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Resumo: A inibição comportamental (IC) em idade pré-escolar pode ser definida com o retraimento biologicamente determinado perante pessoas, situações e atividades novas e associa-se a um risco acrescido de se vir a desenvolver sintomas de ansiedade. Apesar da IC não ser um conceito unitário, poucos estudos até à data procuraram caracterizar diferentes subgrupos de crianças, com recurso a medidas multidimensionais de relato parental, e compará-los relativamente à manifestação de sintomas de ansiedade. Este estudo teve como objetivos identificar diferentes perfis de crianças com IC e explorar se estes diferentes perfis se distinguem ao nível da sintomatologia ansiosa. Centro e oito mães de crianças, com uma média de idade de 54 meses preencheram o Behavioral Inhibition Questionnaire e o Preschool Anxiety Scale. Foram identificados dois perfis: crianças com níveis elevados, e médios de IC. As crianças com níveis elevados de IC apresentaram mais sintomas de ansiedade generalizada, ansiedade social e medo de danos do que as crianças com níveis médios de IC. Estas diferenças foram de maior magnitude para os sintomas de ansiedade social. Os resultados obtidos veem reforçar a importância de se intervir precocemente com as crianças que, já nas idades pré-escolares, evidenciem níveis elevados de IC. Abstract: Behavioral inhibition (BI) during the preschool years can be defined as a biologically-based wariness when exposed to novel people, situations and activities, and has been associated with an increased risk of developing anxiety symptoms. Although BI is not a unitary concept, to date, few studies aimed to characterize different subgroups of children, using multidimensional parental measures, and compare them in terms of anxiety symptoms. This study aimed to identify different profiles of children with BI and explore potential differences concerning anxiety symptoms. One hundred and eight mothers of children with a mean age of 54 months completed the Behavioral Inhibition Questionnaire and the Preschool Anxiety Scale. Two profiles of children were identified: children with high and medium levels of BI. Children with high levels of BI displayed more generalized anxiety, social anxiety and physical injury fears symptoms than children with average BI levels. These differences were of greater magnitude for social anxiety symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of early intervention with children who display high levels of BI as early as the preschool years. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Given the high prevalence of anxiety disorders, there has been an increasing need to intervene on the early risk factors for their development, namely behavioral inhibition and social withdrawal (BI/SW) during early childhood. However, the participation rates in preventive evidence-based interventions targeted at BI/SW have been modest, due to the gaps in parents’ and key gatekeepers’ (teachers and pediatricians) problem recognition. Given their pivotal role in enhancing problem recognition, this study aimed to explore the perceptions of Portuguese psychologists about BI/SW and their related intervention needs. Eighteen psychologists were distributed into three focus groups. Each focus group was moderated by a trained researcher, using a semi-structured interview guide. The thematic analysis revealed that Portuguese psychologists identified the manifestations and consequences of BI/SW, particularly in the social domain. Portuguese psychologists recommended the development of multi-component family interventions and interventions targeted at preschool teachers to promote social skills in the classroom.

Background: Oxytocin (OXT) has attracted research interest for its potential involvement in many of the behavioural problems observed in childhood. Due to its logistical advantages, saliva is an attractive fluid to quantify neuropeptides in children. Salivary OXT has been suggested as a potential biomarker for psychopathology during childhood. However, several questions still remain about the extent to which, and under what conditions, concentrations of OXT in saliva can be reliably measured and are related to behavioural problems in preschool age children. Methods: Seven samples of saliva from 30 preschool children (17 girls) were collected in five different days at their homes. Three of the samples were collected by the children’s parents at baseline daily routine conditions, and four of the samples were collected by researchers during two home-visits: before and after two 15-minute dyadic play sessions (one with mothers and one fathers) between each individual parent and the child. Oxytocin concentrations were quantified by Radioimmunoassay with prior extraction. Children’s behavioural problems were assessed by the Caregiver-Teacher Report Form (C-TRF) questionnaire, completed by the child’s’ preschool teacher. Results: Salivary OXT measured in baseline samples could not predict any of the behavioural problems measured by the C-TRF. However, when measured after playing with parents salivary OXT showed a stronger pattern of negative correlations, specially with the depression and opposition scales of the C-TRF. Furthermore, salivary OXT was unlikely to be reliably measured using single sampling, but acceptable reliabilities were achieved when averaging several samples. Finally, the single measures of salivary OXT evoked after an episode of play with parents showed better reliabilities than collected at baseline. Conclusion: Measurements of OXT evoked after positive affect interactions with parents seem to capture aspects of the OXT system in young children that might be relevant for understanding the role of this system in children’s social behaviour. Fundação BIAL, FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The main goal of this study was to explore the contributions of early father-child and mother-child attachment relationships to children's later social competence with their preschool peers; possible unique and shared contributions were tested. Using a multi-method design and focusing on direct observation, attachment was assessed at home at age 3 with the Attachment Behavior Q-sort (AQS) and two years later social competence was assessed at classrooms of 5-year-olds using a set of seven measurement indicators that are part of the Hierarchical Model of Social Competence. Results show that attachment to each parent made unique and significant contributions to children's social competence and suggested the possibility that each caregiver may have somewhat different patterns of influence on the different indicators of children's social competence. Findings also suggest the possibility that a secure attachment with one parent may buffer the impact of having an insecure relationship with the other. Due to sample size, these results should be seen as a starting point to generate new and larger studies. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Previous research identified emotion dysregulation, non-responsive feeding practices, and unhealthy food consumption as risk factors for childhood obesity. However, little is known about the relationships between these factors. This study examined associations between children’s emotion regulation, parental feeding practices, and children’s food consumption. The sample consisted of 163 mothers of children aged 3–5 years. Mothers completed the Emotion Regulation Checklist, the Child Feeding Questionnaire, and the Child Health Section from the Parent Interview of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-B to assess model variables. Results showed that healthy food consumption was associated with higher emotion regulation abilities, higher monitoring, and lower pressure to eat. For unhealthy food consumption, the associations were in opposite directions. Higher emotion regulation abilities were also associated with higher monitoring, lower pressure to eat, and lower restriction. For lability, the associations were in opposite directions. Regression analyses revealed that children’s lability, pressure to eat, and monitoring were significant predictors of children’s food consumption. These findings suggest that children’s emotion regulation and feeding practices are important determinants of children’s food consumption. Future longitudinal studies that examine bidirectional associations between children’s emotion regulation, parental feeding practices, children’s food consumption, and potential mechanisms accounting for these associations are needed.

