A ansiedade infantil : vulnerabilidades da criança e influência dos pais

Tese de Doutoramento em Psicologia na área de especialidade Psicologia Clínica

Perspectiva da pessoa com demência acerca da sua qualidade de vida

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada ao Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada para obtenção de grau de Mestre na especialidade de Psicologia Clínica.

Construção e validação de uma escala multi-factorial de motivação no trabalho (mult-moti)

Esta investigação tem como objectivo a construção e validação de uma Escala MultiFactorial de Motivação no Trabalho para a população portuguesa. A ausência de instrumentos para medir várias dimensões da motivação levou ao desenvolvimento e elaboração desta escala de motivação. A escala integra 28 itens decorrentes de uma pesquisa teórica que contempla algumas teorias da motivação. Participaram nos estudos de validação da escala 444 colaboradores de empresas de novas tecnologias de ambos os sexos, com idades compreendidas entre os 19 e os 34 anos. A escala apresenta bons índices de consistência interna (valores entre 0.72 e 0.84) e uma análise factorial que revelou a existência de uma estrutura tetrafactorial com 49% de variância explicada: motivação com a organização do trabalho, motivação com realização e poder, motivação de desempenho e motivação associada ao envolvimento. Esperase ainda que novos estudos possam ser desenvolvidos a partir desta mesma escala.

Adherence to therapeuthic regimen and metabolic control of type 1 diabetes

Abstract Objectives: To assess the adherence to therapeutic regimen; to determine the Hemoglobin Glycation Index (HbA1c); to analyse the relationship that exists between the adherence to therapeutic regimen and metabolic control. Design: correlational analytical study, carried out according to a cross-sectional perspective. Participants: A non-probabilistic sample of 266 people with type 1 diabetes aged between 18 and 78 years old (mean M = 51.02 ± SD = 18.710), attending follow-up diabetes consultations. Mostly male individuals (51.88%), with low schooling level (50.75% had only inished elementar school). Measuring Instruments: We used the following data collection tools: a questionnaire on clinical and socio-demographic data, blood analysis of venous blood to determine the glycated hemoglobin level (HbA1c).Three self-report scales were used: Accession to Diabetes Treatment (Matos, 1999), Self-perception Scale (Vaz Serra, 1986) and Social Support Scale (Matos & Rodrigues, 2000). Results: In a sample in which the mean disease duration is 12.75 years, 69.17% of the sample run glycemic control tests between once a day and four times a year and 42.86% of them undergo insulin treatment. In the last 3 weeks, 26.32% of these people have experienced an average of 4.22 to 44.36%, hypoglycemic crises and experienced an average of 6.18 hyperglycemic crises. 57% of the individuals have showed a poor metabolic control (mean HbA1c higher than 7.5% (HbA1c mean M ≥ 7.50%). The mean psychosocial proile revealed individuals who show a decent self-esteem (M = 70.81) and acceptable social support (M = 58.89). Conclusions: The results suggest we should develop a kind of investigation that could be used to monitor the strenght of the mediation effect effect of the psychosocial predictive dimension of the adherence, since it has become essential to support a multidisciplinary approach which center lays in the promotion of a co-responsible self-management from the person who suffers from diabetes. This will enable a better quality of life; fewer years of people’s lives lost prematurely and a better health with less economical costs for citizens and healthcare systems.

Conflict resolution strategies : influence of organizational and professional commitment nurses

Introduction: The changes in the health area and the set of structural changes in the nursing profession and career interfere in the dynamics and stability of the future of the nurses. Objectives: To study the influence of organizational and professional commitment of the nurses in the strategies of conflict resolution. Methods: This is a quantitative, transversal and non-experimental research, following a descriptive-correlational way. Data were obtained by applying a questionnaire to nurses that work on different types of Primary Health Care Units. As measuring instruments we used three scales that grouped a total of nine subscales used to evaluate: the organizational commitment, the professional commitment and the strategies of conflict resolution. Results: The majority of nurses present moderate scores of organizational and Professional commitment with higher affective commitment to the normative commitment or instrumental commitment and feel that nursing is an interesting and challenging profession, but personal and social perception of nursing relevance is moderately weak. Nurses adopt the domination conflict resolution strategies and accommodation over the head and less integrative strategies and commitment. With subordinates more nurses adopt the avoidance strategy. When the conflictual situation arises with colleagues more endow the integrative strategies and commitment and less domination strategy. The organizational and professional commitment is significantly associated with some solving strategies conflict adopted by nurses as the conflictual situation arises with the boss, with subordinates or colleagues. Some dimensions of organizational commitment and professional foretell to significantly shape the adoption of conflict resolution strategy adopted.

Propiedades psicométricas de los instrumentos para la medición de la actividad física en adultos con discapacidad física relacionada con lesión de médula espinal: una revisión sistemática

Objetivo: Evaluar las propiedades psicométricas de los instrumentos para la medición de la actividad física en adultos de 18-65 años con discapacidad física por lesión de médula espinal. Materiales y métodos: Revisión sistemática. Las bases de datos de Medline, Scopus, Web of Science y 19 revistas especializadas fueron consultadas durante once días entre abril de 2015 y febrero de 2016 para identificar estudios originales de validación, sin límite de tiempo y que estuvieran publicados en español, francés y/o inglés. La calidad metodológica de los instrumentos de medición se evaluó usando las diferentes cajas de propiedades de la lista COSMIN. Resultados: Se identificaron 9229 referencias, de las cuales sólo 12 cumplieron los criterios de inclusión, dando como resultado 13 instrumentos de medición. Se evaluaron seis propiedades psicométricas. La propiedad más común fue la confiabilidad, además se observó que la calidad metodológica de los estudios incluidos no representa los resultados de las propiedades psicométricas de los instrumentos de medición. La calidad metodológica de los instrumentos para la evaluación de la actividad física en población con lesión medular espinal es “baja” para propiedades como consistencia interna, error de medición, sensibilidad, validez de criterio (con excepción del WISCI II que tiene buena validez) y excelente para validez de contenido y fiabilidad. Conclusión: Se ha encontrado que instrumentos empleados hasta el presente en la medición de la actividad física en población con discapacidad física relacionada con lesión de médula espinal han sido creados para otros tipos de discapacidad y otros instrumentos deben ser validados en futuros estudios.

