Browsing by Author "Motta, Carolina"
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- Attitudes towards mental health problems scale : Confirmatory factor analysis and validation in the Portuguese populationPublication . Cabral, Joana Moura; Carvalho, Célia; Motta, Carolina; Sousa, Marina; Gilbert, PaulSeveral studies about stigmatization and shame toward mental health problems have contributed to minimizing the impact of these negative attitudes on people diagnosed with mental illnesses, on their families and on their communities. The Attitudes Towards Mental Health Problems Scale (ATMHP) is a self-report scale aimed at the assessment of attitudes toward mental health that involve several factors relating to attitudes and shame (internal, external, and reflected shame) when facing mental health problems. The goal of the current study was to translate, and to adapt this scale to the Portuguese population, and to study its psychometric properties in a sample of Azorean adults with and without psychiatric problems. The scale was administered to 411 participants with ages between 19 and 81 years. Confirmatory factor analysis was carried out on the initial model proposed by the authors of the ATMHP, and results showed a poor adjustment. An alternative model comprising an additional factor was tested and presented good model fit indices. Based on the alternative model, further analysis revealed that the scale has good psychometric properties.
- Biting myself so I don’t bite the dust : prevalence and predictors of deliberate self-harm and suicide ideation in Azorean youthsPublication . Carvalho, Célia; Motta, Carolina; Sousa, Marina; Cabral, Joana MouraTo characterize non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) behaviors, methods, and functions as well as suicide ideation in the adolescent population of a Portuguese community in São Miguel Island, Azores. Increasing rates of NSSI behaviors among adolescents have been observed globally, while suicidal behavior has been pointed as a major cause of death during adolescence. A sample of 1,763 adolescents, aged 14 to 22, was randomly drawn from public and private schools and administered a set of self-report questionnaires. Descriptive and regression analyses were used to look for specific relationships and predictors of NSSI and suicide ideation in this isolated community. Approximately 30% of youths reported at least one NSSI behavior, a rate that is twice as high as most studies carried out in mainland Portugal and in other European countries. Biting oneself was the most frequent form of NSSI, and NSSI behaviors served predominantly automatic reinforcement purposes (i.e., regulation of disruptive emotional states). NSSI and suicide ideation encompassed different distal and proximal risk factors. Exploring and characterizing these phenomena is necessary to provide a better understanding, enhance current conceptualizations, and guide the development of more effective prevention and intervention strategies in youths.
- Characterization and predictors of community integration of people with psychiatric problems : comparisons with the general populationPublication . Cabral, Joana; Carvalho, Célia; Motta, Carolina; Sousa, MarinaCommunity integration is a construct that an increasing body of research has shown to have a significant impact in well-being and recovery of people with psychiatric problems. However, there are few studies that explore which factors can be associated and predict community integration. Moreover, community integration has been mostly studied in minority groups, and currently literature on the definition and manifestation of community integration in the more general population is scarce. Thus, the current study aims to characterize community integration and explore possible predictor variables in a sample of participants with psychiatric problems (PP, N=183) and a sample of participants from the general population (GP, N=211). Results show that people with psychiatric problems present above average values of community integration, but are significantly lower than their healthy counterparts. It was also possible to observe that community integration does not vary in terms of the socio-demographic characteristics of both groups in this study. Correlation and multiple regression showed that, among several variables that literature present as relevant in the community integration process, only three variables emerged as having the most explanatory value in community integration of both groups: sense of community, basic needs satisfaction and submission. These results also shown that those variables have increased explanatory power in the PP sample, which leads us to emphasize the need to address this issue in future studies and increase the understanding of the factors that can be involved in the promotion of community integration, in order to devise more effective interventions in this field.
