Application of hypnosis in psychOncology: A review of the literature

Hypnosis is useful for multiple somatic and psychological disorders, particularly cancer disease-related issues. In fact, the literature points out that hypnosis is effective in helping patients deal with aspects disease related, as well as in reducing the side effects of treatment. This review of the literature aims to summarize and assess the evidence of the usefulness of hypnosis in cancer patients and was conducted based on articles published between 2012 and 2019. The databases used were: B-on, SciELO, MEDLINE, and Web of Science. Randomized controlled trials and non-randomized studies were assessed. Among 837 studies identified, nine met the inclusion criteria and were selected. The studies were consensual to the effectiveness of hypnosis in reducing a set of symptoms in cancer patients, mainly pain, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and insomnia. However, several methodological limitations were identified. The practice of hypnosis is related to a significant number of techniques and approaches that differ from each other, thus compromising the interpretation and generalization of its effects. This review updates the evidence and suggests that the study of the efficacy of hypnosis in cancer patients is still limited. Further research into the effectiveness and acceptability of hypnosis for cancer patients is recommended.

Invented spelling intervention programmes: Comparing explicit and implicit instructions

This study aims to compare the effectiveness of two invented spelling intervention programs, one with explicit instruction of graph-phonetics matches and another based on questioning and reflection on the graph-phonetic correspondences (implicit instructions). Ninety pre-school children, whose invented spellings use conventional letters unconventionally to represent sounds, were allocated to three groups, two experimental and one control. All groups were equivalent in age, intelligence, letter knowledge, and phonological awareness. We manipulated the type of instructions (implicit vs. explicit) between the pre- and post-tests in two experimental groups where children participated in an intervention programme of invented spelling. Children who participated in the implicit intervention programme showed a significant improvement in the number of correct letters mobilized in their spelling and phonemic awareness compared with children of control and explicit instruction group. Children from explicit instruction group showed significant more improvements than the children from the control group. These results suggest that questioning and reflection applied to invented spelling programmes seems to enhance a more significant knowledge about the relations between the oral and written code.

Inconsistent reporting of life experiences: What people think and how they explain it?

Assessment of life experiences relies mainly on cross-sectional retrospective design, despite the concerns regarding inconsistent reports. Studies suggest that some individuals change their answers when asked repeatedly, but common opinions underlying this behaviour remain unknown. Our study explored personal perceptions regarding inconsistent reporting and identified associated reasons including individual, experiences-related, and design-related characteristics. Seventy-two individuals, enrolled in a longitudinal study about life experiences, answered a measure about general perceptions and involved reasons. Participants seemed to be aware that inconsistent reporting is a common behaviour, which highly impact on research. A cluster analysis revealed two clusters (i.e., variables involved versus not involved). Most disagreed that sociodemographic variables influence inconsistency, whereas memory, mood, valence, impact, mode of data collection, and interviewer features were pointed as key-variables. Our results suggest that inconsistent reporting is not straightforward and it is probably rooted in a varied and complex set of variables.

Innovative moments on online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for alcohol dependence: a case study

Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a promising intervention for reducing alcohol consumption among the population. However, due to the lack of studies in the area, the present study aims to evaluate the effects of the therapeutic process of online CBT for alcohol addicts in a Brazilian sample. Thirty-six recordings of six male participants diagnosed with alcohol dependence, who sought treatment to cease or reduce the substance’s consumption, were analysed using the Innovative Moments Coding System (IMCS). The IMCS is a method that analyses changes occurred during the therapeutic process. The results suggested: (1) an increase in the number of Innovative Moments (IMs) from the beginning to the end of the sessions in all analysed cases, and (2) a correlation between a decrease in the doses of alcohol consumption at the end of the sessions and the increase of IMs. The present study successfully applies for the first time the IMCS in alcohol dependence and proved to be an adequate method to evaluate the online therapy process for this sample. However, it is necessary to conduct further research to confirm the IMCS’s effectiveness for alcohol dependence

Multidimensional Factor Structure of the Modified Child Rearing Practices Report questionnaire (CRPR-Q) in a sample of Portuguese mothers: A bifactor approach

Parental attitudes toward child socialization influence their child-rearing practices, the quality of parent-child relationships, and children’s developmental outcomes. The Modified Child Rearing Practices Questionnaire (CRPR-Q) has been widely used to assess parenting practices across children’s development. However, the few studies investigating its two-factorial structure (nurturance and restrictiveness) have shown inconsistent findings and have not explored measurement invariance across children’s sex and age groups. The aims of this study were to (1) further investigate the factorial structure of the CRPR-Q, by using bifactor solutions (b-confirmatory factor analysis [B-CFA] and b-exploratory structural equation modeling [B-ESEM]) and (2) examine the measurement invariance of CRPR-Q across children’s sex and age groups. A community sample of 589 Portuguese mothers of children aged 3 to 15 years completed the CRPR-Q. Our findings revealed that the B-ESEM model best fit the data. A clear differentiation between the two a priori factors (nurturance and restrictiveness) was found. However, our findings suggest the need to control for content specificity and rely on a broader perspective regarding the nurturance factor. Measurement invariance was observed across children’s sex but not across children’s age groups. These findings contribute to a more in-depth understanding of the underlying relationships among the CRPR-Q items.

