Repositório RCAAP

Abstract The shortage of opportunities to access effective interventions for autism in developing countries is a major concern. Research on parent-implemented interventions is critical for the dissemination of evidence-based treatments. The present study evaluated the efficacy of a parent-implemented intervention program that is offered to low and lower middle-class families in northern Brazil. The participants were three children who were diagnosed with autism and their respective parents/caregivers. All of the parents had received training on the implementation of discrete-trial teaching. We collected data on the children's performance and evaluated the integrity of the parent-implemented intervention. The results showed improvements in performance for two of the three children whose parents implemented the intervention with a high degree of integrity. For the third parent whose child had lower performance, low attendance during the training sessions was correlated with the child's slower rate of acquisition. These findings support the potential benefits of parent-implemented intervention programs for children with autism and extend to the socio-cultural context of developing countries, such as Brazil.

Abstract The scientific method is indispensable for the consolidation of evidence-based Psychology. However, Psychology is a discipline permeated by doubts about its scientific nature, and there are resistances to the scientific method by its students and professionals. The aim of this study was to verify relations between Attitude towards Science in Psychology's scores (ATSP) and sociodemographic characteristics. Participants were 611 people, students or professionals of Psychology, from all regions of Brazil, with 18 to 75 years, 64.2% women. Participants answered a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Attitude towards Science in Psychology Scale. Men presented ATSP more favorable than women, as did students from private universities compared to public universities and people who work in relation to those who do not work. Rio de Janeiro presented lower rates of ATSP compared to other states in the South and Southeast. The results promote preliminary findings of variables involved in the difficulty of constructing a scientific psychology in Brazil.

Abstract The growing importance of human capital to the success of organizations has increased the efforts to learn what companies can do to attract and retain employees capable of helping them succeed. This paper investigated what individual, organizational and contextual variables predicted competent performance, job satisfaction, and intention to remain in the organization. Participants were 262 Brazilian professionals, who answered a survey online containing measures to assess individual (sociodemographic data, personality, and moral forces), organizational (labor data, contractual, constituent, calculative and behavioral forces), and contextual aspects (perceptions about the labor market, perceived employment opportunities, and nomative forces). Their mean age was 35.4 years (SD = 8.74) and 63% were men. Three independent hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted. Results indicate that: individual aspects were the best predictors of competent performance; organizational variables only predicted Job satisfaction, and that individual, organizational, and contextual variables predicted intention to remain. We conclude that, although different variables predict performance, satisfaction and retention of professionals, the calculative force predicts these three variables. We recommend, therefore, that evidence-based management enable clear career dialogues between employees and organizational representatives, in order to retain valuable professionals and promote satisfactory experiences in organizations.

Abstract Signed since 1990, school inclusion has brought challenges to the teaching practice not only due to the demands of teaching-learning, but also of the relation with the included student. Therefore, the present study aimed to characterize teachers about emotional competence and coping styles, as well as evaluate the quality of the included student-teacher relationship and the association between these variables. An analytical, quantitative and cross-sectional, observational study was carried out, involving 63 teachers from schools that attend students with deficits in the performance of mental/intellectual functions in São Leopoldo-RS. They responded to the Sociodemographic and Labor Questionnaire, the Inventory of Emotional Competencies, the Brief Scale COPE and the Teacher-Student Relationship Scale. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyzes (Pearson's correlation and Multiple Linear Regression) revealed that although teachers have emotional skills and adaptive coping strategies, the conflict factor was highlighted in the evaluation of the teacher-student relationship, with self-blame, positive reinterpretation and humor being the strategies that best explain it. Thus, the importance of investing in training actions in the area of inclusion is confirmed, since the demands involved in this work tend to overwhelm teachers, reflecting on the quality of their relationship with the included student.

Abstract People are victims of consumer fraud and scams on a daily basis. However, in most cases, the victims could have detected the fraud if only they had checked for inconsistencies in the scammer's message. What makes some people detect and avoid a scam while others fall prey to it? This article investigates, in two experiments, the effects of ego depletion, issue involvement, need for cognition, and strength and valence of arguments on attitudes and attitude change. Experiment 1 tested the hypothesis that, in the case of high ego depletion, the participants' attitudes would be similar in both strong and weak argument conditions, whereas in the case of low ego depletion, their attitudes would be significantly more favorable in strong argument conditions. In Experiment 2, we hypothesized that participants' attitudes would follow the direction of the valence of the persuasive message presented to them. The results corroborated the hypothesis of Experiment 2 alone. Overall, the results indicate a low tendency for the participants to agree with the persuasive messages. Future studies could benefit from using different manipulations of the elaboration likelihood and from testing the persuasiveness of fraudulent messages.

