The Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI): Adaptation and Psychometric Properties among a Portuguese Sample of Volunteers.

The Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI) is an instrument widely used to assess volunteers' motivation based on the Functionalist Model of Omoto and Snyder. It assesses six factors that reflect several motivational functions. The VFI has been translated into various languages and validated in different cultural contexts, but some studies have reported different factor structures (e.g., five or four factors). In the Portuguese context, previous studies have also shown inconsistent results. The aim of this study was to adapt and validate the VFI for Portuguese volunteers, testing several alternative models (nine models) using confirmatory factor analysis. The sample comprised 468 volunteers (76.3% women), aged from 13 to 81 years (M = 36.66, SD = 14.93). The results support the original interrelated six-factor model as the best-fitting one. The VFI showed good internal consistency and convergent validity. Significant correlations were found between the VFI factors, organizational commitment, and volunteers' satisfaction. Overall, the six-factor VFI is a valid and reliable tool for measuring the motivational functions of Portuguese volunteers, with implications for practice and research in the volunteering field.

The Volunteer Satisfaction Survey (VSS): Adaptation and Psychometric Properties among Portuguese Volunteers.

(1) Background: Volunteering satisfaction is one significant construct that nourishes the sustaining of volunteer work, and it is present in reference models such as the three-stage volunteer process model (VPM). The volunteer satisfaction survey (VSS), created by Vecina, Chacón and Sueiro, evaluates three different domains of volunteer satisfaction: specific motivations, organization management and volunteering tasks. The aim of this study was to adapt the instrument and explore the psychometric properties of the 17 items of the VSS in a sample of Portuguese volunteers. (2) Methods: The sample was composed of 335 Portuguese volunteers (aged between 14 and 81 years), mainly women (76.4%). Measures included volunteer satisfaction, work engagement and organizational commitment. (3) Results: The original three-factor model was tested with a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the model fitted the data. Satisfactory levels of internal consistency, discriminant and convergent validity were found. (4) Conclusions: The VSS reveals good psychometric properties and can be considered a useful tool for professionals and future research for volunteers' satisfaction assessment.

Reasons for Living Inventory for Adolescents: Psychometric Properties Among Portuguese Adolescents.

Reasons for living are protective factors against suicidal behavior in adolescents. One of the most useful measures to assess them is the Reasons for Living Inventory for Adolescents (RFL-A) developed by Osman et al. The goal of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of its Portuguese version of the RFL-A. To this end, we recruited 512 high school adolescents (mean age = 16.7 years), who completed the RFL-A, a Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire, and a hopelessness scale. Exploratory factor analysis replicated the original five-factor model and confirmatory factor analysis obtained satisfactory adjustment values. The RFL-A shows good reliability (internal consistency and temporal stability) as well as good convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validities. These results indicate that the RFL-A is a valid and reliable measure to study protective factors against suicidal behaviors in Portuguese adolescents.

Wellbeing and Resilience in Tourism: A Systematic Literature Review During COVID-19.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UWTO) has acknowledged 2020 as the worst year in tourism history due to the worldwide pandemic COVID-19. Destinations, tourists, local communities, stakeholders, and residents, and their daily activities were affected. Thus, wellbeing and resilience are two crucial variables to help the industry and the people recover. This research aims to analyze early positive approaches and attitudes to respond to the negative impact of COVID-19 in tourism everyday activities that have at its core wellbeing and resilience, the two main variables of the Positive Psychology field of studies. A systematic literature review was conducted, following PRISMA guidelines to achieve this aim. The research was done using the Online Knowledge Library (B-on) and all the available databases. The research led to 32 articles that were screened using the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 18 scientific articles met all criteria. Overall, results show that a positive and resilient approach to deal with the adverse outcomes of the pandemic is a concern for stakeholders and the future of the organizations in the tourism and hospitality sector, as is tourists' wellbeing. However, less research has been done on wellbeing and a clear lack of research regarding residents' wellbeing and resilience is evident. A deeper study of wellbeing and resilience in tourism is needed, and actual practices and interventions to ensure that all tourism actors have the resources to overcome the pandemic and restart the industry's daily lives feeling well and safe.

Reduction of sexist attitudes, romantic myths, and aggressive behaviors in adolescents: efficacy of the darsi program / Disminución de actitudes sexistas, mitos románticos y conductas agresivas en adolescentes: eficacia del programa DARSI

Background: The DARSI program (Developing Healthy and Egalitarian Adolescent Relationships) aims to prevent peer aggressive behaviors inside and outside social networks and educate adolescents on gender equality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the program on the reduction of sexist attitudes, myths of romantic love and aggressive behaviors in adolescents. Method: 191 adolescents, aged 12 to 17 years (53.93% girls), assigned to an experimental group (3 classrooms) and two control groups (6 classrooms in two educational centers) participated in this study. A quasi-experimental design with control group was used and the effectiveness of the program was evaluated using a repeated measures factorial design. Results: Findings showed a significant decrease in the experimental group in hostile sexism, benevolent sexism, myths of romantic love, direct aggression, relational aggression, and cyber-aggression. Conclusions: The effectiveness of the evaluated program and the viability of joint interventions in the prevention of peer violence and teen dating violence are observed

