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- Reasons for living and depressive symptomatology in young adults with and without suicide attempts: a moderated mediation approachPublication . Brás, Marta; Martins, Cátia; Nunes, Cristina; Neves de Jesus, Saúl; Madeira, Ana Rita; Carmo, CláudiaIntroduction Suicide is a public health problem worldwide, being the fourth leading cause of death in young adult population (15-29 years). Therefore, it is important to identify its risk and protective factors, and how they interact to develop more effective interventions. The present study aims to analyze the relation between depressive symptoms, hopelessness (risk factors) with reasons for living (protective factors) and suicidal ideation in young adults with and without previous suicide attempts.Methods A sample of 845 Portuguese young adults answered an online form which assessed suicidal ideation, hopelessness, depressive symptoms, and reasons for living. Mean comparisons, correlations, and moderated mediation analysis were computed.Results Individuals with a history of suicide attempt showed higher mean levels in risk factors, compared to individuals without suicide attempt. When no history of suicide attempt was present, ideation was positively and significantly correlated to depression and hopelessness, and negatively correlated to the reasons for living. Higher levels of depressive symptomatology predict lower levels of reasons for living. Mediation and moderation relations were assessed in a model and the history of suicide attempts showed a relevant role.Conclusions The evidence found in this study reinforce that reasons for living may play a preponderant role in suicidal ideation, that is as a negative mediator and therefore it can act as a protective factor.
- Negative affectivity and suicide risk: the buffering role of gratitude and optimism in spanish adolescentsPublication . Sánchez-Álvarez, Nicolás; Brás, Marta; Carmo, Cláudia; Neves de Jesus, Saúl; Extremera, NatalioThe role of optimism and gratitude in the link between negative affectivity and suicide risk (viz., depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation) was examined in a sample of 1401 Spanish adolescents. Overall, the results of a set of hierarchical regression analyses supported the prediction of optimism and gratitude as predictors of suicide risk. Moreover, we analyzed whether the negative affectivity optimism/gratitude interaction term explains the unique variance in depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. The results show that optimism and gratitude buffered the association between negative affectivity and depressive symptoms/ suicidal ideation, indicating that among adolescents experiencing negative affectivity, those who presented a high level of optimism and gratitude reported a lower risk of suicide. Finally, the practical implications of these novel findings regarding the role of optimism and gratitude in preventing suicide risk among adolescents are discussed.
- The volunteer functions inventory (VFI): adaptation and psychometric properties among a portuguese sample of volunteersPublication . Martins, Cátia; Silva, José Tomás da; Neves de Jesus, Saúl; Ribeiro, Conceição; Estêvão, Maria Dulce da Mota Antunes de Oliveira ; Baptista, Ricardo; Carmo, Cláudia; Brás, Marta; Santos, Rita; Nunes, CristinaThe Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI) is an instrument widely used to assess volunteers’ motivation based on the Functionalist Model of Omoto and Snyder. It assesses six factors that reflect several motivational functions. The VFI has been translated into various languages and validated in different cultural contexts, but some studies have reported different factor structures (e.g., five or four factors). In the Portuguese context, previous studies have also shown inconsistent results. The aim of this study was to adapt and validate the VFI for Portuguese volunteers, testing several alternative models (nine models) using confirmatory factor analysis. The sample comprised 468 volunteers (76.3% women), aged from 13 to 81 years (M = 36.66, SD = 14.93). The results support the original interrelated six-factor model as the best-fitting one. The VFI showed good internal consistency and convergent validity. Significant correlations were found between the VFI factors, organizational commitment, and volunteers’ satisfaction. Overall, the six-factor VFI is a valid and reliable tool for measuring the motivational functions of Portuguese volunteers, with implications for practice and research in the volunteering field.