Portuguese Psychologists Research Articles

Blended Psychological Interventions for Emotional Disorders in Youth: Acceptability and Intention to Use in a Sample of Portuguese Psychologists.

The rise of mental health problems in youth highlights the need for accessible and cost-effective psychological interventions. Blended interventions, which combine face-to-face and online sessions, can be an adequate response to the increase in demands for youth mental health services. Although this can be a promising approach, effective dissemination depends on the professionals´ acceptance. This study aimed to explore the acceptability of and intention to use blended interventions by psychologists working with children with emotional disorders and to examine their predictors, including previous knowledge, expectancies (i.e., performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions), and attitudes toward evidence-based practices. The sample consisted of 76 Portuguese psychologists (Mage = 37.26 years, SD = 10.47; 92.1% female) working in youth mental health services. The participants completed an online protocol to evaluate the different dimensions included in the study. The results showed that most participants demonstrated moderate to high acceptability of blended psychological interventions for emotional disorders in youth and intend to use them in the future. Regression analysis showed that performance expectancy and positive attitudes toward evidence-based practices were significant predictors of acceptance of blended interventions and that social influence was a significant predictor of both acceptance of and intention to use blended interventions. These results emphasize the importance of sharing the findings of blended interventions, changing professionals' attitudes toward evidencebased practices, and collaborating more closely with organizations and institutions to advance standards that encourage the adoption of this intervention format.

The Alliance Negotiation Scale - Therapist Version: Psychometric Properties in a Sample of Portuguese Psychologists.

The transtheoretical conceptualization of the working alliance and the resultant evaluation tools often overestimate the collaboration between therapist and client, while neglecting the negotiation process. The degree to which therapists and clients can negotiate disagreements regarding goals and tasks is an important indicator in establishing and maintaining the alliance. Even though the negotiation concept is not new, there is still a lack of reliable and parsimonious self-report measures of the construct. The purpose of this study was to translate, execute the cultural adaptation and, also, to perform a preliminary psychometric analysis of the Portuguese form of the therapist version of the Alliance Negotiation Scale (ANS-T_Pt). Data were collected online from 100 Portuguese psychologists. Two random sub-samples were used to conduct both exploratory factorial analysis and confirmatory factorial analysis. Convergent validity was assessed through comparison with the Portuguese version of the Working Alliance Inventory. The ANS-T_Pt showed a one-factorial structure, consistent with previous versions, and demonstrated adequate internal consistency. Evidence supporting criterion-related validity was found based on the correlations between ANS-T_Pt and WAI-T scores. The results showed moderate to large associations between the instruments. These results support the usefulness of the scale, construct's relevance and its transtheoretical nature. These results are a step forward for Portuguese therapists' and researchers' ability to evaluate the bond between client and therapist and to compare results from different countries.

Perceptions of Portuguese Preschool Teachers and Psychologists about the Acceptability of a New Evidence-Based Universal Intervention Program with Targeted Elements for Inhibited-Withdrawn Behaviors

ABSTRACTHigh and stable behavioral inhibition (BI) during early childhood place children at increased risk of experiencing anxiety, depression, peer exclusion, victimization, and academic difficulties. The bioecological developmental framework and existing limitations in the scope of the few available interventions targeted at behavioral inhibition during early childhood support the need to develop new teacher-led socioemotional learning programs to be implemented with the peer group in the classroom. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of Portuguese psychologists and preschool teachers about the acceptability of the aims, structure, contents, activities, and materials of a new universal intervention targeting inhibited behaviors and about the barriers/facilitators to its implementation. Participants were 15 preschool teachers and 14 psychologists, who were distributed into 6 focus groups. Each focus group was moderated by a trained psychologist, using a semi-structured interview guide. The thematic analysis revealed that the aims, contents, activities, and materials of the new intervention program were considered highly acceptable by preschool teachers and psychologists. Only minor modifications in the intervention structure (i.e. implementing less time-consuming psychoeducational workshops and reducing the time interval until the follow-up session) and adaptations in the mode of delivery (i.e. hybrid format, or introduction of add-on motivational modules for preschool teachers and families) were recommended to counteract barriers related to time constraints and workplace conditions before its dissemination and pilot study. These promising findings support the perceived need and acceptability of a new teacher-led universal intervention program with targeted elements for behavioral inhibition during early childhood.

