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Guided by attachment theory, we explored in the present study the links between parental emotion-coaching, attachment to parents, and adolescent's sense of agency. Further, we examined a possible mediating role of adolescent's attachment to parents in the association between parental emotion-coaching and sense of agency. All models control for cumulative psychosocial risk, and adolescents' sex and age, and take into account the reports of both mothers and fathers. The sample included 501 Portuguese families comprising adolescents, their mothers, and their fathers. Adolescents (ages ranged from 15 to 18) reported on their attachment to parents, personal agency, and cumulative psychosocial risk, whereas mothers and fathers independently completed a questionnaire assessing their meta-emotion skills. The results indicate that both mothers' and fathers' emotional-coaching are positively associated with the quality of adolescent's attachment to parents. Nonetheless, parental emotion-coaching are not directly associate with sense of agency. The quality of emotional bond with father is linked to a more positive sense of agency, while relationships characterized by mother's inhibition of adolescent's exploration are associated with less positive perceptions of agency. Parental emotion-coaching seems to be associated with the sense of personal agency through the quality of attachment to parents. These results are discussed according to attachment theory taking into account the parents' importance to adolescents' development. Our findings provide a first attempt to unravel the possible links between parental emotion-coaching, attachment to parents, and sense of agency; nevertheless, they need to expand. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Healthy individuals from hereditary cancer families undergoing genetic testing for cancer susceptibility (GTC) report more distress when they perceive their social support as low and suppress their emotions. This study aimed to explore how suppressing emotions and perceiving others as unsupportive are related with cancer-risk distress.We performed a regression-based mediation analysis to assess if expressive suppression mediates or is mediated by perceived social support in the relation with cancer-risk distress. Participants were 125 healthy adults aged over 18 (M = 36.07, SD = 12.86), mostly female (72,4%), who undergone GTC to assess the presence of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer or Lynch syndromes.Controlling for age and gender, we found a moderate size indirect effect of social support on cancer-risk distress through expressive suppression (β = -0.095) and a direct effect of expressive suppression on cancer-risk distress.When healthy individuals from hereditary cancer families perceive their social network as less responsive, they tend to not express their emotions, which relates to increased distress facing GTC.Practitioners may assess cancer-risk related distress before the GTC and offer distressed individuals interventions focused on changing emotion regulation strategies in a safe group context.

This longitudinal study follows children from dual-earner families in 4 time-points, covering the early childhood period. We examined the influence of work–family conflict (WFC) on maternal relational frustration (RF) towards the child, and investigated the reciprocal relations among maternal RF, children's self-control (SC), and teacher–child (TC) conflict over time. Participants were 214 children (97 girls; M age = 4.00 years), their mothers, and teachers. Mothers reported their own WFC and RF, whereas teachers reported child SC and T-C conflict. Results from a cross-lagged panel model indicated the experience of WFC positively predicted maternal RF. Maternal RF and T-C conflict were negatively related to the child later SC abilities. Conversely, children who displayed SC difficulties were more likely to experience later maternal RF and T-C conflict. There was evidence supporting the bidirectional effects of child SC and T-C conflict across time. Moreover, maternal RF and T-C conflict were indirectly linked, via child SC. The findings are consistent with a transactional view of development, stressing the importance of contextual factors to the quality of caregiving relationships and highlighting the complex and reciprocal relations between child regulatory competence and the quality of relationships with distinct caregivers.

This study aimed to present the development of the Communication Concerns in Parents with Cancer Scale (CCPCS) and to evaluate its psychometric properties in mothers with cancer.Two hundred and twenty-nine mothers with cancer participated in this study. Participants reported on parenting concerns, depressive and anxiety symptoms and quality of life. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to explore the factor structure of the new scale. Concurrent and convergent validity, internal consistency and test-retest reliability were evaluated/obtained. To measure invariance according to type of cancer and time passed since diagnosis, a multi-group analysis was used.EFA suggested that the scale comprised one factor that explained 75.63% of the total variance. The developed CCPCS had high internal consistency. Communication concerns were positively associated with other parenting concerns, as well as anxiety and depression symptoms. Test of measurement invariance showed scalar invariance for type of cancer, and residual invariance for time passed since diagnosis.The CCPCS seems to be a promising scale to measure communication concerns in mothers with cancer for clinical and research purposes. Knowing the impact of communication concerns in the mother's process of adaptation to cancer can provide clues for the psycho-oncological care offered.

