Papers by Maria João Amante
e RESuMO Introdução: O foco da intervenção psicológica em contexto universitário tem sofrido alte... more e RESuMO Introdução: O foco da intervenção psicológica em contexto universitário tem sofrido alterações ao longo do tempo, centrando-se hoje, para além das questões vocacionais e de gestão de carreira, nas vicissitudes ligadas ao desenvolvimento pessoal e ao bem estar intrasubjetivo. Objetivo: descrever e analisar a atividade do Serviço de Psicologia do Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, no período de 2010 a 2015. Métodos: Análise descritiva dos pedidos recebidos no SEP (53), num total de 912 consultas prestadas, identificando género, idade, naturalidade, unidade orgânica, motivo do pedido e principais dificuldades. Resultados: Os estudantes que pedem ajuda são maioritariamente estudantes do sexo feminino (59%), que se encontram deslocados da sua terra natal, permanecendo em Viseu para estudar. Os principais motivos para o pedido de consulta são problemas de ansiedade (41%) e afeto depressivo (21%). no entanto, preocupações com o desempenho académico (15%) e outros problemas afetivos (11%) encetam este pedido de ajuda. Conclusões: Os indicadores clínicos remetem-nos para uma problemática desenvolvimental, com questões ligadas ao momento de transição para a idade adulta (com a exposição de fragilidades anteriores e a ampliação de ansiedades futuras), o que demosntra a pertinência do serviço na promoção da saúde dos estudantes por forma a potenciar competências académicas e a permitir a consolidação de um trajeto futuro.
Introduction: The focus of psychological intervention in universitary context have suffered chang... more Introduction: The focus of psychological intervention in universitary context have suffered changes through the years, centring itself today, beyond of the vocational issues and the career managing, in the variations connected to the personal development and to the well-being intrasubjective. Objective: to describe and to analyze the activity of the Psychology Service (SEP) of the Instituto Superior Politecnico de Viseu, in the period of 2010 to 2015. Methods: Descriptive analysis of the received requests in SEP (n=53), in a total of 912 provided consultations, identifying gender, age, nationality, organic unit, the reason of the request and main difficulties. Results: The students that ask for help are, mostly, feminine gender students (59%), who find themselves displaced from their birth town, remain in Viseu to study. The main reasons for the request of consultations are: anxiety problems (41%) depressed affection (21%). However, preocupations with the academic evaluation (15%) and other affective problems (11%) enter into this request for aid. Conclusions: The clinical indicators forward us to a development problematic, with issues connected to the moment of transition to the adulthood ( with a exposure of previous weaknesses and the magnification of future anxieties), such demonstrate the relevance of the service in the promotion of student’s health towards to potentiate the academic skills and to allow the consolidation of a future path.
The European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Nov 22, 2016
Student involvement in the school and the perception of parental support are core variables in th... more Student involvement in the school and the perception of parental support are core variables in the context of studies on personal and school adjustment of children and adolescents and should be considered in the context of socio-educational intervention. In this study, we formulated the following objectives: i) to understand the differences in students' involvement in school and the perception of parental support, according to several sociodemographic and school variables, ii) to analyse the relationship between involvement and the perception of parental support iii) to outline socio-educational intervention strategies in the contexts of children's lives. This is a non-experimental, correlational and cross-sectional study by means of a non-probabilistic convenience sample consisting of 150 children, aged between 10 and 16 years, attending the 2 nd and 3 rd cycles basic education [5 th-9 th years of schooling] attending a school in the central region of Portugal. The data collection instruments were "Students' Engagement in School: a Four-Dimensional Scale-SES-4DS" (Veiga 2013, 2016), the "Perceived Parental Support Scale" (Veiga, 2011) and a part with socio-demographic and school questions was added. We found significant differences in overall (and partial) amounts of student involvement and the perception of parental support, depending on the age, gender (in agency and behaviour subscales), school difficulties/retentions and methods of study (time, a place to study and a study schedule). We also found positive and significant relationships between student involvement and perception of parental support. The results are in line with the scientific literature in the field, which highlights the key role of the variables, student involvement and perception of parental support in the academic and psychosocial adjustment of young people. These should be considered in the context of socio-educational intervention. Given the above, we present areas and action strategies promoting parent and student involvement in the educational process.
