanced expectations and insights from Public Transport (PT) users, often absent in closed-ended responses. This paper proposes a methodology utilizing Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) to extract valuable information from open-ended survey responses, shedding light on parents' expectations regarding their children's school commute via PT. Analyzing responses from two surveys involving 448 households, with a focus on parents in the Lisbon Metro Area, spanning the school years of 2017–2018 and 2018–2019, and pre-and post-field interventions, our study employs LDA to assess households' criticisms and recommendations for improving public transport services. Our findings illustrate a shift from general criticisms in the initial survey to proactive suggestions in the subsequent one, aligning with marketing efforts to foster more sustainable school commuting with PT. Empirically, our study underscores LDA's efficacy in capturing users' feedback often neglected by closed-ended questions. Effective preprocessing of textual data facilitates streamlined field interventions. Overall, our contribution provides user-centered insights to inform PT policymakers, promoting the incorporation of user-driven enhancements.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Older adults, perceived ageism, civic participation and mental health: a qualitative study
No full textObjectives: This study has three objectives: A) To investigate the relationship of ageism on older adults’ civic activities; B) To analyze the influence of ageism on mental health; and C) To explore the impact of civic participation on older adults’ mental health.Method: This qualitative study included 782 older people from three different nationalities (Portuguese, Brazilian, and English) ranging in age from 65 to 88. All the interviews went through the process of content analysis.Results: For the first objective, the findings encompass one high-level theme (Social and individual incompetence), which included social rejection (86%), reduced competence (84%), expectations of failure (83%), and not being able to contribute (77%). For the second objective, findings indicated two overarching categories: Perceived inability, including frustration and impotence (89%), incom-petence (77%) and irrelevance (71%); and Perceived distress, including anger (81%), feelings of anxiety (68%); and emotional bursts (63%). For the third objective, the following two high-level themes emerged: Ego-oriented resources, which comprised the development of a sense of purpose (81%), learning cognitive skills (71%), and (A3) practising sense of agency (67%); and Social-oriented resources, encompassing feeling socially integrated (80%); and expressing emotionally (54%). Findings indicated that the most verbalized themes for the three objectives were the same across the three nationalities.Conclusions: Ageism made it difficult for people to participate in civic life, which has been linked to better mental health. These findings emphasize the need to encourage inclusive civic involvement to improve older individuals’ mental health.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
From spelling to reading: An intervention program with children at risk of reading failure
No full textThis study aimed to assess the impact of an interactive spelling program on reading acquisition of children at risk of developing reading
difficulties as well as to assess its effect on spelling and phonemic
awareness. From an initial pool of 144 first-grade children attending
four Portuguese primary schools, 53 children with low performances
in letter knowledge and phonemic awareness tasks, and considered
by their teachers to be at risk of developing reading difficulties, were
selected. These children were randomly assigned to three groups: an
experimental group that underwent an interactive spelling program,
a comparison group that underwent a phonological awareness program, and a control group that underwent a copying program. The
programs, conducted in pairs, comprised 12 sessions lasting 20 to
30 min twice a week. The pretest and posttest included word reading, word spelling, and phonemic awareness assessments. Data analysis showed that the spelling group significantly outperformed the
other groups across all measures except in the phonemic awareness
task, where there were no differences with the phonological group.
The word copying group consistently yielded the lowest results.