Parental worries and parenting stress can increase when a mother receives a breast cancer diagnosis. This study presents the findings of needs and preferences of mothers with breast cancer to inform the development of a group intervention program for mothers with breast cancer and other alternatives of support.Using qualitative data from eighteen Portuguese women with at least one minor child when they received a breast cancer diagnosis, and content analysis on three focus groups transcripts, we uncover the participants' parenting needs and their perceptions of the potential benefits and the formal aspects of a group intervention.Mothers revealed that they need support on several parenting-related issues (e.g., communicating with the children about the mother's diagnosis, dealing with children's responses and difficult questions). They provided information about the potential benefits of group intervention and preferences regarding intervention content, sessions' structure, frequency, location, and timing. Some participants also suggested other types of support, such as online information and individual psychological support.The development of an intervention informed by the patients' needs and preferences can contribute to increasing its feasibility and efficacy. The findings indicated the specific parenting needs of Portuguese mothers with breast cancer, and it offered health professionals some important clues on how to support other family members.

Introduction: Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is a rare disorder characterized by the triad of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and acute kidney injury, which primarily affects preschool-aged children. This study’s aim was to describe the clinical profile, management, and long-term outcome of the genetic aHUS patients admitted to a tertiary care pediatric nephrology center during 20 years. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of the clinical records of all aHUS patients younger than 18 years with identified genetic mutations. Data on clinical features, genetic study, therapeutic interventions, and long-term outcomes were reviewed. Results: Five cases of aHUS with an identified genetic mutation were included; all were inaugural cases with the youngest being 4 months old. Complement factor H gene mutation was identified in four patients. Therapeutic plasma exchange was performed for acute management in 4 patients, one of whom also needed acute renal replacement therapy (peritoneal dialysis). All patients went on complete remission, 2 had more than one relapse but only 1 of these progressed to chronic kidney disease during the follow-up period (median (25th-75th percentile), 136 (43.5-200.5) months). Conclusion: In children, the prognosis of renal function seems to be strongly dependent on the genetic background, thus being crucial to perform genetic study in all aHUS cases. In our cohort, 2 patients presented genetic mutations not previously described. Recent innovations on the genetic field leading to the identification of new mutations has lead to a better understanding of aHUS pathogenesis, but further studies, focusing on the genotype-phenotype correlation, with longer follow-up periods, are needed. Resumo Introdução: A síndrome hemolítica urêmica atípica (SHUa) é um distúrbio raro caracterizado pela tríade de anemia hemolítica microangiopática, trombocitopenia e lesão renal aguda, afetando principalmente crianças em idade pré-escolar. O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever perfil clínico, manejo e desfecho em longo prazo dos pacientes com SHUa genética admitidos em um centro terciário de nefrologia pediátrica durante 20 anos. Métodos: Realizamos análise retrospectiva dos registros clínicos de todos os pacientes com SHUa menores de 18 anos com mutações genéticas identificadas. Revisaram-se dados sobre características clínicas, estudo genético, intervenções terapêuticas e desfechos em longo prazo. Resultados: Incluíram-se cinco casos de SHUa com uma mutação genética identificada; sendo todos casos inaugurais, o mais jovem tendo 4 meses de idade. A mutação no gene do fator H do complemento foi identificada em quatro pacientes. Plasmaférese terapêutica foi realizada para tratamento agudo em 4 pacientes, um dos quais também necessitou terapia renal substitutiva aguda (diálise peritoneal). Todos os pacientes tiveram remissão completa, 2 mais de uma recidiva, mas apenas 1 evoluiu para doença renal crônica durante acompanhamento (mediana (percentil 25°-75°), 136 (43,5-200,5) meses). Conclusão: Em crianças, o prognóstico da função renal parece ser fortemente dependente do histórico genético, sendo crucial realizar estudo genético em todos os casos de SHUa. Em nossa coorte, 2 pacientes apresentaram mutações genéticas não descritas anteriormente. Inovações recentes no campo genético que levaram à identificação de novas mutações conduziram a um melhor entendimento da patogênese SHUa, mas são necessários mais estudos, focando na correlação genótipo-fenótipo, com períodos de acompanhamento mais longos.