Antecedentes: el programa DARSI (Desarrollando en Adolescentes Relaciones Saludables e Igualitarias) tiene como finalidad prevenir conductas agresivas entre iguales dentro y fuera de las redes sociales y formar a los adolescentes en igualdad de género. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar los efectos del programa en la disminución de actitudes sexistas, mitos del amor romántico y conductas agresivas en adolescentes. Método: en este estudio participaron 191 adolescentes, de 12 a 17 años (53,93% chicas), asignados a un grupo experimental (3 aulas) y dos grupos control (6 aulas de dos centros educativos). Se utilizó un diseño cuasi-experimental con grupo control y se evaluó la efectividad del programa mediante diseño factorial de medidas repetidas. Resultados: los resultados mostraron una disminución significativa en el grupo experimental en sexismo hostil, sexismo benevolente, mitos del amor romántico, agresión directa, agresión relacional y ciberagresión. Conclusiones: se constata la efectividad del programa evaluado y la viabilidad de intervenir conjuntamente en la prevención de la violencia entre iguales y la violencia de pareja en adolescentes

Reduction of sexist attitudes, romantic myths, and aggressive behaviors in adolescents: Efficacy of the DARSI program.

BACKGROUND: The DARSI program (Developing Healthy and Egalitarian Adolescent Relationships) aims to prevent peer aggressive behaviors inside and outside social networks and educate adolescents on gender equality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the program on the reduction of sexist attitudes, myths of romantic love and aggressive behaviors in adolescents. METHOD: 191 adolescents, aged 12 to 17 years (53.93% girls), assigned to an experimental group (3 classrooms) and two control groups (6 classrooms in two educational centers) participated in this study. A quasi-experimental design with control group was used and the effectiveness of the program was evaluated using a repeated measures factorial design. RESULTS: Findings showed a significant decrease in the experimental group in hostile sexism, benevolent sexism, myths of romantic love, direct aggression, relational aggression, and cyber-aggression. CONCLUSIONS: The effectiveness of the evaluated program and the viability of joint interventions in the prevention of peer violence and teen dating violence are observed.

Sleep quality components and mental health: Study with a non-clinical population.

The deconstruction of sleep quality into its particular components may help to specify how each one of them influences mental health. Thus, to detail the understanding of the relationship between sleep quality and mental health, our study aims to assess the relationship between each component of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and depression, anxiety and stress. Also, we intend to analyse the moderating effects of gender, age and country on these relationships. The instruments PSQI and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) were applied to a non-clinical population of 1552 participants from three different countries (Portugal, Spain and Brazil), aged over 18 years old. We estimated a multivariate regression model with AMOS Graphic 21.0 to test the seven proposed research hypotheses. The adjusted model explains 14.0%, 21.0% and 19.3% of the variances of depression, anxiety and stress, respectively. The conclusion of this study demonstrates that, with the exception of subjective sleep quality, all the other six components of the PSQI individually relate to mental health in non-clinical populations and that country is a significant moderator of these relationships.

Relationship between economic stress factors and stress, anxiety, and depression: Moderating role of social support.

The economic crisis had a detrimental impact on the economies of several European countries, namely in Portugal. The literature emphasizes that periods of economic turmoil potentiate the appearance of mental health issues, such as stress, anxiety, and depression, and decrease populations' well-being. The present study, conducted in Portugal, was performed with a sample of 729 individuals, 33.9% males and 66.1% females, with an average age of 36.99 years old. Its' aim was to assess the relationship between economic stress factors (economic hardship, financial threat, and financial well-being) and stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as to test the moderating effect of social support on this relationship. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the relationships defined. When comparing the results obtained in the models without and with social support as a moderator, statistically significant differences were observed on the relationships between financial threat and depression and between economic hardship and stress, anxiety, and depression. Regarding the association between financial threat and stress and anxiety, the effect of the economic stressor decreased in the presence of social support, but the differences were not statistically significant. The implications of these results are discussed and strategies to foster social support are proposed.

The Influence of Planning and Response Inhibition on Cognitive Functioning of Non-Psychotic Unipolar Depressed Suicide Attempters.

