Isabel Abreu-Lima

Parent education interventions: Results from a national study in Portugal

Parenting education programmes are becoming widespread practices and are being recognized by the scientific community as promising interventions for preventing child maltreatment. However, a diversity of programme objectives and implementation conditions can be related to different outcomes in parental competencies and child adjustment. In this paper we present data concerning the effects of different parent education interventions developed in Portugal. Five hundred one participants participating in 56 interventions were evaluated using a pre- and post-test design. Analyses were designed to determine the participant and programme characteristics that were associated with intervention outcomes, as indicated by univariate and covariate test results and respective effect sizes. After controlling for pre-test results, significant and positive intervention effects were found for parental stress, effective parenting attitudes (i.e., empathic responding, use of punitive discipline, and endorsement of parental roles), perception of the informal social support network and child behavioural and emotional difficulties. These positive outcomes are associated with some parental characteristics (educational level and child protection referrals) as well as with a number of programme characteristics (e.g., length of programme, existence of a manual, transportation, specific training in the programme). Discussion is focused on the positive effects of interventions and the role of the identified moderating factors as well as their implications for the development of parent education programmes.

School Psychology in Portugal: Practitioners' Characteristics and Practices

Little empirical evidence is available on the professional characteristics and practices of school psychologists in Portugal. This study surveyed a total of 477 Portuguese school psychologists employed in public (80%) and private schools (20%). Portuguese school psychologists are described with regard to demographic, professional, and educational backgrounds, school settings, roles performed, and main target populations served. Evaluating and counseling regular education students, vocational guidance, and special education-related activities emerged as the most time-consuming professional practices. A professional practice primarily focused on students, mainly from the highest education levels, was also observed. Results are compared with findings of previous surveys and reviewed in the context of the current literature on the school psychologists role. Implications for the field are also provided.

A Study of the Ethical Dilemmas Experienced by School Psychologists in Portugal

This study examines the ethical dilemmas and difficulties encountered by Portuguese school psychologists. As part of a larger survey, participants were asked about ethical issues faced in daily practice and asked to describe ethical incidents. Of the 477 respondents, 274 reported 441 ethically troubling or challenging situations. Responses were coded into a six-category system based on the code of ethics of Portuguese psychologists. Most of the reported dilemmas concerned privacy and confidentiality principles (53%). Results are discussed in light of relevant literature and international findings. Implications for the development of the profession and future research are provided.

Psicólogos escolares em Portugal: perfil e necessidades de formação = School psychologists in Portugal: training profile and educational needs

The profile and training needs of Portuguese school psychologists, working in public and private schools, were analysed based on a survey with 477 professionals. Results show that in conjunction with training in domains directly related to psychological practice in the school context, many school psychologists reported having a specialization course in the field of clinic and/or health psychology. The identified training needs appear to reflect the nature of the problems encountered in the field (e.g., learning difficulties, indiscipline and behaviour problems), as well as the main intervention areas of Portuguese school psychologists (e.g., special educational needs, assessment, support/counselling and vocational guidance). In parallel, results show that some professionals desire to expand their field of expertise beyond the so-called traditional roles. We discuss the implications for the initial and continuing training of school psychologists.

School psychologists in Portugal: Training profile and educational needs

The profile and training needs of Portuguese school psychologists, working in public and private schools, were analysed based on a survey with 477 professionals. Results show that in conjunction with training in domains directly related to psychological practice in the school context, many school psychologists reported having a specialization course in the field of clinic and/or health psychology. The identified training needs appear to reflect the nature of the problems encountered in the field (e.g., learning difficulties, indiscipline and behaviour problems), as well as the main intervention areas of Portuguese school psychologists (e.g., special educational needs, assessment, support/counselling and vocational guidance). In parallel, results show that some professionals desire to expand their field of expertise beyond the so-called traditional roles. We discuss the implications for the initial and continuing training of school psychologists.

Does Temperament Moderate the Relation between Preschool Parenting and School-Age Self-Regulation? Contrasting Diathesis-Stress and Differential Susceptibility Models

SYNOPSIS Objective. Children vary in how sensitive they are to environmental influences. Child temperament is an individual difference factor that appears to moderate the impact of environment on early child development. This study contrasts the “diathesis-stress/dual risk” and “differential susceptibility” models in examining difficult temperament as a moderator of the relation between preschool parenting and school-aged child persistence. Design. A longitudinal design included 61 typically developing Portuguese children (31 girls) assessed when they were toddlers (Time 1 at 1–3 years), preschoolers (Time 2 at 4–6 years), and school aged (Time 3 at 8–10 years). At Time 1, parents were recruited and interviewed. At Time 2, semi-structured mother–child interactions were observed, and preschool teachers rated children’s temperament. At Time 3, children’s task persistence was rated by their elementary teachers. Results. Difficult temperament moderated the association between mother–child interactions and child persistence, with stronger associations for children with more difficult temperaments. Conclusions. Consistent with the diathesis-stress model, results reveal that high levels of positive parenting reduce the risk of low self-regulation associated with difficult temperament.