- Characterization and Predictors of Community Integration of People with Psychiatric Problems : Comparisons with the General PopulationPublication . Cabral, Joana Moura; Carvalho, Célia; Motta, Carolina; Sousa, MarinaCommunity integration is a construct that an increasing body of research has shown to have a significant impact on the wellbeing and recovery of people with psychiatric problems. However, there are few studies that explore which factors can be associated and predict community integration. Moreover, community integration has been mostly studied in minority groups, and current literature on the definition and manifestation of community integration in the general population is scarcer. Thus, the current study aims to characterize community integration and explore possible predictor variables in a sample of participants with psychiatric problems (PP, N=183) and a sample of participants from the general population (GP, N=211). Results show that people with psychiatric problems present above average values of community integration, but are significantly lower than their healthy counterparts. It was also possible to observe that community integration does not vary in terms of the sociodemographic characteristics of both groups in this study. Correlation and multiple regression showed that, among several variables that literature present as relevant in the community integration process, only three variables emerged as having the most explanatory value in community integration of both groups: sense of community, basic needs satisfaction and submission. These results also shown that those variables have increased explanatory power in the PP sample, which leads us to emphasize the need to address this issue in future studies and increase the understanding of the factors that can be involved in the promotion of community integration, in order to devise more effective interventions in this field.
- Como são vistos os problemas de saúde mental : A perceção de indivíduos com e sem perturbações psiquiátricas sobre o estigma e as atitudes negativas perante os problemas de saúde mentalPublication . Cabral, Joana; Motta, Carolina; Sousa, Marina; Benevides, Joana; Carvalho, CéliaO desconhecimento referente aos problemas de saúde mental levou a que ao longo dos tempos tenham sido alvo de crenças inapropriadas (Corrigan, 2010). À medida que se foram descobrindo e desenvolvendo novos conhecimentos sobre a saúde mental, estas crenças foram-se alterando (Manderscheid, Ryff, Freeman, McKnight-Eily; Dhingra & Strine, 2010), no entanto, o estigma manteve-se (Schomerus, 2012), sendo que as pessoas com problemas desta natureza continuam a estar sujeitas a perceções negativas, geralmente caracterizadas por medo, estigma, rejeição, exclusão e desvalorização (Link, et al., 1997). O estigma para com pessoas com problemas psiquiátricos é considerado um dos principais obstáculos para a procura de apoio médico (Corrigan, 2004; Ghai, Sharma, Sharma & Kaur, 2013); recuperação e integração social (Corrigan, Markowitz and Watson, 2004), produzindo efeitos muito negativos no seu bem-estar (Perlick, 2001), na qualidade de vida (Corrigan, 2010) e nas relações sociais e familiares (Leff & Warner, 2008) destes indivíduos. Devido ao exposto anteriormente, Rüsch e colaboradores (2010) consideram que o estigma poderá ter consequências mais graves do que as dificuldades decorrentes dos sintomas da própria doença. De acordo com os resultados de um estudo longitudinal Whitly e Campbell, 2014) as pessoas com doença mental grave, com o passar o tempo vão aprendendo a lidar com o estigma que lhes é dirigido, tomando várias medidas para antecipar, prevenir e evitar o mesmo. Um dos fatores que favorece as atitudes relativas aos problemas psiquiátricos é a familiaridade e conhecimento da doença mental, visto que vários estudos sugerem que quanto maior o contacto com pessoas com estes problemas, mais positivas tendem a ser as atitudes perante esta problemática (Carigan et al., 2001 e Dessoki & Hifnaw, 2009, Vezzoli et al., 2007). Torna-se, premente continuar a profundar o conhecimento neste âmbito, visto que vários estudos consideram que o conhecimento deste fenómeno é um pré-requisito vital para a criação de programas eficazes de educação em saúde mental e de combate ao estigma (Vezzoli et al., 2007). Deste modo, o presente estudo tem como objetivo analisar a perceção que indivíduos com e sem perturbações psiquiátricas revelam sobre o estigma e as atitudes relacionadas com os problemas desta natureza.
