Emotion Regulation in Dementia Caregiving: The Role of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Attachment Orientation.

Family caregivers are usually the main source of support for persons living with dementia, being exposed to a loved one's suffering, which can lead to experiencing strong and negative emotions. This study aimed to identify factors capable of explaining individual differences in the way caregivers regulate their emotions. This cross-sectional study included 78 informal caregivers (M = 64.84 years; SD = 13.32) and 84 controls (non-caregivers) (M = 77 years; SD = 7.59). Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), attachment orientations, and emotion regulation were measured using self-report scales. Caregivers of persons living with dementia used more expressive suppression in comparison to non-caregivers. NPS and attachment avoidance were associated with expressive suppression. Moderation analyses showed that NPS only predicted expressive suppression when attachment avoidance was low or medium. The present study showed that caregivers are more likely to suppress their emotions in the presence of NPS, especially those with lower/middle levels of attachment avoidance. Psychological interventions targeting emotion regulation should be offered especially to caregivers that face NPS of persons living with dementia and present lower/middle levels of attachment avoidance.

Emotion regulation and mental health among professionals of long-term care institutions for older adults: the mediating role of work engagement.

BACKGROUND: This study examined whether work engagement mediated the association between emotion regulation and mental health of professionals working in long-term care institutions for older adults in Brazil. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: A cross-sectional study with a total of 104 professionals working in 13 long-term care facilities for the elderly in Brazil was conducted. Emotion regulation (expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal), work engagement (vigor, dedication, and absorption), and mental health (depression, anxiety, and stress) were measured using self-report scales. Multiple mediation models were used to test the mediating role of engagement. RESULTS: Expressive suppression was associated with more vigor, which in turn was associated with less anxiety and stress; cognitive reappraisal was associated with more vigor, which in turn was associated with less anxiety and stress. No indirect effects were found for depression. CONCLUSIONS: Expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal strategies to regulate emotions seem to be associated with more vigor in terms of resilience and persistence to deal with work demands in these professionals. These results seem to suggest that workers who are more capable of regulating their emotions (using both expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal in a flexible way according to work demands) are more likely to be resilient, invest in their profession, and be persistent in the face of difficulties. This, in turn, contributes to protecting them from experiencing anxiety and stress.

Attachment Orientations and Family Functioning: The Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation.

Attachment insecurity has been found to be associated with poor family functioning. The mechanisms underlying this link, however, are less explored. This study examines the potential mediating role of emotion regulation in the association between attachment orientations and family functioning. Self-report scales measuring attachment, family functioning, and emotion regulation were administered to 132 adults (58% women; 57.63 years). Results showed that both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were associated with poor family functioning. Furthermore, emotion suppression, but not positive reappraisal, was found to partially mediate the association between attachment insecurity (both anxiety and avoidance) and perceived family functioning. Findings suggest that emotion regulation seems to play a role in the impact that attachment orientations may have on family functioning.

Psychological Research on Sleep Problems and Adjustment of Working Hours during Teleworking in the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Exploratory Study.

Mandatory home isolation caused by COVID-19 in professional contexts led to a situation that required work activities to be converted into a remote modality. The literature on this topic is very recent, given the pandemic and the uncertainty of virtual and face-to-face work modalities. This study aimed to examine the effects of adults' prolonged exposure to screens on sleep quality, the type of devices used according to age and gender, periods of access to such devices and the impact on performance in the context of telework due to COVID-19. Specifically, the study analyzed the differences in the use of devices and in the time spent using them during and after teleworking between genders and age groups. A total of 127 Portuguese participants answered the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and a questionnaire that we specifically developed to characterize teleworking habits. The results showed differences between men and women regarding the use of devices and its impact on sleep quality, as well as differences in terms of age. These results are discussed in terms of how the current work context may affect performance, sleep, gender differences and the adverse effects of exposure to screens during and after work hours.

The Emotion Regulation Goals Scale: Advancing its psychometric properties using item response theory analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Emotion goals are considered paramount for influencing the initiation, maintenance, and cessation of emotion regulation. Recently, some authors developed an instrument to assess emotion goals-the Emotion Regulation Goals Scale (ERGS). METHOD: This study included two studies aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the ERGS in two Portuguese samples: 400 adults from the community (76% women; M age = 37.10) (Study 1) and 205 university students (80% women; M age = 21.72) (Study 2). RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and item response theory (IRT) analysis were used to examine the psychometric properties of the ERGS in the two samples. The CFA confirmed the five-factor structure of the 18-item ERGS, but the analyses of both studies suggested the elimination of two items given their lower loadings/low discrimination. CONCLUSIONS: A five-factor structure with 16 items was proposed, with good reliability and with evidence of construct validity with relevant constructs.

Posttraumatic Growth After Childbirth in Women: A Systematic Review.

This systematic review aimed to synthesize and critically appraise research evidence on posttraumatic growth (PTG) and related factors within the perinatal context. PRISMA guidelines were followed. Five databases were searched from inception to February 2019 using relevant search terms. Of 121 abstracts identified, 13 studies were deemed eligible for inclusion. Data were extracted from each study regarding study sample characteristics, design, PTG measure, and main findings. Factors associated with PTG were divided into individual, event-related and contextual factors, as conceptualized by the functional-descriptive model of Tedeschi and Calhoun. Most individual consistent factors included age, personality and coping strategies; most event-related factors included premature birth and threat appraisal; finally, most contextual consistent factors included grandmothers' and spouses' emotional support. These factors highlight targets to the development of psychosocial interventions. Recommendations for future research are discussed.

