Browsing by Author "Pereira, M. Graça"
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- Communication, forgiveness and morbidity in young adults involved in a romantic relationshipPublication . Pereira, M. Graça; Fontes, Liliana; Vilaça, Margarida; Fincham, Frank; Costa, Eleonora; Machado, José C.; Taysi, EbruThis study examined the direct and indirect effects of communication patterns and forgiveness on physical and psychological morbidity, among young adults involved in a romantic relationship. Participants were 298 students, currently involved in a heterosexual romantic relationship, from a large university in the United States, who completed the Tendency to Forgive Scale, the Communication Patterns Questionnaire, and the Rotterdam Symptom Checklist. Physical morbidity was directly predicted by mutuality communication. Destructive communication had an indirect effect on physical and psychological morbidity, via forgiveness. However, the indirect connection between destructive communication and psychological morbidity was only significant for female partners. Teaching constructive communication skills may be a key factor for interventions addressed to young adults in romantic relationships, in order to promote forgiveness, due to its potential positive influence in physical and psychological well-being.
- COVID-19 Traumatic Stress Scale and Preventive COVID-19 Infection Behaviors Scale: psychometric properties in Portuguese male adultsPublication . Leite, Ângela; Almeida, Ana C.; Pereira, M. GraçaBackground: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia pandemic constitutes a serious public health emergency. Besides its detrimental social and economic implications, it has generated a negative psychological impact worldwide. Several studies have been carried out concerning psychological impact and mental health related to COVID-19, with the psychological constructs most studied being anxiety, fear, phobia, stress and depression. Other psychological constructs were less studied, namely post-traumatic stress related to COVID-19, as well as preventive behaviors towards COVID-19. Thus, the aims of this study were to validate the COVID-19 Traumatic Stress (C19TSS) Scale and the Preventive COVID-19 Infection Behaviors Scale (PCIBS) with a Portuguese male adult sample and to measure their invariance across age and education. Methods: Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed to obtain the final factor structure of the Portuguese version of both scales. Configural, metric and scalar invariance were measured across age and education through multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA). Results: Results showed that both C19TSS and PIBS models fitted the data well. Configural, metric and scalar invariance across age as well as configural and metric invariance across education were found regarding C19TSS. Only configural invariance across education was found regarding PCIBS. Conclusions: The C19TSS and PCIBS are valid and reliable tools for researchers interested in examining post-traumatic stress related to COVID-19 and preventive behaviors towards COVID-19.
- Portuguese caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study of the grieving processPublication . Brito, Laura; Bernardo, Ana Cristina; Leite, Ângela; Pereira, M. GraçaThis study addresses the experiences of informal caregivers caring for elderly family members with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study includes a sample of eight informal caregivers who were evaluated through a semi-structured interview six months after the death of a loved one they cared for. A thematic content analysis was applied to the interviews and yielded two higher-order domains: (1) Experiencing the AD and the death of a family member and (2) The grieving process during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results provide valuable insights into family caregivers' experiences regarding the profound emotional impact of caregiving and grief during the COVID-19 pandemic. Caregivers maintain their identity even after loss, underscoring the enduring impact of caregiving. The identity as a caregiver impacted coping and grief responses, highlighting the need for tailored interventions.
- Psychological distress and family stress in Alzheimer’s caregivers: a forgiveness longitudinal mediation modelPublication . Brito, Laura; Leite, Ângela; Pereira, M. GraçaBackground: The present study examined how family stress, distress, and forgiveness influenced the quality of life (QoL) of family caregivers (FCs) of persons living with Alzheimer’s disease over time. Method: Using a longitudinal design, data were collected at baseline (T1), 6 months (T2), and 12 months (T3). Results: Family stress at T1 predicted family stress at T2, while forgiveness at T1 predicted family stress at T2. Forgiveness (T1 and T2) mediated the relationship between distress (T1) and mental QoL (T3). Additionally, forgiveness (T1 and T2), along with mental QoL (T3), were mediators between distress (T1) and physical QoL (T3). Multigroup analysis revealed that the effects of forgiveness on distress and QoL were moderated by disease severity, with stronger mediation effects in the moderate and severe groups. Conclusion: The study underscores the importance of early distress screening and forgiveness-based interventions to enhance both mental and physical QoL in FCs, particularly as the disease progresses.
- Risk assessment profiles for caregiver burden in family caregivers of persons living with Alzheimer’s diseasePublication . Brito, Laura; Cepa, Beatriz; Brito, Cláudia; Leite, Ângela; Pereira, M. GraçaAlzheimer’s disease (AD) places a profound global challenge, driven by its escalating prevalence and the multifaceted strain it places on individuals, families, and societies. Family caregivers (FCs), who are pivotal in supporting family members with AD, frequently endure substantial emotional, physical, and psychological demands. To better understand the determinants of family caregiving strain, this study employed machine learning (ML) to develop predictive models identifying factors that contribute to caregiver burden over time. Participants were evaluated across sociodemographic clinical, psychophysiological, and psychological domains at baseline (T1; N = 130), six months (T2; N = 114), and twelve months (T3; N = 92). Results revealed three distinct risk profiles, with the first focusing on T2 data, highlighting the importance of distress, forgiveness, age, and heart rate variability. The second profile integrated T1 and T2 data, emphasizing additional factors like family stress. The third profile combined T1 and T2 data with sociodemographic and clinical features, underscoring the importance of both assessment moments on distress at T2 and forgiveness at T1 and T2, as well as family stress at T1. By employing computational methods, this research uncovers nuanced patterns in caregiver burden that conventional statistical approaches might overlook. Key drivers include psychological factors (distress, forgiveness), physiological markers (heart rate variability), contextual stressors (familial dynamics, sociodemographic disparities). The insights revealed enable early identification of FCs at higher risk of burden, paving the way for personalized interventions. Such strategies are urgently needed as AD rates rise globally, underscoring the imperative to safeguard both patients and the caregivers who support them.