Adolescents’ dyadic relationships are likely influenced by the cultural context within which they exist. This study applied a person-oriented approach to examine how perceived support and negativity were manifested across youths’ relationships with mothers, fathers, and best friends, simultaneously, and how distinct relationship profiles were linked to adaptive and maladaptive functioning (aggression, anxious-withdrawal, prosociality) within and across cultures. Participants resided in metropolitan areas of South Korea, the United States, and Portugal (10–14 years; N = 1,233). Latent profile analyses identified relationship profiles that were culturally common or specific. Additional findings highlighted commonality in the relations between a high-quality relationship profile and adaptive functioning, as well as cultural specificity in the buffering and differential effects of distinct relationship profiles on social-behavioral outcomes. Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCT info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and introduced in release 13, the Narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT) technology seems well suited for wireless IoT end devices with low power consumption, low data throughput, and long-range communication requirements, which need to control and monitor environmental conditions in remote and harsh locations. However, being NB-IoT an emerging technology, it is necessary to study its reliability under such use-case scenarios. This paper presents an NB-IoT coverage analysis in the North region of Portugal under various environment scenarios: indoor, underground, and inside an underground concrete dome with an iron cover, using a custom-developed NB-IoT end device equipped with the Quectel BC66 as the communication modem and a custom application executing over the Azure ThreadX RTOS. Our investigation leans over the coverage quality based on some indicators collected, such as RSRP, RSRQ, RSSI, ECL, PCI, and transmission power. The obtained results indicate that this technology is capable of satisfying the requirements of the most demanding IoT applications, with percentages of successful transmissions above 96%, even at distances greater than 1400m between the device and the communication infrastructure (LTE) cell, or even in regions with very low/noise floor coverage.

In human fission-fusion societies, ritualized non-linguistic signal exchanges that include gestures, vocalizations, and facial expressions are regularly observed at both arrivals (greetings) and departures (leave-takings). These communicative events play an important role in the formation and maintenance of social relationships. Wild chimpanzees also form large communities that split into smaller fluid parties during daily activities, with individuals moving freely between them. However, in chimpanzees only greetings have been reported. This study explores signal exchanges in the Bossou chimpanzee community during fissions (departures) and fusions (arrivals) given an individual's social rank, kinship, position as traveller or party-member, the level of potential threat, and the party size and presence of mature males. We analysed three time periods (1993-1994; 2003-2004; 2013-2014) during which the composition and social hierarchy of the community varied. We show that the occurrence and form of communication during fission and fusion events are mediated by social factors, including rank, kinship, and party size and composition. Individuals were more likely to communicate during fusions than during fissions, communication was more likely to be produced towards a higher-ranking individual and to non-kin individuals, but the tendency to communicate in general increased with an increase in social rank. The presence of more individuals, and in particular mature males, decreased the likelihood of communication. Communication during fusions supported patterns reported in previous studies on greetings, and our results support the argument that, if present, leave-takings are not a common feature of chimpanzee social interactions. Current methodological difficulties regarding the function of declarative signals hinder our ability to discriminate potential parting rituals within communication before departures. Given similar methodological difficulties, we also provide a note of caution in the interpretation of all signals produced during fusions as 'greetings'.