Revista de estudios e investigación en psicología y educación, Nov 16, 2015
Resumen Este estudo analisa os benefícios do programa de estimulação cognitiva "Making a differen... more Resumen Este estudo analisa os benefícios do programa de estimulação cognitiva "Making a difference" em pessoas idosas institucionalizadas. Os efeitos da intervenção foram estudados em dois grupos com recurso ao desenho pré e pós teste. 14 pessoas idosas, participaram em todas as sessões e foram avaliadas com o Multidimensional Observation Scale For Elderly Subjects. Os resultados demonstraram uma pequena e não significativa alteração nos níveis de cognição, estado emocional, comportamento e relações interpessoais. Considerando os constrangimentos relacionados com as circunstâncias de vida e as limitações na saúde física e mental caracterizadoras desta população, não seriam de esperar efeitos de grande escala.
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, Feb 1, 2016
Research into families of children and young people with disability maintain that parents or care... more Research into families of children and young people with disability maintain that parents or caregivers seem to experience higher levels of global stress than parents of children without disabilities, thereby presenting a high risk of developing disorders in their health and quality of life. The aim of this study is to understand the differences in parental stress and social support among groups of parents whose children have different disabilities in the context of parental adjustment to disability. Considering that adjustment is related to the effectiveness with which the family uses its resources and the support of their social network, we intend to analyse the differences of stress and social support among groups of parents of children with different problems and to clarify the relationships between the variables under study in order to adapt family intervention strategies. For this purpose a comparative, descriptive-correlational study was undertaken. The convenience sample included 152 parents of children with different disabilities (82 with intellectual disability, 37 with motor problems and 33 with autism) supported by schools and institutions in Viseu. The instruments used were: a Portuguese version of the Parenting Stress Index (Abidin, 1995), the Social Support Questionnaire-short version (Pinheiro & Ferreira, 2001) and a Parental Questionnaire (demographic and family data). Data were collected in schools and institutions that support people with disabilities, located in the Municipality of Viseu (Portugal). The results revealed significant differences between groups of parents in the partial results of parental stress, specifically in the Hyperactivity/Distract (DI), Acceptability (AC) and Adaptability (AD), dimensions of the Child Domain subscale (CD stress) and the Role Restriction (RO), dimension of Parent Domain subscale (PD stress). With regard to social support dimensions, we found significant differences between parents in the extent and availability of the social support network (SSQN).
Innovation in Aging, Jun 30, 2017
As Alzheimer's disease continues to place enormous burden on both the individuals and society, an... more As Alzheimer's disease continues to place enormous burden on both the individuals and society, an identification of the patterns of cognitive change over time receives growing attention. This study identifies a mixture of heterogeneous trajectories of cognitive changes in the population-based longitudinal panel survey. Data came from a four-wave panel survey; Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA) from 2006 to 2012. A sample of 2,445 is selected; 60 years of age or older who did not show cognitive impairment (i.e., MMSE-K greater than 24) in 2006. Cognitive function was assessed by MMSE-K. The latent growth mixture models (LGMM) were estimated in Mplus 7 to identify heterogeneous groups with cognitive change over time. Two distinct classes of patterns of change in cognitive functions show the best model fit. Class 1 (Stable group) represents 91.5% of the study sample, indicating relatively stable, yet somewhat downward trend over six years as noted by mean scores of MMSE-K (T1 = 26.9, T2 = 25.9, T3 = 24.9, T4 = 25.7). On the other hand, Class 2 (Rapid decline group; 8.5%) shows sharp decline from T1 to T3 (26.3, 20.2, 16.6) and stay around 16.7 at T4. A post-hoc analysis indicates that the rapid decline group were more likely to be female, have lower educational level, have more IADLs, and have lower participation with social activities. Disentangling two heterogeneous patters of cognitive changes over time among older adults has significant implication for research, practice, and policy for older individuals with Alzheimer's disease and their family.