This study examined the factorial, convergent, and discriminant validity of scores on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), a tool for screening children's psychological adjustment. Data were collected from a community sample of 346 children (46% girls, M age = 54.07 months), using teacher, mother, and father reports. Results from confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the SDQ's hypothesized 5-factor structure fit the data well and partial strict measurement invariance was established across raters. Using teachers' reports as reference method, a correlated trait-correlated method minus 1 model (Eid et al., 2008) was fitted to investigate convergent and discriminant validity. The convergent validity of parents' ratings relative to teachers' ratings was modest. Mothers and fathers had a unique perspective on children's behavior above and beyond their partial overlap with teacher reports. Results indicated good discriminant validity between most of the traits measured by the SDQ. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Dependency is a scarcely investigated dimension of teacher-child (T-C) relationships that can reflect a lack of security and obstruct children's autonomous exploration in the school context. We examined the within- and cross-time associations between T-C dependency, closeness, and conflict, and children's effortful control, an ability related to children's self-regulation. Data were collected during the preschool period at two time-points (T1 and T2) 1-year apart. Participants were 199 children (44% girls

Hereditary cancer syndromes are inherited genetic pathogenic variants that significantly increase the risk of developing cancer. When an individual becomes aware of their increased probability of having cancer, the whole family is affected by this new reality and needs to adjust. However, adjustment to hereditary cancer syndromes has been mainly studied at an individual level and research about familial adjustment remains dispersed and disorganized. To overcome this gap, this review aims to understand how families adjust to genetic testing and risk management, and to what extent the adjustment of the family influences the psychological response and risk management behaviors of mutation carriers. We conducted searches on the PubMed/Med Line, PsycInfo, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar databases and used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT-v2018) to assess the methodological quality of each selected study. Thirty studies met the inclusion criteria. Most Results highlighted the interdependent nature of adjustment of pathogenic variant carriers and their families. The way carriers adjust to the syndrome is highly related with how family members react to it, particularly partners and siblings. Couples who share their worries and communicate openly about cancer risk present a better long-term adjustment then couples who use protective buffering (not talking about it to avoid disturbing the partner) or emotional distancing. Parents need help dealing with disclosing genetic information to their children. These findings reinforce the importance of adopting a family-centered approach in the context of genetic counseling and the necessity of involving family members in research. Keywords: hereditary cancer syndromes, genetic testing, family adjustment, cancer risk management, decision-making, genetic counseling, This work was supported by the European COMPETE2020 under grant POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030980, Portuguese National funds FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P, under grant PTDC/PSI-ESP/30980/2017 and the COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology), under grant COST Action CA16102.

As a construct, the elaboration of countertransference experience (ECE) is intended to depict the implicit and explicit psychological work to which therapists submit their experiences with clients. Through ECE, defined as a mentalizing process of a particular kind, therapists' experiences are presumed to acquire and increase in mental quality and become available for meaning-making and judicious clinical use. In this paper, we claim that such an ongoing process facilitates engagement with common therapeutic factors, such as the therapeutic alliance and countertransference management, enhancing therapist responsiveness in psychotherapy. We synthesize relevant literature on countertransference, mentalization, and, in particular, therapists' mentalization, informed by a systematic literature review. As a result, we propose a model for assessing ECE in psychotherapy, comprising 6 diversely mentalized countertransference positions (factual-concrete, abstract-rational, projective-impulsive, argumentative, contemplative-mindful, and mentalizing), 2 underlying primary dimensions (experiencing, reflective elaboration), and 5 complementary dimensions of elaboration. Strengths and limitations of the model are discussed.

Objective Cancer poses unique challenges for the couple relationship. From a relational perspective, successful adaptation may be less dependent on the circumstances of being the "patient" or the "caregiver" than on how couples successfully integrate cancer into their relationship. In this article, we study posttraumatic growth through attachment theory, which provides a useful framework to explore the role of intimate processes dyadically. Method The sample comprised 84 heterosexual married and cohabitating couples. Women were in adjuvant treatment for breast cancer or in the posttreatment phase. Both members of the couple completed measures of attachment and posttraumatic growth. Path models were used to examine associations between the constructs through the application of the actor-partner interdependent model. Moreover, time since diagnosis was examined within the actor-partner interdependent model as a possible moderator affecting the attachment-posttraumatic growth associations. Results Partners' attachment security was an important predictor of individual posttraumatic growth for both members of the couple, while individuals' own attachment security was not associated with their posttraumatic growth for either member of the couple. The partner's effects were equal across gender. Additionally, time since breast cancer diagnosis did not affect the pattern of results. Conclusion Findings support the assessment of the couple dyadically and corroborate an attachment approach of the couple as an interdependent unit. Implications of the study for interventions assisting couples in oncological setting are discussed.