- Descobrindo o endofenótipo da esquizofrenia : estudos das variáveis neuropsicológicas e da cognição social em amostras açorianas de diferentes graus de risco genéticoPublication . Motta, Carolina; Carvalho, Célia; Castilho, Paula; Pato, Michele T.Enquadramento: A esquizofrenia é uma perturbação cerebral complexa e hereditária, que engloba custos significativos em termos de cuidados de saúde e implica consequências psicossociais severas ao doente e seus cuidadores (tensão familiar, diminuição do bem-estar, da autonomia e da expectativa de vida). As coortes das ilhas portuguesas tem sido um alvo de particular interesse no estudo da esquizofrenia, em parte devido a existência de uma grande prevalência de casos dentro da mesma família (aproximadamente 69%), uma taxa supe-rior ao verificado noutras populações mundiais. Considerando a heterogeneidade desta doença, a atual compreensão da esquizofrenia indica a integração dos estudos genéticos e da neurobio-logia como vias preferenciais para investigação, como forma de descrever os seus aspetos endofenotípicos e estudar sistemática e empiricamente a sua patofisiologia. As recentes aplicações de medidas neurocomportamentais focam-se particularmente na relação entre diversas variáveis da cognição e da cognição social, bem como do seu impacto funcional nestes doentes. Objetivos: Este projeto tem por objetivo caracterizar os aspetos neurocognitivos e da cognição social em 3 grupos de participantes com diferentes graus de risco genético pa-ra a esquizofrenia. Pretende-se investigar eventuais diferenças funcionais nestas 3 amostras e se o funcionamento social e neurocognitivo apresenta áreas deficitárias que possam constitui um fator de vulnerabilidade à doença e de agravamento da capacidade funcional dos indivíduos afetados. Metodologia: Três amostras serão constituídas no presente estudo: doentes diagnosticados com esquizofrenia (n= 50), familiares em primeiro grau de doentes (n=60) e controlos saudáveis (n = 200). Nos Açores, diversas famílias atualmente seguidas por um consórcio internacional de genómica (Genomic Psychiatric Cohort) serão convidadas a participar neste estudo, juntamente de participantes da população geral. O método passa pela a administração de questionários e/ou entrevistas e diversos testes baseados no desempenho, nomeadamente uma bateria neurocognitiva computadorizada e uma avaliação funcional baseada na simulação de tarefas quotidianas. Conclusões: O presente projeto visa proporcionar um contributo empírico ao caracterizar a população afetada e com risco genético elevado, visando a um estudo aprofundado dos fatores neurocognitivos e da cognição social que podem estar afetados pela esquizofrenia, propondo alvos de intervenção terapêutica potencialmente eficazes e novas abordagens psicossociais e preventivas dirigidas aos doentes e seus familiares. Do ponto de vista metodológico, pretende-se, ainda, disponibilizar aos profissionais de saúde e investigadores portugueses diversos instrumentos baseados no desempenho e introduzir inovações no que toca a investigação multidisciplinar nesta doença complexa.
- Development and psychometric properties of the community integration scale of adults with psychiatric disordersPublication . Cabral, Joana Moura; Carvalho, Célia; Motta, Carolina; Silva, OsvaldoThe goal of the current study was to develop and validate the Community Integration Scale for adults with Psychiatric Problems (CISAPP), based on a multidimensional model of community integration. The three-dimensional structure (including physical, psychological, and social dimensions) and validity of CIS-APP was studied in a sample of 183 psychiatric patients from the Azores Islands-Portugal. Confirmatory Factor Analysis has led to the choice of a two-factor with a second order factor solution. Results showed that the CIS-APP is a measure with good psychometric properties, with very good internal consistency and alidity, and with relevant applicability in both clinical and research settings. Furthermore, the current outcomes have brought relevant information concerning the refinement of the theoretical community integration model that underlies the scale’s development.
