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- Parenting sense of competence in at psychosocial risk families and child well-beingPublication . Nunes, C.; Nunes, LaraINTRODUCTION. Parenting sense of competence is a central construct to understand the dynamics and processes that occur within the family system. It is a major determinant of competent parenting behaviors, and it is closely linked to a healthy child development and their overall well-being. The aim of the present study is to obtain a better understanding of parenting sense of competence in Portuguese at-risk families and, more specifically, to analyze the relations between sociodemographic variables, perceived parenting efficacy, satisfaction with the parenting role and the child well-being. METHOD. The participants were 207 families (168 mothers and 39 fathers) receiving family preservation interventions in the Algarve (South of Portugal). The Parenting Sense of Competence Scale and a sociodemographic questionnaire were applied by trained interviewers, through an individual interview. Furthermore, the Child Well-Being Scales were filled by 21 case managers. RESULTS. Results showed that the majority of participants lived under a precarious economic and occupational situation, and had a low educational level. On average, families consisted of four people and of two children with 58,5% living below the national poverty line. Participants presented, on average, medium-high levels of perceived parenting efficacy and satisfaction, although they scored significantly higher on efficacy. We observed significant and positive correlations between parenting efficacy and satisfaction with all the child well-being dimensions (child well-being score, parental disposition and child performance) with the exception of household adequacy. DISCUSSION. These findings highlight the need to include the boosting of parental satisfaction and the readjustment of parental sense of efficacy as the primary aim of psycho-educational interventions in at-risk families. The implications for social policies for this vulnerable group are discussed.
- Parents' perceived social support and children's psychological adjustmentPublication . Nunes, Cristina; Martins, Cátia; Nunes, Lara; Adelaide de Matos, Filomena; Costa, Emília Isabel; Gonçalves, AndreaPerceived social support has often been investigated due to its direct and indirect effects in reducing the impact of several risk factors on physical and psychological well-being. Moreover, many studies have revealed a link between social support and positive parenting, which in turn has an impact on children's well-being. In Portugal, there is a significant lack of studies in this area. The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between parents' perceived social support and children's psychological adjustment. The sample consisted of 409 parents (83.13% mothers) living in the region of Algarve (South of Portugal). The Duke-UNC Functional Social Support and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires were used. Findings The results showed that, on average, families had a social support network of nine people, with a balanced presence of family (M = 4.25, SD = 3.54) and friends (M = 4.36, SD = 3.17). Parents reported medium-high levels of confidant and affective support, but instrumental support was lower. However, single-parent families, immigrant families, and divorced parents were found to be more socially isolated and received less support than they needed. Affective social support showed predictive value for child psychological adjustment. Applications These findings suggest that developing universal and selective parental education and support programs that focus on strengthening informal social support networks is needed, especially for vulnerable families. Implications for social workers who intervene with families are discussed.
- Coping and social support as moderators: relationship between financial threat and negative psychological outcomesPublication . Viseu, João; Jesus, Saúl; Leal, Ana Rita Cavaco; Pinto, Patrícia; Nunes, Lara Ayala; Matavelli, RafaelaBetween 2011 and 2014 Portugal faced an economic crisis. During a crisis, individuals develop threat perceptions regarding their financial situation. When individuals perceive that their financial situation worsens, negative psychological outcomes emerge. The present study assessed the relationship between financial threat and three negative psychological outcomes (stress, anxiety, and depression), and tested the moderating role of proactive coping and social support, individually and combined, on this relationship. The moderating role of sociodemographic variables (age, gender, marital status, and professional situation) was also considered. A sample of 729 participants, 33.9% males and 66.1% females, was collected online between March–June 2013. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate the obtained data. Financial threat was positively and significantly associated with stress, anxiety, and depression. Proactive coping moderated the relationship between financial threat and depression. Social support, individually and combined with proactive coping, did not moderate the relationship between financial threat and any of the negative psychological outcomes. Age moderated the relationship between financial threat and stress. The main implications of this study are presented, as well as its limitations and suggestions for future works.