Diogo Lamela

Adaptação psicossocial e saúde física em crianças de pais separados

OBJECTIVE: To review the literature on the effects of parental divorce over the psychological maladjustment and physical health problems in children of divorced parents, thus contributing to the integration of existing scientific knowledge based on the biopsychosocial model of the impact of divorce on childrens physical health as proposed by Troxel and Matthews (2004). SOURCES: Review of the literature using MEDLINE and PsycInfo (1980-2007) databases, selecting the most representative articles on the subject. Special attention was paid to contributions by internationally renowned investigators on the subject. SUMMARY PF THE FINDINGS: Divorce may be responsible for a decline of physical and psychological health in children. The developmental maladjustment of children is not triggered by divorce itself, but rather by other risk factors associated with it, such as interparental conflict, parental psychopathology, decline in socio-economic level, inconsistency in parenting styles, a parallel and conflicting co-parenting relationship between parents and low levels of social support. Such risk factors trigger maladjusted developmental pathways, marked by psychopathological symptoms, poor academic performance, worst levels of physical health, risk behavior, exacerbated psychophysiological responses to stress and weakening of the immune system. CONCLUSIONS: Clear links were observed between experiencing parental divorce and facing problems of physical and psychological maladjustment in children. Divorce is a stressor that should be considered by health professionals as potentially responsible for maladjusted neuropsychobiological responses and for decline in childrens physical health.

Psychosocial adjustment and physical health in children of divorce

OBJECTIVE To review the literature on the effects of parental divorce over the psychological maladjustment and physical health problems in children of divorced parents, thus contributing to the integration of existing scientific knowledge based on the biopsychosocial model of the impact of divorce on childrens physical health as proposed by Troxel and Matthews (2004). SOURCES Review of the literature using MEDLINE and PsycInfo (1980-2007) databases, selecting the most representative articles on the subject. Special attention was paid to contributions by internationally renowned investigators on the subject. SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS Divorce may be responsible for a decline of physical and psychological health in children. The developmental maladjustment of children is not triggered by divorce itself, but rather by other risk factors associated with it, such as interparental conflict, parental psychopathology, decline in socio-economic level, inconsistency in parenting styles, a parallel and conflicting co-parenting relationship between parents and low levels of social support. Such risk factors trigger maladjusted developmental pathways, marked by psychopathological symptoms, poor academic performance, worst levels of physical health, risk behavior, exacerbated psychophysiological responses to stress and weakening of the immune system. CONCLUSIONS Clear links were observed between experiencing parental divorce and facing problems of physical and psychological maladjustment in children. Divorce is a stressor that should be considered by health professionals as potentially responsible for maladjusted neuropsychobiological responses and for decline in childrens physical health.

Modelos teóricos das relações coparentais: revisão crítica

The empirical and theoretical research on coparenting have grown over the last decade. The parenting alliance has been defined as a key element for systemic harmony of the family as well as responsible for childrens (des)adjusted pathways. This theoretical article, at first, defines and delimits the construct of coparenting, in a second moment, three conceptual models of coparenting alliance most referenced in the scientific literature will be described and, in the end, the advantages and limitations of the conceptual theoretical frameworks described will be discussed. This article aims to contribute to the clarification of this construct of Psychology of Family and report the potential importance of coparenting in psychological practice.

Post-divorce representations of marital negotiation during marriage predict parenting alliance in newly divorced parents

Literature demonstrates that marital and co-parenting subsystems are intercorrelated and have autonomous functions in the family system. This study explored representations of marital negotiation strategies for conflict resolution during marriage and parenting alliance relationship after divorce, using data from Portuguese newly divorced parents. In multiple regression analysis, representations of marital negotiation strategies for conflict resolution during marriage used by ex-spouses predict positive parenting alliance relationship after divorce. These results suggest that representations of pre-divorce marital relationship influence positively current interparental relationship regarding child rearing after marital dissolution. Implications for clinical interventions are also discussed.

Pais por Inteiro: Avaliação Preliminar da Eficácia de Uma Intervenção em Grupo para Pais Divorciados

The article deals with the preliminary evaluation of the efficacy of a group intervention program composed by divorced parents, named Pais Por Inteiro (PApi), which was implemented with the aim of improving adjustment to divorce, coparenting relationship and family binuclearity. Participants (n = 16) were equally distributed in an experimental group (subject to intervention) and a control group. Groups were similar in pre-intervention dependent measures. The results showed an improvement between preand post-test in adjustment to divorce and coparental quality in the experimental group, and an improvement in post-test in adjustment in the experimental group. Those improvements did not exist in the control group. The results suggest the efficacy of PApi in terms of better post-divorce adjustment and coparental relations.

Medida da aliança parental: validação portuguesa e construção de uma versão reduzida

OBJETIVO: A Medida de Alianca Parental (PAM) avalia a qualidade da relacao interparental na prestacao de cuidados da crianca. O presente artigo apresenta a validacao de uma versao portuguesa da medida, bem como examina as qualidades psicometricas de uma versao reduzida com 6 itens do instrumento (PAM-R). METODO: A amostra foi constituida por 182 pais (63% maes), dos quais 72 preencheram um instrumento de avaliacao dos problemas de ajustamento psicologico das criancas. RESULTADOS: As analises fatoriais confirmatorias nao corroboraram a estrutura dos dois modelos testados. No entanto, excelentes valores foram encontrados nos indices de adequacao do modelo da PAM-R. Nao foram encontrados erros de especificacao no modelo unidimensional testado, o que suporta a validade fatorial da versao reduzida da PAM. A PAM-R apresentou excelentes valores de consistencia interna e uma correlacao negativa e significativa com a medida de problemas de ajustamento das criancas. CONCLUSOES: PAM-R emerge como uma medida que possibilita a avaliacao do impacto das dimensoes familiares no funcionamento e desenvolvimento psicologico das criancas, em contextos de prestacao de cuidados de saude primarios.