MOTIVATION AND SATISFACTION IN CONTEXT OF JOB TRAINING IN TOURIST ORGANIZATIONS

This research aims to determine the dimensions of motivation and satisfaction, acquired, through the perception in context of job training, by future technicians (students) in the hospitality and tourism industry, particularly by technical courses in the hotel and restaurant sector. The methodology comprises three distinct stages. First were recovered instruments (questionnaires), already validated by other authors of motivation and satisfaction, which had the intention to replicate studies conducted in other scientific knowledge fields, such as tourism. Those instruments were recovered from the reviewed literature conducted about other themes. On second place the measuring instruments were submitted to a pre-test, or rather, were subject of a pioneer study, in order to verify other assumptions such as semantic errors or see if there was the possibility of some prepared questions to be consider invalidated by poor formulation or interpretation. Finally, were applied in three educational institutions who agreed to cooperate on the research, with the reservation that the interviewed needed a mandatory pre-requirement that consisted in conducting a minimum training in work context (TWC). Then, proceed the statistical analysis to support all the empirical part. The results show that, in general, motivation and satisfaction were present during the period of training in work context. To some people it meant a very important period of personal and professional life, concerning the interactions, emotions and involvement with touristic organizations but also the personal and social relationships.

More is not always better-comparison of three instruments measuring volume of drinking in a sample of young men and their association with consequences

OBJECTIVE: In general population survey instruments that measure volume of drinking, additional questions and shorter reference periods yield higher volumes. Comparison studies have focused on volume but not on associations between volume and consequences. METHOD: From a cohort study on substance use risk factors (Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors [C-SURF]), baseline data were analyzed for 5,074 young (approximately 20-year-old) men who were drinkers in the past 12 months. Volume of drinking was measured by a generic quantity-frequency (QF) instrument, an extended QF (separately for weekends and weekdays) instrument with 12-months recall, and a retrospective past-week diary. Associations of consequences with and without attribution of alcohol as a cause, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), criteria for dependence, and DSM-5 alcohol use disorder in the past 12 months were analyzed. RESULTS: The generic QF measure resulted in lower volume compared with either the extended QF measure (more questions) or the retrospective diary (the most questions and the shortest recall period). For outcomes, however, the extended QF assessment performed the best and the diary the worst. CONCLUSIONS: Higher volume yields are not always better regarding associations with outcomes. The extended QF instrument better captures the variability of drinking. The retrospective diary performs poorly for associations because of the mismatch with the recall period for past-12-months consequences and the potential for misclassification of past-week abstainers and heavy drinkers because of an uncommon past week. Diaries are not recommended for research investigating individual associations between exposure and outcomes in young populations if consequences are measured with a sufficiently long interval to capture rare consequences. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 75, 880-888, 2014).

Instruments measuring spirituality in clinical research: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Numerous instruments have been developed to assess spirituality and measure its association with health outcomes. This study's aims were to identify instruments used in clinical research that measure spirituality; to propose a classification of these instruments; and to identify those instruments that could provide information on the need for spiritual intervention. METHODS: A systematic literature search in MEDLINE, CINHAL, PsycINFO, ATLA, and EMBASE databases, using the terms "spirituality" and "adult$," and limited to journal articles was performed to identify clinical studies that used a spiritual assessment instrument. For each instrument identified, measured constructs, intended goals, and data on psychometric properties were retrieved. A conceptual and a functional classification of instruments were developed. RESULTS: Thirty-five instruments were retrieved and classified into measures of general spirituality (N = 22), spiritual well-being (N = 5), spiritual coping (N = 4), and spiritual needs (N = 4) according to the conceptual classification. Instruments most frequently used in clinical research were the FACIT-Sp and the Spiritual Well-Being Scale. Data on psychometric properties were mostly limited to content validity and inter-item reliability. According to the functional classification, 16 instruments were identified that included at least one item measuring a current spiritual state, but only three of those appeared suitable to address the need for spiritual intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Instruments identified in this systematic review assess multiple dimensions of spirituality, and the proposed classifications should help clinical researchers interested in investigating the complex relationship between spirituality and health. Findings underscore the scarcity of instruments specifically designed to measure a patient's current spiritual state. Moreover, the relatively limited data available on psychometric properties of these instruments highlight the need for additional research to determine whether they are suitable in identifying the need for spiritual interventions.

Electric measurements with constant current: A practical method for characterizing dielectric films

This article assesses the use of the constant current (CC) method for characterizing dielectric films. The method is based on charging the sample with a constant current (current stress) and measuring the corresponding voltage rise under the closed circuit condition. Our article shows that the CC method is an alternative to the constant voltage stressing method to study the electric properties of nonpolar, ferroelectric, and polar polymers. The method was tested by determining the dielectric constant of polytetrafluoroethylene, and investigating the electric conduction in poly(ethylene terephthalate). For the ferroelectric polymer poly(vinylidene fluoride), it is shown that hysteresis loops and the dependence of the ferroelectric polarization on the electric field can be obtained. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.