Epilepsia e comorbilidades psiquiátricas

Introdução: A epilepsia é uma doença neu- rológica crónica prevalente. Devido a fatores biológicos, psicológicos e sociais, os afetados pela doença apresentam maior susceptibili- dade de desenvolvimento de morbilidades psi- quiátricas. Objetivos: Revisão crítica da associação entre epilepsia e patologia psiquiátrica, permitindo aos clínicos uma abordagem mais consciente e informada. Métodos: Os artigos incluídos foram selec- cionados através da base de dados Pubmed com a query “((“Epilepsy”[Mesh]) AND “Mental Disorders”[Mesh]) AND “Comor- bidity”[Mesh]”. Adicionalmente foram con- sultados relatórios oficiais da Internacional League Against Epilepsy e World Health Or- ganization. Resultados e Conclusões: Cerca de 15% a 70% dos doentes com epilepsia apresentam patologia psiquiátrica, que pode ser classifi- cada em peri-ictal ou inter-ictal. A depressão é a patologia mais frequente, podendo ter uma prevalência de 70%, seguida das pertur- bações de ansiedade. A relação entre epilepsia e psicose poderá dever-se ao papel etiológico comum da patologia cerebral subjacente. As crises não epiléticas psicogénicas configuram um desafio diagnóstico e terapêutico, tendo uma apresentação clínica sugestiva de cri- ses epiléticas mas sem as alterações eletro- fisiológicas correspondentes, podendo surgir em doentes com e sem epilepsia. Apesar da sua heterogeneidade, os diferentes estudos globalmente evidenciam uma prevalência aumentada de patologia psiquiátrica em doentes com epilepsia. A natureza da relação entre estas patologias ainda não está inequi- vocamente esclarecida, revelando a insufi- ciência de conhecimento sobre esta temática. O presente trabalho reforça a necessidade da intervenção multidisciplinar por parte da neurologia, psiquiatria e psicologia, em indi- víduos com epilepsia e patologia psiquiátrica concomitante.

Insulinoma e manifestações neuropsiquiátricas: a propósito de um caso clínico

Introdução: O insulinoma é um tumor neu- roendócrino do pâncreas, cuja prevalência es- timada é de 4 casos por 1 milhão de pessoas/ ano. Na maioria dos doentes, a apresentação cursa com sintomas neuropsiquiátricos, se- cundários à hipoglicemia. Objectivos: Pretendemos rever as manifesta- ções neuropsiquiátricas secundárias ao insuli- noma. Para enfatizar a complexidade do tema, apresentamos um caso clínico cujas alterações do comportamento foram a forma de apresen- tação de um insulinoma. Métodos: Efectuámos uma revisão da litera- tura publicada entre 1992 e 2013, através da PubMed. Para a elaboração do caso clínico consultámos o processo clínico da doente. Resultados: O caso clínico apresentado re- trata as dificuldades de diagnóstico dos qua - dros que se apresentam com sintomas que se sobrepõem a síndromes neurológicos/psi- quiátricos. Conclusão: Os insulinomas podem cursar com sintomas neuropsiquiátricos, dificultando um diagnóstico atempado. Deste modo, os autores consideram que é fundamental a realização de uma história clínica detalhada, de forma a pre- venir potenciais erros de diagnóstico.

Síndromes de falsa identificação delirante e esquizofrenia paranóide: a propósito de um caso clínico

Introdução: As síndromes de falsa identificação delirante dividem-se em Síndrome de Capgras, Síndrome de Fregoli, Síndrome de Duplos Subjetivos e Síndrome de Intermetamorfose. A característica principal é um erro na identificação de si próprio e/ou de outras pessoas. Tratam-se de fenómenos relativamente raros e etiologicamente heterogéneos, que ocorrem principalmente no cenário da doença esquizofrénica, perturbações afetivas e doenças orgânicas . Objectivos: Descrever um caso clínico que cursou com três síndromes de falsa identificação delirante, bem como realizar um breve revisão sobre a etiologia e a psicopatologia das síndromes presentes. Métodos: Recolha da história clínica e revisão não sistemática em inglês, através da pesquisa na PubMed com as expressões: “delusional misidentification syndromes”, “Capgras syndrome”, “Fregoli syndrome”, “Subjective Double syndrome”. Realizou-se igualmente uma revisão da literatura. Resultados e Conclusões: Foi descrito um caso clínico de um homem com esquizofrenia paranóide que apresentava síndrome de Capgras, síndrome de Fregoli e síndrome de Duplos Subjetivos. Parece tratarem-se de fenómenos sub-diagnosticados, cuja pesquisa ativa poderá permitir uma compreensão mais completa dos quadros clínicos nos quais surgem.