Alliance may impact psychotherapy outcomes both as a precondition that enables therapeutic work and an evolving process that is therapeutic in itself. This study examined the participation of the elaboration of countertransference experience (ECE) in alliance variation between therapist-client dyads early in therapy and within dyads over time. A total of 44 session assessments nested within 12 dyads were modeled through longitudinal multilevel analyses and utilized to examine the associations between the ECE dimensions of Immersion and Reflection and alliance components across 4 time points within the first 10 sessions of psychotherapy. Results supported the importance of initial ECE to explain differences in alliance between dyads, the particular relevance of ECE with clients presenting lower levels of personality organization, and the effect of personality difficulties on alliance change. Unexpected results were found concerning the correlations between ECE and alliance and their covariation over time. In conclusion, ECE dimensions appear to be involved in alliance formation, both in initial differences between dyads and in changes over time within the same case. ECE seems particularly important with more personality-disturbed clients. Future research should disentangle therapist and client contributions and examine the participation of ECE in the resolution of alliance ruptures. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Intrinsic and extrinsic types of motivation have been widely studied, and their importance on both developmental and educational practices has led to the development of assessment tools. The Aspiration Index scale (AI; Grouzet et al., 2005), which was developed to measure people`s life aspirations, was translated and validated into Portuguese. A sample of 1,359 adolescents, age ranged from 12 to 18 years-old, participated in the present study. Results showed that a factor structure with the eleven subscales of the AI does not fit the data. However we gathered support for a three-factor structure that organized the items in terms of whether aspirations are intrinsically, extrinsically or self-transcendent oriented. Internal consistency and temporal stability yielded good results. The predictive and criterion validities were demonstrated by significant associations with theoretically supported measures of satisfaction with life and father and mother attachment. The multi-group confirmatory factor analysis showed that this structure was invariant across gender. These results suggest that the AI is a reliable measure to assess different types of life aspirations and can be used in future research with adolescents in Portugal.

Background This research sought to review studies that examined the factor structure of the PHQ-9 using a confirmatory factor analysis approach (Study 1); to review studies that tested the measurement invariance of the PHQ-9 (Study 2); to examine the psychometric properties of the European Portuguese version in the general population (Study 3). Methods Using PRISMA guidelines, a search was performed on Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Scopus from 2001 to August 2019. Assessment of eligibility criteria and data extraction were conducted by two independent researchers (Studies 1 and 2). In Study 3, data were collected from 1479 Portuguese adults, using a cross-sectional design. The BDI-II and the GDS-15 were administered to examine convergent validity. Results The systematic review identified four-factor models of the PHQ-9 (Study 1). Nineteen studies supported a one-factor model, whereas 12 found evidence for a two-factor model. Both models were supported in general, clinical, psychiatric, and international samples. Study 2 identified ten studies that examined PHQ-9 measurement invariance across 18 groups. The PHQ-9 measurement invariance was fully supported across studies. Study 3 revealed that a two-factor model showed a close fit to data in the European Portuguese version of the PHQ-9. Measurement invariance, reliability, and convergent and divergent validity were also established. Limitations Study 3 did not include a gold standard measure of depression to evaluate PHQ-9 diagnostic properties. Conclusions Conceptual implications of the findings are discussed, and recommendations for using the Portuguese version of the PHQ-9 as a screening measure in community settings are also highlighted.

OBJECTIVES To examine the psychometric properties of the Parenting Concerns Questionnaire (PCQ) in a sample of Portuguese parents with cancer. METHODS The PCQ was completed by 209 adults with cancer, who are parents of at least one minor child. Participants reported on parenting concerns, depressive and anxiety symptoms, parental stress as well as quality of life. Confirmatory factor analysis and Item Response Theory (IRT) were used to assess the psychometric properties of the PCQ. Cronbach's alpha was used to examine its reliability. Pearson correlation coefficients provided information regarding convergent validity. Criterion validity was analysed. RESULTS Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the original three-factor structure. IRT indicated that most of the items were highly discriminant and better identified as moderate versus low or high levels of parenting concerns in the three dimensions of PCQ. The pattern of associations with depressive and anxiety symptoms, parental stress, and quality of life provided evidence for the convergent validity. The PCQ differentiated between parents with and without depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION Exploring parenting concerns provides additional relevant information about the experiences and the potential psychological distress experienced by these parents with cancer. The PCQ can be an important tool to identify parents with cancer who might benefit from psychological support regarding parenting.

