Marco Pereira

University of Coimbra | UC · Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences

The aim of this study was to test the psychometric properties of the World Health Organization quality of life in HIV infection, abbreviated version (WHOQOL-HIV-Bref) in a sample of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients aged 50 years and older. The sample consisted of 185 patients, recruited in the main departments of infectious dise...

Given recent shifts in fertility patterns, the assessment of childbearing motivations is important for understanding reproductive decision-making. To overcome previous methodological and conceptual flaws, a self-report scale was developed to assess positive and negative childbearing motivations and their respective subdimensions. The present study...

When HIV is transmitted between spouses or partners it is a major life trauma for both members of the couple. In Portugal, most women become aware of infection during routine prenatal examinations. A significant proportion of these women simultaneously face pregnancy, a deadly disease, and HIV-serodiscordance. In the context of maternity, there is...

The purpose of this study was to determine gender and age differences and interaction effects on the quality of life (QoL) domains in a sample of Portuguese HIV-positive patients, and to examine to what degree psychopathological symptoms are associated with QoL in addition to sociodemographic and clinical variables. The sample consisted of 1191 HIV...

This study compared the quality of life (QoL) of HIV-infected patients with and without hepatitis C and examined the sociodemographic, HIV-related and psychological symptoms associated with the QoL domains in patients with HIV/HCV co-infection. The sample consisted of 248 HIV/HCV co-infected patients (18–74 years, 81.5 % male) and 482 patients only...

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been targeted as a significant concern worldwide, but evidence for the efficacy of perpetrators’ interventions is not undisputable. This article briefly summarizes the evidence about perpetrators’ intervention efficacy, factors associated with recidivism, and evidence-based recommendations, before outlining the a...

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is treatable and preventable, but most women do not seek professional help for their perinatal depressive symptoms. One increasingly popular approach of improving access to care is the utilization of web-based intervention programs. Objective: The objective of this study was twofold: first, to assess the eff...

Be a Mom" was effective in reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms, in comparison to the control group where such changes were inexistent or much smaller. Emotion regulation ability and psychological flexibility improved only in the intervention group, and even if self-compassion increased in both groups, those improvements were nearly five times...

Jealousy is an affective state activated by a perceived threat to a valued relationship by a third party. On average, males report higher distress about their partner’s sexual extra-pair involvement, while females show higher emotional jealousy. These sex differences are specific to heterosexuals and to contexts with potential reproductive costs. W...

Little attention has been given to the role of practitioners in evidence-based parenting programs and to the evaluation that parents make of their importance in the process of change. This study aims to explore the role that parents assign to the facilitators of the Incredible Years (IY) program in enabling long-term life changes, as well as the as...

Objectives Web-based interventions for the promotion of maternal mental health could represent a cost-effective strategy to reduce the burden associated with perinatal mental illness. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-utility of Be a Mom, a self-guided web-based cognitive behavioral therapy intervention, compared with a waiting-list control. M...

HIV-serodiscordant couples may face unique dyadic stressors, which may have important implications for their adjustment and interpersonal coping. The role of attachment in psychological distress and relationship outcomes and processes has been well-supported in the literature. However, studies exploring these associations among HIV-serodiscordant c...

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major concern across the world, and its prevalence assessment has been a priority in numerous countries. However, data about IPV prevalence in Portugal is scarce and not up-to-date. This study aims to estimate IPV prevalence in Portugal. A community sample of 1392 adults (77.4% female, mean age = 34.95 years, SD...

BACKGROUND Postpartum depression (PPD) is treatable and preventable, but most women do not seek professional help for their perinatal depressive symptoms. One increasingly popular approach of improving access to care is the utilization of web-based intervention programs. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was twofold: first, to assess the effic...

Introduction Pipotiazine palmitate depot injection (Piportil) was withdrawn from the UK marketplace in 2015. Few studies exist on the clinical impact of such market withdrawal. Purpose: We aimed to identify a cohort of patients switching from pipotiazine following this withdrawal and explore factors associated with effectiveness of the medication s...