Abstract Understanding how people forget is one of the fundamental goals of the science of memory. Recent studies indicate that humans can voluntarily regulate awareness of unwanted memories by stopping the retrieval process that would ordinarily bring past experience into awareness. Event-related potential (ERP) research on memory retrieval reveals that electrophysiological effects with specific timing and scalp topography serve as markers of memory processes. This systematic review examines the literature regarding EEG alterations in memory suppression, highlighting their results on electrophysiological indicators. A systematic review from January 2007 to November 2017 was conducted using PubMed, Embase and ScienceDirect databases. As results, 12 studies were eligible for inclusion. Quantitative EEG can be a objective tool for studying the mechanisms involved in memory suppression. There is evidence that a parietal positivity around 400-800ms after cue presentation is an ERP marker of conscious recollection during memory retrieval and a larger N2 deflection during retrieval suppression predicted greater suppression-induced forgetting.

Abstract Utilizing the structural approach of the Social Representations Theory, which allows an order and understanding of the reality lived by individuals/groups, this study intends to identify the central nucleus and peripheral systems of the Social Representations of Vitiligo, as well as the representational structure of the self-image that people with the affection possess. For this, 370 Brazilians with Vitiligo from all regions of Brazil, aged from 18 to 67 (M=35.71, SD=12.11) and predominantly female (80.7%), were enrolled in a study through the online completion of a social-demographic questionnaire and the Free Word Association Technique (FWAT). In the FWAT, participants’ responses were stimulated using the inductors “Vitiligo” and “Myself”, the latter being related to the self-perception that the person with the disease experiences. The data were analyzed using prototypical lexicographic analysis, performed by the Evocation 2000 software. The results indicated, from the prominence of psychosocial evocations in the representational structure of Vitiligo and the participants’ self-image, that Vitiligo’s effects are not restricted to the skin, but overlap and negatively affect the social experience and self-concept of people with the disease.

Abstract The present study examined feasibility evidence of a peer-based intervention in preventing dating violence by monitoring process indicators during the implementation phase of pilot studies. Two pilot studies were carried out in cities from different Brazilian regions with the participation of 25 high schoolers. Quantitative and qualitative measurements were used and this data was explored, respectively, by frequency count and content analysis. The study identified, on the one hand, evidence supporting the intervention, with good indicators of satisfaction and participant involvement, but on the other hand, contextual barriers that hampered recruitment, restricted the reach of the intervention, prevented the delivery of the number of planned sessions, and created roadblocks to the participants’ adherence. In spite of such barriers, monitored process indicators testify in favor of the acceptability of the intervention if integrated into the school curriculum and changed its format to make it shorter.

Abstract Authors have highlighted resilience as one of the factors that allows people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) to persist or adapt to the medical, psychological, and social implications related to seropositivity. The process by which people, through religion, try to deal with personal or situational requirements in their lives is called religious coping. This study aimed to investigate predictors of resilience among sociodemographic, medical-clinical and religious coping strategies (positive and negative). Participants of the study were 200 seropositive people (52.5% men) monitored in an HIV/AIDS outpatient clinic, who responded to the instruments: General sociodemographic and clinical-medical questionnaire; the Brief Religious Coping Scale and the Resilience Assessment Scale. Resilience was not associated with any of the sociodemographic and medical-clinical variables, however, it was significantly and positively correlated with positive religious coping and negatively correlated with negative religious coping. In the multiple regression analysis, both negative and positive religious coping were significant predictors of resilience, with higher scores in this variable resulting from more use of positive religious coping and less use of negative religious coping in the PLH sample of this study. The results indicate important effects that religious coping can have on the process of overcoming adversities related to the experience of seropositivity.

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the maternal role of caring for and rearing 12-month-old babies based on Winnicott´s concepts. Twenty-five primiparous mothers answered interviews about the baby’s development and motherhood. Thematic analysis showed that the maternal role of caring for was marked by manifestations of dependence and independence, by the development transitions, and by maternal sensitivity to the signs and rhythm of the baby. Regarding the role of rearing, mothers reported different strategies when they needed to establish the baby´s limits. They also had doubts about the best way to rear the baby, since he/she often opposed the maternal limits. In summary, at 12 months, the specificity of maternal role was related to the subtle adjustment of the mother to the more active rhythm of the baby, being emotionally available to his/her new discoveries, but also allowing his/her experiences of frustration.