The psychometric properties of the brief Other as Shamer Scale for Children (OAS‐C) : preliminary validation studies in a sample of Portuguese children

Shame is a social emotion with adaptive functions involved in human be-havior and social interactions. This emotion is regarded as an involuntary response associated with increased self-awareness, loss of status and self-devaluation (Gilbert, 1998), that may render individuals more prone to psychopathology (Gilbert, 1998; Pinto-Gouveia & Matos, 2011). Thus, identifying and assessing feelings of shame in childhood is essential in addressing the actual impact of shame on individual’s developmental trajectory. The Other As Shamer Scale (OAS; Goss, Gilbert & Allan, 1994) is a widely used measure of external shame, adapted and translated to several languages — including Portuguese (Matos, Pinto-Gouveia, Gilbert, Duarte & Figueiredo, 2015) — to adult and to adolescent populations (OASB-A - Other As Shamer Brief for adolescents; translated and adapted by Cunha, Xavier, Cherpe & Pinto-Gouveia, 2014). The current study aims to adapt and to explore the psychometric proper-ties of the brief OAS in a sample of Portuguese children attending to elementary schools.

Characterization and Predictors of Paranoid Ideation in Youths

Paranoid ideation is a common thought process that constitutes a defense against perceived social threats. The current study aimed at the characterization of paranoid ideation in youths and to explore the possible predictors involved in the development of paranoid ideations. Paranoid ideation, shame, submission, early childhood memories and current depressive, anxious and stress symptomatology were assessed in a sample of 1516 Portuguese youths. Higher frequencies of paranoid ideation were observed, particularly in females and youths from lower socioeconomic status. The main predictors identified relates to submissive behaviors and adverse childhood experiences, and especially to shame feelings. The current study emphasizes that the predictors are similar to findings in adults and clinical populations, and future implications to research and clinical practice aiming at paranoid ideations are discussed, as well as the pertinence of the study of mediating factors that allow a wider understanding of this thought process in younger populations and the prevention of psychopathology in adulthood.

The role of psychological inflexibility in Beck's cognitive model of depression in a sample of undergraduates

Beck's cognitive model of depression proposes that depressogenic schemas have an effect on depressive symptoms by increasing the frequency of negative automatic thoughts in response to negative life events. We aimed to test a moderated, serial mediation model where psychological inflexibility, a core concept of the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) model of psychopathology, both mediates and moderates the relationship between depressogenic schemas and the frequency of negative automatic thoughts. A cross-sectional design was used in which 210 undergraduates responded to questionnaires assessing the constructs of interest. Results supported the proposed moderated mediation model. Both psychological inflexibility and negative automatic thoughts were significant mediators of the relationship between depressogenic schemas and depressive symptoms, and psychological inflexibility also moderated the effect of depressogenic schemas on negative automatic thoughts. We conclude that the role of psychological inflexibility in the cognitive model of depression deserves more attention.

Le profil des récidivistes en matière de conduite avec capacités affaiblies par l’alcool : une étude des caractéristiques neuropsychologiques et psychologiques des contrevenants selon leur sexe

Durant les dernières décennies, les différences intersexes en matière de conduite avec les capacités affaiblies par l’alcool (CCAA) ont suscité l’attention, alors que le comportement est en augmentation chez les femmes tandis qu’il diminue chez les hommes. Les données suggèrent que, chez les femmes, la CCAA s’associe à des caractéristiques psychologiques différentes de celles qui se retrouvent chez les contrevenants masculins (c.-à-d. davantage de problèmes liés à l’alcool et aux drogues et de psychopathologies, mais moins de recherche de sensations et de comportements délinquants). Malgré ce profil différentiel, les femmes contrevenantes de la CCAA demeurent une population hautement méconnue, particulièrement en ce qui a trait au profil des récidivistes. Alors que chez les hommes, des données émergentes indiquent que des limitations cognitives sont présentes chez les récidivistes et qu’elles constituent potentiellement un mécanisme sous-jacent au comportement, le profil cognitif des femmes récidivistes demeure inexploré. Des données exploratoires obtenues chez les contrevenantes et la documentation de champs de recherche connexes suggèrent que les femmes se distinguent notamment en ce qui concerne leur fonctionnement exécutif qui pourrait être préservé, alors que leur fonctionnement visuospatial serait déficitaire en comparaison de leurs vis-à-vis masculins. L’objectif de la présente thèse est d’approfondir les connaissances sur les caractéristiques des femmes récidivistes, ce qui permettra de mieux comprendre l’hétérogénéité de cette population et de générer des hypothèses au regard des mécanismes cognitifs sous-jacents à la répétition du comportement de CCAA. Plus spécifiquement, la thèse a pour objectif premier d’étudier les différences entre les sexes en matière de fonctionnement visuospatial et de mémoire visuelle, d’attention et de fonctionnement exécutif (c.-à-d. flexibilité cognitive, abstraction, inhibition). L’objectif secondaire consiste à comparer ces contrevenants au regard de leurs caractéristiques psychologiques (problèmes liés à l’alcool et aux drogues, impulsivité, recherche de sensations, traits antisociaux, anxiété et dépression). L’hypothèse examinée soutient que les femmes et les hommes récidivistes de la CCAA performent moins bien que les femmes et les hommes non-contrevenants en termes de fonctionnement visuospatial, attentionnel et exécutif. En outre, il est attendu que les femmes récidivistes présentent des performances inférieures à celles des hommes récidivistes en ce qui a trait aux fonctions visuospatiales. Par ailleurs, l’hypothèse prévoit que les hommes récidivistes aient des performances inférieures à celles des femmes récidivistes sur le plan exécutif et attentionnel. En matière de caractéristiques psychologiques, il est attendu que les femmes et les hommes récidivistes présentent significativement plus de problèmes liés à l’alcool et aux drogues, d’impulsivité, de recherche de sensations et d’indices de psychopathologies (tendance antisociale, dépression, anxiété) que les non-contrevenants. En outre, il est attendu que les femmes récidivistes présentent plus de problèmes liés à l’alcool et aux drogues et d’indices de dépression et d’anxiété que les hommes récidivistes. Enfin, il est attendu que les hommes récidivistes présentent significativement plus d’impulsivité, de recherche de sensations et de traits antisociaux que les femmes récidivistes. Ces hypothèses se confirment partiellement, alors que les hommes récidivistes (n = 39) présentent des performances inférieures à celles des hommes non-contrevenants (n = 20) et des femmes récidivistes (n = 20) sur le plan attentionnel et exécutifs. Toutefois, les femmes récidivistes ne se distinguent pas des femmes non-contrevenantes (n = 20) en matière de fonctionnement neuropsychologique. En ce qui a trait aux caractéristiques psychologiques, les résultats soutiennent partiellement les hypothèses. La discussion met en lumière que les femmes et des hommes récidivistes présentent des caractéristiques similaires, hormis en ce qui a trait au fonctionnement attentionnel et exécutif qui semble jouer un rôle dans la récidive au masculin, alors que cela n’apparaît pas être le cas chez les femmes chez qui le comportement pourrait être davantage situationnel. La nécessité que des études futures soient réalisées au moyen de devis expérimentaux, de même que les difficultés inhérentes au recrutement des femmes récidivistes sont discutées.

The interpersonal and mental health implications of the coherence of coming out narratives for a sample of gay men in committed romantic relationships

