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This study examines sex differences regarding social skills, behavior problems and bullying engagement, and the association of social skills and behavior problems with bullying engagement, in adolescents. Participants were 447 Portuguese adolescents (252 girls and 195 boys) aged between 12 and 19-years-old. Social skills and behavior problems were assessed using the self-report version of Social Skills Improvement System - Rating Scales. Bullying engagement was assessed using the Scale of Interpersonal Behavior at School. Girls scored higher on social skills and reported more internalizing and fewer externalizing problems than boys, whereas boys reported more aggressive verbal behaviors than girls. Adolescents exhibiting fewer social skills and more internalizing and externalizing problems engage more frequently in bullying aggressive behaviors. In addition, adolescents presenting more internalizing and externalizing problems are more often victimized by bullies. Furthermore, boys more frequently engage in bullying aggressive and victimization behaviors, whereas younger adolescents with more social skills tend to engage less frequently in bullying aggressive behaviors., Author(s): Mariana Lopes de Sousa [sup.1] , Maria Manuela Peixoto [sup.1] , Sara Cruz [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.5808.5, 0000 0001 1503 7226, Psychology for Positive Development Research Center, Lusíada [...]

Personality traits, automatic thoughts and affective states play a major role on female sexual functioning. Nevertheless, little is known regarding the moderator role of personality traits on the relationship between automatic thoughts and affective states, and sexual functioning, in lesbian and heterosexual women. The current study aimed to test the moderator role of personality traits (e.g. neuroticism) on the relationship between automatic thoughts and affective states during sexual activity, and sexual functioning in a sample of lesbian and heterosexual women. Nine-hundred and forty-one women (697 heterosexual women; 244 lesbian women) completed an online survey about cognitive factors and sexual functioning. Participants completed the NEO-Five Factor Inventory, the Automatic Thoughts Scale from the Sexual Modes Questionnaire, the Positive Affect - Negative Affect Scale, and the Female Sexual Functioning Index. Main findings suggested neuroticism, sexual abuse thoughts, failure and disengagement thoughts, lack of erotic thoughts, and positive and negative affective states as significant predictors of female sexual functioning, regardless of sexual orientation. Moreover, women with higher levels of sexual abuse thoughts and higher absence of erotic thoughts, or lower levels of positive affective states, when presented higher levels of neuroticism, also reported a decrease in their sexual functioning, regardless of sexual orientation. Overall, neuroticism acts as moderator on the relationship between sexual abuse thoughts, lack of erotic thoughts and positive affective states, and sexual functioning, regardless of sexual orientation. Implications for improve sex therapy outcomes are discussed., Author(s): Maria Manuela Peixoto [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.10210.32, 0000 0000 9215 0321, Centro de Investigação em Psicologia para o Desenvolvimento Positivo, Instituto de Psicologia e Ciências da Educação, Universidade [...]

Individuals have different ways of coping with crisis. Individual factors, family and contextual features, and community support may influence how individuals feel, think and act during a crisis. COVID-19 was an unexpected pandemic that forced many European countries to take confinement measures and restrict social face to face interactions. This study is an effort to understand how Portuguese residents dealt with the pandemic during the first confinement period, considering different sociodemographic characteristics and trauma exposure perceptions. Five hundred and five adults, between 18 and 79 years old participated in this study via an online self-report assessment protocol. Sociodemographic characteristics such as gender, age, marital status, employment status, and caring responsibilities had an impact on individuals' perceptions regarding their exposure to the pandemic and their quality of life. Perceived exposure to the pandemic was found to predict quality of life in the physical, psychological, and environmental domains. Results have practical implications for European and local policy-making, as well as for targeting psychological interventions for those whose mental health has been negatively affected by the pandemic and for those who may become more affected if confinement measures are implemented again., Author(s): Alice Murteira Morgado [sup.1] [sup.2] , Joana Cruz [sup.2] , Maria Manuela Peixoto [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) Escola Secundária José Falcão, , Avenida Afonso Henriques, 3000-011, Coimbra, Portugal (2) [...]

