http://hdl.handle.net/10071/5656 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:24:27 GMT 2026-04-13T10:24:27Z http://hdl.handle.net/10071/36682 Título próprio: Secondary victimization following sexual violence: The role of personality and empathy Autoria: Magalhães, E.; Leite, A.; Almeida, J.; Antunes, C.; Camilo, C. Resumo: Evidence suggests that secondary victimization exacerbates the impact of sexual violence and undermines victim recovery. This study aims to a) provide evidence of the validity and reliability of the Secondary Victimization Scale (SVS) and b) test the mediating role of empathy in the relationship between personality and secondary victimization. A sample of 285 Portuguese adults (aged 18-75, 86% females) completed an online survey. The original three-dimensional structure of the SVS was retained, and appropriate reliability was found – Minimising of Suffering (? = .87), Victim Blaming (? = .89), and Victim Avoidance (? = .85). High SVS scores were associated with greater endorsement of sexual violence beliefs and higher social dominance. Indirect effects of empathy on the relationship between agreeableness, openness to experience, and secondary victimization were also found. The SVS is a valid and reliable measure that enables further cross-cultural studies on secondary victimization. Raising social awareness of sexual violence is critical to protect victims and prevent secondary victimization. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10071/36682 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10071/36676 Título próprio: A strengths-based approach to resilience in child sexual abuse: A meta-analysis Autoria: Antunes, C.; Camilo, C.; Ferreira, C.; Cunha, C.; Magalhães, E. Resumo: This meta-analysis aims to uncover which protective factors reveal the greatest effect sizes on resilience among CSA survivors (i.e., symptoms, well-being, and competence) based on the Resilience Portfolio Model. This perspective shifts the focus from deficit-based models to a strengths-based approach that focuses on CSA survivors' resources and assets. Following the PRISMA guidelines, a total of 50 reports were included in the meta-analysis, involving 12,345 participants (children and adults) from different contexts (community, clinical, and forensic) and 335 effect sizes. Our findings revealed that while meaning-making strengths (e.g., spirituality) were associated with both well-being and symptoms, regulatory strengths (e.g., emotional regulation, self-control) and supportive relationships (e.g., caregiver emotional support) were associated with symptoms but not with well-being, and environmental strengths (e.g., extracurricular activities) were associated with well-being but not with symptoms. Coping was not significantly associated with symptoms or well-being. Clinical interventions based on narrative, mindfulness, and trauma-focused therapy could be particularly useful for fostering psychological health in CSA victims. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10071/36676 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10071/17100 Título próprio: Child's oxytocin response to mother-child interaction: the contribution of child genetics and maternal behavior Autoria: Baião, R.; Fearon, P.; Belsky, J.; Baptista, J.; Carneiro, A.; Pinto, R.; Nogueira, M.; Oliveira, C.; Soares, I.; Mesquita, A. R. Resumo: The oxytocinergic system is a primary biological system involved in regulating a child’s needs for bonding and for protection from threats. It is responsive to social experiences in close relationships, though evidence across studies is not entirely consistent. Guided by previous literature, we investigated individual and environmental factors predicting and presumably affecting children’s oxytocin (OT) response during mother-child interaction. by focusing on children’s OXTR genotype, and maternal behavior, respectively. This was achieved by assessing salivary OT levels of 88 Portuguese preschoolers prior to and following a mother-child interaction task, and by genotyping children’s OXTR SNP rs53576. Maternal interactive behavior was assessed using Ainsworth scales. Results indicated that child genotype and mother’s sensitive responsiveness interacted in predicting change in child OT concentrations from before to after the interaction. Specifically, Genotypic differences emerged under conditions of low maternal sensitive responsiveness: OT levels increased over time for children with the GG genotype when maternal sensitive responsiveness was low, but no such genotypic differences were evident when mothers were highly sensitive responsive. Findings provide preliminary support for the notion that increased understanding of children’s OT and close relationships requires consideration of both individual and environmental factors. Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10071/17100 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10071/11251 Título próprio: Exams? Why worry? Interpreting anxiety as facilitative and stress appraisals Autoria: Strack, J.; Esteves, F. Resumo: Background and Objectives: The present study examined why people differ in how they appraise the same stressful situation (an approaching exam). Design: We explored whether interpreting anxiety as a facilitative emotion can affect the type of stress appraisal people make. Method: One hundred and three undergraduate students took part in this study, which lasted for 10 days (leading up to an exam). The students completed a daily self-reported evaluation of anxiety, emotional exhaustion, and stress experienced. Results: The findings suggest a process by which a stressful time can be experienced as motivating rather than threatening or emotionally exhausting. For example, interpreting anxiety as facilitative moderated the relationship between anxiety and stress appraisals. When interpreting their anxiety as facilitative, individuals showed a higher tendency to make challenge stress appraisals and a lower tendency to appraising the stressor as a threat. These differences were especially visible with high levels of anxiety. Furthermore, interpreting anxiety as facilitative was negatively associated with emotional exhaustion, but positively associated with the academic performance. Conclusions: These findings suggest an explanation why people differ in how they appraise the same stressor: how people interpret their anxiety may to a large part affect how they appraise difficult events and situations. Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10071/11251 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z