Vagos, Paula
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Vagos
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Paula
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Paula Vagos
Biografia
Paula Vagos completed her Licenciatura in Psychology in 2006 by Universidade de Évora and PhD in Psychology in 2010 by Universidade de Aveiro. She is an Assistant Professor at Universidade de Aveiro, an integrated research member of the William James Center for Research and a collaborating research member of the CINEICC. She is also a certified psychologist with expertise in Clinical and Health Psychology by the Portuguese College of Psychology. She was part of the research team of 8 funded research projects, of which she was the principal investigator of two and the co-principal investigator of one; all were in the area of clinical psychology (or forensic clinical psychology) and are completed. She was co-supervisor of 2 completed doctoral dissertations and is supervisor or co-supervisor of 6 students with FCT doctoral scholarships. She supervised more than 60 master's theses, most of them in clinical psychology. She has authored/co-authored more than 60 articles in international scientific journals and 19 in national peer-reviewed scientific journals, as well as 9 books and book chapters. She is also the author/co-author of 10 structured intervention manuals, some of which have already been tested or are under investigation in various R&D projects. She has given more than 100 presentations at national and international conferences. She is a reviewer for several international scientific journals (75 reviews; https://publons.com/author/1215689/paula-vagos#profile). She mostly investigates social behaviors in adolescence, including social anxiety and avoidance, assertiveness, and aggression. She intends to address the psychological processes underlying psychopathology as well as develop, implement, and assess the efficacy of psychological interventions aimed at those processes, considering both second wave and third wave cognitive therapies. Her most recent interests concern mental health stigma and how to overcome it in diverse communities, and the principles of acceptance and commitment therapy as applied to parenthood.
Identificadores
C419-AFB7-1569
36487351300
AAC-3158-2020Projetos de investigação
Unidades organizacionais
RISE-HEALTH@UPT
A RISE-Health tem seis linhas de investigação: Investigação Clínica e Translacional em Ciências Cardiovasculares; Investigação Clínica e Translacional em Oncologia; Investigação Clínica e Translacional em Doenças Inflamatórias e Degenerativas; Política de Saúde, Tecnologia e Transformação Digital; Saúde Comunitária e Desafios Societais.
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Publicação Acesso Restrito The role of self-compassion in the psychological (mal)adjustment of older adults: a scoping review2020-07 - Tavares, Lúcia; Xavier, Ana; Vagos, PaulaBackground: The identification of protection factors regarding older adults’ mental health is essential. Self-compassion, the capacity to be kind towards the self during challenging times, may be one such factor. Although still scarce, some research in this field has already been conducted with older adults. Our research question was the following: what is currently known about the role of self-compassion in the psychological (mal)adjustment of older adults? Objectives: To review any study designs, in any setting, where self-compassion and any indicators of psychological (mal)adjustment were assessed in participants aged ≥60 years. Design: A scoping review of English, Portuguese, and Spanish published and unpublished materials, using the EBSCOhost Research and PubMed databases and reference lists. Search terms included self-compassion, self compassion, older adults, elderly, seniors, and geriatrics. After screening and selection of the studies, we charted the relevant data. Results: Eleven published studies (2012–2018) were reviewed. Self-compassion was associated with, and a predictor of, diverse mental health indicators in older adults. Self-compassion was also associated with indicators of physical health, moderated the relationship between physical health indicators and mental health indicators, and mediated the relationship between diverse mental health indicators. Results were obtained with participants of different nationalities and age. All studies had a cross-sectional design, and most studies recruited well-functioning community residents. Conclusions: Self-compassion is beneficial for the psychological adjustment of older adults and may also benefit their biological functioning. Self-compassion seems particularly relevant for those experiencing more negative life events. Studies with more robust methodologies are needed in order to replicate these findings.Publicação Acesso Restrito Family matters: Social support, parental stress, and psychological symptoms2025-02-05 - Carvalhais, Lénia; Alho, Laura; Paulino, Mauro; Vagos, PaulaPurpose Social support has been suggested to reduce psychological symptomatology, especially when facing stressful events. However, less is known about the underlying mechanisms through each social support from different sources may interact with parental stress in protecting parents’ symptomatology. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional study was conducted online using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale, the Parental Stress Scale and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support with 108 Portuguese parents of children attending Grades 1–9. Using a path analysis approach, we explored a mediating model with perceived social support as a factor that could reduce stress, anxiety, and depression directly, and indirectly by lessening perceived parental stress. Findings Social support, particularly from family, was the only significant predictor of lower levels of stress and depression. Alternatively, social support from family had only an indirect effect on anxiety connected with parental stress, particularly in the areas of fear and anguish. Originality/value These findings provide a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between perceived social support, parental stress, and psychological symptomatology. They can also be used to develop relevant psychological intervention actions and to reinforce ways of strengthening social support—particularly from family—to