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Perceived Maternal Parenting Self-Efficacy (PMPS-E) Scale among Portuguese postpartum women. Design: Quantitative cross-sectional study. Setting: Data were collected through an online survey placed on social media websites targeting Portugues...

Introduction. Postpartum depression (PPD) is a prevalent and undertreated clinical condition, which is nevertheless amenable to preventive efforts. “Be a Mom” is a feasible internet-based CBT (iCBT) intervention that has shown promising evidence in enhancing emotion regulation skills and decreasing depressive symptoms of postpartum women. However,...

Background: This study explored whether Be a Mom, a brief and unguided cognitive behavioral web-based intervention, was effective in promoting psychological processes (self-compassion, psychological flexibility, emotion regulation) among low-risk postpartum women. Effects of Be a Mom in psychological processes compared with a control group were exa...

Purpose/background: This study aimed to explore the discontinuation rate of aripiprazole long-acting injection (LAI) in a naturalistic clinical setting. Methods/procedures: A retrospective cohort study of 1 year duration was conducted on the first 200 patients registered to receive aripiprazole LAI in Sussex, UK. Rate of discontinuation and the...

This study aimed to analyze the factors (sociodemographic, sex-related, HIV-related, and psychological) associated with perceived risk of HIV (PRHIV) among sexually experienced individuals from the general population in Portugal. The sample of this cross-sectional study comprised 902 participants, who completed an online questionnaire assessing soc...

Living within an HIV-serodiscordant relationship has been recognized as a stressful experience for both HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected partners. However, no study has examined the association between dyadic coping (DC) and dyadic adjustment of such couples. In this study, we analysed the association between DC (positive, negative, and common DC) a...

Different shame coping strategies directly influence shame experience. However, the assessment of these strategies has received little attention. The Compass of Shame Scale (CoSS-5) was developed to assess shame-coping styles and has proven to be a valid measure. In this study, the CoSS-5 dimensionality was examined throughout confirmatory analysis...

This study examined the mediating role of dyadic coping (DC) in the association between internalizing symptoms and dyadic adjustment in a sample of 184 couples expecting their first child. Each partner completed self-report questionnaires assessing symptoms of depression and anxiety, dyadic adjustment and DC during the second trimester of pregnancy...

Mental disorders both in adults as well as in children and adolescents are highly prevalent (e.g., Merikangas et al., 2010; The WHO World Mental Health Survey Consortium, 2004). Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is recommended as first-line treatment in an array of emotional and behaviour disorders, due to its vast empirical support (e.g., Nation...

Objectives Research has shown that rearing styles and early emotional memories, especially those related to feelings of threat or safeness, play a key role in subsequent emotional and social adjustment throughout the lifespan. Several authors have argued for the study of early memories of warmth and safeness rather than rearing styles. The Early Me...

In pediatric settings, a valid and reliable assessment of negative and positive dimensions of caregiving can inform intervention processes and improve parent–child adaptation outcomes. While caregiving is a normative component of parenting, the experience can be quantitatively and/or qualitatively different for parents of children with a chronic he...

Objective Exploring a wide range of factors associated with flourishing and with the absence of depressive symptoms among postpartum women. Methods A sample of 661 postpartum women completed a set of questionnaires assessing sociodemographic and infant‐related data, flourishing, psychological flexibility, self‐compassion, resilience, and maternal...

The way couples jointly manage pregnancy-related demands may prevent both members from experiencing psychosocial maladjustment after childbirth. This study examined (a) changes in dyadic coping (DC) and indicators of psychosocial adjustment [depressive and anxiety symptoms and quality of life (QoL)] from the second trimester of pregnancy (T1) to 6...