The coming out process has been conceptualized as a developmental imperative for those who will eventually accept their same-sex attractions. It is widely accepted that homophobia, heterosexism, and homonegativity are cultural realities that may complicate this developmental process for gay men. The current study views coming out as an extra-developmental life task that is at best a stressful event, and at worst traumatic when coming out results in the rupture of salient relationships with parents, siblings, and/or close friends. To date, the minority stress model (Meyer, 1995; 2003) has been utilized as an organizing framework for how to empirically examine external stressors and mental health disparities for lesbians, gay men, and bisexual individuals in the United States. The current study builds on this literature by focusing on the influence of how gay men make sense of and represent the coming out process in a semi-structured interview, more specifically, by examining the legacy of the coming out process on indicators of wellness. In a two-part process, this study first employs the framework well articulated in the adult attachment literature of coherence of narratives to explore both variation and implications of the coming out experience for a sample of gay men (n = 60) in romantic relationships (n = 30). In particular, this study employed constructs identified in the adult attachment literature, namely Preoccupied and Dismissing current state of mind, to code a Coming Out Interview (COI). In the present study current state of mind refers to the degree of coherent discourse produced about coming out experiences as relayed during the COI. Multilevel analyses tested the extent to which these COI dimensions, as revealed through an analysis of coming out narratives in the COI, were associated with relationship quality, including self-reported satisfaction and observed emotional tone in a standard laboratory interaction task and self-reported symptoms of psychopathology. In addition, multilevel analyses also assessed the Acceptance by primary relationship figures at the time of disclosure, as well as the degree of Outness at the time of the study. Results revealed that participant’s narratives on the COI varied with regard to Preoccupied and Dismissing current state of mind, suggesting that the AAI coding system provides a viable organizing framework for extracting meaning from coming out narratives as related to attachment relevant constructs. Multilevel modeling revealed construct validity of the attachment dimensions assessed via the COI; attachment (i.e., Preoccupied and Dismissing current state of mind) as assessed via the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) was significantly correlated with the corresponding COI variables. These finding suggest both methodological and conceptual convergence between these two measures. However, with one exception, COI Preoccupied and Dismissing current state of mind did not predict relationship outcomes or self-reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms. However, further analyses revealed that the degree to which one is out to others moderated the relationship between COI Preoccupied and internalizing. Specifically, for those who were less out to others, there was a significant and positive relationship between Preoccupied current state of mind towards coming out and internalizing symptoms. In addition, the degree of perceived acceptance of sexual orientation by salient relationship figures at the time of disclosure emerged as a predictor of mental health. In particular, Acceptance was significantly negatively related to internalizing symptoms. Overall, the results offer preliminary support that gay men’s narratives do reflect variation as assessed by attachment dimensions and highlights the role of Acceptance by salient relationship figures at the time of disclosure. Still, for the most part, current state of mind towards coming out in this study was not associated with relationship quality and self-reported indicators of mental health. This finding may be a function of low statistical power given the modest sample size. However, the relationship between Preoccupied current state of mind and mental health (i.e., internalizing) appears to depend on degree of Outness. In addition, the response of primary relationships figures to coming out may be a relevant factor in shaping mental health outcomes for gay men. Limitations and suggestions for future research and clinical intervention are offered.

Generalists versus specialists: toward a typology of batterers in prison

In this study we apply the versatile/specialist offender debate to the research of intimate partner violence. We propose the existence of two types of imprisoned male batterers: the generalist and the specialist batterer. The individual, family, and community characteristics of these types of batterers are further explored in 110 imprisoned males in the Penitentiary of Villabona (Spain). As for the individual characteristics, results indicate that the generalist batterer present higher levels of psychopathology (specially antisocial and borderline personality), sexist attitudes, and substance dependence. Specialist batterers presented higher levels of conflict in their family of origin. Finally, generalist batterers reported coming from more socially disordered communities and showed lower levels of participation and integration in these communities than the specialist batterer. These results suggest that the classical distinctions among batterers based on psychopathology and context of violence (whether general or family only) might be of little utility when applied to imprisoned male batterers.

EVIDENCE OF VALIDITY OF THE LSB-50: CROSS-VALIDATION, FACTORIAL INVARIANCE AND EXTERNAL CRITERION ANALYSIS

The aim of this paper was to obtain evidence of the validity of the LSB-50 (de Rivera & Abuín, 2012), a screening measure of psychopathology, in Argentinean adolescents. The sample consisted of 1002 individuals (49.7% male; 50.3% female) between 12 and 18 years-old (M = 14.98; SD = 1.99). A cross-validation study and factorial invariance studies were performed in samples divided by sex and age to test if a seven-factor structure that corresponds to seven clinical scales (Hypersensitivity, Obsessive-Compulsive, Anxiety, Hostility, Somatization, Depression, and Sleep disturbance) was adequate for the LSB-50. The seven-factor structure proved to be suitable for all the subsamples. Next, the fit of the seven-factor structure was studied simultaneously? in the aforementioned subsamples through hierarchical models that imposed different constrains of equivalency?. Results indicated the invariance of the seven clinical dimensions of the LSB-50. Ordinal alphas showed good internal consistency for all the scales. Finally, the correlations with a diagnostic measure of psychopathology (PAI-A) indicated moderate convergence. It is concluded that the analyses performed provide robust evidence of construct validity for the LSB-50

