Significações de envelhecimento, variáveis relacionais subjectivas e bem-estar psicológico em idosos

O presente estudo pretendia avaliar se as perceções de envelhecimento teriam influência no bem-estar psicológico dos idosos. Procurou-se compreender qual o efeito da influência (moderação ou mediação), das variáveis relacionais subjetivas: apoio social, religiosidade, perceção de saúde e estado emocional. O estudo foi realizado numa amostra portuguesa de 150 idosos, com idades compreendidas entre os 65 e os 99 anos. Foram utilizados dez instrumentos de avaliação. Os resultados mostram, que as perceções de envelhecimento, conjuntamente com a avaliação que as pessoas fazem do seu estado de saúde e dos sintomas psicopatológicos, predizem de forma significativa, a perceção do seu bem-estar psicológico. O apoio social e a religiosidade, são variáveis mediadoras, enquanto, a ansiedade existencial e o estado emocional, são moderadoras. Podemos verificar que existem diferenças significativas entre as diversas variáveis sócio-demográficas. Com o aumento da esperança de vida, pretende-se que este estudo contribua para a compreensão das dimensões pessoais intra e interindividuais do envelhecimento. ABSTRACT: The present study it intended to assess whether the perceptions of aging will impact on psychological well-being of the elderly. We tried to understand, what effect the influence (moderation or mediation), the relational subjective variables: social support, religiosity, health perception and emotional state. The study was conducted in a Portuguese sample of 150 elderly people, aged between 65 and 99 years. Ten instruments were used for evaluation. The results show that perceptions of aging, jointly with the assessment that people make in their state of health and psychopathology predict significantly the perception of their psychological well-being. Social support and religiosity, are mediating variables, while the existential anxiety and emotional state, they are moderating. We can see that there are significant differences between the various socio-demographic variables. With the increase of the life hope, it is intended that this study contributes to the understanding of intra and inter-personal dimensions of aging.

Racionalismo y socialización femenina: vivir en laico

La existencia de un hilo conductor entre distintas corrientes del feminismo histórico español, desde los presupuestos del laicismo, ha sido ya puesta de manifiesto. En este artículo se intenta analizar dicho proceso desde la educación femenina, lo que permite incorporar nuevas protagonistas al universo femenino laico. El debate sobre religión-laicismo, moral y emancipación de las mujeres subyace al interés por la instrucción femenina. Las estrategias educativas emprendidas en las escuelas neutras y laicas, frente al modelo de la Iglesia católica, se plasman en la implantación de una educación mixta o en la coeducación. Se subraya asimismo la pluralidad de formas de entender el racionalismo y el laicismo, desde la religiosidad de espiritistas y masonas del siglo XIX al ateísmo de las anarquistas del siglo XX.

Vulnerable dark triad personality facets are associated with religious fundamentalist tendencies

BACKGROUND: This study explores the possibility that religious fundamentalism (RF) may be linked to deficits in personality structure, which is in contrast to the general assumption that religiosity and spirituality are positively related to mature personality development. SAMPLING AND METHODS: To test this hypothesis, 327 (232 female) college students completed the Multidimensional Inventory for Religious/Spiritual Well-Being together with the Innsbrucker Religious Fundamentalism Scale. In addition, the 'vulnerable dark triad' of personality ('vulnerable narcissism', subscale of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory; 'secondary psychopathy', subscale of Levenson's Self-Report Psychopathy Scale; 'borderline personality', of the Borderline Personality Inventory) was assessed. RESULTS: In general, the relation between spirituality and healthy personality functioning was confirmed. In addition to greatly overlapping with 'general religiosity' (p < 0.001), RF was also relevantly predicted by narcissistic ('hiding the self') and borderline ('primitive defenses') personality facets (p < 0.05 for both). CONCLUSIONS: Based on these preliminary data, we conclude that specific structural deficits in personality might lead to more rigorous variants of religious/spiritual beliefs such as RF. Further research in clinical surroundings as well as in religious extremist groups is recommended.

Dimensions of religious/spiritual well-being in relation to personality and stress coping: initial results from Bosnian young adults

The aim of this study was to examine possible relationships between religious/spiritual well-being (RSWB), the Big Five personality factors, and stress coping strategies among Bosnian young adults. Therefore, a first Bosnian translation of the Multidimensional Inventory of Religious/Spiritual Well-being was applied on a sample of 290 (181 females) Bosnian undergraduate students. RSWB dimensions such as hope, forgiveness, or general religiosity were found to be substantially related with more favorable personality dimensions as well as with more adequate stress coping. As a conclusion RSWB dimensions were confirmed as being an important resource for mental health for this sample of Bosnian adolescents.

The validation of a Spanish version of the multidimensional inventory of religious/spiritual well-being in mexican college students

After the Multidimensional Inventory for Religious/Spiritual Well-Being (MI-RSWB) was validated as a reliable instrument for the Western European context it is primarily intended in this study to translate the measure into Spanish and adapt it for the Mexican culture. Furthermore we investigate whether spirituality/religiosity has a similar impact on indicators of personality and subjective well-being in Mexico as it does in samples drawn from Western European cultures. 190 students (99 females) from public and private universities in Guadalajara, all Mexican citizens, were involved in this study. We found strong evidential support for the six factor solution of the Original MI-RSWB in this Mexican population. By mirroring previous research the measure showed a highly satisfying internal consistency (α =.91 for the total score and.75 or higher for all six sub dimensions). Furthermore the total RSWB score was observed to be related with Eysenck's personality dimensions Extraversion (r =.24, p <.01), and Psychoticism (r = -.28, p <.001), although not with Neuroticism. There was also a positive correlation with Sense of Coherence (r =.31, p <.001). In conclusion, the dimensionality of RSWB and its associations with personality and subjective well-being was well supported in this first application within a Mexican cultural context.