Although there is a large body of research connecting emotion to eating behaviors, little is known about the role of caregivers’ responses to children’s emotions in the context of child feeding. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relation between caregivers’ emotional responsiveness and feeding responsiveness. The mothers of 137 children between 2 and 6 years of age reported on their responses to children’s negative emotions using the Coping with Children’s Negative Emotions Scale and on their feeding practices using the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire. The results showed that mothers’ supportive emotion responses (e.g., problem-focused, emotion-focused, and expressive encouragement reactions) tend to be positively associated with responsive feeding practices (e.g., encouraging, modelling, and teaching healthy food-related behaviors). Instead, mothers’ unsupportive responses (e.g., distress, punitive and minimization reactions) tend to be positively associated with nonresponsive feeding practices (e.g., food as reward or to regulate emotions, and pressure to eat) and negatively associated with responsive feeding practices. Our results suggest that emotional and feeding responsiveness may be intertwined and that differences in parent’s emotional responsiveness may translate into differences in their feeding styles, setting the stage for parents’ use of positive vs. negative feeding practices. Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCT info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Comparative psychology provides important contributions to our understanding of the origins of human language. The presence of common features in human and nonhuman primate communication can be used to suggest the evolutionary trajectories of potential precursors to language. However, to do so effectively, our findings must be comparable across diverse species. This systematic review describes the current landscape of data available from studies of gestural communication in human and nonhuman primates that make an explicit connection to language evolution. We found a similar number of studies on human and nonhuman primates, but that very few studies included data from more than one species. As a result, evolutionary inferences remain restricted to comparison across studies. We identify areas of focus, bias, and apparent gaps within the field. Different domains have been studied in human and nonhuman primates, with relatively few nonhuman primate studies of ontogeny and relatively few human studies of gesture form. Diversity in focus, methods, and socio‐ecological context fill important gaps and provide nuanced understanding, but only where the source of any difference between studies is transparent. Many studies provide some definition for their use of gesture; but definitions of gesture, and in particular, criteria for intentional use, are absent in the majority of human studies. We find systematic differences between human and nonhuman primate studies in the research scope, incorporation of other modalities, research setting, and study design. We highlight eight particular areas in a call to action through which we can strengthen our ability to investigate gestural communication's contribution within the evolutionary roots of human language. Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCT info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The increase in women's labor market participation emphasizes the importance of understanding maternal separation anxiety, that is, the unpleasant maternal emotional state, due to the actual or anticipated short-term separation from the child. Drawing on the insights of the attachment and psychoanalytic perspectives, the Maternal Separation Anxiety Scale (MSAS) was developed to overcome existing measurement gaps. However, prior research did not replicate its original three-factor structure in the contemporary context and in other cultural settings, using large samples composed of mothers of preschool children. This study aimed to examine the factorial structure of the MSAS in a sample of 597 Portuguese mothers of children aged 5-84 months who completed the questionnaire. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) conducted in subsample 1 revealed a four-factor structure: Maternal Negative Feelings, Beliefs about Exclusive Maternal Care, Need of Proximity, and Perceptions of Separation Benefits for Children. Confirmatory factor analyses conducted in subsample 2 revealed that the original three-factor structure revealed a poor fit, whereas the four-factor solution (obtained in the EFA) revealed an acceptable fit. As in previous studies, our findings report deviations from the original three-factor structure of the MSAS. Three of the newly identified factors seem to reflect specific sub-dimensions that originally guided item development in the MSAS, namely, maternal negative feelings, maternal attitudes about the value of exclusive maternal care, and the need of proximity with the child. The last factor appears to represent a refinement of original items pertaining to perceptions about separation effects for children. Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCT info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Interpersonal adversity such as peer victimization has been shown to have complex associations with other socio-emotional difficulties, particularly during adolescence. We used a multidimensional peer nomination measure on a sample of 440 (52% girls) 11- to 17-year-old (M = 13.14 years, SD = 1.26) Portuguese youths to identify three groups, classified by peers as (1) victimized adolescents who showed anxious withdrawn behaviors in the context of the peer group (n = 111), (2) victimized adolescents who did not exhibit anxious withdrawn behaviors (n = 104), and (3) non-victimized adolescents (n = 225). We compared these groups on their peer-reported social functioning and on their self-reported feelings of social and emotional loneliness (with peers and family). Anxiously withdrawn victims were viewed by peers as more excluded, less aggressive, less prosocial, and less popular than non-withdrawn victims and non-victims. Non-anxiously withdrawn victims were considered more excluded than non-victims, and more aggressive than both anxiously withdrawn victims and non-victims. Finally, anxiously withdrawn victims reported feeling less integrated and intimate with their peers than non-withdrawn victims and non-victims, which is indicative of greater feelings of social and emotional loneliness at school. Youths in the current study did not report feeling lonely in their family environment. Our findings thus provide further evidence that victimized youths constitute a heterogeneous group, which differ in the way they behave toward their peers and experience loneliness.