In this study, we conducted a preliminary investigation of the efficacy of Be a Mom, a web-based self-guided intervention, in enhancing positive mental health among postpartum women at low risk for postpartum depression. Additionally, we examined Be a Mom’s efficacy regarding secondary outcomes as well as its acceptability and adherence. A total of...

Adolescent pregnancy remains a public health concern in both developed and developing countries. Portugal and Brazil represent some of the best examples of this phenomenon. The present study aimed to identify sociodemographic, sexual, and reproductive health‐related variables associated with adolescent pregnancy among students from low socioeconomi...

This study aimed to investigate the factor structure of the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) in the postpartum context using a single-factor model, a correlated three-factor model, and a bifactor model. The reliability and validity of the MHC-SF were also examined. The total sample consisted of 882 postpartum Portuguese women. Confirmato...

Introdução: Este estudo pretende explorar a existência de diferenças em recursos psicológicos (flexibilidade psicológica, autocompaixão, resiliência) em mulheres no período pós-parto, em função da presença/ausência de níveis elevados de saúde mental positiva (i.e., flourishing) e de sintomas depressivos. Método: Uma amostra de 661 mulheres no perío...

Introduction: Several theoretical models and intervention programs overlook the importance of individual motivations for the decision to have condomless sex. For instance, people focused on promotion (ie, eager to pursue pleasure) report less intentions to use condoms, because they perceive a lower risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections...

There is a lack of research on the determinants of high positive mental health (i.e., flourishing) in the general population. This gap is even more evident when considering the postpartum period. A greater knowledge on the factors related to flourishing during this period is important for women’s overall mental health, which has an impact on the ch...

Background: Perceived risk of HIV plays an important role in the adoption of protective behaviours and HIV testing. However, few studies have used multiple-item measures to assess this construct. The Perceived Risk of HIV Scale (PRHS) is an 8-item measure that assesses how people think and feel about their risk of HIV infection. This cross-section...

The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Continuing Bonds Scale–16 (CBS-16) in a sample of Portuguese-speaking bereaved parents. The sample comprised 355 parents (mean age: 40.52 years) who completed the CBS-16 as well as measures of grief and posttraumatic growth. The exploratory factor analysis suggested a two-factor...

Background: The KIDSCREEN questionnaires were designed for screening in healthy and pediatric populations and are cross-culturally validated in 33 languages/44 countries. The long versions (KIDSCREEN-52; KIDSCREEN-27) provide quality of life (QoL) profiles based on five core domains: Physical Well-being, Psychological Well-being, Autonomy and Paren...

Postpartum women who are not at an immediate risk of developing postpartum depression still face several challenges that may have a negative effect in their mental health, such as dealing with child care tasks, changes in marital and social relationships and transitioning back to work. One effective way of overcoming the practical barriers to help...

The aim of this study was to test the psychometric properties of the European Portuguese version of a short-form instrument for assessing spiritual, religious and personal beliefs related to quality of life (WHOQOL-SRPB-BREF). The European Portuguese version of the WHOQOL-SRPB-BREF was completed by a heterogeneous sample of 606 participants (72.4%...

Research has typically shown that unrestricted sociosexuality is negatively associated with relationship quality and that relationship quality is positively associated with quality of life (QoL). However, these findings may be restricted to individuals in monogamous relationships, especially those with prior extradyadic interactions (i.e., non-cons...

Abstract Aim: HIV-serodiscordant couples may face unique dyadic stressors, along with typical illness-related stressors, which may have important implications for their individual and dyadic adjustment. The role of attachment orientations (i.e., anxiety and avoidance) in psychological outcomes and relationship dynamics has been well-supported in th...

Abstract Aim: The perceived risk of HIV (PRHIV) is one of the key determinants in the adoption of protective behaviours, which are crucial for the achievement of an HIV/AIDS free generation. The knowledge of the diverse factors associated with the PRHIV is of utmost importance for defining effective prevention interventions. The aim of this study w...