Abstract Possessing a good repertoire of interpersonal skills and a good performance when speaking in public can be considered indispensable for the social and academic adaptation of college students. The aim was to characterize and compare the social skills repertoire of college students from different fields of study (the human, exact and biological sciences) and from different higher education institutions (public and private), and to investigate the associations between these abilities and their self-assessment about speaking in public. A total of 818 college students took part, who answered the Social Skills Inventory (IHS-Del-Prette), Self-Statements During Public Speaking Scale and a Socio-demographic and Occupational Questionnaire. The groups did not differ significantly in relation to their social skills’ repertoire, with most of the participants (n = 432) having a below-average repertoire of abilities when compared to the normative group of the instrument. It was found that male college students and those who had a partner, a job or their own income, and direct contact with the public gave more positive self-assessments about speaking in public. The skills’ classes of self-exposure to strangers and new situations, self-confidence in expressing positive feelings, conversation and social resourcefulness, self-control of aggressivity, and coping and self-confidence with risk, and having a vocational course were the variables that predicted a more positive self-assessment by college students about speaking in public.

Abstract Academic procrastination is characterized by the non-strategic postponement of commitments, implying a delay in starting or completing actions or decisions related to academic activities. This article describes the construction and psychometric analysis of a new self-report tool for the assessment of a broad spectrum of latent academic procrastination. Participants were 172 students from different undergraduate courses of a university in São Paulo (mean age = 23.66; standard deviation = 6.61; 68% women). Factor analyses conducted on an initial 60-item pool yielded a unidimensional 20-item set, with items loading from moderate to high in a general factor of academic procrastination. Reliability found for the scale was .91 according to the alpha coefficient, and .93 according to omega, with a wide latent coverage, as suggested by the test information curve. The resulting instrument is available for research purposes in Brazil, and can be included in questionnaires of large-scale education assessments.

Abstract The aim of this study was to develop a version of the Dimensional Clinical Personality Inventory 2 (IDCP-2) focusing on the Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD) traits according to the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) model, and to verify its psychometric properties. The method was divided into two stages. The first was related to the revision procedures of the IDCP-2 based on the HiTOP, focusing on the assessment of features typical of HPD. The second aimed to verify the psychometric properties of the new version of the IDCP-2 (i.e., IDCP-HPD) in a convenience sample (N=208), mainly composed of women, with data collection carried out online. The IDCP-HPD was administered with the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) and Five-Factor Histrionic Inventory (FFHI) factors. Of the 16 initial traits provided by the HiTOP, 8 were selected as relevant for the HPD and 17 items were selected to compose the new factors. The 4 factor solution found through exploratory structural equation modeling, the correlations with the external measures and the effects found in the between-group comparisons suggest the psychometric adequacy of the IDCP-HPD. The findings of this study should be interpreted as initial evidence for the IDCP-HPD, indicating the practicality of the test.

Abstract The legalization of cannabis in Brazil is a topic that is currently being discussed. As well as public health issues, it also involves social, legal and educational aspects. Accordingly, this study aimed to verify the perception of psychiatrists and recovering cannabis users regarding the legalization of cannabis in Brazil. This was an exploratory qualitative study. The study included 20 participants aged 26 to 71 (80% male), 10 composing the group of psychiatrists, and 10 the group of recovering cannabis users. Semi-structured interviews were performed and analyzed using content analysis. The majority of the participants (85%) were not in favor of cannabis legalization Brazil. The reports mentioned physical, psychic and social damage, as well as the absence and inefficiency of public policies. However, they were positive regarding cannabidiol treatments for refractory diseases. More studies are needed that contemplate this theme, encompassing other populations, in order to provide better explanations.

Abstract Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals may have lower levels of mental health compared to heterosexual people. This study examined the impact of sexual orientation on the components of minority stress (victimization, internalized homophobia and concealment of sexual orientation), and the moderating role of social and family support in the relationship between sexual orientation and minority stress components. A total of 715 LGB people participated in this study, of which 29.1% reported being lesbian (n = 208), 32.2% gay (n = 230) and 38.8% bisexual (n = 277). Their ages ranged from 18 to 70 years (M = 24.14, SD = 7.18). The questionnaire was disseminated through social networks and answered on an online platform. A path analysis with moderation effects was conducted to test the interactions between the variables sexual orientation, victimization, internalized homophobia and concealment of sexual orientation. No relationship was found between the variables cited, which can be explained by the sociodemographic characteristics (race/ethnicity, income, education) of the participants. These results may be associated with a response bias due to the profile of the participant sample of the present study.