The research was supported by a grant from the Portuguese national funding agency for science, research and technology (SFRH/BD/138406/2018) and by the Claudia Sousa Memorial Fund to the first author. M.H. is funded by MEXT/JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas #4903 (Evolinguistics) JP17H06381. T.M. is funded by MEXT-JSPS #24000001 and #16H06283) as well as the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Core-to-Core Program CCSN and the Leading Graduate Program U04-PWS. C.H. is funded by the European Union’s 8th Framework Programme, Horizon 2020, under grant agreement no 802719. In human fission–fusion societies, ritualized non-linguistic signal exchanges that include gestures, vocalizations, and facial expressions are regularly observed at both arrivals (greetings) and departures (leave-takings). These communicative events play an important role in the formation and maintenance of social relationships. Wild chimpanzees also form large communities that split into smaller fluid parties during daily activities, with individuals moving freely between them. However, in chimpanzees only greetings have been reported. This study explores signal exchanges in the Bossou chimpanzee community during fissions (departures) and fusions (arrivals) given an individual’s social rank, kinship, position as traveller or party-member, the level of potential threat, and the party size and presence of mature males. We analysed three time periods (1993–1994; 2003–2004; 2013–2014) during which the composition and social hierarchy of the community varied. We show that the occurrence and form of communication during fission and fusion events are mediated by social factors, including rank, kinship, and party size and composition. Individuals were more likely to communicate during fusions than during fissions, communication was more likely to be produced towards a higher-ranking individual and to non-kin individuals, but the tendency to communicate in general increased with an increase in social rank. The presence of more individuals, and in particular mature males, decreased the likelihood of communication. Communication during fusions supported patterns reported in previous studies on greetings, and our results support the argument that, if present, leave-takings are not a common feature of chimpanzee social interactions. Current methodological difficulties regarding the function of declarative signals hinder our ability to discriminate potential parting rituals within communication before departures. Given similar methodological difficulties, we also provide a note of caution in the interpretation of all signals produced during fusions as ‘greetings’. Postprint

Children acquire and develop emotional regulatory skills in the context of parent-child attachment relationships, nonetheless empirical studies have focused mainly on mother and less information is available regarding the role of both parent-child attachment relationships. Furthermore, despite its importance, there is no information regarding preschool years. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring the potential influences of both mother-child and father-child attachments on preschooler’s later emotion regulation observed in the peer group. Fifty-three Portuguese nuclear families (mother, father and focal child) participated in the study; 47% of the children were boys and 53% were girls. Attachment Security was assessed at home using the Attachment Behavior Q-set when children were 3 years of age, and emotion regulation was observed in the preschool classrooms attended by the children at age 5, using the California child Q-sort to derive an Emotion Regulation Q-Scale. Results showed that the combined influence of both parent-child attachment security predicted better emotion regulation results, than did the specific contributions of each parent per se. Findings are consistent with integrative approaches that highlight the value of including both mother- and father-child attachment relationships, as well as their combined effect, when studying emotion regulation. Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCT info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

High and stable behavioral inhibition during early childhood is a risk factor for later anxiety disorders. The few available interventions targeted at behavioral inhibition have not yet been implemented in European countries. Evaluating intervention acceptability is essential when introducing interventions in new cultures. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of parents about the acceptability of the multicomponent Turtle Program in Portugal. Participants were 12 parents (from seven families) of children with a positive screening on the Behavioral Inhibition Questionnaire and no diagnoses of developmental disorders/selective mutism. Children's mean age was 55.86 months and most children were female and first-born. Parents and children participated in the eight-sessions Turtle Program. After each session, parents completed weekly satisfaction checklists. Following completion of the full intervention, parents were invited to participate in individual qualitative in-depth interviews. The thematic analysis revealed that both parents perceived the intervention objectives and contents as relevant. Both parents suggested the introduction of follow-up sessions, the discussion of practical experiences, the need to be sensitive to cultural differences in positive language, and the provision of more feedback about children's activities. These findings support prior research on the acceptability and cultural tailoring needed for parenting and child socioemotional learning interventions.Una alta y estable conducta de inhibición durante la temprana niñez es un factor de riesgo para posteriores trastornos de ansiedad. Las pocas intervenciones disponibles que se enfocan en la inhibición de la conducta no se han implementado aún en países europeos. Evaluar el nivel de aceptación de la intervención es esencial cuando las intervenciones se introducen en nuevas culturas. Este estudio se propuso explorar las percepciones de los progenitores acerca del nivel de aceptación del multi-compuesto Programa Tortuga en Portugal. Los participantes fueron 12 progenitores (de siete familias) de niños con una positiva detección en el Cuestionario de Inhibición de la Conducta y sin diagnóstico de trastornos de desarrollo/mutismo selectivo. La edad promedio de los niños fue 55.86 meses y la mayoría eran niñas y primogénitas. Los progenitores y los niños participaron en las ocho sesiones del Programa Tortuga. Después de cada sesión, los progenitores completaron listas semanales de chequeo de la satisfacción. Luego de completar la intervención en su totalidad, se invitó a los progenitores a participar en entrevistas cualitativas individuales para profundizar. Los análisis temáticos revelaron que ambos progenitores percibieron como relevantes los objetivos y el contenido de la intervención. Ambos progenitores sugirieron introducir sesiones de seguimiento, la discusión de experiencias prácticas, la necesidad de mostrarse sensible a las diferencias culturales en lenguaje positivo y la provisión de más información sobre las actividades de los niños. Estos resultados apoyan la investigación anterior sobre el nivel de aceptación y la adaptación cultural necesarias en las intervenciones sobre la crianza y el aprendizaje socioemocional del niño.L'inhibition comportementale élevée et stable durant la petite enfance est un facteur de risque pour des troubles de l'anxiété plus tard. Quelques interventions disponibles ciblant l'inhibition comportementale n'ont pas encore été mises en œuvre dans les pays européens. Evaluer l'acceptabilité de l'intervention est essentiel lorsqu'on introduit des interventions dans de nouvelles cultures. Cette étude s'est donnée pour but d'explorer les perceptions des parents à propos de l'acceptabilité du Programme Tortue à composants multiples au Portugal. Les participants ont consisté en 12 parents (de sept familles) d'enfants ayant eu un dépistage positif au Questionnaire d'Inhibition Comportementale et aucun diagnostic de troubles développementaux / mutisme sélectif. L’âge moyen des enfants était de 55,86 mois et la plupart des enfants étaient des filles et des premières nées. Les parents et les enfants ont participé au Programme Tortue de huit séances. Après chaque séance les parents ont rempli des checklists de satisfaction hebdomadaires. Après avoir terminé l'intervention totale les parents ont été invité à participer à des entretiens individuels en profondeur et qualitatifs. L'analyse thématique a révélé que les deux parents percevaient les objectifs d'intervention et les contenus comme étant pertinents. Les deux parents ont suggéré l'introduction de séances de suivi, la discussion d'expériences pratiques, le besoin d’être sensible aux différences culturelles dans le langage positif et le besoin de plus de commentaires sur les activités des enfants. Ces résultats soutiennent les recherches précédentes sur l'acceptabilité et l'adaptation culturelle nécessaire pour le parentage et les interventions pour le développement socioémotionnel de l'enfant.Wahrnehmung portugiesischer Eltern hinsichtlich der Akzeptanz einer Mehrkomponentenintervention zur Verhaltensinhibition in der frühen Kindheit Eine hohe und stabile Verhaltensinhibition in der frühen Kindheit ist ein Risikofaktor für spätere Angststörungen. Die wenigen verfügbaren Interventionen zu Verhaltensinhibition wurden in europäischen Ländern noch nicht implementiert. Wenn Interventionen in neue Kulturkreise eingeführt werden sollen, ist es wichtig, deren Akzeptanz zu evaluieren. Ziel dieser Studie war es, die elterliche Wahrnehmung hinsichtlich der Akzeptanz des Mehrkomponenten-Schildkrötenprogramms in Portugal zu untersuchen. 12 Elternteile (aus sieben Familien) von Kindern mit einem positiven Screening auf den Fragebogen zur Verhaltensinhibition und ohne Diagnose von Entwicklungsstörungen / selektivem Mutismus nahmen an der Studie teil. Das Durchschnittsalter der Kinder betrug 55,86 Monate und die meisten Kinder waren weiblich und erstgeboren. Eltern und Kinder nahmen an acht Sitzungen des Schildkröten-Programms teil. Nach jeder Sitzung füllten die Eltern wöchentliche Zufriedenheitschecklisten aus. Nach Abschluss der vollständigen Intervention wurden die Eltern eingeladen, an individuellen qualitativen Tiefeninterviews teilzunehmen. Die thematische Analyse ergab, dass beide Elternteile die Interventionsziele und -inhalte als relevant empfanden. Beide Elternteile schlugen eine Einführung von Follow-up-Sitzungen, eine Diskussion praktischer Erfahrungen, die Notwendigkeit, auf kulturelle Unterschiede in der positiven Sprache zu achten, und mehr Feedback zu den Aktivitäten der Kinder zu geben, vor. Diese Ergebnisse stützen bisherige Forschungsarbeiten zur Akzeptanz und kulturellen Anpassung, die für sozioemotionale Lerninterventionen von Eltern und Kindern erforderlich sind.乳幼児期における行動抑制を対象とした複数構成要素からなる介入への受容性に ついてのポルトガル人両親の認識 乳幼児期の行動抑制が高い割合で変化することなく生じている時、それは後の不 安障害の危険因子となる。