The impact of teleworking in psychologists during COVID-19: Burnout, depression, anxiety, and stress.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has forced mental health professionals to adapt quickly. The pandemic has created multiple new tasks for the psychologist. In addition to the various stressors closely linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, psychologists were forced to make their services more flexible. Teleworking was a way of continuing to work.ObjectiveThis study aimed to identify the impact of working pattern on the levels of burnout, depression, anxiety, and stress.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study based on an online questionnaire applied to eighty-three Portuguese psychologists. Data were collected from May 9 to June 8, 2020, a period comprising the declaration of a national calamity and then state of emergency, and the subsequent ease of lockdown measures. The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory Scale and Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale were used. Univariate multiple linear regression models were estimated for each mental health outcome.ResultsSignificant differences were found between psychologists working in the workplace and in teleworking at the personal burnout, work-related burnout, client-related burnout, depression, and stress. In multiple linear regression, teleworking, not working, and being unmarried was significantly associated with higher levels of depression. Teleworking was significantly associated with higher stress scores and client-related and work burnout.ConclusionsThis exceptional time of sudden, mandatory, and high-intensity teleworking, required rapid adaptation, giving rise to new stressors that might have been responsible for burnout levels in psychologists.

The hegemonic psychological discourse and its implications for career counselling and psychological intervention

ABSTRACT We examine a focus group with eight Portuguese psychologists (four career counsellors) on two quantitative studies' results focused on the psychosocial consequences of unemployment/precarity/uncertainty, exploring how do they: give meaning to the results, perceive their professional role, and think that socio-political issues influence their practice. Data were analysed through thematic social-constructionist and critical discourse analyses. Two themes (the construction of the “employable individual” and the limits of psychology), and two discourses (the hegemonic psychological discourse reflecting neoliberal discourses and adaptation to the labour market and “the social context is an aggressor” highlighting socio-political/economic roots of psychological ailments) were identified. We aim to foster a reflection on socially-just practices within career counselling, and to promote people’s agency/conscientisation/emancipation and career development.

Web-based tools applied to therapy and counseling during the COVID-19 pandemic

IntroductionWeb-based tools allowed the provision of psychological counseling and therapy at-distance during the COVID-19 lockdown. Nevertheless, psychologists’ attitudes towards the adoption of these tools and its impact in their professional practices need to be further explored.ObjectivesThe objective was to study the use of web-based tools on psychological practices before and during COVID-19 lockdown, trying to identify changes on psychologists’ professional practices related to the pandemic, as well as to explore factors that could have affected such changes.MethodsOne-hundred and eight psychologists filled-in an online survey, developed for the purposes of this study, during mandatory lockdown. The study was disseminated by mailing list, social networks, and by the Portuguese Psychologists Association.ResultsThe results have shown that psychologists kept providing their services during lockdown thanks to the adoption of web-based tools. Although psychologists have recognized that additional precautions were needed for at-distance practice in comparison to in-person interventions, the experience of using IC technologies in clinical practice was described as positive, ensuring clients’ adherence with positive results. Additionally, despite psychological services were maintained on a larger scale by psychologists with more years of experience, professionals with average experience stated more favorable attitudes towards the use of web-based tools in counseling and therapy.ConclusionsAlthough the implementation of ICT based practice was enforced by current circumstances, the experience that psychologists gathered and shared during the lockdown can guide future professional practice, improving and fostering the replication of best practices at distance.

Integrated efforts to promote mental health care during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: Reflecting on the experience of a university helpline

IntroductionThe SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is affecting numerous dimensions of our society since the beginning of the outbreak. A significant increase in emotional distress was expected in the general population, particularly among the high-risk groups such as the oldest, chronic patients, healthcare professionals, and psychopathology vulnerable people. There was an urgent need to adapt and create solutions to promote mental health. Given the recommendations to minimize face-to-face interactions, several helplines were widely developed.ObjectivesIn this work, we aim to reflect on the experience of a university helpline, that integrated efforts with the regional mental health care services.Methods A University helpline was created to give support to the regional community outside academia. The team was created on an online teamwork platform, to communicate through the chat, carry videoconference meetings, and store useful files. A Manchester screening decision tree was adopted, to define a set of guidelines to provide support to the callers, based mainly on the guidelines defined by the Order of Portuguese Psychologists. Liaison with the mental health care services, including other specific helplines, was established.ResultsNotwithstanding all the efforts, the number of received calls was scarce, similarly to helplines created by other national universities and by other entities.ConclusionsA new approach to psychological intervention in crisis is needed, maintaining integrated efforts, and taking advantage of the opportunity to foster personalized mental health care in the digital era. It is important to continuously assess the value of integrated efforts in patient care and to the healthcare system.

The Use of New Digital Information and Communication Technologies in Psychological Counseling during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The use of digital information and communication technologies (ICTs) has enabled many professionals to continue to provide their services during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about the adoption of ICTs by psychologists and the impact of such technologies on their practice. This study aimed to explore psychologists’ practices related with the use of ICTs before and during the COVID-19 lockdown, to identify the main changes that the pandemic has brought and the impact that such changes have had on their practice with clients, and also identify the factors that potentially have affected such changes. The Portuguese Psychologists Association announced the study, and 108 psychologists responded to an online survey during the mandatory lockdown. The results showed that these professionals continued to provide their services due to having adopted ICTs. Comparing with face-to-face interventions, psychologists recognized that additional precautions/knowledge were needed to use such technologies. Despite the challenges identified, they described the experience with the use of ICTs as positive, meeting clients’ adherence, and yielding positive results. Psychologists with the most years of professional experience maintained their services the most, but those with average experience showed the most favorable attitudes toward the use of technologies and web-based interventions.

Perceptions of Portuguese psychologists about behavioural inhibition/social withdrawal and their related intervention needs during early childhood

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.

Portuguese Psychologists' Attitudes Toward Internet Interventions: Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study.

BackgroundDespite the significant body of evidence on the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of internet interventions, the implementation of such programs in Portugal is virtually non-existent. In addition, Portuguese psychologists’ use and their attitudes towards such interventions is largely unknown.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to explore Portuguese psychologists’ knowledge, training, use and attitudes towards internet interventions; to investigate perceived advantages and limitations of such interventions; identify potential drivers and barriers impacting implementation; and study potential factors associated to previous use and attitudes towards internet interventions.MethodsAn online cross-sectional survey was developed by the authors and disseminated by the Portuguese Psychologists Association to its members.ResultsA total of 1077 members of the Portuguese Psychologists Association responded to the questionnaire between November 2018 and February 2019. Of these, 37.2% (N=363) were familiar with internet interventions and 19.2% (N=188) considered having the necessary training to work within the field. 29.6% (N=319) of participants reported to have used some form of digital technology to deliver care in the past. Telephone (23.8%; N=256), e-mail (16.2%; N=175) and SMS (16.1%; N=173) services were among the most adopted forms of digital technology, while guided (1.3%; N=14) and unguided (1.5%; N=16) internet interventions were rarely used. Accessibility (79.9%; N=860), convenience (45.7%; N=492) and cost-effectiveness (45.5%; N=490) were considered the most important advantages of internet interventions. Conversely, ethical concerns (40.7%; N=438), client’s ICT illiteracy (43.2%; N=465) and negative attitudes towards internet interventions (37%; N=398) were identified as the main limitations. An assessment of participants attitudes towards internet interventions revealed a slightly negative/neutral stance (Median=46.21; SD=15.06) and revealed greater acceptability towards blended treatment interventions (62.9%; N=615) when compared to standalone internet interventions (18.6%; N=181). Significant associations were found between knowledge (χ24=90.4; P<.001), training (χ24=94.6; P<.001), attitudes (χ23=38.4; P<.001) and previous use of internet interventions and between knowledge (χ212=109.7; P<.001), training (χ212=64.7; P<.001) and attitudes towards such interventions, with psychologists reporting to be ignorant and not having adequate training in the field, being more likely to present more negative attitudes towards these interventions and not having prior experience in its implementation.ConclusionsThis study revealed that most Portuguese psychologists are not familiar with and have no training or prior experience using internet interventions and had a slightly negative/neutral attitude towards such interventions. There was greater acceptability towards blended treatment interventions compared to standalone internet interventions. Lack of knowledge and training were identified as the main barriers to overcome, underlining the need of promoting awareness and training initiatives to ensure internet interventions successful implementation.