Objective There is a well‐established link in the literature between secure romantic attachment orientation and psychological well‐being. The underlying processes of this link and the couple interplay between attachment and well‐being are notably less explored. Using a dyadic framework, this study examines both couple members' emotion regulation strategies as potential mediators of this link. Method One hundred and nineteen heterosexual couples completed self‐report measures on attachment style, psychological well‐being, tendency to suppress emotions, and emotion expression. Analyses were performed using the actor–partner interdependence mediation model that distinguishes between intrapersonal and interpersonal influences. Results Results showed that controlling for relationship length, there was an intrapersonal indirect effect of attachment avoidance on psychological well‐being through emotion suppression. Moreover, interpersonal indirect effects were found (a) with individual attachment avoidance being associated with partner's psychological well‐being through own emotion expression and (b) individual's attachment anxiety being associated with partner's psychological well‐being through both own's emotion expression and partner's emotion suppression. Conclusions These findings highlight the complex associations among attachment, emotion regulation, and well‐being and point out the role of emotion regulation as a potential underlying pathway explaining these associations. The results suggest the importance of considering the relational nature of emotional and attachment dynamics in couples.

The main goals of the present study were to test the psychometric properties of a Portuguese version of the GPIUS2 (Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2, Caplan, 2010), and to test whether the cognitive-behavioral model proposed by Caplan (2010) replicated in the context of Facebook use. We used a sample of 761 Portuguese adolescents (53.7% boys, 46.3% girls, mean age = 15.8). Our results showed that the data presented an adequate fit to the original model using confirmatory factor analysis. The scale presented also good internal consistency and adequate construct validity. The cognitive-behavioral model was also applicable to the Facebook context, presenting good fit. Consistently with previous findings we found that preference for online social interaction and the use of Facebook to mood regulation purposes, predicted positively and significantly the deficient self-regulation in Facebook use, which in turn was a significant predictor of the negative outcomes associated with this use.

Objective This study explored the experiences and perceived changes of breast cancer (BC) patients after participating in 16-weekly sessions of Supportive-Expressive Group Therapy (SEGT). Methods A semi-structured interview adapted from Elliott's Client Change Interview was carried out with 12 women (aged 33-60 years) with BC, about 6 months after completing the treatment. Results Content analysis identified four main themes: expectations and motivations to participate in SEGT, group processes and experiences, perceived changes enhanced by SEGT and perceptions about the therapeutic relationship. The most helpful aspects of SEGT mentioned by participants were as follows: the expression/normalisation of feelings, thoughts and reactions; the improvement of social support; and the learning opportunities obtained through sharing of experiences among participants. Additionally, participants mentioned that SEGT contributed to improve personal and social skills, such as the capacity to express emotions and the ability to establish satisfactory interpersonal relationships. Conclusions Based on the participants' experiences, SEGT seems to be an effective intervention to support women facing BC during the initial phase of cancer. The use of SEGT by health care professionals is encouraged, but the specific needs/problems of each group member should be carefully attended.

As routine outcome monitoring systems develop, questions emerge about how therapists incorporate feedback into their practice, and how this relates to therapeutic gains. A case of covert grief was monitored in each session with the Personal Questionnaire and the Helpful Aspects of Therapy instruments. At 4 months follow-up, the Change Interview was administered. Individualized items facilitated access to the private views and needs of each member, which was useful for case formulation and ongoing personalization of the intervention. Qualitative feedback of treatment experiences helped therapists confirm the impacts of interventions, monitor therapeutic alliance, reformulate clinical hypothesis, and plan sessions. Therapists followed a critical triangulation process to decide the clinical meaning of feedback, according to his/her intervention model, expertise, and case-specific context.