Effects of supporting patients with dementia: A study with dyads.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the factors associated with the development of higher burden in informal caregivers of patients with dementia, using dyadic data. DESIGN AND METHODS: Seventy-two dyads of patients with dementia and their informal caregivers were assessed, the former in terms of behavioral-psychological symptoms and autonomy, the latter in terms of burden and individual needs. FINDINGS: Caregivers at risk for developing higher burden are those who are female, whose care recipient present psychiatric symptoms and lower autonomy, and those who recognize the need for more information/support. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Interventions should offer caregivers the tools to provide care, maintaining their psychological well-being. Interventions should target not only common aspects of caregiver burden but also the specificities of caring for a person with dementia.

Dyadic coping, marital adjustment and quality of life in couples during pregnancy: an actor-partner approach.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the impact of dyadic coping on the quality of life of couples during pregnancy and to explore the potential mediating role of marital adjustment on this association.Background: According to the systemic transactional model, pregnancy can be characterised as a situation of dyadic stress because it affects both members of the couple. However, the impact of dyadic coping on couples' quality of life during pregnancy is unexplored. Also, the potential mediating role of marital adjustment on this association remains understudied.Methods: Participants were 320 pregnant women and their partners (N = 640) who completed the Dyadic Coping Inventory, the Dyadic Adjustment Scale and the World Health Organisation Quality of Life instrument. Data were analysed using the actor-partner interdependence mediation model.Results: Results showed that there was an intrapersonal indirect effect of dyadic coping on quality of life through marital adjustment. Moreover, an interpersonal indirect effect was found with fathers' dyadic coping being associated with mothers' quality of life through mothers' marital adjustment.Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of assessing dyadic coping strategies of couples during pregnancy and targeting them in the psychological support offered to couples as a way of improving their marital adjustment, and consequently, their quality of life.

Anxiety and depressive symptoms during pregnancy, perceived control and posttraumatic stress symptoms after childbirth: A longitudinal mediation analysis.

This longitudinal study evaluated the mediating role of sense of control during labour in the association between anxiety and depression levels during pregnancy and postpartum posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Participants were 57 women. Anxiety and depression were assessed during pregnancy; sense of control and childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms were collected 6-8 weeks after childbirth. Higher levels of anxiety and depression were associated with more postpartum posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms through lack of perceived control. For depression, this happened only for primiparous. Interventions targeting mechanisms enhancing perceptions/feelings of control should be offered to these women to prevent/minimize childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder.

Anxiety, depression, dyadic adjustment, and attachment to the fetus in pregnancy: Actor-partner interdependence mediation analysis.

Perinatal research has focused essentially on maternal outcomes leaving paternal outcomes unexplored. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the intrapersonal and interpersonal effects of mothers' and fathers' anxiety and depressive symptoms on their own and their partners' antenatal attachment to the fetus. Additionally, it aimed to explore the mediating role of dyadic adjustment on these associations. Participants, 320 pregnant women and their partners, completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, and the Maternal and Paternal Antenatal Attachment Scale. Data were analyzed using the actor-partner interdependence mediation model. Mothers' (ß = -.16, p < .01) and fathers' depressive symptoms (ß = -.38, p < .001) were associated with their levels of antenatal attachment to the fetus. These relationships, however, were mediated by levels of dyadic adjustment (ß = -.08, p < .05; ß = -.09, p < .05, respectively). Fathers' anxiety symptoms were associated with their levels of antenatal attachment to the fetus (ß = .16, p < .05). This relationship was partially mediated by their levels of dyadic adjustment (ß = -.05, p < .05). Finally, fathers' depressive symptoms were associated with mothers' levels of antenatal attachment to the fetus through the mothers' dyadic adjustment levels (ß = -.06, p < .05). Results indicated that anxiety and depressive symptoms as well as lower levels of dyadic adjustment during pregnancy seem to negatively impact the levels of antenatal attachment to the fetus, especially for fathers. Results highlight the need to adopt a dyadic perspective to understand mothers' and fathers' outcomes during pregnancy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

[Roland Morris disability questionnaire - adaptation and validation for the Portuguese speaking patients with back pain]. / Questionário de incapacidade de Roland Morris - adaptação e validação para os doentes de língua Portuguesa com lombalgia.

The objective of the current study was to adapt and validate the Roland Morris disability questionnaire (RMDQ) to the Portuguese patients because there are no European Portuguese psychometric instruments to evaluate patients suffering from low back pain. After translation and back translation the Portuguese version of the RMDQ was tested in 112 patients with low back pain (30 males and 82 females) to analyse psychometric characteristics. Analysis of measures obtained points to high levels of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha: 0.81) and temporal stability (test-retest: r = 0.86). External validity was assessed by association with numerical pain rating scale (END), Schöber test (TS) and fingertip floor measurement (GFA). The results revealed a large correlation between the RMDQ and END (r = 0.73) and a medium correlation with TS and GFA (in this order, r = -0,52 and r = 0,42). The psychometric analysis showed that the RMDQ gives reliable measures for the disability of patients with back pain and was successfully adapted and validated to the European Portuguese patients.