Be a Mom: Formative Evaluation of a Web-Based Psychological Intervention to Prevent Postpartum Depression

A formative evaluation (consisting of two phases: a scoping literature review and a focus group with mental health professionals) was conducted to inform the design of a web-based intervention to prevent postpartum depression, in terms of its characteristics and content: the Be a Mom program. The results showed that the web-based intervention should be short-term, delivered postnatally, and grounded in cognitive-behavior therapy principles. Moreover, the intervention should include weekly sessions targeting basic contents: motherhood changes, reorganizations and emotional experience; cognitions, self-criticism, and self-compassion; parenting values, social support, and assertive communication skills; couple relationship, negotiation and conflict resolution skills; and postpartum depression signs and professional help-seeking. These results may improve the Be a Mom’s adequacy, implementation success, and effectiveness.     

Perceptions of and satisfaction with retirement: a comparison of six European union countries

The main aim of this study was to assess perceptions of and satisfaction with retirement among 1,686 recently retired people from 6 European Union countries. The authors compared their responses to a set of questions taken from the Retirement Satisfaction Inventory (F. J. Floyd et al., 1992). The first significant result was that Belgian, British, Finnish, French, and Spanish retirees all expressed very similar assessments of life satisfaction, whereas Portuguese retirees expressed a lower level of satisfaction. The 2nd result was that the major determinants of overall satisfaction in the 6 countries were (a) health and resources and (b) anticipated satisfaction. Finally, the data revealed that cultural background only accounted for a limited amount of variance in overall satisfaction with retirement.     

Can the Transition To and From Running and the Metabolic Cost of Running Be Determined From the Kinetic Energy of Running?

An experiment was conducted in which volume of used oxygen per stride time and the total segmental changes in kinetic energy generated per stride time, &grD;E(k)>s(-1), of 11 participants were determined on Day 1 for 7 treadmill running speeds. Gait transition speeds were determined on Day 2. Running metabolism and transition speed were predicted from the Day 1 mechanics of running expressed in Speed x &grD;E(k)>s(-1) coordinates. Predictions followed from the relation between 2 generalized quality ratios Q(metab), and Q(mech), with numerator &grD;E(k)>s(-1). In Q(metab), the denominator was the volume of used oxygen per stride time; in Q(mech), the denominator was the absolute regression constant from the linear dependency of &grD;E(k)>s(-1) on speed.     

Estimated age of acquisition norms for 834 Portuguese nouns and their relation with other psycholinguistic variables

The main objective of this study is to report rated age of acquisition (AoA) norms for 834 nouns in Portuguese (European). AoA ratings were collected on a 7 point scale, generally following Gilhooly and Logie (1980) procedure with an 8 extra point for "don't know the word" answers. Results were analyzed considering AoA ratings and their standard deviations and considering the relationship between AoA ratings and other psycholinguistic variables (imageability, familiarity, written word frequency, concreteness, number of syllables and number of words). AoA ratings and their standard deviations were significantly and positively correlated, with early acquired word ratings showing higher agreement. Correlation and multiple regression analyses confirmed the major contribution of imageability and familiarity to AoA ratings obtained in other languages. The full database of AoA ratings and other psycholinguistic variables may be downloaded from www.psychonomic.org/archive or www.fpce.ul.pt/pessoal/ulfpfred/aoa.htm.     

Predicting Pay Grade in the U.S. Military by Gender and Ethnic Minority Status1

This study examined predictors of pay grade for ethnic minorities and women in the U.S. military using hierarchical regression analyses. In the analysis including all personnel, being a woman and ethnic minority status were negative predictors of pay grade after controlling for education and years of service. In the analysis using enlisted personnel, the interaction between years of service and minority status showed that more years of service was associated with higher pay grade among ethnic majority enlisted personnel after controlling for education and years of service. In the model using officers, being a woman was a negative predictor of pay grade after controlling for education and years of service. Future studies, implications, limitations, and strengths are discussed.     

Attachment style impacts behavior and early oculomotor response to positive,but not negative,pictures

The present study investigated whether oculomotor behavior is influenced by attachment styles. The Relationship Scales Questionnaire was used to assess attachment styles of forty‐eight voluntary university students and to classify them into attachment groups (secure, preoccupied, fearful, and dismissing). Eye‐tracking was recorded while participants engaged in a 3‐seconds free visual exploration of stimuli presenting either a positive or a negative picture together with a neutral picture, all depicting social interactions. The task consisted in identifying whether the two pictures depicted the same emotion. Results showed that the processing of negative pictures was impermeable to attachment style, while the processing of positive pictures was significantly influenced by individual differences in insecure attachment. The groups highly avoidant regarding to attachment (dismissing and fearful) showed reduced accuracy, suggesting a higher threshold for recognizing positive emotions compared to the secure group. The groups with higher attachment anxiety (preoccupied and fearful) showed differences in automatic capture of attention, in particular an increased delay preceding the first fixation to a picture of positive emotional valence. Despite lenient statistical thresholds induced by the limited sample size of some groups (p < 0.05 uncorrected for multiple comparisons), the current findings suggest that the processing of positive emotions is affected by attachment styles. These results are discussed within a broader evolutionary framework.     

Guidance systems across Europe: heritage,change and the art of becoming

Guidance systems exist within learning, working and welfare cultures, which are upheld by prevailing institutions and stakeholders. Implementing a lifelong approach questions rooted codes and idiosyncrasies of the sectors across which guidance is distributed. To support individuals' careers, unlock their potential and increase their contribution to the economy i.e. support their process of becoming, lifelong guidance must strive for effective systems' integration across policy fields, cultures and organisations. This article departs from national experiences and discusses how cultures and institutional contexts generate resistance to change, but can also be the departure point for the successful development of lifelong support to people's careers.