Ana Paula Relvas

Family functioning and information and communication technologies

A synthesis of the literature related to ICTs and family functioning is presented.Studies conducted between 1998 and 2013 are analyzed.Emergent themes from the literature review are discussed.Results indicate that ICTs have implied qualitative changes in family functioning.Future recommendations and research directions are proposed. The advances and incorporation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in everyday family life has earned a place of prominence in the research field. This paper provides a research synthesis of the literature published between 1998 and 2013 examining the relationship of ICTs and family functioning. Searching through databases, 45 papers were located and analyzed which enabled the conceptualization of this relationship in five domains: (1) attitudes toward ICTs, (2) types of ICTs and using patterns, (3) family cohesion, (4) family roles, rules and intergenerational conflicts, and (5) family boundaries. Results show that ICTs have implied qualitative changes in family functioning, creating new interaction scenarios and rearranging current family relational patterns. Some gaps in the literature are pointed out, such as the difference operationalization of variables and the use of non-standard instruments in the studies. Suggestions are made for clinical interventions and future research in this domain.

Preferred Interpersonal Distances: A Global Comparison

Human spatial behavior has been the focus of hundreds of previous research studies. However, the conclusions and generalizability of previous studies on interpersonal distance preferences were limited by some important methodological and sampling issues. The objective of the present study was to compare preferred interpersonal distances across the world and to overcome the problems observed in previous studies. We present an extensive analysis of interpersonal distances over a large data set (N = 8,943 participants from 42 countries). We attempted to relate the preferred social, personal, and intimate distances observed in each country to a set of individual characteristics of the participants, and some attributes of their cultures. Our study indicates that individual characteristics (age and gender) influence interpersonal space preferences and that some variation in results can be explained by temperature in a given region. We also present objective values of preferred interpersonal distances in different regions, which might be used as a reference data point in future studies.

The therapeutic alliance with involuntary clients: how does it work?

This study aimed to compare involuntary and voluntary clients in the establishment of the therapeutic alliance in the context of family therapy. The system for observing family therapy alliances was used to rate the alliance in sessions 1 and 4 from videotapes of 40 families seen in brief family therapy. This instrument has four alliance dimensions. In the first session, results showed that the clients who sought therapy voluntarily demonstrated more alliance-related behaviour than did involuntary clients in all alliance dimensions. In the fourth session, however, only the Engagement dimension showed group differences. Notably, there also were group differences in the evolution of the alliance from the first to the fourth session in the Safety dimension, with the voluntary clients developing this dimension more negatively. The results are discussed in terms of the specific characteristics of involuntary clients, as well as the implications for practice. Practitioner points Be aware of differing motives, motivations, and degrees of readiness for therapy within the family Inquire about the amount of pressure experienced by clients, and the source of that pressure, early in the family therapy Promote and monitor the therapeutic alliance with involuntary clients Promote a safe context, providing structure and guidelines for safety and confidentiality and helping clients to talk truthfully

The 15-item Systemic Clinical Outcome and Routine Evaluation (SCORE-15) Scale: Portuguese Validation Studies

This study reports on the validity of the 15-item Portuguese version of the Systemic Clinical Outcome Routine Evaluation (SCORE-15; Vilaça, Silva, & Relvas, 2014), a brief and comprehensive measure of family functioning. Previous studies with SCORE-15 show that this version replicates the three-factor solution found for the original English version: Family strengths, Family communication and Family difficulties. In addition to reviewing previous studies, this article analyses the discriminant, convergent and predictive validity of the Portuguese SCORE-15. To do so, the SCORE-15 was administered to family members attending systemic family or couples therapy at the start of the first and fourth sessions and also to a group of non-clinical individuals. Overall, data are reported from 618 participants, including 136 from families attending systemic therapy and 482 community family members. Comparisons of community and clinical samples (discriminant validity) showed statistically significant differences for the total scale and subscales (p < .001), with the community participants presenting healthier family functioning than the clinical ones. Analyses using SCORE-15 and the Quality of Life - adult version, another family measure applied simultaneously (convergent validity), indicate that both scales are significantly (p < .01) and moderately (r = -.47) correlated. Mean score analysis of SCORE-15s therapeutic sensitivity to change (predictive validity) showed that only the Family communication subscale was sensitive to statistically significant improvement (p < .05) from session 1 to session 4, whereas the SCORE-15s reliability change index points to its ability to detect clinical improvements (RCI = 14%).

A intervenção com clientes involuntários: complexidade e dilemas

The involuntary clients issue is the core of this literature review article. Critical analysis was carried out over the work of authors who: (1) propose their characterization, namely in what concerns the clients positioning in a help situation, leading to a notion of complexity in its identification; (2) conceptualize the role of mental health technicians, as well as the singularities of the therapeutic relationship, highlighting the importance of the alliance, ethical dilemmas and the motivation towards an intervention; (3) point out the therapeutic models mainly used in these situations, emphasizing collaborative therapies, particularly solution focused therapies, as those who better promote the involvement of clients. Reviewing extensive literature on psychological intervention that simultaneously underlined a critical and complex perspective on the matter was a constant concern throughout the research process. The articles structure is outlined diachronically so that the evolution of both conceptualization and praxis on the subject becomes clear.

