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Aim Life satisfaction has been a central research topic in the field of Health Psychology, as an essential construct to individual adaptive psychological functioning. This paper aims to study the predictors of life satisfaction in a mixed sample, verifying the continuity of satisfaction with life in populations of patients with psychiatric disorders and healthy controls. Method It was used a mixed sample of non-clinical participants (n = 228) and clinical participants with psychiatric illness (n = 183) from Azores (Portugal). Correlation analyses and, subsequently, multiple linear regression analyses were carried out to study the predictors of satisfaction with life. Results Depression and the satisfaction of basic psychological needs were the best predictors of life satisfaction. Conclusion Psychological disorders constitute a vulnerability factor for dissatisfaction with life. Therefore, prevention or education and the promotion of adaptive coping strategies for adverse life situations is imperative for improving satisfaction with life, particularly in individuals affected with psychiatric illness.

Introduction Paranoid ideation has been consistently found as a phenomenon presented across the population continuum, and a theme that most people find in their everyday thoughts. Objective To validate and study the psychometric properties of the Paranoia Checklist in a mixed (clinical and non-clinical) sample, in an extension of the study by Freeman et al. (2005). Method Self-report questionnaire were completed by 392 individuals, with the aid of a psychologist when necessary. Results The PC has shown to be a measure capable of distinguishing between clinical and non-clinical group of participants regarding the two dimensions of paranoid thoughts: frequency and conviction. Scores fitted an exponential curve, similar to the initial studies with the original version of the checklist. Conclusion The assessment of paranoia has shown to be a continuum process common to clinical and non-clinical groups. The PC is a psychometrically sound measure to assess different paranoid thoughts on a multidimensional perspective and with sensitivity to distinguish groups of patients and healthy individuals, being suitable for use both in clinical and research settings.

O autocriticismo pode ser entendido como uma autoavaliação prejudicial que implica sentimentos de inutilidade e culpa quando o sujeito se depara com situações de fracasso. Objetivos: explorar a estrutura latente e qualidades psicométricas da Escala das Formas do Autocriticismo e Autotranquilização (FSCRS-C) da população infantil portuguesa. Método: o FSCRS-C foi administrado a 249 crianças açorianas. Resultados: verifica-se uma estrutura bidimensional que incluiu o autocriticismo e autotranquilização. As subescalas apresentaram uma boa consistência interna. O FSCRS-C apresentou uma boa validade divergente e convergente. Conclusão: a versão adaptada para crianças fornece uma medida robusta a ser utilizada em estudos visando o estudo do desenvolvimento deste construto.

Several studies point out to the influence of social experiences on perceptions of the environment and others in cognitive functioning and different aspects of psychopathology. The current study aimed at studying the influence of the psychosocial risk factors in a mixed sample of participants from the general population and affected by paranoid schizophrenia. The extent to which the existence of negative life events and events that are threatening to the inner models of the self (i.e., history of maltreatment, physical, social or psychological abuse) or the memories of these traumatic events occurring during childhood are related to the existence of paranoid beliefs in adulthood was explored. RESULTS suggested that memories of parental behaviours characterized by antipathy from both parental figures, submissiveness and bullying victimization were important predictors of paranoid ideation in adult life. This further emphasizes the need for understanding the family and social dynamics of people presenting paranoid ideations to the development of therapeutic interventions that can effectively reduce the invalidation caused by severe psychopathology, as is the case of schizophrenia. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE: Memories of family dynamics characterized by behaviours of antipathy from both parental figures, submissiveness and bullying victimization are important predictors of paranoid ideation in adult life. The study highlights the importance of exploring subjective recalls of feelings and behaviours associated with early rearing experiences, peer relationships and themes related to social rank theory in the roots of internal models of relationship with the self and others in the general sample, patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and their first-degree relatives. Our findings indicate that schizophrenic patients in active phase differ regarding memories of threat and submission and are more likely to remember childhood experiences perceived as threatening during an active phase than when in remission. It is possible that by changing these internal models and social interaction styles, patients may be able to get involved in more cooperating and affiliative interactions, disconfirming these early beliefs about others being rejecting, critical or hostile towards the self, and more effectively reducing the invalidation caused by positive and negative symptomatology of schizophrenia on social functioning. Language: en

BACKGROUND Social experiences have a significant impact on cognitive functioning and appraisals of social interactions. Specifically, recalls of antipathy from parents, submissiveness, and bullying during childhood can have a significant influence on paranoid ideation later in life. METHOD Multiple hierarchical regression analysis was performed on a sample of 91 patients diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in remission and active phase, their first-degree relatives (n = 32) and unaffected controls (n = 64). OBJECTIVES Exploring the impact of distal (events from childhood) and proximal factors (current cognitive, emotional, and behavioural aspects of social functioning) in the frequency, degree of conviction, and distress resulting from paranoid ideation in the participants from 4 samples. RESULTS Proximal and distal factors (shame, submissive behaviour, negative social comparison, antipathy from father) predicted several aspects of paranoid ideation. Those variables had a differential impact in affected patients and healthy controls. DISCUSSION Finding suggests different variables being involved in paranoid ideation, and the specificities of patients with paranoid schizophrenia should be considered in the development of more effective psychotherapeutic interventions.

Background: Paranoia is a disruptive belief that can vary across a continuum, ranging from persecutory delusions presented in clinical settings to paranoid cognitions that are highly prevalent in the general population. The literature suggests that paranoid thoughts derive from the activation of a paranoid schema or information processing biases that can be sensitive to socially ambiguous stimuli and influence the processing of threatening situations. Method: Four groups (Schizophrenic participants in active psychotic phases, n=6; stable participants in remission, n=30; participants' relatives, n=32; and healthy controls, n=64) were assessed with self-report questionnaires to determine how the reactions to paranoia of clinical patients differ from healthy individuals. Cognitive, emotional and behavioral dimensions of their reactions to these paranoid thoughts were examined. Results: Paranoid individuals were present in all groups. Most participants referred the rejection by others as an important trigger of paranoid ideations, while active psychotic were unable to identify triggering situations to their thoughts and reactions. This may be determinant to the different reactions and the different degree of invalidation caused by paranoid thoughts observed across groups. Conclusion: Clinical and non-clinical expressions of paranoid ideations differ in terms of their cognitive, emotional and behavioral components. It is suggested that, in socially ambiguous situations, paranoid participants (presenting lower thresholds of paranoid schema activation) lose the opportunity to disconfirm their paranoid beliefs by resourcing to more maladaptive coping strategies. Consequently, by dwelling on these thoughts, the amount of time spent thinking about their condition and the disability related to the disease increases.

Several studies point out to the influence of social experiences on perceptions of the environment and others in cognitive functioning and different aspects of psychopathology. The current study aimed at studying the influence of the psychosocial risk factors in a mixed sample of participants from the general population and affected by paranoid schizophrenia. The extent to which the existence of negative life events and events that are threatening to the inner models of the self (i.e., history of maltreatment, physical, social or psychological abuse) or the memories of these traumatic events occurring during childhood are related to the existence of paranoid beliefs in adulthood was explored. Results suggested that memories of parental behaviours characterized by antipathy from both parental figures, submissiveness and bullying victimization were important predictors of paranoid ideation in adult life. This further emphasizes the need for understanding the family and social dynamics of people presenting paranoid ideations to the development of therapeutic interventions that can effectively reduce the invalidation caused by severe psychopathology, as is the case of schizophrenia. Copyright © 2015 John WileySons, Ltd.Memories of family dynamics characterized by behaviours of antipathy from both parental figures, submissiveness and bullying victimization are important predictors of paranoid ideation in adult life. The study highlights the importance of exploring subjective recalls of feelings and behaviours associated with early rearing experiences, peer relationships and themes related to social rank theory in the roots of internal models of relationship with the self and others in the general sample, patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and their first-degree relatives. Our findings indicate that schizophrenic patients in active phase differ regarding memories of threat and submission and are more likely to remember childhood experiences perceived as threatening during an active phase than when in remission. It is possible that by changing these internal models and social interaction styles, patients may be able to get involved in more cooperating and affiliative interactions, disconfirming these early beliefs about others being rejecting, critical or hostile towards the self, and more effectively reducing the invalidation caused by positive and negative symptomatology of schizophrenia on social functioning.

Background Paranoid ideation has been regarded as a cognitive and a social process used as a defence against perceived threats. According to this perspective, paranoid ideation can be understood as a process extending across the normal–pathological continuum. Methods In order to refine the construct of paranoid ideation and to validate a measure of paranoia, 906 Portuguese participants from the general population and 91 patients were administered the General Paranoia Scale (GPS), and two conceptual models (one- and tridimensional) were compared through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results Results from the CFA of the GPS confirmed a different model than the one-dimensional model proposed by Fenigstein and Vanable, which comprised three dimensions (mistrust thoughts, persecutory ideas, and self-deprecation). This alternative model presented a better fit and increased sensitivity when compared with the one-dimensional model. Further data analysis of the scale revealed that the GPS is an adequate assessment tool for adults, with good psychometric characteristics and high internal consistency. Conclusion The model proposed in the current work leads to further refinements and enrichment of the construct of paranoia in different populations, allowing the assessment of three dimensions of paranoia and the risk of clinical paranoia in a single measure for the general population.

No presente trabalho apresentam-se alguns resultados e as conclusões mais relevantes de um estudo realizado, na Universidade dos Açores, no âmbito de um projecto de investigação sobre o desenvolvimento do estudante do ensino superior. Neste artigo, em particular, analisam-se as atitudes e estratégias de aprendizagem mais utilizadas pelos alunos da Universidade dos Açores com base numa amostra constituída por 370 alunos que frequentavam, em 2001-2002, quatro cursos de licenciatura existentes em dois dos três pólos desta Universidade: Ponta Delgada e Angra do Heroísmo. A avaliação das atitudes e estratégias foi efectuada através do QACE - Questionário de Atitudes e Comportamentos de Estudo (Bessa & Tavares, 1998). As análises estatísticas procuraram, por um lado, avaliar a qualidade da métrica deste questionário e, por outro, descrever, os alunos nos seus comportamentos de estudo e de aprendizagem. Os resultados são consistentes com os de outros estudos similares, realizados a nível nacional e internacional, junto da população estudantil universitária. The authors summarize some findings from an exploratory study dealing with the cognitive development of 370 college students, from four different major areas, enrolled in courses offered in two separate campuses of the University of the Azores, Portugal (Ponta Delgada and Angra do Heroísmo). In this particular study, students' attitudes, approaches to studying and effective study habits were assessed, using the Questionnaire of Attitudes and Study Habits - QACE (Bessa & Tavares, 1998), with the aim of determining which cognitive, metacognitive and affective variables control student engagement in academic activities and, therefore, influence decision-making about what to do (attitude) and how to (strategy) achieve proposed learning tasks. Descriptive and factor analyses were carried out, using SPSS, and results are consistent with those of similar studies on this issue conducted in Portuguese universities and elsewhere.