Manuel Loureiro

Reminiscence, Psychological Well-Being, and Ego Integrity in Portuguese Elderly People

This paper analyzes the impact of a reminiscence program on the psychological well-being and ego integrity of elderly people with depressive symptomatology. Ninety people aged 65 and over participated in a quasi-experimental design with pretest and posttest evaluations. They were assigned to one of three groups: (a) experimental group (reminiscence sessions); (b) control group or (c) control-placebo group (weekly relaxation sessions). The results indicate that only the experimental group had significant increases in its overall psychological well-being and ego integrity. This suggests that the promotion of instrumental and integrative reminiscences is an important therapeutic tool for psychological well-being in elderly people with depressive symptomatology.

Measuring Happiness in Portuguese Adults: Validation of the CHQ - Covilha Happiness Questionnaire

This paper focuses on the study of happiness from two perspectives that have accompanied the historical evolution of its scientific study: its conceptual definition as a construct and its measurement. We aimed to integrate and analyze the development and validation of a new measure, adapted to the reality and socio-cultural specificities of Portugal, which struggles with particular socio-economic contingencies that have emerged contemporaneously. We also aimed to develop methodologies to obtain valid and updated data on psychosocial indicators of happiness and subjective well-being among the Portuguese population. This article thus explores the problem of measuring happiness within the complex conceptual context of (in) definition and operating (un)measurability. The article assumes the instrumental and descriptive objectives and attempts to contribute to the development and validation of a new instrument for assessing happiness. These objectives are founded on a multifactorial theoretical conception that incorporates personal, social and environmental dimensions, and which allows for the provision of specific indicators of happiness and an overall aggregated indicator. Method: This study was a cross-sectional survey of 645 Portuguese people. The Covilha’s Happiness Questionnaire (CHQ) uses 41 items to measure a person’s happiness. Results: Exploratory factor analysis revealed a well-fitting 5-dimensional factor structure (KMO = 0.914), with strong factor loadings and excellent internal reliability (Cronbach’sα = 0.921). The CHQ assessed the following dimensions: positive emotions, socially gratifying interactions, self-caring, participation in meaningful activities, and socio-economic structure engagement. Conclusion: The CHQ has good face validity and sound psychometric properties. It is a culturally adapted measure, thus user-friendly for researchers and others utilizing the scale.

Relationship Between Internet Addiction and Self-Esteem: Cross-Cultural Study in Portugal and Brazil

Internet addiction or problematic internet use has long been a matter of public concern. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship of internet addiction and self-esteem. The sample included 1399 Portuguese and Brazilian internet users, from 14 to 83 years old, who responded to the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) (Young, 1998b) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) (Rosenberg, 1989). A factor analysis of the IAT was conducted, revealing three factors: withdrawal & concealment, social & personal consequences, and excessive use. Using Pearson correlation, we found a negative correlation among internet addiction and self-esteem. Linear regression indicated that low self-esteem explained 11% of internet addiction, and negative feelings caused by internet addiction (withdrawal & concealment) explained 13% of self-esteem. In the analysis of the IAT, we found that the individuals with higher levels of internet addiction were: (a) man; (b) Brazilian; and (c) young (14 to 25 years old).

The protective effect of job satisfaction in health, happiness, well-being and self-esteem.

The purpose of this article is to analyze the possible effects of job satisfaction on mental and physical health, happiness, subjective well-being and self-esteem. A total of 971 Portuguese-speaking adults participated in this study. Most participants reported high rates of satisfaction with their colleagues, the nature of their work and leadership, while reporting dissatisfaction with regard to salaries and promotions. Results indicated the existence of the protector effect of job satisfaction for health, happiness, subjective well-being and self-esteem, in addition to reinforcing the importance of maintaining a positive evaluation of one’s work. As a practical implication, the results may suggest that the effects of personnel management policies which emphasize job satisfaction could potentially lead to improvements in levels of health, happiness, subjective well-being and workers’ self-esteem, all of which are factors that can potentially improve organizational performance. The study also considered its limitations and the possibility for future investigation.

A importância dos indicadores biomédicos no funcionamento sexual em adultos portugueses saudáveis

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of biomedical indicators, such as body mass index, blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure, on sexual functioning in Portuguese adults. METHODS The sample consisted of 225 healthy individuals (non-smokers, women not taking contraceptive pill), aged 18-89 years (mean = 41 years), of whom 107 were males and 117 females. A Sociodemographic Questionnaire, the Portuguese version of the Massachusetts General Hospital Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (MGH-SFQ) and biomedical indicators measurement devices were applied. RESULTS 59.6% (N = 134) of the participants presented levels for global sexual functioning below the expected values. Men scored better overall sexual functioning when compared to women, as well as the group of younger participants. Significant correlational values between BMI (r = -253, p <.001), glycemic index (r = -.230, p <.001), total cholesterol (r = -144, p < .05) and sexual functioning were obtained. The hierarchical regression model allowed to demonstrate the mediating effect of the biomedical variables on sexual functioning, explaining 31% (r2 = .31; p <.001) of the total variance. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS This research makes it possible to highlight the importance of biomedical indicators in sexual functioning, helping professionals working in this area to be aware of how biomedical contexts interfere with sexual expression.