行動抑制を対象としたいくつかの利用可能な介入は、 ヨーロッパ諸国ではまだ実施されていない。新しい文化において介入を導入する 場合、その介入の受容性を評価することが不可欠である。本研究は、ポルトガル における複数構成要素からなるTurtle Programの受容性についての両親の認識を 調査することを目的とした。参加者は、行動抑制質問紙で陽性のスクリーニング を受け、発達障害/場面緘黙症の診断を受けていない子どもの (7家族からの) 12 人の親であった。子どもの平均年齢は55.86ヶ月で、ほとんどの子どもは女子で 長子であった。親子で8セッションのTurtle Programに参加した。各セッション 後、両親は満足度チェックリストに毎週答えた。全ての介入の完了後、両親は質 的で詳細なインタビューを受けることを勧められた。主題分析により、両親は介 入の目的と内容が適切であると認識していることが明らかとなった。両親は共に、 フォローアップセッションの紹介、実践的な体験の議論、肯定的な言葉を使って 文化の違いに繊細であることの必要性、そして子どもたちの活動についてのより 多くのフィードバックの提供、を提案した。これらの調査結果は、子育て及び子 どもの社会情緒的な学習介入に必要な受容性と文化的な調整に関する先行研究を 支持する。.幼儿期明显而持续的行为抑制是未来焦虑症的一个危险因素。欧洲国家尚未实施针对行为抑制的少数可用干预措施。在新文化中引入干预措施时, 评估干预措施的可接受性是至关重要的。本研究旨在探讨葡萄牙家长对多因素“海龟计划”可接受性的看法。参与者为12名 (来自7个家庭) 行为抑制问卷筛查阳性, 且未诊断为发育障碍或选择性缄默症的儿童家长。儿童的平均年龄为55.86个月, 且多为女性和头胎。父母和儿童参与了八期“海龟计划”。每期干预结束后, 父母都要填写每周的满意度检查清单。在完成全面干预后, 父母被邀请参加个性化的深入访谈。主题分析显示, 父母双方都认为干预目标和内容是相关的。父母双方都建议采取跟进干预活动, 讨论实践经验, 需要对正面语言中的文化差异保持敏感, 并提供更多关于儿童活动的反馈意见。这些发现支持了先前对育儿和儿童社会情感学习干预所需的可接受性和文化适应性的研究。.تصورات الآباء والأمهات البرتغاليين حول قبول تدخل متعدد المكونات يستهدف الكبت السلوكي خلال مرحلة الطفولة المبكرة الكبت السلوكي خلال مرحلة الطفولة المبكرة هو عامل خطر يؤدي لاضطرابات القلق في وقت لاحق. ولم تنفذ بعد في البلدان الأوروبية التدخلات القليلة المتاحة التي تستهدف الكبت السلوكي. إن تقييم مقبولية التدخل أمر ضروري عند إدخال التدخلات في الثقافات الجديدة. تهدف هذه الدراسة إلى استكشاف تصورات الآباء والأمهات حول قبول برنامج Turtle متعدد المكونات في البرتغال. وكان المشاركون 12 من الآباء والأمهات (من سبع عائلات) وأطفالهم الذين أظهروا نتيجة إيجابية على استبيان الكبت السلوكي ولم يتم تشخيصهم باضطرابات النمو. وكان متوسط عمر الأطفال 655.8 شهراً، ومعظم الأطفال كانوا من الإناث. شارك الآباء والأطفال في برنامج Turtle الذي امتد ثماني جلسات. وبعد كل جلسة، أكمل الآباء قوائم التحقق الأسبوع عن القبول والرضا. وبعد الانتهاء من التدخل الكامل، دُعي الآباء إلى المشاركة في مقابلات فردية متعمقة نوعية. وكشف التحليل المواضيعي أن كلا الوالدين كانا يعتبران أهداف التدخل ومحتوياته ذات صلة بهم. واقترح الوالدان إدخال جلسات متابعة، ومناقشة التجارب العملية، وضرورة مراعاة الاختلافات الثقافية من خلال استخدام لغة إيجابية، وتقديم مزيد من المعلومات عن أنشطة الأطفال. وتدعم هذه النتائج البحوث السابقة بشأن المقبولية والتكييف الثقافي اللازمين لتدخلات التنشئة الأبوية والتعلم الاجتماعي العاطفي للأطفال.

The increase in women’s labor market participation emphasizes the importance of understanding maternal separation anxiety, that is, the unpleasant maternal emotional state, due to the actual or anticipated short-term separation from the child. Drawing on the insights of the attachment and psychoanalytic perspectives, the Maternal Separation Anxiety Scale (MSAS) was developed to overcome existing measurement gaps. However, prior research did not replicate its original three-factor structure in the contemporary context and in other cultural settings, using large samples composed of mothers of preschool children. This study aimed to examine the factorial structure of the MSAS in a sample of 597 Portuguese mothers of children aged 5–84 months who completed the questionnaire. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) conducted in subsample 1 revealed a four-factor structure: Maternal Negative Feelings, Beliefs about Exclusive Maternal Care, Need of Proximity, and Perceptions of Separation Benefits for Children. Confirmatory factor analyses conducted in subsample 2 revealed that the original three-factor structure revealed a poor fit, whereas the four-factor solution (obtained in the EFA) revealed an acceptable fit. As in previous studies, our findings report deviations from the original three-factor structure of the MSAS. Three of the newly identified factors seem to reflect specific sub-dimensions that originally guided item development in the MSAS, namely, maternal negative feelings, maternal attitudes about the value of exclusive maternal care, and the need of proximity with the child. The last factor appears to represent a refinement of original items pertaining to perceptions about separation effects for children.

High and stable behavioral inhibition (BI) during early childhood have been associated with an increased risk of later anxiety disorders and peer difficulties. Developing evidence-based early interventions to prevent these unhealthy developmental trajectories has become a major focus of interest. However, these interventions are not yet available in Europe. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of Portuguese psychologists about the acceptability of the child component of the Turtle Program, before its dissemination in Portugal. Eighteen psychologists were distributed into three focus groups. Each group was moderated by a trained psychologist, using a semi-structured interview guide. The thematic analysis revealed that Portuguese psychologists acknowledged that the intervention needs to go beyond social skills training and enhance children’s positive self-perceptions. Overall, psychologists perceived the structure, contents, activities, and materials of the intervention to be acceptable. However, participants recommended minor modifications to strengthen the connection with naturalistic contexts, broaden the focus on emotional expressiveness and social interaction, and introduce creative activities and materials. These findings are consistent with previous research with LatinX practitioners, who typically agree with the acceptability of evidence-based child intervention principles and only report the need to introduce minor changes related to the way how interventions are delivered to children.