Unlike the other two groups, the posttest results of the experimental
group also reached the class average in word reading. For ethical reasons, after the final assessments the control group underwent a version of the interactive spelling program. This study suggests that
spelling activities can contribute significantly to reading acquisition
and can serve as a valuable pedagogical tool to proactively address
challenges in learning to read.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Inter-island nesting dynamics and clutch survival of green turtles Chelonia mydas within a marine protected area in the Bijagós Archipelago, West Africa
No full textUnderstanding spatial heterogeneity in reproductive success among at-risk populations facing localised threats is key for conservation. Sea turtle populations often concentrate at one nesting site, diverting conservation efforts from adjacent smaller rookeries. Poilão Island, Bijagós Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau, is a notable rookery for green turtles Chelonia mydas within the João Vieira-Poilão Marine National Park, surrounded by three islands (Cavalos, Meio and João Vieira), with lower nesting activity. Poilão’s nesting suitability may decrease due to turtle population growth and sea level rise, exacerbating already high nest density. As the potential usage of secondary sites may arise, we assessed green turtle clutch survival and related threats in Poilão and its neighbouring islands. High nest density on Poilão leads to high clutch destruction by later turtles, resulting in surplus eggs on the beach surface and consequently low clutch predation (4.0%, n = 69, 2000). Here, the overall mean hatching success estimated was 67.9 ± 36.7% (n = 631, 2015–2022), contrasting with a significantly lower value on Meio in 2019 (11.9 ± 23.6%, n = 21), where clutch predation was high (83.7%, n = 98). Moderate to high clutch predation was also observed on Cavalos (36.0%, n = 64) and João Vieira (76.0%, n = 175). Cavalos and Meio likely face higher clutch flooding compared to Poilão. These findings, alongside observations of turtle exchanges between islands, may suggest a source-sink dynamic, where low reproductive output sink habitats (neighbouring islands) are utilized by migrants from Poilão (source), which currently offers the best conditions for clutch survival.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Teachers’ self-assessment regarding the teaching of students with a developmental language disorder
Get PDFIn Norway, as in many other countries, developmental language disorders (DLDs) are a common challenge that greatly interferes with students’ educational progress. In this study, teachers’ assessed special educational needs (SEN) competence regarding DLDs was explored. Four hundred and thirty-three teachers working at dyslexia-friendly schools in Norway answered the questionnaire. The results indicated that assistive technology (AT), special needs education, and years of teaching are the determinants of teachers’ assessed SEN competence regarding DLDs. Furthermore, with regard to DLDs, female teachers displayed higher competence than their male counterparts. The role of AT is crucial; therefore, we suggest that AT should be implemented in teacher education programs and in the education of SEN teachers. We also recommend that student teachers develop both theoretical and practical special needs competence during teacher education programs.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Effectiveness of Interventions for changing more than one behavior at a time to manage chronic conditions: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Get PDFBackground
Health behaviors play a significant role in chronic disease management. Rather than being independent of one another, health behaviors often co-occur, suggesting that targeting more than one health behavior in an intervention has the potential to be more effective in promoting better health outcomes.
Purpose
We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials of interventions that target more than one behavior to examine the effectiveness of multiple health behavior change interventions in patients with chronic conditions.
Methods
Five electronic databases (Web of Science, PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Cochrane) were systematically searched in November 2023, and studies included in previous reviews were also consulted. We included randomized trials of interventions aiming to change more than one health behavior in individuals with chronic conditions. Two independent reviewers screened and extracted data, and used Cochrane’s Risk of Bias 2 tool. Meta-analyses were conducted to estimate the effects of interventions on change in health behaviors. Results were presented as Cohen’s d for continuous data, and risk ratio for dichotomous data.
Results
Sixty-one studies were included spanning a range of chronic diseases: cardiovascular (k = 25), type 2 diabetes (k = 15), hypertension (k = 10), cancer (k = 7), one or more chronic conditions (k = 3), and multiple conditions (k = 1). Most interventions aimed to change more than one behavior simultaneously (rather than in sequence) and most targeted three particular behaviors at once: “physical activity, diet and smoking” (k = 20). Meta-analysis of 43 eligible studies showed for continuous data (k = 29) a small to substantial positive effect on behavior change for all health behaviors (d = 0.081–2.003) except for smoking (d = −0.019). For dichotomous data (k = 23) all analyses showed positive effects of targeting more than one behavior on all behaviors (RR = 1.026–2.247).
Conclusions
Targeting more than one behavior at a time is effective in chronic disease management and more research should be directed into developing the science of multiple behavior change.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio