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Ayala Nunes, Lara

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Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
  • Confirmatory analysis of the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ) short form in a portuguese sample
    Publication . Martins, Cátia; Ayala Nunes, Lara; Nunes, Cristina; Pechorro, Pedro; Costa, Emília; Matos, Filomena
    An important research field in family studies relates to the role parenting practices can have on several domains of children's development. Regarding to parenting styles, it was Baumrind's conceptualization that was responsible for a relevant research boost in this area. She proposed a model contemplating three different styles: authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive. The aim of our study was to examine the factor structure, internal consistency and others psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ). The participants were 424 parents (mainly mothers, 81.2%) from Algarve (South of Portugal), that answered to PSDQ and a sociodemographic questionnaire. The instrument comprises 32 items: 12 questions regarding the authoritative style, 15 questions regarding the authoritarian style, and 5 questions regarding the permissive style. Several competing models (i.e., one and three-factorial, and another where latent variables were organized in a 1st and 2nd order factors) were tested in regards to PSDQ factor structure using confirmatory factor analysis. A fourth model, contemplating inter-correlations between item 7 and 8 was also proposed, which showed adequate fit and internal consistency. These findings support the PSDQ original structure. Implications concerning the use and contributes to social and emotional child' adjustment are discussed.
  • The Social anxiety scale for adolescents: Measurement invariance and psychometric properties among a school sample of portuguese youths
    Publication . Pechorro, Pedro; Ayala-Nunes, Lara; Nunes, Cristina; Maroco, João; Gonçalves, Rui Abrunhosa
    Over the last decades there has been an increased interest in assessing social anxiety in adolescents. This study aims to validate the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A) to Portuguese youth, and to examine its invariance across gender as well as its psychometric properties. The participants were 782 Portuguese youths (371 males, 411 females), with an average age of 15.87 years (SD = 1.72). The results support the original three-factor structure of the SAS-A, with measurement invariance being found across gender, with females scoring higher than males on two subscales. High levels of internal consistency were found. Positive associations with empathy demonstrated that high socially anxious adolescents have elevated empathy tendencies. Mostly null or low negative associations were found with measures of psychopathic traits, callous-unemotional traits and aggression. Study findings provide evidence that the SAS-A is a psychometrically sound instrument that shows measurement invariance between genders, good reliability and positive correlations with empathy.
  • The barratt impulsiveness scale-11 among a school sample of portuguese male and female adolescents
    Publication . Pechorro, Pedro; Ayala-Nunes, Lara; Ray, James V.; Nunes, Cristina; Gonçalves, Rui Abrunhosa
    Few personality traits are as socially relevant as impulsivity, but few self-report measures have been specifically developed for adolescents and children. The aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale version 11 (BIS-11) among a mixed-gender sample of 782 Portuguese youth (M = 15.87 years; SD = 1.72), in a school context. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed the expected 6-factor first-order structure, but the 3-factor second-order factorial structure did not present a good fit. Cross-gender measurement invariance was demonstrated only in terms of weak invariance. Nonetheless, the Portuguese adaptation of the BIS-11 demonstrated some generally acceptable psychometric properties of internal consistency, mean inter-item correlation, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and criterion-related validity of statistically significant associations with conduct disorder symptoms, alcohol abuse, drug use, and unprotected sex. The use of the BIS-11 among the male and female youth population is psychometrically justified, and it can be a useful measure to identify impulsive adolescents who are at considerable risk of personal injury and present a potential source of injury to others.
  • The Brief COPE: Measurement invariance and psychometric properties among community and at-risk portuguese parents
    Publication . Nunes, C.; Pérez-Padilla, Javier; Martins, Cátia; Pechorro, Pedro; Ayala Nunes, Lara; Ferreira, Laura Inês
    Parenting generally brings about high internal and external demands, which can be perceived as stressful when they exceed families’ resources. When faced with such stressors, parents need to deploy several adaptive strategies to successfully overcome these challenges. One of such strategies is coping, an important cognitive and behavioural skill. In this study, we intended to examine the psychometric properties of Carver’s (1997) Brief COPE (Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced), extending its cross-cultural validity among a Portuguese sample of community and at-risk parents. The sample comprised community (n = 153) and at-risk (n = 116) parents who completed the brief COPE, the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scales and the Parenting Stress Index—Short Form. Confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency, cross sample invariance, convergent and discriminant validity were analysed. Data from the confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the 14-factor model obtained the best fit. The results provided evidence that the Brief COPE is a psychometrically sound instrument that shows measurement invariance across samples and good reliability. Our findings demonstrated that the Portuguese version of brief COPE is a useful, time-efficient tool for both practitioners and researchers who need to assess coping strategies, a relevant construct in family context.
  • Short Form of the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents among community and institutionalized Portuguese youths
    Publication . Nunes, Cristina; Ayala-Nunes, Lara; Pechorro, Pedro; Greca, Annette M. La
    Background/Objective: Social anxiety is a common issue arising in adolescence that can cause significant impairment and have detrimental consequences for development in the absence of treatment. In this study we examined the factor structure and the psychometric properties of a 12-item short form of the Portuguese-Language Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A-SF). Method: A community adolescent sample (N = 835) and a young offender sample (N = 244) completed the SAS-A, the Basic Empathy Scale and the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency, cross gender and cross sample invariance, convergent and discriminant validity of the SAS-A-SF were analyzed. Results: The confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the 3-factor second-order model obtained the best fit. The results provided evidence that the SAS-A-SF is a psychometrically sound instrument that shows measurement invariance across genders and across samples, good reliability and positive correlations with empathy. Conclusions: The Portuguese version of SAS-A-SF is a useful, time-efficient tool for both researchers and practitioners who need to assess social anxiety, a relevant construct in adolescent psychopathology. (C) 2018 Asociacion Espanola de Psicologia Conductual. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U.
  • Psychometric properties of the socially desirable response Set-5 among incarcerated male and female juvenile offenders
    Publication . Pechorro, Pedro; Ayala-Nunes, Lara; Oliveira, João Pedro; Nunes, Cristina; Gonçalves, Rui Abrunhosa
    The main aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Socially Desirable Response Set-5 (SDRS-5) among a forensic sample (N = 324) of incarcerated male (n = 221) and female (n = 103) juvenile offenders. The Portuguese validation of the SDRS-5 demonstrated good psychometric properties, namely in terms of its factor structure, internal consistency, convergent validity, and discriminant validity that overall justifies its use among this population. Findings are discussed in terms of the use of the SDRS-5 with male and female juvenile offenders. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.