Feeling better in the presence of others: It may depend on whether you are a man or a woman

Previous research has suggested that it is good to have other people around us. Indeed, there seems to be a generally positive impact of the presence of others on individuals’ physical and psychological well-being. In the current work, we examine if these positive experiences may be promoted by the mere presence of nonsignificant others in our environment, during a brief period. Specifically, in two experiments, we compared how being in the presence of others (co-action) versus being alone impacts how participants feel at the moment (mood, Experiment 1) and how satisfied they feel about their lives (general well-being, Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, we also manipulated the nature of the task (i.e., demanding/threatening vs. nondemanding). Both experiments revealed that participants feel more positive when in the presence of others. However, important gender differences occurred: mood enhancement for women (vs. men) only occurred when the task was nondemanding. In the case of life satisfaction, only women were sensitive to the presence of others. We discuss how these effects inform the social facilitation literature.

Parenting and child well-being during the COVID-19 outbreak: The importance of marital adjustment and parental self-efficacy

The pandemic situation of COVID-19 has introduced new challenges on family routines, affecting interpersonal relationships, which may have detrimental consequences to child well-being. The current study aimed to examine the direct effects of marital adjustment on child socioemotional adjustment and to test if parental self-efficacy mediated this association during home confinement due to COVID-19. A final sample of 163 caregivers was recruited online during home confinement period. On average children were 6 years-old (SD=2.92; 44.8% girls). Caregivers and their child were in home confinement for an average of 31 days (SD=12.08). Most of the couples had been married or living together for an average of 14 years (SD=5.77) and had a university degree, mostly living in metropolitan areas. Caregivers answer to a set of measures assessing marital adjustment, parental self-efficacy, and child socioemotional competence and behavior. Findings depicted a direct effect on the positive association between marital satisfaction and parental self-efficacy, and negatively associated with anger-aggression. Parental self-efficacy was positively associated with child’s: social competence, negatively associated with anger-aggression, and anxiety-withdrawal. Indirect effects depicted that marital satisfaction was associated with child’s social competence, anger-aggression and anxiety-withdrawal through parental self-efficacy. Thus, higher marital satisfaction was associated with more parental self-efficacy which in turn was associated with more child’s social competence. Findings are relevant to the current state of the art, given the lack of information regarding imposed isolation due to COVID-19 and the consequences it may have to child’s well-being.

Dark Triad: Associations with juvenile delinquency, conduct disorder and trauma

The Dark Triad (DT) consists of three personality traits (machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy). This is considered relevant for understanding the development of undesirable characteristics for society, frequently observed in young people and adults with antisocial and delinquent behaviours. Aversive personality traits have only recently aroused interest in researchers as a cohesive set of factors. The aim of this study was to analyse the associations of the DT (machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) with juvenile delinquency, conduct disorder (CD), and trauma. For this, a total sample of Portuguese adolescents (n=601; Mage=15.95 years, SD=1.05 years, range=13-18 years) was used, subdivided into a male forensic group, male school group, and female school group. After the elaboration of multiple linear regression models, the results indicated that the psychopathy dimension was the one with the greatest association with juvenile delinquency and CD, while the narcissism dimension was the one with the greatest association with trauma. In future studies, the associations of the DT with juvenile delinquency, CD, and trauma in Portuguese adolescents should continue to be explored in the forensic and school contexts, to further clarify these relationships and contribute to the development and implementation of prevention and intervention programs for Youth with these characteristics.

Adaptation and initial validation of the Career Resources Questionnaire for Portuguese – HE Students form

A diversified set of career resources has been related in the literature with career development and career success. The Career Resources Questionnaire (CRQ), based on the Career Success framework, was proposed by Hirschi and colleagues (2018) as an instrument aggregating several constructs that emerged as important predictors of career success. This study aims to examine the psychometric properties of the CRQ to a Portuguese higher education sample, as a way to extend previous evidence of validity presented by the authors of the original version. For such, construct, convergent and discriminant validity were examined. Also, reliability and correlations analysis were conducted, taking some sociodemographic and educational attainment variables. The obtained findings showed adequate results, which support the use of the CRQ in Portugal for research or practical purposes. Suggestions for further research and practical implications are also presented.

Structural empowerment and mental health in healthcare professionals: The role of civility

Quality of the work environment is a factor that promotes workers’ mental health and it’s a present concern for the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. There is a need to understand the factors that can promote better mental health at work and under which circumstances structural empowerment represents a working environment that allows workers’ development, low rates of incivility and positive effects on mental health. The present study aims to verify in which conditions structural empowerment has a positive effect on workers’ mental health, through the mediating role of civility. To that purpose, we have applied the Portuguese versions of WCS, CWEQ-II and the mental health scale from MOS SF-36v2 to a sample of 303 health care professionals in a public-private hospital located in the Greater Lisbon. The results of this study reveal that structural empowerment has a direct positive effect both on workers’ mental health and on workplace civility. However, the indirect effect of structural empowerment on mental health through civility is only effective for health professionals with longer tenure.