Purpose This meta-analytic review aimed to estimate the magnitude of health-related quality of life (HrQoL) impairments, as assessed by the KIDSCREEN questionnaires, both self- and parent-reported, in 8- to 18-years-old children/adolescents with chronic health conditions. Methods To identify studies using the KIDSCREEN questionnaires, three electr...

This study explored the mediating role of common dyadic coping (common DC) on the longitudinal associations between attachment‐related anxiety and avoidance and parental adjustment to the first year postpartum. A total of 92 Portuguese couples completed self‐report questionnaires of romantic attachment, common DC, parenting stress, and parental con...

Objetivo: O presente estudo tem como objetivo a investigação da estrutura fatorial, fiabilidade e validade do Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) no período pós-parto. Metodologia: No total, 882 mulheres no período pós-parto responderam a um conjunto de questionários online, no qual estava incluído o MHC-SF, assim como outras medidas relac...

Introduction Better knowledge about fertility desires/intentions among HIV‐serodiscordant partners who face unique challenges when considering childbearing may be helpful in the development of targeted reproductive interventions. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize the published literature regarding the prevalence of fertility desir...

Unlike individual perceptions of a couple's functioning, couple‐level protective factors against poor adjustment to the birth of a child have rarely been studied. This study examined similarity or reciprocal exchanges in dyadic coping (DC) during pregnancy (T1) and at 6 weeks postpartum (T2) and its effects on both partners’ adjustment at 6‐9 month...

Despite recurrent efforts to prevent sexually transmitted diseases through the use of condoms, HIV infections are still prevalent across Europe. Recent research framed by the regulatory focus theory has shown that prevention (vs. promotion)-focused individuals are more likely to adopt strategies to protect their health. Therefore, these individuals...

Background Not all women presenting risk factors for postpartum depression (PPD) develop depressive symptoms. Research has shown that acceptance-focused processes (nonjudgmental appraisal of thought content, psychological flexibility) and self-compassion play an important protective role in the development of psychological symptoms. However, consid...

The death of a child is an individual process of grief but also a context of significant relational processes, which have been only rarely considered in research. The aim of this study was to examine the interactive processes within bereaved parents. Eighteen married bereaved parents were interviewed individually. The semistructured script included...

Objective This study examined the predictive validity of the prenatal and postnatal versions of the Postpartum Depression Predictors Inventory-Revised (PDPI-R) in European Portuguese women, considering two gold standards to determine postpartum depression (PPD). Design Prospective longitudinal study conducted between November 2015 and September 20...

In the last decades, research and practice in psychology have emphasized the need to approach mental health not only as the absence of psychopathology but also as the presence of flourishing (i.e., high levels of emotional, psychological and social functioning and thriving). Research on the transition to motherhood has largely focused on mental il...

Aims. This meta-analytic review was conducted to estimate the magnitude of quality of life (QoL) impairments, both self- and parent-reported, in children/adolescents with chronic health conditions. The generic KIDSCREEN questionnaires were selected as outcome measures, since they are developmentally appropriate, were designed for screening in healt...

Despite recurrent efforts to prevent sexually transmitted diseases through the use of condoms, HIV infections are still prevalent across Europe. Recent research framed by the regulatory focus theory has shown that prevention (vs. promotion) focused individuals are more likely to adopt strategies to protect their health. Therefore, these individuals...

Background: Not all women presenting risk factors for Postpartum Depression (PPD) develop clinically relevant symptoms. Research has increasingly shown that acceptance-focused processes (nonjudgmental appraisal of thoughts’ content [NATC], psychological flexibility [PF]) and self-compassion (SC) seem to play an important protective role in the deve...

Objective: The present study aimed to compare dyadic coping (DC) and dyadic adjustment in couples in which the woman was experiencing high levels of depressive symptoms and in couples in which the woman presented minimal or no depressive symptoms. Background: Pregnancy may be considered a situation of dyadic stress, during which the presence of hig...

