Percorrer por autor "Cruz, Ana Rita Pereira da"
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Item Association of positive and negative life events with cognitive performance and psychological status in late life : a cross- sectional study in Northern Portugal(Elsevier, 2021) Castanho, Teresa Costa; Santos, Nadine Correia; Meleiro-Neves, C.; Neto, S.; Moura, Gabriela; Santos, Manuel António da Silva; Cruz, Ana Rita Pereira da; Cunha, Olga Cecília Soares da; Rodrigues, Andreia de Castro; Rodrigues, Ana João; Sousa, NunoObjectives: Life events have important effects on psychological well-being. Yet, studies have mainly focused on exploring the impact of traumatic and negative experiences on health and well-being, with positive events receiving marginal attention. In this study, we investigated the association between negative and positive life events, cognitive performance and psychological status in older individuals. Method: A cross-sectional approach with a sample of 97 community-dwelling adults, recruited from a network of 23 centres/institutions in Northern Portugal, and aged between 56 and 85 years, was conducted. All participants were evaluated through a battery of tests assessing for depressive mood, perceived stress, and cognitive functioning. Life events were measured using the Lifetime Experiences Scale (LIFES) which covers 75 life experiences organized in eight domains. Results: A total of 95.9% of the participants reported more positive life events than negative throughout life. Participants reporting more positive experiences had lower scores in the depressive mood and perceived stress measures. At the domain-level of LIFES scale, more negative experiences in the Work and Health domains were associated with a depressed mood and more perceived stress. Significant positive associations were found between positive life experiences and most cognitive measures, after controlling for sex, education, age and depressive symptoms. Namely, more positive experiences at School, Leisure, and Living conditions were positively associated with better performance across cognitive tests. Discussion: This study adds important evidence on the association between of life events, both negative and positive experiences, on cognition and psychological well-being, providing a more balanced view of the field.Item Attitudes of Police Recruits Toward Offenders: The Impact of the Police Training on Attitudinal Change(2021-10-06) Cunha, Olga Cecília Soares da; Carvalho, Filipa; Rodrigues, Andreia de Castro; Gonçalves, Rui Abrunhosa; Cruz, Ana Rita Pereira daThe traditional prevailing perspectives on attitudes assume that attitudes, once formed, are relatively stable over time. However, research has revealed that attitudes may be influenced by different factors that may contribute to change them. The present longitudinal study aims to understand if the police recruits’ attitudes towards offenders change after police training. Besides, we aim to understand the impact of sociodemographic and personality variables on recruits’ attitudes towards offenders and which variables predict recruits’ attitudes. The Attitude Scale towards Offenders (ATO) and the NEO-FFI Personality Inventory were used in a sample of 74 recruits of a Portuguese Police Force - Guarda Nacional Republicana -, in two distinct moments (at the beginning and at the end of the police training programme). Results revealed that at the end of the training recruits hold more negative attitudes towards offenders. Those who had previous professional experience in the army hold more positive attitudes, but only at the beginning of the training. Only attitudes towards offenders at the beginning of the police training predict recruits’ attitudes towards offenders at the end of the training. These results emphasize the importance of initial and continuous training of recruits and police officers, especially in terms of their attitudes towards offenders.Item Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire: Factor Structure and Measurement Invariance among Portuguese Male Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence(2021) Cunha, Olga Cecília Soares da; Peixoto, Maria Manuela; Cruz, Ana Rita Pereira da; Gonçalves, Rui AbrunhosaThis study was conducted at Psychology Research Centre (UID/PSI/01662/2013), University of Minho, and supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education through national funds and co-financed by FEDER through COMPETE2020 under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007653). The study was also supported by Grant SFRH/ BD/66110/2009 from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology awarded to the first author.Item Community sanctions: Offenders’ perceptions about their appropriateness(2021) Andrade, Joana Raquel Mendes; Cruz, Ana Rita Pereira da; Cunha, Olga Cecília Soares da; Gonçalves, Rui Abrunhosa; Rodrigues, Andreia de CastroItem Dropout among Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence Attending an Intervention Program(2022) Cunha, Olga Cecília Soares da; Silva, Andreia Fernandes da; Cruz, Ana Rita Pereira da; Rodrigues, Andreia de Castro; Braga, Teresa; Gonçalves, Rui AbrunhosaBatterer intervention programs (BIPs) are one of the most relevant strategies to reduce intimate partner violence (IPV). However, the rates of dropout are significantly high, which may impact the effectiveness of such strategies. Literature has identified several factors associated with BIP dropout; nonetheless findings remain inconsistent. The aims of this study were to analyze the differences between perpetrators who completed the program and those who droped out, in terms of sociodemographic, violence-related and intrapersonal variables, as well as identify the predictors of dropout. 83 IPV perpetrators completed a set of measures that assessed attitudes toward domestic violence, physical and psychological abuse of a partner, aggression, coping skills, and readiness to change. Variables related to past criminal history and sociodemographics were also colletected. 42.2% of IPV perpetrators failed to complete the intervention program. The results revealed that age and previous convictions by other crimes than IPV discriminated perpetrators who completed the program from those who droped out, such that, being young and having a previous conviction predicted dropout. These findings reveal a need to further analyze the impact of these factors so BIPs can be tailored to meet the specificities of IPV perpetrators and prevent treatment dropout.Item A home-based individual cognitive stimulation program for older adults with cognitive impairment : a randomized controlled trial(2021) Silva, Rosa Carla Gomes da; Campos, Elżbieta MaŁgorzata Bobrowicz; Costa, Paulo Santos; Cruz, Ana Rita Pereira da; Apóstolo, João Luís AlvesObjective: This study aims to assess the feasibility and meaningfulness of a home-based individual cognitive stimulation (iCS) program delivered by caregivers to persons with cognitive impairment (PwCIs). It also aims to assess whether the older adults receiving this program improved their cognitive, neuropsychiatric, and depressive symptoms and quality of life and whether their caregivers improved their mental and physical health. Methods: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted with PwCI-caregiver dyads recruited from the community. Participants were allocated to two groups: intervention (n = 28) and control (n = 24). The intervention group received the European Portuguese version of the Individual Cognitive Stimulation Program—Making a Difference 3 (MD3-P). The control group received usual care. The iCS therapy program was implemented three times a week for 12 weeks. Caregivers were supported by the researchers to deliver the sessions at home. Participants were assessed at baseline and at the end of the intervention (week 13). Feasibility and meaningfulness were assessed through the attrition rate, adherence, and degree of satisfaction with the sessions. Four interviews were conducted (after week 13) to understand participants’ experiences. Results: The attrition rate was 23.1%. The dyads reported that they did not have high expectations about the iCS program before starting the study. Nevertheless, as the program evolved, caregivers noted that their family members had improved some areas of functioning. Intention-to-treat analysis based on group differences revealed a significant improvement in PwCIs’ cognition, specifically in their orientation and ability to follow commands. The intervention had no impact on other variables such as caregivers’ physical and mental health. Conclusion: The iCS program implemented by caregivers showed promising results in improving PwCIs’ cognition. The participants who completed the intervention attributed a positive meaning to the MD3-P, confirming it as a valid non-pharmacological therapeutic approach to reducing frailty in PwCIs in community settings.