Although different studies have found that exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) in childhood is linked to IPV perpetration in adulthood, others have revealed null effects. Previous research has also found that some factors might mediate the relationship between exposure to IPV in childhood and later IPV perpetration. As far as we know, no studies examined the role of aggression in this relationship. This study aimed to analyze the link between exposure to IPV in childhood and IPV perpetration in adulthood and verify whether this relationship was mediated by aggression and its components (verbal and physical aggression, anger, and hostility). Two hundred and forty five men convicted of domestic violence, from prison and community, were recruited. Correlation analysis revealed a positive link between exposure to IPV in childhood, aggression traits, and specifically physical aggression, and IPV frequency in adulthood. Overall aggression traits and physical aggression traits were statistically significant mediator variables explaining almost 15% of the overall effect of exposure to IPV in childhood on overall IPV frequency in adulthood. These findings unravel the role of aggression in the perpetration of physical and total IPV, claiming our attention to the need to include strategies to increase emotion regulation and problem-solving strategies in intervention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractMental health problems and suicide risk among veterinarians and veterinary nurses are well documented in the literature. Data on veterinary assistants have been overlooked, however. In addition, information on Portuguese veterinary professionals is lacking. An online sample of 833 Portuguese veterinary professionals (443 veterinarians, 287 nurses, and 103 assistants) completed self-report questionnaires about suicide risk and mental health between December 2022 and March 2023. Descriptive analysis revealed that 3.5% of respondents attempted suicide during their lifetime; 17.2% experienced extremely severe depression and suicidal ideation; 17.8% and 27.0% experienced extremely severe stress and anxiety, respectively; and 27.4% and 27.7% reported burnout and compassion fatigue, respectively. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that professionals with a history of mental illness history; with current clinical symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress; and working more than 40 hours per week experienced greater levels of burnout, compassion fatigue, and suicide ideation. Other variables such as being a woman, being a veterinary assistant, and disagreeing with motives for euthanasia also predicted some mental health problems. Mental health problems in the Portuguese veterinary professionals are a major health concern. These professionals are at higher risk for suicide, and clinical implications and guidelines are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lack of sexual desire has been reported as the most frequent sexual complain in women, and commonly associated to depressed mood. The association between trait-affect, depressed mood and female sexual functioning has been evaluated. However, the mediator role of depressed mood on trait-affect and female sexual desire has not been studied yet. The current study aims to investigate the mediator role of depressed mood in the relationship between trait-affect (positive and negative) and female sexual desire. One-hundred and seventy-one women from the general population participated in the study and completed self-reported measures assessing trait-affect, depressed mood, and sexual desire. Pearson's correlations showed a significant correlation between trait-affect (positive and negative), depressed mood and female sexual desire. Mediation analyses indicated that depressed mood partially mediate the relationship between positive and negative trait-affect and female sexual desire, with a stronger mediation for positive trait-affect. Current findings support the impact of trait-affect and depressed mood on female sexual desire. Lay summary: Sexual desire problems are highly prevalent among women, and have been associated with depressive symptomatology. This study examined the role between positive and negative affect, depressed mood, and sexual desire in women. The relationship between positive and negative affect and women's sexual desire was partially mediated by depressed mood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefits of sexuality for physical and psychological health throughout life, including in old age, are widely reported in the literature. However, in Portugal, little is known about the attitude of health professionals toward sexuality. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate general attitudes toward sexuality and toward sexuality in older people among Portuguese health professionals and students. A sample of 424 different health professionals of both sexes completed a questionnaire that included sociodemographic characteristics questions and general (Sexual Attitudes Scale – SAS) and aging (Aging Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale – ASKAS) sexual attitudes scales. The results showed that physicians are the ones who reveal the greatest openness toward birth control issues. Regarding attitudes toward sexuality in older people, physicians and nurses are the ones with the most knowledge about this subject; and physical therapists are the ones with less permissive attitudes in this area. It is expected that this work will contribute to a reflection on the training of healthcare professionals regarding human sexuality, especially sexuality among older people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aimed at translating and validating the TSMQ into Portuguese-European (TSMQ-PT) and to investigate its psychometric properties. Three online studies were conducted with independent samples collected between September 2020 and March 2022. Study 1 tested