The important role of emotion regulation and expression in adaptation to breast cancer is now widely recognized. Studies have shown that optimal emotion regulation strategies, including less constrained emotional expression, are associated with better adaptation. Our objective was to systematically review measures used to assess the way women with breast cancer regulate their emotions. This systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Nine different databases were searched. Data were independently extracted and assessed by two researchers. English-language articles that used at least one instrument to measure strategies to regulate emotions in women with breast cancer were included. Of 679 abstracts identified 59 studies were deemed eligible for inclusion. Studies were coded regarding their objectives, methods, and results. We identified 16 instruments used to measure strategies of emotion regulation and expression. The most frequently employed instrument was the Courtauld Emotional Control Scale. Few psychometric proprieties other than internal consistency were reported for most instruments. Many studies did not include important information regarding descriptive characteristics and psychometric properties of the instruments used. The instruments used tap different aspects of emotion regulation. Specific instruments should be explored further with regard to content, validity, and reliability in the context of breast cancer.

Attachment insecurity is associated with difficulties in adapting to cancer. Accumulating evidence points to the influence of avoidant emotion processes in this association. This study explored this pathway by examining the association between attachment insecurity and quality of life in women with breast cancer, and by exploring the mediating role of two avoidant emotion processes in this association. Women with breast cancer (N = 155) completed measures of attachment, emotional suppression, emotional awareness and quality of life. Avoidance of attachment was positively associated with emotional suppression (β = .29, p < .01) and lack of emotional awareness (β = .27, p < .01), and negatively associated with quality of life (β = -.22, p < .05). Lack of emotional awareness partially mediated the relationship between attachment avoidance and quality of life (indirect effect β = -.12, p = .008). Attachment anxiety was not associated with any variable. Attachment avoidance may hinder the process of adaptation to breast cancer and difficulties in identifying and describing emotions may be partly responsible for this influence. Access to and ability to benefit from social and medical supports is likely to depend on being able to engage with others and recognise and process emotions effectively. Research and clinical implications are discussed.

Objective To systematically review and integrate the findings from quantitative and qualitative studies on parenting and parent-child relationships in families where mothers had breast cancer (BC). Methods Ten different databases were searched from inception to January 2016. All authors assessed these data independently. Full-text, peer-reviewed articles exploring parenting and/or mother-child relationships in families where the mother had BC, regardless of cancer stage, were considered for inclusion. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed. Results From 116 studies, 23 were deemed eligible for inclusion. Five of them were quantitative, 15 were qualitative, and 1 study used a mixed-method approach. Most studies analysed the mother's perceptions about the experience of having BC in parenting and in the parent-child relationship. The majority of studies explored experiences and perspectives on the parent-child relationship in mothers with minor children, although a minority of studies included adult children. Additionally, a few studies (17%) addressed perceptions and experiences of women with advanced stage cancer. Three main themes were found: priorities and concerns of patients, decision-making processes about sharing the diagnosis with their children, and mother-child relationship and parenting after mother's diagnosis. Conclusions Findings indicated that the diagnosis of BC is accompanied by an array of challenges that affect parental roles and parenting. Further studies are needed to explore these issues more sensitively. For now, however, the evidence suggests that the families of women with BC, and particularly the women themselves, may benefit from informal and formal support aimed at helping them cope effectively with this challenging life event.

Parental engagement in positive activities with the child may show significant variation across time, assuming a crucial influence on child development. In dual-earner families, work-family conflict can interfere with parental engagement, with negative consequences for children's behavior. The current study examined the change trajectories of mothers' and fathers' engagement in early childhood, analyzing whether these trajectories are influenced by parents' work-family conflict and whether they predict child behavioral self-control. Data from 156 four-year-old children (67 girls) from dual-earner families were collected annually for 3 consecutive years, through mothers', fathers', and teachers' reports. Results from latent growth curve analysis revealed mothers' engagement remained stable across time while fathers' engagement had a significant increase over time. The negative association between work-family conflict and parental engagement was constant over time both for mothers and fathers. For mothers, initial levels of engagement positively predicted child behavioral self-control. As for fathers, both the initial level and positive change in engagement positively predicted child self-control. These findings emphasize the role of parental engagement in fostering child behavioral adjustment, underlining the need for considering work-family dynamics to understand changes in parental engagement. (PsycINFO Database Record

