Olga Garcia Falceto

The relationship between family violence and teenage aggressiveness

The following is an exploratory study on family violence in two different schools, public and the other private, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. Seventy-six families were interviewed, 36 with adolescents classified as aggressive by teachers and 40 with non-aggressive adolescents. Total number of subjects was 213. Physical and severe violence, frequent or occasional, was present in more than half of the sample: 41 reports - 53.9%. A third of the cases occurred in the private school (37%), with twice as many in the public school (63%). However, rates of severe or frequent episodes were similar in both schools. The relationship between violent behavior by teenagers and physical punishment by parents was significant. That is, aggressive adolescents were punished more than non-aggressive ones (odds ratio = 4.3). Prevalence of physical abuse was higher in the older, male teenager group, in the presence of sibling aggression, and in low-income and dysfunctional families. The study shows that physical abuse is more present in society than we would like to imagine.

Couples’ Relationships and Breastfeeding: is There an Association?

One hundred fifty-three Brazilian families with 4-month-old infants—51 cases (breastfeeding had ceased) and 102 controls (breastfeeding maintained)—were recruited to verify if a problematic couple relationship is associated with early breastfeeding termination. The relationships of the 118 cohabiting couples were assessed by clinical interviews and the Global Assessment of Relational Functioning and Beavers-Timberlawn scales, examining marital and parental functions, parents’ satisfaction with the quality of care each partnerprovided to their infants, mothers’ opinions of paternal breastfeeding support, and interviewers’ assessments of paternal breastfeeding support and involvement in the infants’ care. The quality of a couple relationship was not associated with the interruption of breastfeeding before 4 months postpartum. However, a good couple relationship was associated with more paternal breastfeeding support (P < .01) and involvement in the infant’s care (P < .0001). J Hum Lact. 20(1):46-55.

Validação de escalas diagnósticas do funcionamento familiar para utilização em serviços de atenção primária à saúde

Care provided to patients in primary health services should include both a physical and a psychological assessment. In many cases treatment success depends on understanding individuals and their interactions, especially within the family; it is important for health professionals to be trained in this area. We investigated the validity of three well-known diagnostic scales of family functioning from the United States of America (FACES III, Beavers-Timberlawn, and GARF) for use in our setting in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The three scales were used with 31 families and compared to the results from clinical evaluations (semistructured family interviews), which were considered the gold standard. FACES III was also used with a sample of 102 families in the community. The Beavers-Timberlawn and GARF scales were strongly and positively correlated with the clinical evaluations. In contrast, our results suggest that FACES III is not a useful screening tool in primary care to detect the risk of psychiatric disorders. The Beavers-Timberlawn and GARF instruments showed great usefulness for formulating and classifying diagnoses of family functioning.

Fatores associados ao envolvimento do pai nos cuidados do lactente

OBJECTIVE To identify factors associated with the lack of active father involvement in infant care at four months of age. METHODS Cross-sectional study involving families of 153 infants at four months of age, interviewed in their homes by two family therapists. In addition to father involvement in infant care, sociodemographic, parental mental health (using the Self Report Questionnaire-20 scale and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV criteria assessment) and quality of couple relationship characteristics (using the Assessment of Relational Functioning from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV) were analyzed. Poisson regression was employed to assess the association between lack of father involvement in child care and the variables selected. Prevalence ratio was used to estimate the magnitude of associations. RESULTS Fathers of 13% of infants had no contact with their children. Among families whose parents lived together (78% of all), 33% of the fathers reported not actively participating in their childrens care. Problematic couple relationship and mother as a housewife were associated with lack of father involvement in infant care. CONCLUSIONS High prevalence of families whose father is not actively involved with infant care, especially when couple relationship is problematic and the mother does not have a paid job.

Variáveis psicossociais e desempenho em leitura de crianças de baixo nível socioeconômico

This longitudinal study investigated the impact of psychosocial factors on reading performance of children with low socioeconomic status. Fifty nine mothers and their children at 4 months, 2, 5-6 and 9-11 years of age participated. The childrens reading performance was correlated with psychosocial variables. Negative correlations were found between maternal psychiatric morbidity in early childhood and reading of irregular words, and between the number of family members living with the child at 2 and 5-6 years and word reading performance. Family income at 2 years correlated positively with reading comprehension. However, only the number of family members who lived with the child was a predictor of reading performance. The results indicate that reading performance is related to psychosocial factors.

Portuguese Translation and Validation of the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale

The absence of a translated and validated instrument for measuring marital satisfaction in Brazil, the largest country in South America and fifth most populous country in the world, is a significant barrier for research and mental health service delivery. The purpose of this study was to translate and validate a marital satisfaction scale into Portuguese that would have both empirical credibility and cultural relevance in Brazil. A six-step serial approach was used to simultaneously translate and culturally validate the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS). The translated instrument (RDAS-P) demonstrated good psychometric properties during field testing.

