Maria Clara Pinheiro de Paula Couto

Revisando a inserção ecológica: uma proposta de sistematização

This article describes how the four key concepts of the Bioecological Theory of Human Development (process, person, context and time) are present in the Ecological Engagement methodology. The goal is to provide some lines of action that may guide research teams to use this proposal in their projects. A brief comparison is performed between the Ecological Engagement and other methodologies, which value the concept of investigation and have distinct theoretical references. Moreover, other studies that used the Ecological Engagement are presented and discussed in order to establish some common points and to define aspects that may be considered as fundamental characteristics of this methodological proposal.

A sexualidade no processo do envelhecimento: novas perspectivas - comparação transcultural

Sexuality in ageing process: a new guideline ‐ transcultural comparison. Access to new drugs (tibolona, sildenafil, tadalafil) revealed an increasing demand of seniors about their sexual health. However, prejudices about older people’s sexuality remain prevalent in our culture. Sociological and psychoanalytical theories combined allow understanding the double nature of this phenomenon, in which intrapsychic repression results of internalized cultural ideals. This article presents a transcultural survey comparing two samples, Brazilian and Portuguese, to verify knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices about sexuality of 187 healthy people, 52 to 90 years old.

Avaliacao de discriminacao contra idosos em contexto brasileiro – ageismo

This study measured the prevalence of ageism in Brazil, as well as the stress level that is associated to it. Also, the Brazilian sample was compared to other two reference samples, an American and a Portuguese one. All participants (111 individuals) answered a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Ageism Survey, which is composed by items related to negative stereotypes, attitudes and elderly discrimination behavior. The results showed that the discrimination occurs more in social contexts, followed by those that occur in health contexts. As for the stress evaluation associated to the episodes of discrimination, in general, the mean of the items associated to stress was low. This may indicate that, for this sample, experiencing discrimination is not always related to stress.

The Improvement of Emotion and Attention Regulation after a 6-Week Training of Focused Meditation: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Self-regulatory trainings can be an effective complementary treatment for mental health disorders. We investigated the effects of a six-week-focused meditation training on emotion and attention regulation in undergraduates randomly allocated to a meditation, a relaxation, or a wait-list control group. Assessment comprised a discrimination task that investigates the relationship between attentional load and emotional processing and self-report measures. For emotion regulation, results showed greater reduction in emotional interference in the low attentional load condition in meditators, particularly compared to relaxation. Only meditators presented a significant association between amount of weekly practice and the reduction in emotion interference in the task and significantly reduced image ratings of negative valence and arousal, perceived anxiety and difficulty during the task, and state and trait-anxiety. For attention regulation, response bias during the task was analyzed through signal detection theory. After training, meditation and relaxation significantly reduced bias in the high attentional load condition. Importantly, there was a dose-response effect on general bias: the lowest in meditation, increasing linearly across relaxation and wait-list. Only meditators reduced omissions in a concentrated attention test. Focused meditation seems to be an effective training for emotion and attention regulation and an alternative for treatments in the mental health context.

Terapia familiar sistêmica e idosos: contribuições e desafios

This study aims to describe some systemic clinical interventions focused on the treatment of elderly individuals. Four different therapeutics modes are explored: individual therapy, couples therapy, family therapy with elder family members, and accessing elder members to help in the family therapy process. Some prototype situations in therapy with elderly individuals are discussed, taking into account some concepts developed in family therapy. The elderly can be perceived by the family, or even by themselves, as a weight or as a resource. On the other hand, successful aging reflects a personal position that is influenced by family relations.

Public Stigma towards Older Adults with Depression: Findings from the São Paulo-Manaus Elderly in Primary Care Study.

This study investigates three domains of public stigma (perceived negative reactions, perceived discrimination, and dangerousness) against older adults with depression. The sample comprised of older adults registered with primary care clinics (n = 1,291) and primary health care professionals (n = 469) from São Paulo and Manaus, Brazil. Participants read a vignette describing a 70-year-old individual (Mary or John) with a depressive disorder and answered questions measuring stigma. The prevalence of the three stigma domains was between 30.2 and 37.6% among older participants from São Paulo and between 27.6 and 35.4% among older participants from Manaus. Older adults from both cities reported similar prevalence of perceived stigma. Key factors associated with stigmatizing beliefs among older participants were reporting depressive symptoms, having physical limitations, and identifying the case of the vignette as a case of mental disorder. Among health professionals, the prevalence of the three stigma domains was between 19.8 and 34.8% in São Paulo and 30.2 and 44.6% in Manaus. The key factor associated with stigma among primary health care professionals was city, with consistently higher risk in Manaus than in São Paulo. Findings confirm that public stigma against older adults in Brazil is common. It is important to educate the public and primary health care providers in Brazil on stigma related to mental illness in order to reduce barriers to adequate mental health treatment.

Revisão sistemática de estudos da psicologia brasileira sobre preconceito racial

The purpose of this study was to systematically review Brazilian psychological studies focusing on racial prejudice. A search was conducted in the databases SciELO (Scientifi c Eletronic Library Onli

Influences of developmental contexts and gender differences on school performance of children and adolescents

This study investigated children and adolescents’ school performance over time focusing on two variables that may influence it: developmental context and gender. The sample comprised 627 participants (Mage = 11.13, SD = 1.8), 51% of them female, from grade one to eight, living either with family (n = 474) or in care institutions (n = 153). Participants answered individually the Teste de Desempenho Escolar (School Performance Test) and the Structured PRONEX Interview. Findings indicated a main effect of time on school performance (i.e., writing, reading and arithmetic). Furthermore this main effect was further qualified by a time and developmental context interaction and by a time and gender interaction. Interactions revealed that the participants from care institutions attained more significant increases in writing and reading than participants living within a family context; and that girls attained more significant increases in writing than boys. Therefore, school performance progress appears as affected by developmental contexts and gender. The findings reveal how school performance needs to be observed as a multidimensional variable, affected by individual characteristics but also by external ones.

Habilidades sociais na adolescência: psicopatologia e variáveis biosociodemográficas

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between social skills, psychopathology and sociodemographic characteristics among adolescents. Participants were 50 adolescents from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (30 girls and 20 boys, Mage=14 years, SD=1.61) who attended either a public or a private school. The participants answered a sociodemographic questionnaire, the social skills Inventory for Adolescents Del-Prette (frequency and difficulty) and, to assess symptoms of psychopathology, the Self Report Questionnaire 20. Results indicated that there were no differences in the frequency of the social skills investigated with regard to genders, age, type of school attended, and the indication of psychopathology. However, the difficulty score reported on the use of social skills was related with psychopathology. This relationship was further moderated by the type of school. Thus, sociodemographic variables and personal characteristics (such as psychopathology) must be considered in social skills studies.

The Status of Women: Brazil

In spite of being the numerical majority in the country, for centuries women have occupied a subordinate position in Brazilian society. In recent years, the country has elected (and reelected) its first female president. However, despite all the advances, many of women’s fundamental rights are still disregarded. Women receive lower remuneration than men do, even when they hold the same work positions and perform similar activities. Black women face a far more extreme situation and are exposed to the worst conditions in the country’s labor market due to double discrimination. Violence against women is considered a social and health problem. The main context of violence against women is familial/domestic, where their partners perpetrate psychological, physical, and sexual abuse. The situation of women’s rights is far from ideal but the changes occurring for Brazilian women over recent decades in education, work, and social and political participation have been positive and increased rights guaranteed to women. Nevertheless, advances are still needed, especially in political participation, for women to occupy more space where decisions are made and to seek even more improvements for their lives and rights.