Objective Emotion regulation is thought to play an important role in adaptation to cancer. However, the emotion regulation questionnaire (ERQ), a widely used instrument to assess emotion regulation, has not yet been validated in this context. This study addresses this gap by examining the psychometric properties of the ERQ in a sample of Portuguese women with cancer. Methods The ERQ was administered to 204 women with cancer (mean age = 48.89 years, SD = 7.55). Confirmatory factor analysis and item response theory analysis were used to examine psychometric properties of the ERQ. Results Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the 2-factor solution proposed by the original authors (expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal). This solution was invariant across age and type of cancer. Item response theory analyses showed that all items were moderately to highly discriminant and that items are better suited for identifying moderate levels of expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal. Support was found for the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the ERQ. The pattern of relationships with emotional control, alexithymia, emotional self-efficacy, attachment, and quality of life provided evidence of the convergent and concurrent validity for both dimensions of the ERQ. Conclusion Overall, the ERQ is a psychometrically sound approach for assessing emotion regulation strategies in the oncological context. Clinical implications are discussed.

Objective Breast cancer (BC) diagnosis and subsequent treatments present significant challenges and distress for both patients and their partners. This can lead to difficulties in marital relationships and, consequently, decreases in marital adjustment and psychosocial adaptation to BC for both partners. Our objective was to systematically review studies assessing marital adjustment in the context of female BC to understand which factors are associated with marital adjustment in both patients and partners and characterize the measures used to assess marital adjustment within these studies. Methods This systematic review was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. English, peer-reviewed articles exploring factors associated with marital adjustment in the context of female BC were considered for inclusion. Results Fourteen studies were included. Results evidenced that psychosocial variables play an important role on marital adjustment. Specifically, open and constructive communication, more social support, and supportive dyadic coping were found to be associated with higher levels of marital adjustment. Other variables such as self-efficacy, sexual functioning, and psychological adjustment were also positively associated with marital adjustment. Conclusions Most studies evidenced an association between psychosocial variables and marital adjustment for both women and their partners. Some important dimensions such as communication patterns, coping strategies, and social support dynamics were identified as potential targets for psychological interventions. Some variables, however, were explored only in a few studies, which limit our conclusions. Future studies should explore the role these variables and other relational and emotional variables play in promoting marital adjustment after BC.

Objective: This study examined interrelationships among adult attachment orientations, caregiving, and caregiver burden in men of female partners with breast cancer, and tested whether caregiving patterns mediated associations between men’s attachment orientations and their self-reported caregiver burden. Method: The participants were 124 male partners of women with breast cancer. These participants completed assessments related to attachment, caregiving, and caregiver burden. Path models examined the associations between constructs and tested mediational effects. Results: Findings demonstrated significant associations between men’s adult attachment orientations and their experience of caregiver burden. In addition, the maintenance of proximity in caregiving completely mediated the respective associations of attachment security and attachment avoidance to caregiver health problems, on one hand, and to the caregiver’s self-esteem (e.g., another indicator for caregiver burden), on the other. Moreover, we found a direct effect of attachment avoidance on health problems. Conclusions: This study highlighted the importance of addressing adult attachment dispositions and caregiving to understanding the relational processes implicated in caregiver burden. The results support the conclusion that men’s adult attachment orientations and caregiving patterns toward their female partners with breast cancer are relevant contributors to men’s perceptions of caregiver burden.

Studies on the impact of work-family dynamics on both parenting and children's outcomes are scarce. The present study addressed this gap by exploring how parents' negative (conflicting) and positive (enriching) experiencing of work and family roles related to children's internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors through its association with the quality of parent-child relationships. A sample of 317 dual-earner couples with preschool children was used to conduct a dyadic analysis of both within- and cross-dyad influences of parents' work-family experiences on child problem behaviors. Our results indicated that the way parents balance work and family is associated with their parent-child relationships, which in turn is differentially linked with their children's behaviors. We found that mothers' work-family conflict (WFC) contributed to children's externalization difficulties through its detrimental associations with their own and with their partners' parent-child relationship quality. By contrast, mothers' work-family enrichment (WFE) was negatively linked to children's externalization difficulties through its positive link with the mother-child relationship. Fathers' experience of WFC was associated with both children's internalization and externalization difficulties through its negative association with their own father-child relationship quality. In addition, fathers' experience of WFE also linked to children's externalization difficulties, but only indirectly, via its positive association with the quality of their relationship with the child. Further implications of these findings for advancing understanding of the impact of work-family dynamics on intrafamily relationships, as well as for individual and organizational interventions, are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Objective: Information about psychological intervention with couples coping with breast cancer is not well-disseminated. This can be explained, at least in part, by the absence of knowledge about the efficacy of this kind of intervention. The aim of the present systematic review is to identify and describe psychological interventions for couples coping with breast cancer and evaluate their efficacy. Design: Studies identified by a searching multiple literature databases related to health and psychology between 1975 and 2013. Rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria were utilised. Results: Of 129 abstracts, 13 were extracted for further analysis and a final ten studies were deemed eligible for inclusion. Data were extracted from each study regarding study sample characteristics, design, results and methodological limitations. The results obtained were mixed in regard to efficacy, although the overwhelming majority of studies (eight studies) found benefits for both women and their partners in some dimensions, such as quality of life, psychological distress, relationship functioning and physical symptoms associated with cancer. Conclusion: Psychological interventions for couples coping with breast cancer appear to be effective for both women and their partners. However, further studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of couple-based interventions and, to identify for whom and how they are more effective.