Marital Satisfaction, Sex, Age, Marriage Duration, Religion, Number of Children, Economic Status, Education, and Collectivistic Values: Data from 33 Countries

Forms of committed relationships, including formal marriage arrangements between men and women, exist in almost every culture (Bell, 1997). Yet, similarly to many other psychological constructs (Henrich et al., 2010), marital satisfaction and its correlates have been investigated almost exclusively in Western countries (e.g., Bradbury et al., 2000). Meanwhile, marital relationships are heavily guided by culturally determined norms, customs, and expectations (for review see Berscheid, 1995; Fiske et al., 1998). While we acknowledge the differences existing both between- and within-cultures, we measured marital satisfaction and several factors that might potentially correlate with it based on self-report data from individuals across 33 countries. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the raw data available for anybody interested in further examining any relations between them and other country-level scores obtained elsewhere. Below, we review the central variables that are likely to be related to marital satisfaction. Gender Gender has long been identified in the literature as a predictor of marital satisfaction (Bernard, 1972). Specifically, early works suggested that men report being more satisfied with their marriages compared to women in both Western (e.g., Schumm et al., 1998) and non-Western (e.g., Rostami et al., 2014) cultures. However, sex differences in marital satisfaction may differ across cultures due to traditional sex roles (Pardo et al., 2012) and larger-scale cultural variables, such as sex egalitarianism (Taniguchi and Kaufman, 2013).

Information and Communication Technologies and Family: Patterns of Use, Life Cycle and Family Dynamics

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) broadly designate hardware devices (e.g., computers, smartphones, webcams) as well as software and applications used on these devices (e.g., email, videoconferencing, online social networks) which underpin digital culture [1,2]. Given the exponential growth in the use of these resources over the last two decades, ICTs nowadays represent an integrative part of contemporary family life [2,3]. According to Eurostat’s last publication [4], 81% of European households had computers with internet access in 2014. This is particularly true for 93% of the households in Norway, 90% in the U.K., 74% in Spain and 65% in Portugal. Regarding the USA, 87% of adults used the internet in 2014 [5]. More recent data indicate that 92% American adults have a cell phone, 68% have a smartphone and 45% have a tablet computer in 2015 [6].

First Journey by a Descriptive Review of Empirical Research on African Marital Relationships—Scientific Dissemination, Thematic Focus, and Methodology

ABSTRACT Family and marital research remains unrepresentative in African societies. The current study is a descriptive literature review of empirical research on African marital relationships published in peer-reviewed journals since the beginning of the 21st century. The aim of this study was to describe this body of research with regard to its methodology, main thematic foci, and scientific dissemination. Ninety studies published across 63 scientific journals were identified, with the majority of them using a quantitative and cross-sectional design. Marital satisfaction/quality and marital stability/instability were the two themes most frequently explored in the studies. Results also revealed that the number of published articles on the topic and the diversity of themes addressed have seen an increase over the years. Implications for the development of further research on African marital relationships are discussed.

Psychometric study of the Portuguese version of the Family Distress Index (FDI).

Introduction: The current study examined the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Family Distress Index (FDI). The FDI is an 8-item self-report measure that assesses family maladaptation, providing an index of family outcomes within the resiliency model of family stress, adjustment, and adaptation. Method: Participants were 459 adults, who completed measures of family distress (FDI) and family functioning (Systemic Clinical Outcome Routine Evaluation; SCORE-15). Results: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a unidimensional factorial structure. Results also indicated that the FDI has good internal consistency and temporal stability. The positive and significant correlation between FDI and SCORE-15′ scores demonstrated its convergent validity. Through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, we determined a cut-off score of 12 for identifying probable family distress. Discussion: In sum, the Portuguese version of the FDI is a valid and reliable instrument, which can foster the development of future empirical studies focused on family adaptation in diverse contexts of adversity, namely in health care settings.

Emerging Adults Thinking About Their Future: Development of the Portuguese Version of the Hopes and Fears Questionnaire

Nowadays, emerging adults live in a context of macroeconomic uncertainty. As the major processes of one’s identity exploration currently occur in emerging adulthood, understanding how these individuals foresee their future is of special interest. The purpose of this study was 2-fold: (i) to investigate future orientation (FO) in a sample of Portuguese emerging adults and (ii) to validate the Portuguese version of the Hopes and Fears Questionnaire. Data from 332 individuals were analyzed. Results demonstrated that participants’ future hopes and fears were mainly pertaining to education, work/career, and family/marriage. Participants also reported concerns related to their financial resources. Thus, the results showed that participants’ FO reflected major tasks associated with their development stage, as well as contextual factors, such as macroeconomic trends. This study contributed to the knowledge of emerging adulthood in Portugal, simultaneously providing a useful and reliable measure to evaluate emerging adults’ FO in that country.