Mental Health Disparities Between Roma and Non-Roma Unemployment Insurance Beneficiaries inPortugal

Background: The Roma population, one of the largest minority groups in Europe, experience discrimination and stigma associated with marginalized social position. Few studies have examined mental illnesses in the Roma, and none have examined the Roma unemployment beneficiaries. The present study estimates mental health among Roma unemployment beneficiaries in comparison to non-Roma beneficiaries in Portugal. Design: A cross-sectional study was carried out. Two clinical psychologists working as research assistants surveyed unemployed individuals looking for jobs at employment agencies. The sample consists of 71 unemployed individuals, beneficiaries of unemployment insurance, and registered in the National Institute of Employment and Professional Training in Portugal. 43.7% were Roma (31) and 56.3% (40) non-Roma. Mean age was 39.93 years old (ranging from 18 to 65 years old; SD = 11.96). Demographics variables were ethnicity, age, gender, marital status, education, and time of unemployment in years. Mental health was assessed using the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Results: Results for the comparison of the two samples indicate significant differences for several dimensions of mental health that are more severe for non-Roma participants, namely, Obsessive-Compulsiveness, Interpersonal Sensitivity, Depression, Anxiety, Paranoid Ideation, Psychoticism, and Global Severity. Conclusions: When compared to participants of specific groups of the general population in the same challenging crisis and conjuncture such as unemployment, the Roma participants appear to have specific resilience processes, or some cultural and ethnic specificities when coping with mental health/ disease factors, as evidenced in the lower distress and lower levels of psychiatric disorders when compared to unemployed non-Roma individuals. As such, the unemployment condition seems to have a much more negative impact on the mental health of non-Roma participants than in the mental health of Roma participants.

Voluntariado e sintomatologia depressiva na velhice: Um estudo realizado com pessoas idosas residentes na covilhã.

EnglishVolunteering has been pointed as one of the actions that will benefit life quality in elderly people. According to literature, it has a positive effect on individuals, helping them to maintain an active role in society and enhancing their biopsychological capacities. This study aims to characterize and describe aspects related to volunteering practiced by people with 65 or more years, living in Covilha, and to analyse if people that participate in volunteering present a more positive index in some determinants of active aging than those that do not participate, namely in what concerns to depressive symptomatology. This is a transversal, observational and descriptive study, non-experimental type of investigation. It was applied to participants an investigation protocol based on ESAP –The European Survey on Aging Protocol. In this study, 277 subjects between 65and 96 years old were enrolled. In this sample 32% (n=71) of participants developed volunteering activities for several years, mostly by women. Statistics, related with suspects of depressive syndromes, demonstrated that there is a higher suspicion in cases of elderly participants that do not develop voluntary activities, with an average of 9,37 (DP±6,83), when compared to elderly that do develop this activities, with an average of 5,25 (DP±4,74), with a statistically significant difference (t=4,47; p portuguesO voluntariado tem vindo a ser apontado como uma das atividades que beneficia a qualidade de vida das pessoas idosas. De acordo com a literatura, o voluntariado parece exercer um efeito positivo sobre os individuos, ajudando-os a manter um papel ativo na sociedade e a promover uma melhoria nas capacidades biopsicossociais. Este estudo pretende: (1) caraterizar e descrever aspetos relativos ao voluntariado exercido por pessoas com 65 ou mais anos residentes na cidade da Covilha e (2) analisar se existem diferencas ao nivel da sintomatologia depressiva entre as pessoas idosas com e sem atividades de voluntariado. Trata-se de um estudo transversal, observacional e descritivo inserindo-se no tipo de investigacao nao experimental. Foi aplicado um protocolo de investigacao baseado no ESAP –The European Survey on Aging Protocol. Participaram neste estudo 227 sujeitos com idades entre 65 e 96 anos. Dos participantes, 32% (n=71) desenvolviam atividades de voluntariado com regularidade e ja ha alguns anos, sendo desenvolvido essencialmente por mulheres. Quanto a sintomatologia depressiva existia uma maior suspeita por parte dos participantes idosos que nao desenvolviam voluntariado, apresentando uma media de 9,37 (DP±6,83), do que nas pessoas idosas voluntarias com uma media de 5,25 (DP±4,74), verificando-se diferencas estatisticamente significativas (t=4,47; p