A Cumulative Risk Model of Child Physical Maltreatment Potential Findings From a Community-Based Study

Previous studies have identified the predictive risk factors of child physical maltreatment (CPM). However, a significant number of these studies assessed risk factors in isolation. The cumulative risk hypothesis postulates that health problems are caused by the accumulation of risk factors, independently of the presence or absence of specific risk indicators. Few studies examined the effect of cumulative risk on CPM potential. This study aimed to test two concurrent models of cumulative risk of CPM potential by investigating whether CPM potential was better predicted by a threshold cumulative risk model or a linear cumulative risk model. Data from the National Representative Study of Psychosocial Context of Child Abuse and Neglect in Portugal were used. Parents of school-age children (N = 796) answered to self-report measures regarding sociodemographic variables, history of child maltreatment, psychological distress, and CPM potential. A cumulative risk index was computed, comprising 10 dichotomized risk factors. Evidence for a threshold cumulative effect was found. Additional bivariate logistic regressions revealed that the odds for high-potential CPM were dramatically higher for those parents with six or more risk factors when compared with parents with any one risk factor. By testing and confirming a threshold cumulative effect on CPM potential, it was possible to find a “trigger point” from which a dramatic increase in child physical maltreatment potential occurs.

Typologies of intimate partner violence-maternal parenting and children’s externalizing problems: The moderating effect of the exposure to other forms of family violence

Typologies of IPV and parenting practices in mothers who experienced police-reported IPV remain surprisingly unexplored, in addition to how those typologies are linked with childrens externalizing problems. Using data from 162 Portuguese mother-child dyads with a police or child protection services referral of IPV, this study aimed to: (a) identify IPV-parenting typologies; (b) test the associations between typologies and childrens externalizing problems, and (c) examine the moderating effect of childrens exposure to other forms of family violence in those associations. Using a person-centered approach, two IPV-parenting typologies were found: a spillover typology, with high levels of physical, psychological, and sexual violence and high levels of harsh and inconsistent parenting practices; and a compartmentalized typology, with high levels of physical, psychological, and sexual violence and lower ineffective parenting practices. Results also showed that externalizing symptoms (reported by mothers and teachers) were significantly lower in children of mothers in the compartmentalized typology compared to those in the spillover typology. Childrens direct exposure to other forms of family violence moderated this association. Findings suggested that children with a high exposure to other forms of family violence showed the highest levels of externalizing problems when their mothers were classified into the spillover typology, and they exhibited the lowest levels of externalizing problems when their mothers were classified in the compartmentalized typology.

Cognitive-affective depression and somatic symptoms clusters are differentially associated with maternal parenting and coparenting

BACKGROUND Both depressive and somatic symptoms are significant predictors of parenting and coparenting problems. However, despite clear evidence of their co-occurrence, no study to date has examined the association between depressive-somatic symptoms clusters and parenting and coparenting. The current research sought to identify and cross-validate clusters of cognitive-affective depressive symptoms and nonspecific somatic symptoms, as well as to test whether clusters would differ on parenting and coparenting problems across three independent samples of mothers. METHOD Participants in Studies 1 and 3 consisted of 409 and 652 community mothers, respectively. Participants in Study 2 consisted of 162 mothers exposed to intimate partner violence. All participants prospectively completed self-report measures of depressive and nonspecific somatic symptoms and parenting (Studies 1 and 2) or coparenting (Study 3). RESULTS Across studies, three depression-somatic symptoms clusters were identified: no symptoms, high depression and low nonspecific somatic symptoms, and high depression and nonspecific somatic symptoms. The high depression-somatic symptoms cluster was associated with the highest levels of child physical maltreatment risk (Study 1) and overt-conflict coparenting (Study 3). No differences in perceived maternal competence (Study 2) and cooperative and undermining coparenting (Study 3) were found between the high depression and low somatic symptoms cluster and the high depression-somatic symptoms cluster. CONCLUSIONS The results provide novel evidence for the strong associations between clusters of depression and nonspecific somatic symptoms and specific parenting and coparenting problems. Cluster stability across three independent samples suggest that they may be generalizable. The results inform preventive approaches and evidence-based psychotherapeutic treatments.

A moderated cumulative model of personality adjustment in divorced adults: implications for counselling

ABSTRACT Using a life-span developmental psychology model of positive personality adjustment, this study had two aims. First, this study aimed to compare additive and threshold cumulative models of personality adjustment after divorce. The cumulative effect hypothesis states that the number of indicators is a more accurate predictor of an outcome than any single indicator considered individually. The second aim was to test whether the association between the positive personality adjustment cumulative model and satisfaction with life (selected as the subjective criterion of personality adjustment) would be moderated by divorce-related variables. Divorced adults (N = 460) were asked to answer to self-report measures of indicators/correlates of personality adjustment. Results supported an additive cumulative model of satisfaction with life, in which the more number of personality adjustment indicators, the more divorce-related satisfaction with life. The association between the cumulative index of personality adjustment and satisfaction with life was moderated by time since divorce and divorce initiator status. Implications for counselling are discussed.