Perceções dos psicólogos portugueses acerca da aceitabilidade de uma intervenção dirigida a crianças inibidas em idade pré-escolar

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.

The Ethical Principles of the Portuguese Psychologists: An Empirical Approach.

One thousand four-hundred thirty Portuguese psychologists answered a questionnaire that had been designed in order to ascertain the level of acceptability of a set of proposed ethical principles, which subsequently served as a basis for the Portuguese Psychologists' Ethics Code. On the one hand, the results show that, as expected, the ethical principles rated high on the evaluation scale. On the other hand, the results also highlighted the need for a formal regulation of the practice of psychology in Portugal, especially in view of participants' noticeable failure to recognize the importance of the principle of professional integrity. The responsibility of psychologists in modern societies is huge. As such, the large number of different training programs in Portugal, and the implied lack of a strong professional identity, is a cause of concern. The creation of a professional association allows an external identification of the profession in terms of aims and methods. The main goal of such an association is to promote public trust and enhance public demand. The results also indicate that training and experience lead to a higher valorization of ethical principles, and this is an insight that will be of great importance to the professional practice of psychology.

Perceptions of Portuguese Psychologists about the Acceptability of a Parent Intervention Targeted at Inhibited Preschoolers

ABSTRACTThere has been an increasing interest in the development of evidence-based parent interventions aimed at reducing the early risk factors for the development of anxiety disorders, namely, behavioral inhibition, during the preschool years. However, these interventions are not yet available in European countries with a high prevalence of anxiety disorders, such as Portugal. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of Portuguese psychologists toward the acceptability of the parent component of the Turtle Program as a first step before its dissemination in Portugal. Eighteen psychologists were distributed into 3 focus groups. Each focus group was moderated by a trained psychologist, using a semistructured interview guide. The deductive thematic analysis revealed that Portuguese psychologists perceived the objectives and the intervention contents as highly acceptable, with the exception of time-out. Portuguese psychologists suggested that it would be useful to give more time (lengthen, add more sessions, and/or follow-up sessions) to families for the intervention and to introduce only minor changes in session procedures and materials. Portuguese psychologists anticipated that the preliminary preparation for coaching sessions, the greater focus on personal experiences, the flexibility in homework activities, and the introduction of interactive activities and materials can be useful when implementing the intervention with Portuguese families. These findings are in line with previous studies conducted with LatinX and Southern European practitioners, who typically agree with the acceptability of evidence-based parent intervention principles and report the need to introduce only minor changes.

The Ethical Principles of the Portuguese Psychologists: A Universal Dimension.

Ethical principles are fundamental for the exercise of any profession. Portuguese psychologists have waited for 30 years for professional validation. This paper will define the Portuguese psychologists' ethical principles, with a universal view as a starting point and then an adaptation to the cultural and professional reality in Portugal. The level of acceptability of these principles will be ascertained in a later paper.

A Study of the Ethical Dilemmas Experienced by School Psychologists in Portugal

This study examines the ethical dilemmas and difficulties encountered by Portuguese school psychologists. As part of a larger survey, participants were asked about ethical issues faced in daily practice and asked to describe ethical incidents. Of the 477 respondents, 274 reported 441 ethically troubling or challenging situations. Responses were coded into a six-category system based on the code of ethics of Portuguese psychologists. Most of the reported dilemmas concerned privacy and confidentiality principles (53%). Results are discussed in light of relevant literature and international findings. Implications for the development of the profession and future research are provided.

From the EFPA Network of National News Correspondents

The first report from the Network of National News Correspondents (NNC) was published in European Psychologist 3 (2012) to keep readers informed of what is happening in the field of psychology in countries across Europe. We hope this second report proves just as informative. It includes news from Cyprus, Germany, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain. Cyprus reports on legislation concerning professional psychologists and the provision of continued education. Germany provides news on the launch of EuroPsy and the release of an authorized translation of the International Test Commission (ITC) guidelines. Portugal describes a successful conference and the unemployment situation among psychologists. Slovenia announces the approval of its National Accreditation Committee for the EuroPsy. Spain reports on the cooperation agreements the Spanish Psychological Association (COP) has signed with the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Portuguese Psychologists’ Association (OPP), as well as on COP’s efforts in the field of active aging.