Successful Aging with Illness

In twenty years almost one in four Canadians will be over the age of 65. How successfully these people age will influence their quality of life and contribute to their physical health. Illness and disease are frequent components of aging; however, ‘successful aging’ research normally excludes people with illness. Older people living with illness, even life threatening illness, often self-report a good quality of life and continue to experience psychological well-being and a significant engagement in social life. This dissertation uses a three manuscript approach to examine successful aging among people with illness. The first manuscript employed a scoping review to examine the models used in recent successful aging research, compiling the most frequently used constructs which included: engagement, optimism and/or positive attitude, resilience, spirituality and/or religiosity, self-efficacy and/or self-esteem, and gerotranscendence. The second manuscript utilized data gathered via interviews (online or in person) with people over the age of 65 years living with illness. The majority of these participants reported success in aging; only resilience was predictive in the binomial regression analysis. The third manuscript examined the role of social determinants of health on successful aging. The analysis revealed that disengagement from community-activities showed a significant association with higher self-reported successful aging. The best fitting model for predicting rate of successful aging with illness was a linear combination of participants’ ageism score and community activity score, while controlling for gender and age. When considered together, the results from these three manuscripts suggest that successful aging can be experienced by older adults aging with illness. And that, among these older adults, resilience, community interaction and ageism may all play a part in determining the extent to which aging is experienced as successful. Recommendations include the suggestion that we embrace the idea that people with illness can self-define as successful agers. Further, since some of the associated constructs (e.g. resilience) can be fostered, successful aging could be bolstered by education or programs to build skills along with the usual treatment modalities for the illnesses that co-exist.

Ambiência monástica e prática litúrgico-musical pós-tridentinas no mosteiro de S. Bento de Cástris

Abstract In the current historiographical production there is a manifest interest for the history of female religiosity. The mystic phenomenon, the everyday life and the temporal dimension of the communities, in terms of familiar and social connection to the outside of cloistered spaces, manifestations of creativity and culture, are increasingly treated issues. This interest is also expressed about the Cistercian Order in Portugal. In the female branch, the monastery of St. Benedict of Cástris, officially Cistercian for more than 700 years, has been the target of an interdisciplinary approach that intents to appreciate the impact of the reflections of the Council of Trent in the musical praxis of the nuns. This community, subject to Alcobaça and controlled through Visitors, registers in its documentation not only the presence of nuns that sang and played various instruments, arising mainly from Évora region, a city with a recognized musical tradition, but also registers various expenses related with the musical practice of the monastery. Resumo Regista-se, na actual produção historiográfica, um interesse manifesto pela história da religiosidade feminina. O fenómeno místico, o viver quotidiano e a dimensão temporal das comunidades, em termos de ligação familiar e social ao exterior dos espaços-clausura, as manifestações de criatividade e cultura, são questões cada vez mais tratadas. Esse interesse manifesta-se também para a Ordem de Cister em Portugal, sendo que, no ramo feminino, o mosteiro de S. Bento de Cástris, oficialmente cisterciense há mais de 700 anos, vem sendo alvo de uma abordagem multidisciplinar que procura apreciar os reflexos do Concílio de Trento na praxis musical das religiosas. Esta comunidade, sujeita a Alcobaça e por ela controlada através dos Visitadores, regista na sua documentação não só a presença de religiosas cantoras e tangedoras de vários instrumentos, oriundas maioritariamente da região de Évora, cidade com uma tradição musical reconhecida, como diversas despesas relacionadas com a prática musical do mosteiro.

Gestão da visibilidade LGB no contexto do ensino superior

O presente estudo tem como principal objetivo a compreensão da forma como lésbicas, gays e bissexuais gerem a visibilidade da sua orientação sexual no contexto do ensino superior, bem como a relação entre esta com a perceção da discriminação nesse contexto. Neste sentido, foi utilizada uma amostra de 289 estudantes de instituições do ensino superior de todo o país. Para esta avaliação, foram utilizados dois instrumentos: a Escala de Gestão da Visibilidade da Orientação Sexual (Lasser, Ryser & Price, 2010) e o Questionário de Gestão da Visibilidade e Discriminação em Contextos do Ensino Superior, criado para esta investigação. Os principais resultados apontam diferenças na gestão da visibilidade quanto ao género, orientação sexual, visibilidade da orientação sexual, visibilidade da orientação sexual perante a família, nível de religiosidade e ciclo de estudos. No que diz respeito à perceção de discriminação, os resultados apresentam diferenças quanto à orientação sexual e à área de estudos. Por fim, os resultados conclusivos mostram que existe uma correlação entre a visibilidade da orientação sexual e a perceção de discriminação, no contexto do ensino superior; Abstract: This study aims to understand how lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) manage the visibility of their sexual orientation in the context of higher education, as well as the relationship between this management with their perception of discrimination. In this sense, we used a sample of 289 students from higher school institutions across the country. For this evaluation, two instruments were used: the Visibility Management Scale of Sexual Orientation (Lasser, Ryser & Price, 2010) and the Visibility Management and Discrimination in Contexts of Higher Education Questionnaire, created for this research. The main results show that participant’s gender, sexual orientation, visibility of sexual orientation, visibility of sexual orientation within the family, level of religiosity and course of study are related to the management visibility of sexual orientation. With regard to the perception of discrimination, the results showed differences in sexual orientation and study area. Finally, the conclusive results show that there is a correlation between the visibility of sexual orientation and the perception of discrimination in the context of higher education.