Rosa Novo

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.

Intimacy, Sexual Desire and Differentiation in Couplehood: A Theoretical and Methodological Review

The scientific community underlines that one of the main challenges for couples is the effect of time on sexual desire. Some studies suggest that although some dimensions associated with intimacy tend to increase during the relationship, sexual desire and the related constructs tend to decrease. Some researchers have recently suggested that couples’ relationships with high degrees of sharing and fusion might be particularly detrimental for the sustenance of sexual desire. However, the authors found no empirical or theoretical studies that investigate the relations between intimacy and desire. Recovering the concept of differentiation as a possible influencing variable between intimacy and desire, this article develops reflections on this theme, which is of paramount relevance for the couple viability.

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.

Predicting couple satisfaction: the role of differentiation of self, sexual desire and intimacy in heterosexual individuals

Differentiation of self – the ability to emotionally self-regulate and to maintain a sense of autonomy within a deep intimate relationship – has been proposed as a relevant factor in couple satisfaction, but the mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. Sexual desire and intimacy have recently drawn increased attention due to the proposal that some of the relational benefits of long-term intimacy (e.g., predictability) might be detrimental to desire and satisfaction. This study aimed to test a model illustrating the role played by differentiation of self in couple satisfaction through the underlying mechanisms of sexual desire and intimacy, in a survey of 428 heterosexual individuals. The findings supported the proposed model, suggesting that differentiation of self is a predictor of desire, intimacy and couple satisfaction. Desire mediated the association between differentiation and couple satisfaction, and also the association between differentiation and intimacy. Intimacy mediated the association between desire and satisfaction. The model was sustained for women, but a different mechanism was found for men. The results provide support for the close association between intimacy, sexual desire and satisfaction, while suggesting that differentiation of self has a fundamental role in sexual desire, intimacy and couple satisfaction.

Fibromyalgia characterization in a psychosocial approach

This study aimed to characterize a group of women diagnosed with fibromyalgia, evaluating the relationship between personality and psychopathology, health status (disability, physical health, mental health, and pain), and potentially traumatic life events (PTLE) before the onset of the syndrome. The disability caused by fibromyalgia, physical and mental health status, pain, PTLE in childhood and in the course of life, and personality were assessed in a sample of 50 women with fibromyalgia, age 25–70 years (M = 46.96; SD = 10.96). A multiple correspondence analysis with all the variables identified two types of profiles and a K-Means cluster analysis confirmed two groups of patients: cluster 1 (n = 36), with better health and less psychopathological problems, named “Better adjustment” and cluster 2 (n = 14), with less health and more personality problems, named “Disorder and disability.” Pertaining to personality only, a K-Means cluster analysis replicated the three classic personality profiles (normal, neurotic, and psychopathological) identified in chronic pain patients; and the normal profile was the more prevalent (n = 22). The results enhance the importance of recognizing the heterogeneity of fibromyalgia population and the great closeness between personality and physical health, with the PTLE having a less important role than expected.

Authenticity, work and change: a qualitative study on couple intimacy

This work was supported by a PhD grant, provided by the Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal (SFRH/BD/61853/2009).

The Evolution of Some Rorschach Variables in Portuguese Children

Previous studies have drawn attention to the occurrence of important differences between the mean scores of some Rorschach variables in Portuguese samples and the normative data published by Exner. The present paper shows the evolution in the scores of 13 Rorschach variables, during the first four school years, from protocols of a sample of 22 children of both sexes. The results obtained are consistent with those found before. The authors discuss the meaning of these differences and formulate some considerations on eventual implications, both practical and theoretical, for the use of the American Comprehensive System norms in Portugal and other countries.

Partners' Similarity in Differentiation of Self is Associated With Higher Sexual Desire: A Quantitative Dyadic Study.

The relationship between sexual desire and differentiation of self in couples has been frequently discussed in clinical literature but lacks empirical support. This exploratory study investigates the associations between individual and dyadic levels of sexual desire, differentiation of self, and couple satisfaction. Similarities and discrepancies in sexual desire and differentiation of self between partners were especially targeted. Partners were expected to have a lower discrepancy of differentiation of self than unrelated individuals (Bowens similarity hypothesis). Partners’ discrepancy in differentiation of self was expected to be negatively associated with sexual desire, and higher levels of sexual desire and differentiation in the dyad were expected be positively associated with couple satisfaction. Results suggest that partners’ similarity regarding differentiation of self predicted individual sexual desire. Other findings suggest that couple satisfaction was positively associated with both sexual desire and differentiation of self. Limitations and clinical implications are discussed.

The Relationship between Structural Dimensions of Personality and School Life in Adolescence

In this cross-sectional study, we analyse the relationship between personality, which was operationalized in the PSY-5 dimensions of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - Adolescent (MMPI-A) and the way students live their lives at school, expressed through indicators of achievement, integration, and overall satisfaction. A total of 351 students, aged 14-18 years, participated in the study. The instruments were the Portuguese version of the MMPI-A and the School Life Questionnaire. Results show a pattern of significant relationships between personality traits and school life, being Disconstraint and Introversion the personality dimensions that stood out mostly in the explanation of school life variables results. Results are analysed considering the importance of personality for the development of more or less adaptive pathways in adolescence.

Personalidade e comportamentos problema: um estudo comparativo com adolescentes em contexto escolar

In this cross-sectional study we analyzed the relationship between problem behaviors in school context, such as indiscipline, disrespect or conflictuality, and personality and psychopathology, which were operationalized in the PSY-5 dimensions of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A). Participants were 351 students from 9th to 12th grades, aged from 14 to 18 years old, and distributed in three different groups, according to their report of problem behavior frequency. Instruments were the Portuguese experimental version of the MMPI-A and a questionnaire on several school dimensions, including problem behaviors. Multivariate statistical analysis of variance indicates significant differences between the groups in PSY-5 dimensions, in a pattern in which the group presenting the highest frequency of problem behaviors has higher results in the MMPI-A. Results are interpreted under a perspective that underlines the importance of personality in the comprehension of adaptation to school, as well as the relevance of psychological assessment techniques that make possible to detect, within normality contexts, students at risk of developing non-adaptive developmental pathways.