Abstract Concerns about social skills in academic and professional settings are rarely considered. Undergraduate students and professionals without social and communication skills lead to an increase in the incidence of malpractice claims and interpersonal conflicts. The study is aimed at evaluating a psychoeducational intervention focused on improving social skills for incoming medical students at a bilingual university. A psychoeducational intervention was conducted in a required course from first academic term with 57 incoming medical students from Brazil and other Latin America Countries whose average age was 21.28 (SD = 4.04). The psychoeducational intervention occurred fortnightly for seven sessions which aimed to develop theoretical knowledge about communication and interpersonal relationships in academic and professional settings, interpersonal patterns, teamwork, and interpersonal problem solving. Prior and after the intervention, the students answered two self-report instruments to identify social skills and their academic experience. After the intervention, there was a significant average increase in scores related to social skills and academic experience. These increases were evident in the dimension/factor scores, as well as the total scores. The results demonstrated the importance of early and short-term interventions as a way to develop social and communication skills.

Abstract In the last few years, there has been a rising tension in Brazilian politics between individuals who identify as left-wing and those who identity as right-wing. Sometimes those tensions have resulted in radical behavior from people who identify with either side of the political spectrum. This paper has two main goals: (a) to investigate (using the Moral Foundations Theory as a basis) the moral matrices of participants who identify as being left, center-left, center-right, and right; and (b) to compare the indices of activism and radicalism between participants with different political orientations. There were 226 participants in the study, most of which were from the Federal District (64.16%). The participants answered an online survey composed of the Moral Foundations Questionnaire, the Activism and Radicalism Intention Scale, and informed demographic data (including their political preference). Differences were found in the moral matrices of participants with different political positions. Higher indices of activism and radicalism were found among participants who self-declared as being left and center-left. Based on the field’s literature, the perception of unfairness held by individuals who identify as left in the current political context may help to understand these findings.

Abstract The study aims to understand community resilience processes (CR) and their related factors, through a case study of a community in Fortaleza, CE, which originated from an urban occupation and was characterized by low social indicators. A single case study was performed, based on the Ecological Insertion and on 10 interviews conducted with community leaders and inhabitants. The data were submitted to Content Analysis and two categories of analysis were identified: adversities experienced and factors that favor community resilience. The main adversities relate to structural difficulties, violence and stigma from violence associated with the location. CR processes are illustrated in the community struggles for basic rights and are based on the following factors: social capital, cultural ties and the infrastructure that supports the growth of the community. This demonstrates the relevance of the concept of CR in the study of adversities, such as poverty and violence, which are historically less emphasized in studies concerning CR, even though these are the most chronic and frequent within the Brazilian context.

Abstract The high number of Autism Spectrum Disorder’s (ASD) cases determines a great need for specialized service for this population. This is particularly critical, considering the intensity required according to the specialized literature. Parental training may be an affordable alternative to provide this intervention with a high integrity and less costs, and tools such as videomodeling may facilitate the efficiency of such training procedures. This work aimed to evaluate, with strict experimental control, the efficiency of instructional videomodeling while training parents of children with ASD to implement Discrete Trial Instruction. Three mother-child dyads participated: Beatriz (27 years) and Luan (3 years); Eliana (30 years old) and Igor (2 years old); Vanessa (40 years old) and Daniel (4 years old). The results showed an increase in the performance accuracy of all mothers in the application of discrete trials, with an average duration of 4 hours. It is possible that this type of instructional tool has an effect on motivation and broadly promotes access to training contingencies, unlike the limitations of face-to-face training. However, it is important to emphasize that this tool only reaches its full function if it is inserted within a broader training program.

Abstract The practice of euthanasia activates the debate about the scope of therapeutic efforts in limited situations and involves the society in the discussion of values and social beliefs implicated in the management of the person. The objective was to analyze the social representations about euthanasia between students of law and medicine. A free association questionnaire was applied with the inductor term: euthanasia, with 120 university students. The data were separately submitted to a prototypical analysis (IRaMuTeQ Software) and to a multiple correspondence analysis - MCA (R.TeMiS Software). Through the prototypical analysis, some variations were identified in the central core hypothesis, which referred to the possibility of two distinct social representations. Through the MCA, a lexical field was observed, linked to the image of death for the Medicine group and to values and norms for the Law group, with religion as a significant variable in the reorganization of the representational field, being able to accentuate a negative and condemnatory dimension on this practice.