- Development and Validation of the Response to Stressful Situations Scale in the General PopulationPublication . Carvalho, Célia; Motta, Carolina; Sousa, Marina; Cabral, Joana; Carvalho, Ana Luisa; Peixoto, ErmelindoThe aim of the current study was to develop and validate a Response to Stressful Situations Scale (RSSS) for the Portuguese population. This scale assesses the degree of stress experienced in scenarios that can constitute positive, negative and more neutral stressors, and also describes the physiological, emotional and behavioral reactions to those events according to their intensity. These scenario include typical stressor scenarios relevant to patients with schizophrenia, which are currently absent from most scale, assessing specific risks that these stressors may bring on subjects, which may prove useful in nonclinical and clinical populations (i.e. patients with mood or anxiety disorders, schizophrenia). Results from Principal Components Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis of on two adult samples from general population allowed to confirm a three-factor model with good fit indices: χ2 (144)= 370.211, p = 0.000; GFI = 0.928; CFI = 0.927; TLI = 0.914, RMSEA = 0.055, P( rmsea ≤ 0.005) = 0.096; PCFI = 0.781. Further data analysis on the scale revealed that RSSS is an adequate assessment tool of stress response in adults to be used in further research and clinical settings, with good psychometric characteristics, adequate divergent and convergent validity, good temporal stability and high internal consistency.
- Development and Validation of the Response to Stressful Situations Scale in the General PopulationPublication . Carvalho, Célia; Motta, Carolina; Sousa, Marina; Cabral, Joana; Carvalho, Ana Luisa; Peixoto, Ermelindo BernardoThe aim of the current study was to develop and validate a Response to Stressful Situations Scale (RSSS) for the Portuguese population. This scale assesses the degree of stress experienced in scenarios that can constitute positive, negative and more neutral stressors, and also describes the physiological, emotional and behavioral reactions to those events according to their intensity. These scenarios include typical stressor scenarios relevant to patients with schizophrenia, which are currently absent from most scales, assessing specific risks that these stressors may bring on subjects, which may prove useful in non-clinical and clinical populations (i.e. Patients with mood or anxiety disorders, schizophrenia). Results from Principal Components Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis of two adult samples from general population allowed to confirm a three-factor model with good fit indices: χ2 (144)= 370.211, p = 0.000; GFI = 0.928; CFI = 0.927; TLI = 0.914, RMSEA = 0.055, P(rmsea ≤0.005) = .096; PCFI = .781. Further data analysis of the scale revealed that RSSS is an adequate assessment tool of stress response in adults to be used in further research and clinical settings, with good psychometric haracteristics, adequate divergent and convergent validity, good temporal stability and high internal consistency.
- Emotional, cognitive and behavioral reactions to paranoia in clinical and nonclinical populationPublication . Carvalho, Célia; Pinto-Gouveia, José; Peixoto, Ermelindo; Motta, CarolinaBACKGROUND: Paranoia is a disruptive belief that can vary across a continuum, ranging from persecutory delusions presented in clinical settings to paranoid cognitions that are highly prevalent in the general population. The literature suggests that paranoid thoughts derive from the activation of a paranoid schema or information processing biases that can be sensitive to socially ambiguous stimuli and influence the processing of threatening situations. METHOD: Four groups (Schizophrenic participants in active psychotic phases, n=6; stable participants in remission, n=30; participants’ relatives, n=32; and healthy controls, n=64) were assessed with self-report questionnaires to determine how the reactions to paranoia of clinical patients differ from healthy individuals. Cognitive, emotional and behavioral dimensions of their reactions to these paranoid thoughts were examined. RESULTS: Paranoid individuals were present in all groups. Most articipants referred the rejection by others as an important trigger of paranoid ideations, while active psychotic were unable to identify triggering situations to their thoughts and reactions. This may be determinant to the different reactions and the different degree of invalidation caused by paranoid thoughts observed across groups. CONCLUSION: Clinical and non-clinical expressions of paranoid ideations differ in terms of their cognitive, emotional and behavioral components. It is suggested that, in socially ambiguous situations, paranoid participants (presenting lower thresholds of paranoid schema activation) lose the opportunity to disconfirm their paranoid beliefs by resourcing to more maladaptive coping strategies. Consequently, by dwelling on these thoughts, the amount of time spent thinking about their condition and the disability related to the disease increases.