Factors associated with father involvement in infant care

OBJECTIVE To identify factors associated with the lack of active father involvement in infant care at four months of age. METHODS Cross-sectional study involving families of 153 infants at four months of age, interviewed in their homes by two family therapists. In addition to father involvement in infant care, sociodemographic, parental mental health (using the Self Report Questionnaire-20 scale and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV criteria assessment) and quality of couple relationship characteristics (using the Assessment of Relational Functioning from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV) were analyzed. Poisson regression was employed to assess the association between lack of father involvement in child care and the variables selected. Prevalence ratio was used to estimate the magnitude of associations. RESULTS Fathers of 13% of infants had no contact with their children. Among families whose parents lived together (78% of all), 33% of the fathers reported not actively participating in their childrens care. Problematic couple relationship and mother as a housewife were associated with lack of father involvement in infant care. CONCLUSIONS High prevalence of families whose father is not actively involved with infant care, especially when couple relationship is problematic and the mother does not have a paid job.

Problemas conjugais e outros fatores associados a transtornos psiquiátricos do pós-parto

OBJETIVO: Estudar a associacao entre transtornos mentais pos-parto e fatores demograficos e psicossociais, pre e perinatais. METODOS: Todas as familias com criancas de quatro meses da Vila Jardim - Porto Alegre (RS) - nascidos entre novembro de 1998 e dezembro de 1999 foram avaliadas. Utilizou-se o Self Report Questionnaire (SRQ-20) e entrevistas clinicas semiestruturadas individuais e do casal para fundamentar uma hipotese diagnostica segundo os criterios do da quarta edicao do Manual Diagnostico e Estatistico de Transtornos Mentais (DSM-IV). Realizou-se a avaliacao da relacao conjugal e do relacionamento da mae com as familias de origem e a rede social utilizando-se a Escala de Avaliacao Global do Funcionamento Relacional (GARF). RESULTADOS: Foram avaliadas 148 maes e os 116 pais que coabitavam. Segundo o SRQ, 34,4% das maes e 25,4% dos pais apresentaram suspeita de transtorno psiquiatrico. Clinicamente os percentuais foram maiores. Coabitar ou nao com companheiro nao esteve associado com transtorno mental materno. Na analise da totalidade do grupo de mulheres, estiveram associados: baixa renda familiar (OR=0,8; p<0,05) e a presenca de transtorno materno no passado (OR=2,2; p<0,05). O estudo apenas das mulheres que coabitavam (n=116) mostrou associacao exclusivamente com a ma qualidade da relacao conjugal (OR=7,3; p<0,05). CONCLUSAO: Este estudo reforca a necessidade de se verificar a presenca de transtorno mental materno da mae nas consultas de pre-natal e puericultura, e introduz dados sobre o pai e, especialmente, sobre a importância da relacao conjugal.

Marital Problems and Marital Satisfaction Among Brazilian Couples

As the practice of marriage and family therapy is spreading across the world, it is important for knowledge regarding marital processes and patterns to expand to countries outside of North America and Europe. This study examined common marital problems faced by Brazilian couples. The sample consisted of 80 married couples living in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Results showed that money, children, jealousy, and sex were common problems faced by Brazilian couples. There were few gender differences found. Sex and alcohol had a significant impact on marital satisfaction of wives, and sex had a significant impact on marital satisfaction of husbands.

Problematic parent-infant relationships in two-parent families: prevalence and risk factors in a Brazilian neighborhood.

INTRODUCTION Although the quality of parent-child relationships is known to be associated with the offsprings mental health, little is known about the prevalence of problematic relationships in this scenario. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of different types of early parent-infant relationships in a Brazilian population group. METHODS During 1 year, all families (n = 230) from an urban community of Porto Alegre, southern Brazil, with 4-month-old infants born in public hospitals were identified, and 148 were fully investigated by two family therapists. This study describes data on the 116 infants with two-parent families. Demographic, obstetric, and relational variables were collected through questionnaires and scales (Parent-Infant Relationship Global Assessment Scale, Global Assessment of Relational Functioning, and Self-Report Questionnaire). Prevalence ratios were calculated, and Poisson regression with robust variance was performed to adjust for covariates. RESULTS Almost 10% of mothers and 12% of fathers showed at least a significantly perturbed relationship with their 4-month-old infants. Inadequate mother-infant bonding coincided with evidence of paternal mental disorder, poor maternal social network, and discontinuation of breastfeeding at 4 months. A problematic father-infant relationship was associated with a dysfunctional couple relationship and with low infant birth weight. CONCLUSIONS There is a high prevalence of early parent-child relationship problems, suggesting a need for health system interventions. Parent-infant relational problems are prevalent very early in life and more associated with other relational problems than with socioeconomic burden.