Daniel Rijo

Development and psychometric properties of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument (WHOQOL-100) in Portugal.

BackgroundAt the beginning of the 1990s, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed a project in order to create a cross-cultural instrument of quality of life assessment: the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL).PurposeThis paper describes the development of the European Portuguese version of the WHOQOL-100, according to the methodology recommended by the WHO.MethodSpecial attention is given to the qualitative pilot study, which led to the development of the Portuguese Facet [Political P], and to the empirical pilot study and the psychometric studies, based on the application of the Portuguese version of the instrument to a sample of 315 subjects from the general population and 289 patients. The assessment protocol also included the Beck Depression Inventory and the Brief Symptom Inventory.ResultsThe Portuguese version of WHOQOL-100 showed acceptable internal consistency (α range 0.84–0.94) and test–retest reliability in all domains (r range 0.67–0.86). Discriminant validity was significant for all domains, except in Spirituality. Convergent validity with the Beck Depression Inventory and the Brief Symptom Inventory was satisfactory for most domains.ConclusionThe WHOQOL showed good psychometric characteristics, suggesting that the Portuguese version of WHOQOL is valid and reliable in the assessment of quality of life in Portugal.

The Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory: Measurement Invariance and Psychometric Properties among Portuguese Youths

The aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI) among a mixed-gender sample of 782 Portuguese youth (M = 15.87 years; SD = 1.72), in a school context. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed the expected three-factor first-order structure. Cross-gender measurement invariance and cross-sample measurement invariance using a forensic sample of institutionalized males were also confirmed. The Portuguese version of the YPI demonstrated generally adequate psychometric properties of internal consistency, mean inter-item correlation, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and criterion-related validity of statistically significant associations with conduct disorder symptoms, alcohol abuse, drug use, and unprotected sex. In terms of known-groups validity, males scored higher than females, and males from the school sample scored lower than institutionalized males. The use of the YPI among the Portuguese male and female youth population is psychometrically justified, and it can be a useful measure to identify adolescents with high levels of psychopathic traits.

The Centrality of Events Scale in Portuguese Adolescents Validity Evidence Based on Internal Structure and on Relations to Other Variables

We explored the measurement model of the adolescent version of the Centrality of Event Scale and its invariance across community (n = 1,079; 42.8% male), referred for foster care (n = 205; 58.0% male), and detained (n = 206 male) adolescent participants. Results indicated a three-factor measurement model, including all three functions that memories of significant life events may have, as a good fit to our data, particularly for male participants. This measurement model was invariant across boys taken from those different samples but not across gender. As for the short version of the instrument, a one-factor solution was the best fit to our data. It was invariant across boys taken from those different samples and across gender. Boys and girls expressed similar experiences, whereas community male adolescents reported the lowest impact of a meaningful event, in comparison with referred and with detained boys. These findings provide evidence on the validity of the scale for use with diverse adolescent samples, which may contribute for a better understanding of the impact that significant life events may have on the development of gender-specific and group-specific vulnerabilities.

The Portuguese version of the Basic Empathy Scale (BES): Dimensionality and measurement invariance in a community adolescent sample

Abstract Empathy is the heightened ability to cognitively perceive and/or affectively share the emotions of others, which has been consistently associated with desirable social interactions. This paper aimed to test the bi-factorial structure of a Portuguese version of the Basic Empathy Scale and examine its variation by gender and age using a large community sample (n = 1029) of adolescents. The two-factor model, originally developed and supported by other cross-cultural validations, presented good fit indicators which was similar across genders and adolescent age groups. Girls were more empathic than boys and younger adolescents were more empathic than the older ones. Further support for the validity of the new scale comes from its relations to measures of social skills and aggression which were similar to theoretical predictions. In conclusion, the Portuguese version of the BES is a consistent and valid instrument for the assessment of empathy in samples of adolescents aged 12–18 years old in Portugal, which can now be used in cross-cultural studies of this important psychological construct.

Fatores de Risco para o Insucesso Escolar: A Relevância das Variáveis Psicológicas e Comportamentais do Aluno

In Occidental culture, success at school is a basic requirement for citizens to be fully prepared for adulthood. Consequently, school failure and school drop out correspond to important handicaps, influencing the individual’s development all along lifetime. Research has identified a considerably great amount of variables that may function as risk factors, which may be classified in three different types: family factors, school / organizational factors, and individual factors. Research about individual risk factors, once they constitute important targets for psychological interventions, is critically reviewed in this paper. Finally, a comprehensive model is proposed, including the student’s cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal variables capable of influencing school performance and achievement.

