Portuguese Parents Research Articles

Parental Stress Scale: Validation study with a Portuguese population of parents of children from 3 to 10 years old.

The aim of this study was to validate the Parental Stress Scale (PSS) for Portuguese parents and to further investigate the scale's criterion-related validity. A two-stage stratified sample of the Portuguese population of parents, with children attending public preschools and primary schools, was obtained, totalizing 3842 parents of children between 3 and 10 years old. Parents completed a Parental Concerns Scale and the Portuguese version of the PSS. Results support the four-factor structure of the Portuguese version of the PSS. Higher levels of parental stress were reported by parents of boys, with lower educational levels; older, divorced or single parents; unemployed mothers; and with a higher number of children. Parental concerns and parental stress' comparative study reported very low correlations between the two constructs. This study supported evidence for the PSS' validity with a stratified sample of Portuguese parents of children between 3 and 10 years old. Moreover, our findings reported the scale's divergent validity with a Parental Concerns Scale. These results point to the importance of assessing both dimensions in family practice.

Family rituals in pediatric epilepsy: Links to parental competence and adaptation.

This cross-sectional study examined the associations between family ritual meaning and 3 indicators of parental adaptation (anxious and depressive symptoms and quality of life) via 2 dimensions of parental competence-satisfaction and efficacy-in parents of children with epilepsy. Two hundred Portuguese parents of children diagnosed with epilepsy for at least 6 months completed self-report measures assessing the main study variables. Our results showed that when parents reported stronger family ritual meaning, they also reported higher levels of parental satisfaction and efficacy, which were in turn were associated with lower psychological distress (anxious and depressive symptoms) and better quality of life of parents. This pattern of results was significant regardless of the severity of children's epilepsy, age group, and family socioeconomic level. In the context of pediatric epilepsy, empirical evidence was found for the role of family ritual meaning in being directly and indirectly associated with parents' adaptation outcomes by higher levels of parental satisfaction and efficacy. Focusing intervention targets on what families naturally do and recognize as their own ritual meaning may be a favorable route to address those at risk of psychological distress and lower quality of life. (PsycINFO Database Record

Recurrent elevated liver transaminases and acute liver failure in two siblings with novel bi-allelic mutations of NBAS

BackgroundAcute liver failure (ALF) in children can be life-threatening. Although many causes are known, ALF remains unexplained in about half of the cases. Recently, bi-allelic mutations in NBAS were reported to underlie recurrent episodes of elevated liver transaminases (ELT) and ALF in the context of diverse extrahepatic phenotypes. Methods and ResultsWe here describe two sisters, born to non-consanguineous Portuguese parents, who had short stature and presented with recurrent episodes of severe ELT triggered by febrile respiratory viral infections since early childhood. Patient 1 had mild facial dysmorphism and died during the second ELT crisis at 3–11/12 years of age. Patient 2, currently 9 years old, had multiple episodes of ELT (>30), twice with ALF, often accompanied by extensive urticaria and facial angioedema. Whole-exome and Sanger sequencing revealed that both patients carried previously undescribed compound heterozygous mutations of NBAS (NM_015909.3): c.680A > C (p.His227Pro), affecting an evolutionarily conserved residue, and c.1749G > A (p.Trp583*), causing a premature stop codon. Both mutations are predicted to be highly damaging. The parents and two younger siblings are healthy and heterozygous for one or another mutant allele. ConclusionThe multiplex kindred reported herein expands the genotypic and phenotypic spectrum of this recently described clinical syndrome due to autosomal recessive NBAS deficiency.

Parents' Romantic Attachment Predicts Family Ritual Meaning and Family Cohesion Among Parents and Their Children With Cancer.

Family functioning is associated with adaptation in pediatric illness. This study examines the role of parents’ relationships (specifically romantic attachment) as a predictor of family ritual meaning and family cohesion for parents and their children with cancer. The dyads, 58 partnered Portuguese parents and their children in treatment, reported on family ritual meaning and family cohesion at Time 1 (T1) and after 6 months (T2). Parents also completed the questionnaire assessing romantic attachment at T1. Parents’ avoidant attachment, but not anxious attachment, predicted lower family ritual meaning and family cohesion after 6 months. T2 family ritual meaning mediated the relationship between T1 avoidant attachment and T2 family cohesion. Parents’ avoidant attachment may have a negative effect on family functioning in parents and children. Clinical intervention to address avoidant attachment or/and to promote family ritual meaning may help strengthen family ties.

Hypotrichosis with juvenile macular dystrophy: Portuguese case

Hypotrichosis with juvenile macular dystrophy is a rare congenital disease mainly found in the Druze population of Northern Israel. This disorder is caused by the CDH3 mutation encoding P-cadherin, which is expressed in retinal pigment epithelium and hair follicles. An 11-year-old girl who was born to related Portuguese parents, had hypotrichosis since birth and macular dystrophy diagnosed at age 5. Fundus examination and fluorescein angiography revealed located macular pigmentary abnormalities. No molecular analysis was done. A fundus examination should be considered mandatory in the assessment of congenital hypotrichosis.

Portuguese Parents' Perceptions of Transdisciplinary Play-based Assessment

An important development in the world of global education is the call for greater inclusion and support for children and students with disabilities. In this article, the authors describe their use of one tool—the Transdisciplinary Play-Based Assessment—to determine children's developmental progress and provide support to parents in helping their children thrive. One important thread we can see throughout this theme issue is the emphasis on community and familial involvement in child care and education. It is no longer accepted practice to silo family time, community time, and school time. Educators, families, and policymakers alike should consider the child in a holistic way that promotes healthy, happy development in all areas.

Capacidade discriminante do inventário de potencial de abuso na infância: dados numa amostra de progenitores portugueses

This study aims to test discriminant ability of the Child Abuse Potential Inventory (CAP) in a sample of 641 Portuguese parents. Thirty-seven percent of the sample is composed by abusive parents reported to the Comissions for the Protection of Children and Young People and evaluated by an assessment questionnaire of maltreatment, neglect and sexual abuse. Abusive parents showed significantly higher scores on the Abuse Scale and in all of its dimensions. Considering the discriminant analysis, the Abuse Scale correctly classified 79.9% of the cases and the function of sub dimensions correctly classified 83.3% of the cases. These results reveal the capacity of CAP in identifying cases of potential child abuse in the Portuguese context.

Psychometric properties of an adapted version of the parental sense of competence (PSOC) scale for Portuguese at‐risk parents

AbstractParental sense of competence is one of the central dimensions targeted on psychosocial interventions aimed at supporting at‐risk families. Researchers and practitioners need reliable instruments to assess the parental role adapted for these families. Although the parental sense of competence (PSOC) scale has been frequently used to assess this construct, there is still no adapted version for Portuguese parents. In this study, the reliability, validity and factor structure of the PSOC scale is examined with a clinical sample of 146 mothers from at‐risk families receiving psychosocial interventions for family preservation from Child Protective Services. Results show that the Portuguese version of the PSOC measures three distinct constructs with acceptable psychometric properties: efficacy, dissatisfaction and controllability. As expected, the obtained factors were significantly and positively related to parenting alliance and family cohesion, and negatively associated with parenting stress. In sum, the proposed Portuguese version shows reliability and validity evidences to measure three relevant dimensions of parental self‐evaluation, and it constitutes a cost‐ and time‐effective instrument suited for at‐risk mothers.

The Role Maturity of Parents of Emerging Adult Children: Validity of a Parental Maturity Measure

Parental maturity refers to parents’ ability to see their child as an independent adult with limitations and needs, and relate to him/her accordingly. In this study, we had two main aims: (a) develop a measure of parental maturity and test its construct validity in a sample of middle-aged parents with an emerging adult child, and (b) examine how the dimensions of parental maturity varied with a child’s gender and life course transitions (i.e., employment and leaving the parental home). A sample of 343 Portuguese parents (187 mothers and 156 fathers) aged 40–68 participated in this study. Factorial validity of the Parental Maturity Measure was tested using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and measurement invariance across mothers and fathers. Results gave support for a two-factor measure—Comprehending (6 items) and Letting Go (4 items)—with an equivalent meaning across parents. Dimensions of parental maturity were associated with differentiated and positive parent–child relationship qualities, but were quite independent of the child’s gender and life course transitions.

Asthma knowledge, subjective assessment of severity and symptom perception in parents of children with asthma

Objectives: This study aimed to confirm the tendency for parents to underestimate the severity of symptoms and the poor consistency between parents’ reports of symptoms and the physicians’ evaluation of asthma control. Additionally, the relationship between parents’ asthma knowledge and their report of symptoms and estimation of asthma severity was explored. Methods: Fifty children (M = 10.5 years) and their caregivers were recruited from two Portuguese hospitals. A measure of asthma symptoms report (Severity of Chronic Asthma, SCA) and a subjective evaluation of asthma severity were collected and compared with physicians’ ratings of asthma control, as well as parents’ knowledge about asthma (Asthma Knowledge Questionnaire, AKQ) and emotional disturbance (Brief Symptom Inventory, BSI). Results: Although parents’ evaluation of perceived asthma severity was moderately correlated to symptoms reported, results confirm an inconsistency between parents’ reports of symptoms, their subjective rating of asthma severity and the physician’s rating of clinical control, revealing a tendency for parents to underestimate disease severity and to underreport asthma symptoms. Asthma knowledge was not significantly correlated to SCA or to parents’ subjective evaluation of asthma severity. Parents with poorer knowledge reported fewer symptoms. Conclusions: Portuguese parents revealed a tendency to overestimate their child’s level of asthma control and a low level of asthma knowledge. Parents’ education, psychological disturbance and time since diagnosis were associated with asthma knowledge. Parents’ knowledge was not related to the child’s asthma outcomes or to their subjective evaluation of asthma severity or symptoms reports. Parents’ asthma knowledge deficits, underreporting of symptoms and underestimation of asthma severity, may affect parent–provider communication and impede asthma control.

Parental concerns’ prevalence and socio-demographic variables in general parenting

The aim of this study was to evaluate parental concerns in general parenting. The participants were 3842 parents of children between 3 and 10 years old, attending public preschools and primary schools, from a stratified random sample of Portuguese parents. Parents completed a parental concerns' scale that comprises five subscales: family and school problems; eating, sleep and physical complaints; preparation; fears; and negative behaviours. The results reported that 93.4 per cent of parents expressed some concern about the issues presented in the scale. Comparative analysis reported significant differences between mothers and fathers; child's gender; child's schooling level; mothers' and fathers' level of education, age at childbirth, marital status, and employment status. These results may indicate that parental concerns are an expected aspect of parenting, and that they should be addressed in family practice. Moreover, the reported differences between groups pointed to the need to develop specific intervention strategies.

Heroes or zeros? Portuguese–Canadian youth and the cost of mobilising different sociolinguistic resources

This critical sociolinguistic paper adopts a materialist view of how multiple languages and identities are negotiated in an effort to re-examine multilingualism and why people invest in certain sociolinguistic practices. The focus is on the social and linguistic resources and performances of Portuguese–Canadian youth in student cultural associations or clubs in Toronto. The sociolinguistic work carried out in these Portuguese clubs provides a rich context in which to explore diverse linguistic repertoires and trans-local identities which are the hallmark of a postmodern, globalised world. These student associations are flexible transnational spaces where young people should be free to construct their multiple sociolinguistic identities as they see fit. They should be able to assert their creative agency without the constraints of traditional ethnolinguistic gate-keepers like Portuguese teachers, parents or community leaders who can impose homogenised or ‘legitimate’ ways of speaking and being Portuguese. Yet, this hypothetical freedom and flexibility are not easily achieved and they often come at a cost. At issue are questions surrounding authenticity, legitimacy, dominant linguistic and nationalist ideologies, and access to material and symbolic capital that structure the Portuguese–Canadian community as a market and position some people as ‘heroes’ of the Portuguese cause, and others more like ‘zeros’.

Parental concerns in parents of children attending pre- and primary school: analysis of the Portuguese population by District

Objective: In this study, our aim was to assess and analyze parental concerns by Portuguese District. Methods: The participants were 3842 parents of children between 3 and 10 years old, attending preschool and primary school, from 820 public schools in 18 Portuguese Districts. Parents completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, and a Parental Concerns Scale, composed by 5 subscales, family and school problems; feeding, sleep and physical complaints; preparation; fears; and negative behaviors. Results: Portuguese parents concerned about all the dimensions considered in this study. The highest level of concern was obtained in family and school problems, and the lowest level of concern about their children’s fears. There were significant differences between Districts, parents from Porto and Braganca showed the highest levels of concern. Parents from Coimbra, Evora, Beja e Portalegre, presented the lowest levels of concern. Conclusion: Parental concerns are an aspect of general parenting and must be considered by health professionals to promote healthier parents-children relationships. Geographic differences should be further investigated.

Attachment and Parenting: The Mediating Role of Work‐Family Balance in Portuguese Parents of Preschool Children

Given the increasingly challenging task of balancing multiple adult life roles in contemporary society, this study examined the influences of both conflicting and (positively) synergistic work and family roles in mediating associations between the quality of adult attachment and both parental satisfaction and parenting stress. Participants were 242 Portuguese fathers and mothers involved in dual‐earner relationships and in parenting preschool‐aged children. Structural Equations Modeling analyses yielded findings demonstrating that the paths from romantic attachment (avoidance and anxiety) to parenting stress and satisfaction were fully explained by work‐family dimensions, especially the conflict dimension. Implications of these findings for parent education and intervention are discussed.

Stress parental no período pós-parto: Adaptação do Parental Stress Inventory para a população portuguesa

Neste estudo apresentam-se os resultados da adaptação para a população portuguesa do Stress Parental Inventory (PSI; D.J. Terry, 1991). No geral, os resultados indicam que a versão portuguesa do PSI (ou Inventário de Stress Parental no Pós-Parto) é uma medida fidedigna e válida para avaliar o nível de stress parental dos progenitores no período pós-parto. A escala apresenta um nível de consistência interna elevado (α=0,862). Verificou-se também que as notas maternas e paternas se correlacionam positivamente entre si e com medidas de ansiedade e de depressão, e negativamente com medidas de ajustamento conjugal e de envolvimento paterno.

Lotus uliginosus (greater lotus) breeding line LUX97: a high seed producing, low condensed tannin population

A Lotus uliginosus polycross population (LUX97) was developed from high seed producing Portuguese accessions and locally adapted New Zealand germplasms. Two cycles of selection for early flowering and low condensed tannin content were successful in producing a population with lower condensed tannin content than the Portuguese parents, while maintaining high seed production potential. Seed of this population will be stored at the CSIRO Plant Industry, Canberra.

History of childhood abuse in Portuguese parents

Objective: The study examines the self-reported prevalence of childhood physical and sexual abuse in a large sample of Portuguese parents. Method: Nearly 1,000 parents (506 mothers and 426 fathers) were selected through public primary schools from the Northern area of Portugal. All completed the Portuguese version of the Childhood History Questionnaire (CHQ) [Journal of Family Violence 5 (1990) 15]. Results: Results show that the prevalence of abuse was 73%, but more severe physical abuse involving sequelae/injury was reported by 9.5%. Most physical abuses began prior to age 13, with half continuing after age 13. No gender differences were found for rates of physical abuse. However, among the milder physical abuse without sequelae/injury, those women who experienced “whipping” or “slapping/kicking” were more likely to do so from their mothers than fathers. Among men who were “slapped/kicked” this was more likely to be from their fathers. Low rates of sexual abuse were found at 2.6% with no gender or age differences. Lack of a supportive adult in childhood related to the more severe abuses, but only in adolescence. Portuguese rates of abuse were consistently lower than those reported in USA and Spanish studies using the CHQ. Conclusions: This is the first retrospective, self-report study of childhood abuse in a large sample of Portuguese parents and, even with a participation rate of 69%, shows lower rates than in US and Spanish samples.

Studies of Portuguese and British primary pupils learning science through simple activities in the home

Asking parents to help their children by taking part in home science activities is a comparatively new development. We consider how Portuguese and British parents of primary pupils rose to the challenge, taking into account the recent histories of science education in the two countries. The pre-course responses of the parents and teachers are analysed, and how the parents interacted with their children is reported. The learning atmosphere is shown to be very different from that of school, being more conducive to relaxed and effective talk. It is also shown that the families highlighted different aspects of science in accordance with their culture, and also that their children resented any break in the normal family roles.

Identifying the childrearing information needs of Portuguese parents

The desire of parents for self‐improvement can often be met by adult education classes that focus on childrearing and family relationships. This kind of opportunity seems imminent in Portugal where stability is emerging after years of political and economic unrest. To help identify the attitudes and skills that deserve attention in formulating a relevant curriculum, the Parent as a Teacher Inventory was administered to 168 urban, middle class mothers and fathers of 3 to 9 year old children. The resulting profile is recommended for planning a pilot program that will reinforce family strengths, convey new knowledge on child development, and demonstrate methods for parents to become more successful.

Subacute Plague in Man Due to Ground Squirrel Infection

The subject of this report was a boy (J. M.) born in California of Portuguese parents. His age was 13 years and he was rather more than ordinarily well developed physically for his age. There was nothing in the previous history, medical or otherwise, having any bearing on the present illness, with the exception of the fact that, according to his own statement, he had been shooting ground squirrels in Alameda County, California, about a week before he was taken sick. According to the father's statement the boy had been out squirrel hunting just five days prior to his becoming ill. While on this hunting trip he shot four or five squirrels which he brought home with him. He stated that he had seen sick squirrels in the same vicinity, but did not shoot nor handle any of them.1 This boy had not been more than a few miles from his home in his life and indeed had never seen a trolley car until he was brought to the hospital in Oakland. There is no evidence that he was in any place where he might have been infected with plague except on this hunting trip. There had been no known previous case of plague in man in California for nearly a year, and none in rodents, except ground squirrels, for about seven months. The boy became sick on Tuesday, July 27, with headache and violent vomiting. The vomiting was almost continuous for about 24 hours. The next day he was seen by a physician and was found to have a temperature of 1040 F. On Thursday, 48 hours after the beginning of the illness, the glands in the left axilla were found to be enlarged and tender. The patient was taken to a hospital in Oakland,