This study aimed to examine and retrospectively compare the lifestyles of adult women before and during pregnancy; to describe individual and relational adaptation in the transition to motherhood and obstetric outcomes; and to examine the associations between lifestyle habits and these outcomes. The sample comprised 98 mothers, most of them married...

ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this study was to (1) assess the association between distress tolerance, emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), and individual well-being indicators (anxiety, depression, and quality of life [QoL]); and (2) analyze the mediating role of emotion regulation strategies in the as...

In this prospective study conducted from October 2013 to June 2015 in Brighton, England, we examined differences between men and women in new-onset major depressive disorder (MDD) during interferon-alpha-based (IFN-α) therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV). We included 155 HCV-infected patients (47 women), eligible to receive HCV therapy, including di...

Introduction Postpartum depression (PPD) is a prevalent condition with a serious impact. The early identification of women at risk for developing PPD allows for primary prevention and the delivery of timely appropriate referrals. This study investigated the validity and reliability of the postnatal version of the Postpartum Depression Predictors In...

The early diagnosis of HIV infection has been a priority of the Directorate-General of Health. This study assessed the psychosocial factors associated with HIV testing in adults, in Portugal. The sample comprised 582 participants of the general population (144 men and 438 women), with a mean age of 30.66 years. Participants completed self-reported...

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 shoul...

ABSTRACT Introduction: The early diagnosis of HIV infection has been a priority of the Directorate-General of Health. This study assessed the psychosocial factors associated to the HIV testing in adults, in Portugal. Method: The sample consisted of 582 participants of the general population (144 men and 438 women), with a mean age of 39.66 years. P...

Partner-related factors associated with the occurrence of Postpartum Depression (PPD) may justify the partner’s inclusion in preventive and treatment approaches. The aim of this qualitative systematic review was to synthesize the literature on partner-inclusive interventions designed to prevent or treat postpartum depression (PPD) in women. In acco...

O grupo WHOQOL-SRPB da Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS) desenvolveu o WHOQOL-SRPB, um instrumento de medida que avalia o domínio da espiritualidade, religiosidade e crenças pessoais da qualidade de vida (WHOQOL-SRPB Group, 2006). A validação das versões nacionais desse instrumento de medida obedece a um protocolo definido pela OMS/Grupo WHOQOL, q...

Study Objectives: HIV-infected patients are at increased risk for mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Shame has been consistently associated with psychological symptoms; however, studies examining this association in the HIV context are still scarce. Shame is considered among the emotions that are more difficult to regulate and p...

Study Objectives: There is evidence suggesting sexual risk behaviours among people living with HIV (PLWH) contribute to poor health and onward transmission of HIV to uninfected partners. In the area of psychological constructs, self-compassion has been generally conceptualised as a healthy attitude toward oneself. Literature has suggested that self...

We examined how HIV-related self-stigma was associated with different domains of quality of life (QoL), as measured by the World Health Organization Quality of Life in HIV-infected persons instrument (WHOQOL-HIV-Bref), and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) as measured by the generic 15D (15-dimensional measure of HRQoL), to identify the factor...

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to examine forms of dyadic coping (DC) as mediators of the association between parents’ grief response and dyadic adjustment and to determine whether these indirect effects were moderated by the child’s type of death, timing of death, and age. Design: The study design was cross-sectional. Method: The samp...

Background: Living with HIV may be a stressful and emotionally demanding experience. People living with HIV (PLWH) face a range of issues impacting their mental health, namely anxiety and depression, and quality of life (QoL). Two newly constructs are particularly promising as buffers against the distress that individuals experience when confrontin...

Objective: Although the death of a child is a devastating event, recent evidence shows that personal growth is a relevant outcome of parents' grief. This study aimed to examine the factors associated with posttraumatic growth (PTG) and to propose a multidimensional model consisting of sociodemographic, situational, and intrapersonal and interperso...