European Psychiatry, 2012
Portugal is the second country in Europe with a greater number of cases of teenage pregnancy, and... more Portugal is the second country in Europe with a greater number of cases of teenage pregnancy, and this fact associated with the onset of many disorders psycho-pathology in this age group (INE, 2009). Against this background, this research aims to evaluate the response of social withdrawal in infants of adolescent mothers with depression and anxiety, three months after delivery. As tools to be used Bonding Scale, The Alarm Distress Bebe Scale (ADBB), the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS) and the Inventory of State-Trait Anxiety (STAI). The sample of this research will consist of approximately 150 teenage mothers and their babies living in the central region of Portugal.The major goal behind this research project is that it be implemented in order to allow for future empirical contributions targeted strategies for the prevention of depression and anxiety in the postpartum period in adolescence, supported the preparation of manuals of good practice.
European Psychiatry, 2012
Introduction: We are increasingly emphasizing the well-being and integral development of the chil... more Introduction: We are increasingly emphasizing the well-being and integral development of the child / young person, and all the surrounding legislation is essential in order to guarantee their rights. Objectives: To understand how institutionalized young people from an institution in the central part of the country position themselves at the level of the institution, school, prospects for the future and their satisfaction with life. Methodology: This is a qualitative investigation, using a Questionnaire of Inquiry Instrument and a Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), which was translated and measured for the Portuguese population by the author Simoes (1992 ). The present study had a sample of 11 institutionalized subjects aged between 11 and 22, 5 of whom were female and 6 were male. Results: It is concluded that young people consider that the institution works in favor of what they like and, in school terms, they consider it a conducive means for a better future. Regarding the prosp...
The evaluation of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in children and adolescents allows the i... more The evaluation of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in children and adolescents allows the identification of risk groups and provides very relevant indications for health promotion (Gaspar & Matos, 2008) and, eventually, for academic success. The aim of this study was to explore the relation between HRQoL and academic performance in a sample of 30 subjects (13 females, 17 males) aged 12 to 18 years (M = 14.1; DP = 1.73). For this purpose, the subjects of the sample were evaluated with KIDSCREEN-52 (KIDSCREEN GROUP, 2004, Portuguese version of Gaspar & Matos, 2008). The Spearman correlation was used to explore the interrelations between HRQoL and academic performance, operationalized as the average grade, on a scale of 0 to 20. We found, for a level of significance of .05, significant correlations between academic performance and Moods & Emotions (rho = .426, p = .019); Parent relation and Home Life (rho = .431, p = .017) and School
Atencion Primaria, 2016
Introduction: Institutionalized children exposed to early adverse experiences are a particularly ... more Introduction: Institutionalized children exposed to early adverse experiences are a particularly vulnerable group with a high risk of developing health problems. Objectives: i) to know the representations of attachment in institutionalized children; ii) to understand if there are differences of attachment, according to some sociodemographic variables; iii) outline socio-educational intervention strategies in the children’s life’s contexts. Methods: This is an exploratory and cross-sectional study, using for this purpose, a non-probabilistic and convenience sample composed of 82 institutionalized children, aged between 8 and 17 years old. The gathering instruments were the Sociodemographic Questionnaire and the Inventory Attachment for Children and Adolescents. Results: The results show that most children have secure attachment representations, followed by the avoidant attachment representations. We also found signiicant differences in the results of attachment, according to the gender (in avoidant attachment and ambivalent attachment) and in the institutionalization time (in the ambivalent attachment). Conclusions: The results show promising lines of research, being our purpose to outline socio-educational intervention strategies for children in their pathways of life by promoting protective factors, especially the establishment of secure relationships, thus promoting better quality of life and well-being
Revista de Estudios e Investigación en Psicología y Educación, Dec 17, 2017
O objetivo deste estudo consiste na avaliação da intervenção socioeducativa de Educadores Sociais... more O objetivo deste estudo consiste na avaliação da intervenção socioeducativa de Educadores Sociais, em contexto de visitas domiciliárias a pessoas idosas que vivem sozinhas. Trata-se dum estudo qualitativo de natureza exploratória, com recurso à análise documental de 28 relatórios. Da análise emergiram duas dimensões: Atividades, destacando-se a categoria Tipo de atividades, que revelou a diversidade da intervenção (estimulação motora, cognitiva, sensorial, de desenvolvimento pessoal e social, lúdicas); Avaliação, identifica-se a intervenção como muito positiva para os beneficiários, salientando-se a importância para redução da solidão. Concluiu-se que é de extrema importância, para além dos cuidados básicos, a intervenção socioeducativa em domicílio.
European Proceedings of Social & Behavioural Sciences, 2016
The functional profile of the social educator is based on the development of theoretical, technic... more The functional profile of the social educator is based on the development of theoretical, technical and personal/relational skills, which should guide training courses organization. Assuming the shortcomings of a merely theoretical approach, besides a consistent preparation in theoretical and essential technical contents for socio-educational intervention, practice in context should be favoured as an opportunity to develop professional skills, together with a critical reflection on the functional profile. This study emerges from the need to reflect and rethink the internship, as well as how the respective supervision is developed, of the degree in social education at the School of Education of the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, and it is based on the students' perceptions about the impact of the internship on personal development. This is a qualitative and exploratory study, using the documentary analysis of 50 final internship reports. From the content analysis, four categories emerged referring to gains in terms of acquiring and managing knowledge, development of technical skills, personal and relational development and reinforcement of professional identity. The importance given to personal and relational development should be noted (41.4% of mentions) taking into account its relevance in constructing a professional identity. Findings on the technical skills and on the increase of profession knowledge, also by mobilising theoretical training, positively reinforce the internship model that is based on a proximity supervision approach and on a dialogical perspective of the professional learning.
Evaluating the impact of an intervention is a very important stage in social educators' practice,... more Evaluating the impact of an intervention is a very important stage in social educators' practice, since it allows them to improve the quality of socio-educational projects. The aim of this study is to rethink the internship of the social education degree through students' perceptions about the impact of their projects in the community. This is a qualitative and exploratory study using documental analysis of 50 internship final reports of a social education degree from a Portuguese polytechnic higher education institution and whose emerging categorical content analysis was performed with NVivo software. The analysis revealed four distinct indicators linked to the project (accomplished objectives, evaluation of activities, sustainability and innovation), the target group (participation, motivation and benefits), the institution (satisfaction of collaborators, improved dynamic, routines and space enhancements), and the students (relational, reflexive and planning skills; satisfaction). It also revealed instruments, feedback, observation, document analysis and case reports as means of verification. The use of indicators related to the project's objectives, the changes perceived from the benefits in the target-group and in the institution, and the interveners' level of satisfaction should be noted as positive. Given the inconsistency in the use of formal assessment instruments, the results show the need to strengthen students' mobilisation of project assessment skills in order to improve the quality of undergraduate education.
Higher education institutions, responsible for training social educators, should ensure the const... more Higher education institutions, responsible for training social educators, should ensure the construction of a profile marked by their technical versatility and whose socio-educational intervention is directed at all people, regardless of their situations in life. Reflection on the construction of this profile is fundamental given the difficulties of identity that the profession faces. In this context, we sought to develop a study which would allow us to identify how the students of a degree course in Social Education characterise this professional, in order to reflect on the contribution of training provided by the institution concerned and, if necessary, make the adjustments arising from the results. This is a qualitative, exploratory study, using an unstructured questionnaire applied to a convenience sample of 140 Portuguese students of the three years of a degree course in Social Education. Its emerging categorical content analysis was performed using the NVivo software, version 11. The main results point to a broad vision of the profession and are not limited to the work geared to specific populations or issues, valuing the relevance of the professional in the field of non-assistance socio-educational intervention. The main area of overlap between training objectives and students' perceptions about practice allows the impact of training to be positively assessed, despite possible curricular adjustments resulting from further analysis, including the need to reinforce community intervention, undervalued by students, even though it plays a key role for social educators.
Cada família é detentora de uma estrutura e funcionamento próprios. No caso específico das famíli... more Cada família é detentora de uma estrutura e funcionamento próprios. No caso específico das famílias multidesafiadas a estrutura e funcionamento é marcada pela instabilidade e indefinição. É frequente associar-se estas famílias à ausência de competências, pois perante situações de crise, tendem a cair em bloqueios, contudo, estas existem, o importante é ajudar a família a identificá-las e a dotá-las de mecanismos que as ajudem a ultrapassar as situações de crise com que se vão deparando no seu quotidiano. Estas famílias são frequentemente associadas a grupos populacionais que vivem em contexto de pobreza e exclusão social, recorrendo, por vezes, aos apoios do Estado para sobreviver. O Rendimento Social de Inserção surge como uma política social que visa dar resposta a esses problemas sociais, associando uma prestação pecuniária a uma filosofia de inserção laboral, social e comunitária. Este projeto pretende compreender de que forma a intervenção do Educador Social contribui para o desenvolvimento de competências em famílias multidesafiadas beneficiárias do Rendimento Social de Inserção, tendo em conta a perspetiva de técnicos de protocolos do Rendimento Social de Inserção. Assim recorreu-se a uma abordagem qualitativa. Os dados serão recolhidos através de uma entrevista e analisados de acordo com a metodologia de análise de conteúdo e recurso ao programa QSR Nvivo 10. Foi realizado um teste piloto do guião da entrevista e da análise de resultados e surgiram categorias e subcategorias, que servirão de orientação para a realização do projeto, tendo sempre salvaguardado que poderão surgir novas categorias e subcategorias na implementação do projeto.Each family owns a structure and operation themselves. In the specific case of problematic families the structure and functioning is marked by instability and uncertainty. It’s often to associate these families without a lack of skills, because in the situations of crisis, tend to fall into locks, however, these skills exist and it is important to help the family identify them and provide them with mechanisms to help them overcome the crisis that will be encountering in their daily lives. These families are often associated with population groups living in the context of poverty and social exclusion using sometimes the state support to survive. The Social Integration emerges as a social policy that aims to address these social problems, associating a cash benefit to a philosophy of labor insertion, social and community. This project aims to understand how the intervention of a social educator contributes to the development of skills in these kinds of families that use beneficiaries of Social Insertion Income, taking into account the perspective of technical protocols of Social Integration. So we used a qualitative approach. It was conducted a pilot test of the interview guide and the analysis of the results and emerged categories and subcategories which will guide the implementation of the project, always safeguarded that may arise new categories and subcategories in the project implementation
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2016
Research into families of children and young people with disability maintain that parents or care... more Research into families of children and young people with disability maintain that parents or caregivers seem to experience higher levels of global stress than parents of children without disabilities, thereby presenting a high risk of developing disorders in their health and quality of life. The aim of this study is to understand the differences in parental stress and social support among groups of parents whose children have different disabilities in the context of parental adjustment to disability. Considering that adjustment is related to the effectiveness with which the family uses its resources and the support of their social network, we intend to analyse the differences of stress and social support among groups of parents of children with different problems and to clarify the relationships between the variables under study in order to adapt family intervention strategies. For this purpose a comparative, descriptive-correlational study was undertaken. The convenience sample included 152 parents of children with different disabilities (82 with intellectual disability, 37 with motor problems and 33 with autism) supported by schools and institutions in Viseu. The instruments used were: a Portuguese version of the Parenting Stress Index (Abidin, 1995), the Social Support Questionnaire-short version (Pinheiro & Ferreira, 2001) and a Parental Questionnaire (demographic and family data). Data were collected in schools and institutions that support people with disabilities, located in the Municipality of Viseu (Portugal). The results revealed significant differences between groups of parents in the partial results of parental stress, specifically in the Hyperactivity/Distract (DI), Acceptability (AC) and Adaptability (AD), dimensions of the Child Domain subscale (CD stress) and the Role Restriction (RO), dimension of Parent Domain subscale (PD stress). With regard to social support dimensions, we found significant differences between parents in the extent and availability of the social support network (SSQN).
RESUMO O presente projeto de investigação pretende apresentar um estudo sobre o desenvolvimento p... more RESUMO O presente projeto de investigação pretende apresentar um estudo sobre o desenvolvimento psicossocial de crianças dos 3 aos 5 anos, em contexto de alcoolismo nos progenitores. Propomo-nos a estudar a influência do alcoolismo do progenitor, mãe ou pai, no desenvolvimento psicossocial da criança, menina ou menino. O estudo será feito a partir de um questionário de dados sociodemográficos e de uma grelha de observação de desenvolvimento psicossocial de crianças, filhas de pais alcoólicos, que serão preenchidas por educadores de infância. Será constituída uma amostra de crianças, filhas de pais com diagnóstico de dependência e uso nocivo de álcool. Procurar-se-á que a mesma seja constituída em igual número por crianças filhas de mães alcoólicas e por crianças filhas de pais alcoólicos. Este estudo pretenderá contribuir para aumentar o conhecimento acerca dos efeitos do alcoolismo parental no desenvolvimento psicossocial da criança e desta forma fornecer as bases para o delinear de estratégias e programas de prevenção e de promoção de um desenvolvimento psicossocial saudável nas crianças filhas de pais alcoólicos.ABSTRACT This research project aims to present a study on the psychosocial development of children from 3 to 5 years in the context of alcoholism among the parents. We propose to study the influence of alcohol from parent, mother or father in the psychosocial development of children, girl or boy. The study will be done from a socio-demographic questionnaire and an observation grid of psychosocial development of children whose parents are alcoholics, which will be filled by early childhood educators. The sample will consist of children, whose parents are diagnosed with dependence and harmful use of alcohol. We will try to compose the sample in equal numbers by children of alcoholic mothers and children of alcoholic parents. This study intends to raise awareness about the effects of parental alcoholism on the psychosocial development of children and thus provide the basis for shaping strategies and programs for prevention and promotion of a healthy psychosocial development in children of alcoholic parents
Revista de Estudios e Investigación en Psicología y Educación, 2015
O desenvolvimento da terapia de estimulação cognitiva no âmbito da intervenção gerontológica tem ... more O desenvolvimento da terapia de estimulação cognitiva no âmbito da intervenção gerontológica tem sido associado à promoção do envelhecimento bem sucedido, visto que procura melhorar e reforçar recursos e funções cognitivas escassas, bem como manter as interações e competências sociais. De acordo com a literatura científica disponível, os três factores mais utilizados na definição do envelhecimento bem sucedido são a saúde física, bem-estar psicológico e o envolvimento em atividades sociais. No que diz respeito ao bem-estar psicológico, é importante criar oportunidades de desenvolvimento pessoal e social, o que parece ser ainda mais importante nas pessoas idosas institucionalizadas, visto que são mais sedentárias. O presente estudo analisa os benefícios do programa de estimulação cognitiva “Making a difference” em pessoas idosas institucionalizadas. Os efeitos da intervenção foram estudados em dois grupos com recurso ao desenho pré e pós teste. As 14 sessões do programa, com uma dura...
Revista de Estudios e Investigación en Psicología y Educación, 2015
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Papers by Maria João Amante