Depression is one of the main risk factors for suicide. However, little is known about the intricate relationships among depressive symptomatology in unipolar depression, suicide risk, and the characteristics of executive dysfunction in depressed patients. We compared 20 non-psychotic unipolar depressed suicide attempters to 20 matching depressed non-attempters and to 20 healthy controls to further investigate the possible differences in neuropsychological performance. Depressed subjects were controlled for current suicidal ideation, and their neuropsychological profile was assessed using a range of measures of executive functioning, attention, verbal memory, processing speed, and psychomotor speed. Depressed groups were outperformed by healthy controls. Depressed attempters presented more cognitive impairment than depressed non-attempters on a simple Go/No-go response inhibition task and performed better than non-attempters on the Tower of London planning task. Depressed attempters were clearly distinguished by a deficit in response inhibition (Go/No-go commission errors). The normative planning performance (Tower of London extra moves) of the suicide attempters was unexpected, and this unanticipated finding calls for further research. Normative planning may indicate an increased risk of suicidal behavior.

[Prevention of drink driving at academic festivals: «Tú decides¼ project]. / Prevención de la conducción bajo efectos del alcohol durante festivales universitarios: proyecto Tú decides.

OBJECTIVE: Alcohol consumption among university students has reached worrying levels, its effects on driving being highly dangerous. This aspect emphasizes the need to develop prevention programs, intended to raise subjects' awareness about the effects of alcohol on driving. The aim of the present research is to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention program «Tú decides¼, implemented at the Algarve University during several students festivals, between 2010-2014. METHOD: Quasi-experimental study, pre-post test without control group. A total of 5,079 participants were inquired. They were asked, at two different moments, before and after the measurement of the blood alcohol level and giving an information session with technical recommendations to prevent driving under alcohol effects. One factor ANOVA test used, in order to perform a mean comparison, as well as the Chi-square statistics, to perform a proportion comparison (p<.05). RESULTS: It was found that the intention to drive was lower at the second moment (42.1%) (χ(2)=2078.71; p=.000). This intention was influenced by blood alcohol level different levels (χ(2)=338.252; p=.000), gender (χ(2)=35.718; p=.000), age (χ(2)=62.805; p=.000) and professional situation of the participants (χ(2)=27.397; p=.001). CONCLUSIONS: We can affirm that the main objective of this intervention was achieved, since the participants followed the technical recommendations based on the blood alcohol level results.

Psychological and behavioral adjustment in female youths with high or low psychopathic traits.

The aim of the present study was to analyze the role of psychopathic traits in female juvenile delinquency. Using a sample of 236 young females from the Juvenile Detention Centers of the Portuguese Ministry of Justice and schools in the Lisbon area, a group of female youths with high psychopathic traits (n=118; M=15.84 years of age; range=14-18 years of age) and a group of female youths with low psychopathic traits (n=118; M=15.77 years of age; range=14-18 years of age) were formed based on the Portuguese version of the Antisocial Process Screening Device-Self-report (APSD-SR). The results showed that young females with high psychopathic traits start engaging in criminal activities and come into contact with the justice system earlier in life; exhibit higher levels of behavioral problems, conduct disorder, delinquent behaviors and serious criminality; and demonstrate lower levels of self-esteem and pro-social behavior. The importance of some variables in predicting group membership (high versus low psychopathic traits) was established through a binary logistic regression. Our findings reinforce the importance of the psychopathy construct for the early identification of potentially high-risk female youths and for the assessment of female youths who have already come into contact with the judicial system.

[Motivation and support provided on training: a longitudinal study of a cohort of family medicine residents]. / Motivação profissional e apoio fornecido no estágio: estudo longitudinal de uma coorte de médicos do internato médico de medicina geral e familiar.

BACKGROUND: Having as main goal the development of a culture of professional excellence, the Family Medicine residency currently intends to correspond to the principles of adult learning approach, in which motivation for practicing is essential. OBJECTIVES: (1) To analyze the variability of Family Medicine residentes professional motivation, throughout the residency training; (2) To characterize Family Medicine residents perception about the support provided on training, during the residency; (3) To analyze the variability of Family Medicine residents perception about the support provided by the supervisor, throughout the residency. METHOD: Observational, quantitative and longitudinal study (2005-2008) of Family Medicine residents who participated in a survey on professional motivation. At the beginning of the residency in 2005 (N = 109) in Portugal, they were submitted to three assessment moments (n = 69) by a postal survey using a questionnaire with 57 Likert scale items, representing motivational variables--professional project, professional commitment, initial motivation, intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy expectations, self-control expectations, assertiveness and perception of the support provided on training program. Descriptive statistics and analytic tests (ANOVA--GLM repeated measures) were used to study the variability of the cognitive dimensions (a = 0,05). RESULTS: Although motivated to Family Medicine practice (response rate = 47.8%, at the study entry), the physicians professional motivation variability along the residency has presented slightly positive, at the end of the study, but not statistically significant. The physicians of our cohort responded by assigning a relatively high average levels in almost all items of the scale support provided on training during the residency, and its variation showed a positive trend, at the end of the study. CONCLUSIONS: This study produced results of an important phenomenon on which there is no published information in Portugal. It provides substantial evidence on the progression of professional motivation of this physicians` cohort and on their perception about strategies used by the supervisor. The structuring of residency program may include individual strategies aimed to increase the Family Medicine residents` motivation, with benefits for their performance.