the exploratory factorial structure (N = 325; 206 women); Study 2 explored the confirmatory factorial structure and construct validity (N = 450; 230 women); and Study 3 examined the temporal stability of the TSMQ-PT (N = 30; 15 women). Participants completed the TSMQ-PT for all three studies. In study 2, further completed the Sexual Compulsivity Scale, the Sexual Sensation Seeking Scale, and the Sexual Desire Inventory. Data revealed that the TSMQ-PT yielded a four-structure model, (i.e., Sexually Oriented, Comparison with Others, Seeking for Sexual Encounters, and Importance of Sex) comprising 13 items, with seven additional items for assessing existence and number of sexual partners, and frequency of sexual behaviors. The TSMQ-PT achieved good internal consistency levels (McDonald's omega ranged from.71 to.89) and construct validity, and temporal stability over 10-11 months (values ranged from.80 to.87) supporting the trait-dimension of sexual motivation. Current findings support a brief, valid, and reliable self-report instrument for assessing sexual motivation in the Portuguese context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Gender differences in sexual desire have been documented in the literature, with sexual desire being correlated with sexual satisfaction; however, data on sexual desire and sexual satisfaction among nonheterosexual samples are more limited, as are data examining sexual desire toward oneself (solitary) and another person (dyadic). Aim To examine differences between men and women, between heterosexuals and nonheterosexuals, and the interaction of gender and sexual orientation in solitary and dyadic sexual desire (partner and attractive person related) and sexual satisfaction, and to explore the predictive role of solitary and dyadic sexual desire on sexual satisfaction, controlling for gender and sexual orientation. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with an online sample of 1013 participants recruited between 2017 and 2020 (552 women, 54.5%; 461 men, 45.5%; 802 heterosexuals, 79.2%; 211 nonheterosexuals, 20.8%). Outcomes Participants completed a web survey with a sociodemographic sheet, the Sexual Desire Inventory–2, and the Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction. Results Current findings indicated that men scored significantly higher on solitary sexual desire (P <.001, partial η2 = 0.015) and attractive person–related desire (P <.001, partial η2 = 0.015) when compared with women. Likewise, nonheterosexuals scored significantly higher on solitary sexual desire (P <.001, partial η2 = 0.053) and attractive person–related desire (P <.001, partial η2 = 0.033) vs heterosexuals. In addition, partner-related desire (β = 0.33, P <.001) was a positive and significant predictor of sexual satisfaction, whereas solitary desire (β = −0.18, P <.001) and attractive person–related desire (β = −0.23, P <.001) were negative predictors. Clinical Implications Sexual desire toward an intimate partner appears to be experienced in similar levels among heterosexual and nonheterosexual men and women, while solitary and attractive person–related sexual desire appears to be more strong among men and nonheterosexual individuals. Strengths and Limitations The current study did not use a dyadic-centered approach, only individual perceptions and experiences. However, it explored solitary sexual desire and partner– and attractive person–related sexual desire in a large sample of heterosexual and nonheterosexual men and women as predictors of sexual satisfaction. Conclusion Overall, men and nonheterosexual individuals experienced more solitary and attractive person–related sexual desire. In addition, partner–related sexual desire was a positive predictor of sexual satisfaction, whereas solitary sexual desire and attractive person–related desire were negative predictors of sexual satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women's sexual difficulties have been associated with sexual-related dimensions. The present study aims to analyze the differences between women with and without sexual concerns, according to the Female Sexual Functioning Index cutoff score, on dyadic and solitary sexual desire and sexual satisfaction dimensions. A total of 314 women participated in the study and answered to a sociodemographic screening, to the Sexual Desire Inventory − 2, to the Female Sexual Functioning Index, and to the Sexual Satisfaction Scale for Women. Main findings showed that women with sexual concerns revealed lower levels of global sexual desire and partner-related sexual desire, experienced lower levels of communication and compatibility with sexual partner, and have more personal and relational sexual concerns. Overall, results enhance the role of dyadic and relational dimensions that allow to differentiate between women with and without sexual concerns. Clinical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discrepancies in sexual desire are associated with sexual and dyadic dissatisfaction. However, to date, systematic research has been conducted with heterosexuals. Differences in sexual and dyadic satisfaction among individuals with heterosexual, gay, and lesbian sexual orientations, according to the degree of desire discrepancy, were analysed in a sample of 1383 volunteers. The main results showed that sexual desire discrepancies perceived as problematic were associated with lower sexual and dyadic satisfaction, compared to non-problematic sexual desire discrepancies and no sexual desire discrepancies. Specifically, women with no discrepancy or unproblematic discrepancy are more sexually satisfied compared to men. Moreover, lesbian women reported greater dyadic adjustment compared to heterosexual women. The current findings highlight problematic perceptions of discrepancies in sexual desire and their role in sexual and dyadic satisfaction among individuals with heterosexual, gay, and lesbian sexual orientations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]