Cortisol Awakening Response in Preschoolers and Depression Risk: Relations with Maternal History of Depression and Child Temperament

Increasing research suggests that elevations in the cortisol awakening response (CAR), the natural increase of cortisol 30 to 40 minutes after waking, may serve as a vulnerability marker for depression. However, existing studies have focused on adolescence and adulthood; very little is known about the CAR in early childhood and the factors that are associated with it. The current study aimed to examine the validity of the CAR as a potential early-emerging vulnerability marker for depression in a sample of preschool-age children. We examined associations between the CAR and two well-established risk factors for depression: maternal psychopathology and early child temperament (high negative emotionality (NE) and/or low positive emotionality (PE)). The sample consisted of 146 preschool-age children, of whom 71 (49.3%) had a biological mother with a history of depression and 65 (45.5%) had a biological mother with a history of anxiety. To assess the CAR, salivary cortisol samples were collected from the child upon waking, 30 and 45 minutes post-waking on two weekdays. Children’s CAR was examined as the total volume of cortisol secreted (AUCg) and the total increase in cortisol (AUCi) across waking. Evening cortisol was collected 30 minutes before bedtime. Child temperament was assessed using observational laboratory measures. Maternal depression and anxiety were assessed with clinical interviews. Associations with children’s CAR, as indicated by AUCg or AUCi, appeared to be specific to maternal current psychopathology and symptoms of anhedonia. Additionally, we observed significant interactions for both maternal lifetime and current depression and anxiety, in combination with child NE and PE, on elevated evening cortisol levels and flattened diurnal cortisol rhythms, indicating altered patterns of basal cortisol activity in offspring. Our study contributes to the limited but growing knowledge on the development of the CAR in preschool age children and as a marker of early risk. Findings suggest that there is a complex interplay between familial risk, affective vulnerability, and their joint effects on neuroendocrine dysfunction in young children, and highlight the need for future research to examine which aspects of the early diurnal rhythm predict the emergence of later depressive illness.

A psicomotricidade em saúde mental infantil e juvenil : Serviço de Pedopsiquiatria do Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça

O presente relatório reflete o elenco das atividades desenvolvidas no âmbito do estágio profissionalizante, do Mestrado em Reabilitação Psicomotora, realizado no Serviço de Pedopsiquiatria do Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça, Funchal. A intervenção psicomotora no âmbito da saúde mental e infantil pretende compreender e resolver os conflitos internos da criança, recorrendo à mediação corporal para a construção e restruturação do psiquismo. No decorrer do estágio foram encaminhados para a Psicomotricidade 24 crianças entre os 5 e os 10 anos de idade, que foram acompanhas em regime de avaliação ou de intervenção. De entre os casos acompanhados em processo de intervenção, será apresentada a análise de dois estudos de caso acompanhados em contexto individual, que comprovam os efeitos benéficos desta intervenção, verificando-se melhorias ao nível do perfil de desenvolvimento psicomotor, emocional e comportamental. O presente relatório de estágio é constituído, ainda, por uma revisão da literatura acerca da saúde mental, da psicomotricidade e das psicopatologias mais prevalentes, bem como da caracterização da instituição acolhedora. Além disto, na parte final do relatório, é apresentada uma reflexão acerca dos problemas nas áreas de desempenho definidas e do percurso realizado ao longo deste ano letivo.

Intervenção psicomotora em saúde mental em contexto hospitalar : Centro Hospitalar Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, EPE

O presente relatório descreve as atividades de estágio desenvolvidas no âmbito do Mestrado em Reabilitação Psicomotora, Ramo de Aprofundamento de Competências Profissionais, da Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, realizado no Centro Hospitalar Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, EPE. O estágio profissionalizante desenvolveu-se em 3 áreas, o Internamento de Agudos, a Psiquiatria e a Psiquiatria da Infância e Adolescência existindo avaliações psicomotoras, bem como intervenções com crianças, adolescentes e adultos, na área da saúde mental. O relatório expõe dois estudos-caso, demonstrando o trabalho desenvolvido, somando um enquadramento teórico, legal e institucional atual, bem como uma reflexão acerca da experiência de estágio. O primeiro estudo-caso remete para uma utente com Doença de Coreia de Huntington e o segundo estudo-caso refere-se a uma criança com atraso global do desenvolvimento psicomotor. Para cada estudo-caso é descrito todo o processo de avaliação, objetivos, programa terapêutico, resultados e conclusões. Da mencionada intervenção foi possível verificar melhorias, tanto a nível psicomotor, como cognitivo e sócio-emocional, demonstrando a importância da terapia psicomotora no contexto de saúde mental. As intervenções delineadas são elaboradas em equipa multidisciplinar para uma melhor compreensão do indivíduo. No final é realizado uma crítica a todos os níveis.