A capacidade das crianças para compreender as emoções e as intenções sociais dos outros relaciona- -se com a qualidade das interações com os pares. Os comportamentos de brincadeira não-social durante o pré-escolar poderão estar associados a dificuldades no desenvolvimento do conhecimento emocional. O presente estudo teve como objetivos: (1) identificar diferentes perfis de comportamentos de brincadeira social e não-social de crianças em idade pré-escolar, e (2) verificar se o conhecimento emocional das crianças varia de acordo com os diferentes perfis. Participaram no estudo 193 crianças, com uma média de 53.31 meses de idade. As educadoras preencheram a versão portuguesa do Preschool Play Behaviour Scale para discriminar os comportamentos sociais e não-sociais das crianças durante a brincadeira. O conhecimento emocional das crianças foi avaliado através da versão portuguesa do Affect Knowledge Test. A análise hierárquica de clusters identificou três perfis de crianças que apresentam diferentes comportamentos sociais e não-sociais durante a brincadeira: reticentes, solitários-sociais e sociais. O grupo mais representativo da nossa amostra foi o solitáriosocial. As crianças reticentes demonstraram um menor conhecimento emocional por comparação com o grupo de crianças sociais. Os nossos resultados reforçam a existência de diferentes tipos de comportamentos sociais e não-sociais durante a brincadeira e a sua relação com o conhecimento emocional. Children’s capacity to understand emotions and social intentions of others are associated with the quality of peer interactions. Nonsocial play behaviors during preschool years may be associated with difficulties in the development of emotional knowledge. This study aimed (1) to identify different profiles of social and nonsocial play behaviours in preschool children, and (2) to examine if emotional knowledge varies according to these profiles. 193 children, with a mean of 53.31 months of age, participated in the study. The Preschool Play Behaviour Scale in the Portuguese version was completed by teachers to indicate the children’s social and nonsocial behaviors during play. Children’s emotional knowledge was assessed with the Portuguese version of the Affect Knowledge Test. Hierarchical cluster analysis identified three different profiles of children according to their social and nonsocial play behaviours: reticent, solitary-social and social. Solitary-social children were the most representative group of our sample. Reticent children presented lower scores of emotional knowledge when compared to social children. Our findings support the existence of different types of social and nonsocial behaviours during play and their relationship with emotional knowledge. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Recent empirical studies reporting sex differences in attachment relationships have prompted investigators to consider why and under what conditions such results might be observed. This study was designed to explore possibilities of identifying sex differences in the organization of attachment-relevant behavior during early childhood. Observations of 119 children (59 boys) with their mothers and (separately) with their fathers were completed and children were described using the AQS. Results indicated that girls and boys did not differ with respect to global attachment security but at more specific level analyses revealed differences between parents that reflected differences in the behaviors of girls vs. boys with mothers and fathers. Our findings contradict arguments from evolutionary psychologists claiming that sex differences in attachment organization arise during middle childhood. By adopting an attachment measure sensitive to the possibility of behavioral sex differences our data suggest that such differences may be detectable earlier in development. Moreover, these differences are subtle and nuanced and do not suggest large sex differences in attachment security per se. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

We examine the factorial structure of the Security Scale Questionnaire (SSQ), exploring measurement invariance across mother-father-child attachment relationships, child sex, and country. We used the new 21-item SSQ version that integrates both safe haven and secure base behaviors in a two factors structure. Participants were 457 children (224 girls and 233 boys), ranging from 9 to 14 years old (M = 10.84, SD = 1.02) from Portuguese and USA samples. We confirmed the SSQ's two-factor structure, although four items were unrelated to the latent structure and excluded from the final model. Results showed that SSQ can be used to study both mother/child and father/child attachment relationships. Multi-group analyses suggested measurement invariance between boys and girls and between Portuguese and USA samples. Our findings suggest that the SSQ can be considered a valid and cost-effective tool to measure perceived attachment security in middle childhood for both mother/child and father/child relationships. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Correlated trait-correlated method minus one was used to evaluate convergent and discriminant validity of Social Competence Behavior Evaluation questionnaire (Social Competence, Anger-Aggression, Anxiety-Withdrawal) between multiple raters. A total of 369 children (173 boys and 196 girls; M age = 55.85, SD age = 11.54) were rated by their mothers, fathers, and teachers. Results showed more convergence between parents than parent-teacher ratings. Mother-teacher share a common view of child behavior that is not shared with father. Parents had more difficulty distinguishing internalizing and externalizing behaviors (especially fathers). Measurement invariance across child sex was explored, results imply that differences between boys and girls were not due to measure. Girls (compare to boys) were described as more social competent by their fathers and teachers, while boys as more aggressive by mothers and teachers. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The links between attachment security and multiple aspects of emotional development have been studied for several decades. Although these studies are valuable insofar some answers related to representations of attachment and emotion knowledge are still open. Preschool aged children (N=40) participated in this study. We used the Attachment Story Completion Task as their attachment measure, with representations measured as access to and use of the Secure Base Script (SBS) to organize children’s attachment relevant narratives. Emotional knowledge was assessed using the Affect Knowledge Test. Our main goal was to demonstrate that the SBS behaves like a typical measure of attachment representations with respect to its relations with children’s emotion understanding. Results suggested that children with secure attachment histories tend to have a larger fund of emotion knowledge. The SBS measure behaved similarly to other measures of attachment security suggesting its validity as a measure of attachment representations during early childhood. As associações entre a segurança da vinculação e múltiplos aspetos do desenvolvimento emocional têm sido estudadas durante várias décadas. Embora estes estudos sejam válidos, algumas respostas relacionadas com as representações de vinculação e o conhecimento emocional continuam em aberto. Participaram neste estudo crianças de idade pré-escolar (N=40). Utilizámos o Attachment Story Completion Task como medida de vinculação das crianças, com as representações a serem avaliadas enquanto acesso e uso do script de base segura (SBS) para organizar as narrativas de vinculação das crianças. O conhecimento emocional foi avaliado com recurso ao Teste do Conhecimento das Emoções. O nosso principal objetivo era demonstrar que o SBS se comporta como uma típica medida das representações de vinculação, no que diz respeito à sua associação com a compreensão das emoções por parte das crianças. Os resultados sugerem que as crianças com histórias de vinculação segura tendem a ter uma maior base de conhecimento emocional. A medida de SBS comportou-se de forma semelhante a outras medidas de segurança de vinculação, sugerindo a sua validade enquanto medida de representações de vinculação durante a infância. FCT info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

High and stable behavioral inhibition (BI) during early childhood have been associated with an increased risk of later anxiety disorders and peer difficulties. Developing evidence-based early interventions to prevent these unhealthy developmental trajectories has become a major focus of interest. However, these interventions are not yet available in Europe. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of Portuguese psychologists about the acceptability of the child component of the Turtle Program, before its dissemination in Portugal. Eighteen psychologists were distributed into three focus groups. Each group was moderated by a trained psychologist, using a semi-structured interview guide. The thematic analysis revealed that Portuguese psychologists acknowledged that the intervention needs to go beyond social skills training and enhance children’s positive self-perceptions. Overall, psychologists perceived the structure, contents, activities, and materials of the intervention to be acceptable. However, participants recommended minor modifications to strengthen the connection with naturalistic contexts, broaden the focus on emotional expressiveness and social interaction, and introduce creative activities and materials. These findings are consistent with previous research with LatinX practitioners, who typically agree with the acceptability of evidence-based child intervention principles and only report the need to introduce minor changes related to the way how interventions are delivered to children. Níveis elevados e estáveis de inibição comportamental em idade pré-escolar associam-se a um risco acrescido de desenvolver perturbações de ansiedade e dificuldades com os pares. O desenvolvimento de intervenções baseadas na evidência para prevenir estas trajetórias inadaptativas têm merecido um interesse crescente. Todavia, estas intervenções ainda não se encontram disponíveis na Europa. Este estudo teve como objetivo explorar as perceções de aceitabilidade dos psicólogos portugueses acerca do componente para crianças do Turtle Program, antes da sua disseminação em Portugal. Dezoito psicólogos foram distribuídos em três grupos focais. Cada grupo foi moderado por um investigador treinado, com base num guião semiestruturado. A análise temática revelou que os psicólogos portugueses reconheceram a necessidade de ultrapassar o enfoque no treino de competências sociais e de promover auto-perceções positivas nas crianças. Globalmente, os psicólogos percecionaram a estrutura, os conteúdos, as atividades e os materiais de intervenção como aceitáveis. Todavia, os participantes recomendaram modificações menores ao nível da articulação com o contexto pré-escolar, do foco na expressão emocional e interação social, da introdução de atividades e materiais criativos. Estes resultados são consistentes com a investigação existente com profissionais oriundos de culturas latinas que apenas sugerem adaptações na forma como as intervenções são apresentadas às crianças. Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology * Foundation Calouste Gulbenkian (Programa Academias Gulbenkian do Conhecimento, process nº 222926). info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Recent meta-analyses have reported significant effects of attachment quality on social competence, mostly using observational assessments of attachment behavior to assess security. We analyze the associations between attachment security - assessed as a secure base script, and social competence with peers - measured by teachers' ratings on two self-report instruments, in a Portuguese sample of 82 preschool children (34 boys and 48 girls). We also tested the association between children's secure base script scores and teacher ratings for externalizing and internalizing symptomatology. Results show significant sex differences. Girls had higher scores on secure base script and were rated by teachers as more socially competent, while boys received higher ratings for aggressive/externalizing behaviors. Nonetheless, when the effect of child sex was controlled, attachment representations were positively associated with child social competence and negatively associated with ratings of externalizing behaviors. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia - FCT; National Science Foundation info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The present study assesses the factor structure, psychometric adequacy, and invariance across sex and age of the Relational Provisions Loneliness Questionnaire (RPLQ). Discriminant validity with an external criterion was also tested. In a sample of Portuguese adolescents, from 7th to 9th grade (N ¼ 817), Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) were conducted to test a four-factor model of loneliness (lack of integration and/or intimacy in peer group and/or family). Results evidenced empirical support for the structure of the RPLQ loneliness scale, which fitted very well the proposed model, and provided adequate fit to the Portuguese data. There was substantial support for the construct validity (factorial, convergent, and discriminant) and reliability of the RPLQ. Measurement invariance (configural, metric, and scalar) was established across sex and age. Finally, it was assured discriminant validity, provided by the contrast with the social functioning dimensions in peer group. Overall, our findings support the conceptualization of loneliness in adolescence by peer- and family-related loneliness through lack of integration and intimacy. In a single instrument, the RPLQ loneliness scale combines measures of four important aspects of adolescents’ social life. This seems to be an adequate instrument to be used in the study of adolescents’ loneliness, in its different forms and across relational contexts info:eu-repo/semantics/submittedVersion