This study examines the links between attachment, adaptation to breast cancer, and the mediating role played by emotional regulation processes.Participants were 127 women with breast cancer recruited in two public hospitals of Porto and at the Portuguese Cancer League. Women completed measures of attachment, quality of life, and emotion regulation. Path models were used to examine the associations between the constructs and to test the mediational hypotheses.Significant associations were found between attachment and adaptation. Dimensions of emotion regulation totally or partially mediated the associations between attachment and adaptation outcomes. Attachment security effects on interpersonal relations were totally mediated by communicating emotions. Also, attachment anxiety effect on physical well-being was totally mediated by rumination. Attachment avoidance effects on psychological outcomes were totally mediated by emotional control and partially mediated by communicating emotions for the case of interpersonal relations.This study highlights the importance of addressing emotional regulation jointly with attachment to deepen the comprehension of the relational processes implicated in adaptation to breast cancer. Results supported a mediational hypothesis, presenting emotional regulation processes as relevant dimensions for the understanding of attachment associations with adaptation to breast cancer.

Although the quality of parent-adolescent emotional bonds has consistently been proposed as a major influence on young adult's psycho-emotional functioning, the precise means by which these bonds either facilitate or impede adaptive coping are not well-understood. In an effort to advance this inquiry, the present study examined interrelationships among measures of parental attachment, emotion regulation processes, and preferred coping strategies within a sample of 942 college freshmen. Structural Equation Modelling was used to test whether the link between attachment to parents and the use of particular coping strategies is mediated by differences in emotion regulation mechanisms. As hypothesized, differences in attachment to parents predicted differences in the use of emotion regulation mechanisms and coping strategies. More specifically, having a close emotional bond, feeling supported in autonomy processes and having (moderately) low levels of separation anxiety toward parents predict more constructive emotion regulation mechanisms and coping strategies. Additionally emotion regulation was found to (partly or totally) mediate the association between attachment and coping.

In this study with 236 Portuguese university students, we examined two competing models for understanding identity. In the first model, the direct independent effects of parental and romantic attachment on identity were tested. The second model examined the mediating role of romantic attachment representations in the link between parental attachment and identity. The participants completed measures of parental and romantic attachment at the beginning of the freshman year (Wave 1), and a measure of identity development 18 months later (Wave 2). Structural equation modeling for the independent model indicated that identity is exclusively predicted by romantic attachment at this life stage, and not by parental attachment. Regarding the second model, our mediational hypothesis was supported, since the association between parental attachment and identity was totally mediated by romantic attachment representations. Both models presented adequate indices of adjustment, and provided a complementary understanding of the differential role that romantic relations play in contributing to explaining identity development. (C) 2011 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Based on a life-span attachment perspective and on identity status paradigm, this study investigated the relationship between attachment and identity in a sample of 361 Portuguese late adolescents as a function of parental and adolescent gender. The results indicated gender differences in the association between attachment variables and identity foreclosure. Although adolescents tended to report close emotional bonds with both parents, relationships with mothers seemed to play an important role in the tendency for foreclosure identity in boys. Adolescents who were in diffusion reported the least secure parental attachment and experienced the least separation anxiety. Parental inhibition of exploration and individuality, as perceived by adolescents, did not correlate with the identity dimensions. (C) 1999 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents.