Luciana Cassarino-Perez

Health-related quality of life and social support in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

This study investigated the correlations between health-related quality of life and social support in adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1DM). Participants were 102 adolescents between 12 and 17 years old, who were patients of a healthcare program in the city of Porto Alegre, south of Brazil. Two questionnaires, the KIDSCREEN-52 and the Brazilian version of Social Support Appraisals, were used to evaluate health-related quality of life and social support. Results showed good quality of life and social support levels. Strong correlations were verified between social support and three of the KIDSCREEN-52 dimensions: psychological well-being (r = .63; p < .01); peers and social support (r = .67; p < .01) and school environment (r = .64; p < .01). Analysis of linear regression showed that gender, age and social support are variables associated with health-related quality of life, explaining 52.6% of variance. Results revealed the impact of the disease to young people, and can help to find strategies to improve care in these cases.

Subjective Well-Being of Children in Residential Care

This chapter aims to (1) review results of recent studies, conducted in different countries, on the subjective well-being of children; (2) provide an overview of residential care in Brazil; (3) discuss recent research findings from the Research Group on Community Psychology (GPPC) of well-being in children in southern Brazil; and (4) discuss the specifics of the research context with children on state protection. For the first part of the chapter a review of the literature was conducted using the terms “well-being + child * + residential care” or “foster care” or “care system”, from which 15 articles were selected. These studies provided data on well-being for children in out of home care, such as differences between genders and diverse types of care, stability, interpersonal relationships, contact with the birth family, leisure and free time activities, etc. The second part dealt with the history of institutional care in Brazil from the period of colonization to the present day. The understanding of how the construction process of institutional care happened in Brazil offers ground for results of current GPPC research on well-being in residential care, presented in the third and last part of the chapter. As a whole, the chapter allows us to reflect on the effectiveness of protective measures in Brazil, as well as ways to improve the subjective well-being of children in care. Final considerations include the importance of the individual plan developed with each child, but also aspects such as the time in the care system, the monitoring of families and the options for youth aging out of foster care.

A Equipe Psicossocial na Colocação da Criança nos Processos de Adoção

espanolResumen El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar y reflexionar sobre el rol del equipo psicosocial judicial en la etapa de insercion, o en terminos legales ‘colocacion’, en los procesos de adopcion. Se entrevistaron siete psicologos y 11 trabajadores sociales judiciales en siete ciudades del sur de Brasil. A traves del analisis de contenido se observo que, en la mayoria de los casos, la colocacion es conducida por el equipo judicial, con o sin auxilio del equipo de las instituciones de acogimiento. En algunos casos, el proceso es conducido solamente por las instituciones. Tambien se constataron diferencias entre las practicas de los profesionales, estando los psicologos mas encargados de los procesos considerados complejos, como los de adopcion tardia. Se discuten las implicaciones de las distintas maneras de actuar de los equipos, en lo que se refiere a la practica del psicologo en la colocacion. Se concluye que el equipo judicial tiene un rol central en la colocacion, aunque todavia sean necesarios esfuerzos para alcanzar un metodo consensual para conducir esa etapa. EnglishAbstract The aim of this study was to investigate and reflect upon the role of the psychosocial judicial staff in the placement phase of the adoption process. Seven psychologists and 11 judicial social workers, from seven cities in southern Brazil, were interviewed. From the content analysis, it was possible to grasp that while placement in most counties is conducted by the team of Juvenile Court, with or without help from the foster care’s staff, in a few counties it is conducted only by teams of foster care. Differences between the practices of professionals were also found, with psychologists in charge of the processes considered more complex, like the late adoption cases. The authors propose reflections about the implications of the differences found on practice, for the role of the psychologist in the placement stage. We conclude that the legal team has a central role in the placement stage, but efforts still need to be employed to achieve a consensual methodology. portuguesResumo Este estudo objetivou investigar e refletir sobre o papel da equipe psicossocial do Judiciario na fase de insercao, ou em termos legais colocacao, nos processos de adocao. Foram entrevistados sete psicologos e 11 assistentes sociais judiciarios de sete cidades do Rio Grande do Sul. A partir da analise de conteudo foi possivel constatar que a maioria das colocacoes sao conduzidas pela equipe do Juizado da Infância, com ou sem auxilio da equipe da instituicao de acolhimento, e em algumas comarcas conduzidas apenas pelas equipes dessas instituicoes. Observaram-se tambem diferencas entre as praticas dos profissionais, ficando os psicologos mais encarregados dos processos considerados complexos, a exemplo dos casos de adocao tardia. Discute-se a falta de uma metodologia consensuada nesta etapa, bem como o papel do psicologo apenas nos casos considerados mais dificeis. Tambem se aponta a importância de se atentar para praticas realmente voltadas para o melhor interesse da crianca.

Rights and Material Resources as Indicators of Child Well-Being: The Challenge to Promote Protagonism

This chapter refers to one of the modules of an intervention intended to promote the well-being of Brazilian adolescents in regard to their rights and material resources. The objective of this module was to contribute to the subjective well-being of adolescents by providing them an opportunity, through various activities, to participate as active subjects in the construction of knowledge concerning their rights. The chapter’s first part presents a historical overview of the subject, as well as the main protection standards (Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Statute of the Child and Adolescent). Results from scientific studies relating rights and well-being are also discussed. The second part presents the method used in the intervention; indicators reported in the literature upon which the module is based; specific objectives and goals; activities; and assessment. The results are presented in two stages: quantitative and qualitative analyses. The quantitative results were obtained through repeated measures analysis of variance, as well as differences-in-differences regression (comparing the pretest, posttest and follow-up results). Qualitative data were analyzed and divided into four categories: knowledge regarding rights; differentiation between rights and duties; more frequently mentioned and less frequently mentioned rights; and family and community participation. Finally, the main results are discussed along with the importance and possibility of disseminating knowledge among adolescents and to the different microsystems to which they belong.

Protective Factors for the Development of Adolescents with DM1: An Interface Between Positive Psychology and Health Psychology

This chapter aims to present the results of health research focusing on protective factors as well as to reveal the contributions of these studies for practice. Results of four cross-sectional studies using mixed methods conducted by the Center for Studies and Research in Adolescence are presented. Participants were 227 adolescents between 12 and 18 years old, receiving treatment in a health center specialized in diabetes. The quantitative instruments KIDSCREEN-52, CEAT-VIH, diabetes self-care activities questionnaire, and Social Support Appraisals revealed measures of life quality, adherence to treatment, and social support. Case studies were also conduced to examine resilience processes, using semi-structured interviews, the Five Field Map, and hospital records. Results showed that most adolescents present satisfactory levels of all variables measured, as well as processes of resilience. The chapter discusses aspects explaining good results despite the chronic condition and emphasizes the importance of investigating protective factors to promote healthy development of vulnerable children and adolescents.