Does assimilation of problematic experiences predict a decrease in symptom intensity

The assimilation model describes therapeutic change as an integration of experiences that had previously been problematic, distressing, avoided, or warded off. This study assessed whether assimilation was associated with treatment outcome in a sample of psychotherapeutic treatments for depression. Further, it assessed the direction of the association—whether increasing assimilation predicted decreases in symptom intensity or decreasing symptom intensity predicted increases in assimilation. Method Participants were 22 clients with mild to moderate depression drawn from a clinical trial comparing cognitive behavioral therapy with emotion‐focused therapy. The direction of prediction between assimilation progress and changes in self‐reported symptom intensity was assessed. Results The assimilation progress was shown to be a better predictor of decreases in symptom intensity than the reverse. Conclusion The results supported the assimilation models suggestion that assimilation progress promotes decreases in symptom intensity in the treatment of clients with major depressive disorder.

Changes in symptom intensity and emotion valence during the process of assimilation of a problematic experience: A quantitative study of a good outcome case of cognitive-behavioral therapy

Abstract The assimilation model describes the change process in psychotherapy. In this study we analyzed the relation of assimilation with changes in symptom intensity, measured session by session, and changes in emotional valence, measured for each emotional episode, in the case of a 33-year-old woman treated for depression with cognitive-behavioral therapy. Results showed the theoretically expected negative relation between assimilation of the clients main concerns and symptom intensity, and the relation between assimilation levels and emotional valence corresponded closely to the assimilation models theoretical feelings curve. The results show how emotions work as markers of the clients current assimilation level, which could help the therapist adjust the intervention, moment by moment, to the clients needs.

Measuring Evaluation Fears in Adolescence: Psychometric Validation of the Portuguese Versions of the Fear of Positive Evaluation Scale and the Specific Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale

Modified measures of Fear of Negative Evaluation and Fear of Positive Evaluation were examined among Portuguese adolescents. These measures demonstrated replicable factor structure, internal consistency, and positive relationships with social anxiety and avoidance. Gender differences were found. Implications for evaluation and intervention are discussed.

Clinical Change in Cognitive Distortions and Core Schemas After a Cognitive-Behavioral Group Intervention: Preliminary Findings from a Randomized Trial with Male Prison Inmates

AbstractThe goal of this pilot study was to assess the efficacy of a cognitive–behavioral program in reducing cognitive distortions and schemas in prison inmates. The Angry Cognitions Scale and the Young Schema Questionnaire was answered by a treatment and control group, and the treatment effects were tested using ANCOVA with baseline as covariate and condition as fixed factor. In order to assess clinical change, the Reliable Change Index was computed. At baseline, no differences were found between groups, except for one subscale of the Angry Cognitions Scale (Maladaptive Processes), where controls scored higher than treatment subjects. ANCOVA showed significant differences between groups at post-treatment, with treatment subjects presenting lower scores on the studied variables. Concerning clinical change, differences between groups were observed in the distributions by change categories in the majority of the variables. These outcomes offer preliminary evidence of the program’s ability to change cognitive variables underlying antisocial behavior.

Garantir a validade de conteúdo na construção de instrumentos: o caso do Cenas para Processamento de Informação Social na Adolescência

O Cenas para Processamento de Informacao Social na Adolescencia (SSIPA) propoe avaliar diversos passos cognitivos sugeridos pelo modelo de processamento de informacao social, alem de considerar estados emocionais que podem interferir com este processamento racional. A avaliacao psicometrica deste instrumento aponta para a sua validade de constructo, mas muito pouca informacao foi avancada acerca do seu processo de construcao, de forma a garantir que reflete adequadamente, como se propoe, as experiencias sociais unicas de adolescentes. Este trabalho apresenta informacao detalhada acerca dos tres processos que foram considerados para desenvolver o SSIPA: 1) tres grupos focais com um total de 23 adolescentes e utilizacao das suas verbalizacoes para construcao de itens; 2) analise da validade facial dos itens por 7 peritos, que avaliaram cada item de acordo com o conteudo pretendido para cada item, e 3) avaliacao da usabilidade, compreensibilidade e pertinencia geral do instrumento numa nova amostra de 23 adolescentes. Os grupos focais e a avaliacao dos itens constituiram ferramentas apropriadas para construir itens que cumprissem o principio de aceitabilidade inicial e captassem com precisao o processamento de informacao social de adolescentes, resultando num instrumento inovador e psicometricamente robusto, passivel de utilizacao em contextos clinicos e de investigacao.