Paidéia (Ribeirão Preto)

9-18

Authors: Vanessa Barbosa Romera Leme, Zilda Aparecida Pereira Del Prette, Susana Coimbra

There is no consensus in the literature regarding the influence of family configuration on the psychological well-being of adolescents. Based on the perception of adolescents, this study evaluates the influence of family configuration, social skills and social support appraisals as potential predictors of adolescent psychological well-being. The participants were 454 adolescents aged between 13 and 17 years from nuclear, separated and remarried families. The adolescents were students in the first and second years of public high school. The data were collectively obtained in the classroom using the Social Skills Inventory for Adolescents, the Social Support Appraisal Scale and the Psychological Well-being Scale. The results indicated that family configuration is not associated with the psychological well-being of adolescents. The social skills of empathy, self-control, civility, social resourcefulness and affective approach as well as the social support appraisals from friends and family were the best predictors of adolescent psychological well-being. The implications of the results are discussed with respect to future research and interventions.

29-37

Authors: Bruno Figueiredo Damásio, Thiago Francisco Andrade, Sílvia Helena Koller

The 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey, in its initial (SF-12) and revised form (SF-12v2) is a widely used measure to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The present study evaluates the factor structure and reliability of the Brazilian version of the SF-12v2. Participants were 627 subjects (74.1% women), aged from 18 to 88 years (M = 38.6; SD = 13.16), from 17 Brazilian states. Confirmatory factor analyses suggested two pairs of error terms to be highly correlated (3a-3b; and 4a-4b). A qualitative inspection showed an overlap of content among these items. The respecified model presented adequate fit indices. Convergent validity was also tested with measures of health-related self-care, subjective happiness, life satisfaction, depression and self-efficacy. Expected correlations were found between the SF-12v2 and these measures. Results showed initial evidence in favor of using the SF-12v2 as a measure of physical and mental health in the Brazilian context.

49-56

Authors: Ana Paula Porto Noronha, Rodolfo Augusto Matteo Ambiel

Vocational interests can be defined as standards of preference, aversion or indifference to professional activities, but little is known about the factors involved in their development. From this perspective, this study attempted to clarify which variable, age or schooling, better fit comparisons of profile differentiation index. To this end, we analyzed the Escala de Aconselhamento Profissional (Professional Counseling Scale) responses of 6,824 Brazilian students between 14 and 50 years old with various levels of education. Differentiation of the interest profile was observed by subtraction between dimensions with lower and higher scores. Normality of the distributions was verified and then Analysis of Variance and Tukey’s post hoc test were conducted in relation to groups of age and schooling. The results suggest that schooling is a more appropriate variable to compare the differentiation of interests. The implications and limitations of this study are discussed, and suggestions for future studies are given.

67-75

Authors: Adrine Carvalho dos Santos, Marilice Fernandes Garotti, Ivete Furtado Ribeiro, Cleonice Alves Bosa

To become involved in states of social engagement with their caregivers is a core deficit of children with autism. This study verified the effectiveness of an intervention with caregivers for the promotion of social engagement in their children with autism. The interactions of seven dyads were video recorded before, during and after the intervention in order to record the duration of eleven states of the children’ attention engagement, coded as social engagement (SE) or non-social engagement (NSE). Eight hours of intervention were divided into meetings with all the caregivers and into individualized monitoring. After the intervention, significant differences were observed regarding the increase of SE and in the decrease of NSE and these gains were maintained at follow-up. The increase in SE was positively associated with the degree of caregivers’ adherence to the treatment. We conclude that short duration interventions can qualify caregivers as competent mediators to increase social engagements.

85-93

Authors: Nathalia Teixeira Caldas Campana, Rogério Lerner, Vinicius Frayze David

This exploratory study investigates the contributions the Clinical Risk Indicators in Child Development (CDRI) may bring for the evaluation of infants who might be considered in autistic development. To do so, results of the evaluation – using CDRI and the Modified Checklist for Autism (M-CHAT) – of 43 babies who were 18 months old were compared. The present study showed that autism is amongst the risks the CDRI detects. The statistical analysis highlights that the axis Subject Assumption (SA) may not differentiate infants who present developmental problems associated with autism from typically developing ones. The Alternate Presence/Absence (PA) axis seems to be the one that most distinguishes these groups of infants. The clinical vignette demonstrates that CDRI can be used as a guide that helps to understand the family dynamics and can guide the interventions made in public health services.

105-113

Authors: Andrea Carvalho Beluce, Katya Luciane de Oliveira

The specific characteristics of online education require of the student engagement and autonomy, factors which are related to motivation for learning. This study investigated students’ motivation in virtual learning environments (VLEs). For this, it used the Teaching and Learning Strategy and Motivation to Learn Scale in Virtual Learning Environments (TLSM-VLE). The scale presented 32 items and six dimensions, three of which aimed to measure the variables of autonomous motivation, controlled motivation, and demotivation. The participants were 572 students from the Brazilian state of Paraná, enrolled on higher education courses on a continuous education course. The results revealed significant rates for autonomous motivational behavior. It is considered that the results obtained may provide contributions for the educators and psychologists who work with VLEs, leading to further studies of the area providing information referent to the issue investigated in this study.

125-133

Authors: Scheila Krenkel, Carmen Leontina Ojeda Ocampo Moré, Cibele Cunha Lima da Motta

The social and institutional support networks structured around women who suffer violence are strategic tools when coping with the phenomenon, which is considered a public health problem. This qualitative study was aimed at understanding the relational dynamics of significant social networks of women who have experienced family violence and have resided in a shelter. A group of 12 women participated in the study and data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews and the social networks map. Data analysis was based on Grounded Theory and performed using the software Atlas.ti 5.0. The results revealed that the significant social networks were important sources of help and support in the process of coping with violence experienced by women. Results also showed that the persons in the social networks develop multiple functions and present an increasing level of relational commitment to women, especially after they leave the shelter.