Smoking, depression, and suicide risk in the nursing staff of a Third-Level Hospital

Objective: To determine the association between smoking, depression and suicide risk in the Nursing Staff of a University Hospital. Materials and method: this was a non-experimental, correlational cross-range study with observational analysis carried out between May 2012 and May 2013. We studied 232 nurses of the “Dr. José Eleuterio gonzález” University Hospital. two self-administered scales were applied, one for depression and one for suicide risk. Another hetero-applied scale of nicotine dependency was also used, and the subjects’ socio-demographic records were reviewed. Results: A total of 527,232 nurses were studied. A smoking prevalence of 22.8% (53 subjects), an operational depression prevalence of 15.1% (35 subjects), and a suicide risk of 5.1% (12 subjects) were found. Gender and age, speciically being male and young (mean age 29.2 years) were found to increase the risk of smoking. We also found that those nurses who had a partner and had a higher level of education smoked less compared to those who did not have a partner or had a lower degree of education. there were hospital departments where there was a higher prevalence of smoking, such as Internal Medicine and Shock trauma. No association between smoking and the presence of depression was found. Regarding depression, we found that those nurses who worked in the Department of Pensioners were more likely to develop operational depression than those working in any other department. We also found that the risk of presenting operational depression decreases as age increases. About suicide risk, a statistically signiicant association between smoking and suicide risk was found. We also found an association between operational depression and suicide risk.Conclusions: It is recommended to consider nicotine dependence as a fundamental part of psychopathology assessment because of its strong association with suicide risk. this study emphasizes the complexity of the issue of the comorbidity of smoking and psychopathology and the need to continue research lines.

Experiências relacionais na infância e vinculação amorosa no adulto: Um estudo com uma amostra de estudantes universitários

Este estudo debruça-se sobre as experiências relacionais na infância, com as figuras significativas, dimensões e estilos de vinculação amorosa no adulto, de acordo com a Teoria das Relações de Objeto e a Teoria da Vinculação. Participaram 187 estudantes da Universidade de Évora, 109 mulheres e 78 homens. As idades variaram entre os 18 e os 43 anos (M= 22,82; DP= 4,20). Aplicou-se o Protocolo de Avaliação dos Marcadores do Desenvolvimento na Psicopatologia (PAMaDeP, Soares, Rangel-Henriques, Neves e Pinho, 1999) e a versão portuguesa (Ramos, Leal & Maroco, 2006) do Parental Bonding lnstrument (PBI) referente às experiências na infância. Para avaliar a vinculação amorosa foi usada a versão portuguesa (Fonseca, Martins, Soares, Carvalho, Tereno e Carvalho, 2005) do Reciprocai Attachment Questionnaire, (RAQ) e do Loving and Working (L&W, Fonseca, Soares & Martins, 2006). Os resultados são discutidos de um ponto de vista desenvolvimentista, particularmente segundo a perspetiva da Teoria da Vinculação. ABSTRACT: This study focuses on the relational experiences in childhood, with significant figures, dimensions and styles of romantic attachment in adults, according with Object Relations Theory and Attachment Theory Teoria da Vinculação. 187 students from Universidade de Évora had participate, 109 women and 78 men. Ages are ranged from 18 to 43 years (M=22,82; DP=4,20). We used the Protocolo de Avaliação dos Marcadores do Desenvolvimento na Psicopatologia (PAMaDeP, Soares, Rangel-Henriques, Neves e Pinho, 1999) and the Portuguese version (Ramos, Leal & Maroco, 2006) of the Parental Bonding lnstrument (PBI) for the childhood experiments. ln order to avaliate the romantic attachment used the Portuguese version (Fonseca, Martins, Soares, Carvalho, Tereno, e Carvalho, 2005) from the Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire (RAQ) and from Loving and Working (L&W, Fonseca, Soares & Martins, 2006). The results are discussed from a developmental point of view, particularly from the perspective of Attachment Theory.