make it continuously available to parents managing stressful situations.Publicação Acesso Aberto The Brief Peer Conflict Scale: Psychometric characterization across Portuguese adolescents and young adults2023-03 - Pandeirada, Josefa N. S.; Rodrigues, Pedro F. S.; Vagos, PaulaIntroduction/Aims: The Brief Peer Conflict Scale (Brief PCS) measures aggressive behavior as a multidimensional construct associated with diverse forms (i.e., overt and relational) and functions (i.e., reactive and proactive). Its psychometric properties have been assessed in adolescent and young adult samples, but these groups have not been compared before. This work aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Brief PCS across Portuguese community samples of adolescents and young adults. Methods: A sample of 891 participants (54.9%) aged 12 to 25 years old (M=16.69, SD=2.97) responded to the Brief PCS. Of those, 477 composed the adolescent sample (50.7% female) aged 12 to 17 years old (M=14.30, SD=1.43) and 414 constituted the young adult sample (67.1% female) aged 18 to 25 years old (M=19.43, SD=1.5). Results: Confirmatory factor analyses replicated the four-factor measurement model (i.e., proactive overt, reactive overt, proactive relational, and reactive relational aggression) as a good fit for the adolescent and the young adult samples taken separately, though using only 16 of the original 20 items. Acceptable internal consistency values were found for all four measures. Strong measurement invariance based on age-groups (i.e., adolescents and young adults) was found. Adolescents were overall more aggressive than young adults. Conclusions: This work provides psychometric properties of the Brief PCS to measure the combinations of the forms and functions of aggression invariantly across adolescents and young adults. The Brief PCS was sensitive to detect age-based differences in the practice of aggression. Its use to explore developmental trajectories of aggression seems justifiable.Publicação Acesso Aberto The longitudinal impact of psychological flexibility and compassion on mother-baby bonding: Care4mmmies study protocol [comunicação oral]2023-03-30 - Mateus, Vera; Palmeira, Lara; Xavier, Ana; Silva, Joana Ribeiro da; Vagos, PaulaBecoming a mother is a life-changing event that is often experienced in a positive way, but may also encompass great vulnerability and uncertainty, with the potential to hinder the mother’s well-being and foster disorganization, particularly for women with attachment difficulties dealing with a difficult infant. Risk factors to the quality of mother-infant emotional bonding are well documented, whereas research into the mothers’ protective and modifiable factors is scarcer. Psychological flexibility and compassion are adaptive emotional regulation strategies that have been linked to the wellbeing and mental health in diverse populations. The current work intends to present the Care4mommies project, which aims to examine whether prenatal maternal compassion (towards others and the self) and psychological flexibility play a protective role in the development of postpartum mother-infant bonding over time and whether this effect remains relevant regardless of mothers’ attachment style and infant temperament. Participants will be pregnant women to be assessed between 22 and 30 weeks of gestation (T0) and when the infant is three (T1) and nine months old (T2). Participants will respond to an online survey that includes sociodemographic information and questionnaires about their compassion and psychological flexibility to be completed at all three assessments. In addition, mothers’ own attachment style will be reported during pregnancy, and infant temperament and mother-infant bonding questionnaires will be administered at T1 and T2. Recruitment will take place through social media advertising, colleagues and acquaintances of the research team members, and family health units attending pregnant women. Data will be analysed using a structural equation modelling approach. Overall, we expect that higher levels of mother’s compassion and psychological flexibility will predict higher quality of mother-infant bonding. In addition, we expect that the impact of less adaptive maternal attachment styles and infant difficult temperament on mother-infant bonding will be moderated by mother’s compassion and/or psychological flexibility. Finally, we expect mother-infant bonding at T2 to be predicted by mothers’ attachment style, compassion and psychological flexibility, infant temperament, and mother-infant bonding previously assessed. The study findings will clarify whether mothers’ compassion and psychological flexibility may be protective for mother-infant bonding, which can inform future studies in designing and testing specific parental interventions to promote a secure mother-infant bond in the postpartum period.Publicação Acesso Aberto SAFE schools: Feasibility and impact of a universal comprehensive approach to managing adolescent aggressive behavior in schools2025-10-01 - Alves, Francisca; Monteiro, Catarina; Rijo, Daniel; Vagos, Paula; Xavier, AnaWe investigated the feasibility and outcomes of ‘SAFE schools’ , a comprehensive and universal intervention approach to school-based adolescent aggression, applied to students and/or teachers. Though a minority of schools were receptive to the intervention, those who were considered the interventions socially valid. Quantitative data taken from 145 students and 53 teachers allocated to one of four conditions (i.e., teacher-only, student-only, combined intervention, no- intervention) show increased relational and reputational aggression for all conditions and increased overt aggression for the combined intervention, from pre- to post-intervention. Alternatively, students reported increased awareness of their difficulties and perceived relevant changes following the intervention. An increased use of an authoritarian teaching style was observed in the teachers-only condition. Qualitative data suggests increased knowledge on aggressive behavior and the adoption of alternative behaviors by both students and teachers. These findings highlight the importance of distinguishing between awareness and behavioral practice, as well as considering the characteristics of school contexts and the target population when implementing interventions and accessing outcomesPublicação Acesso Aberto Reliability and factor structure of the 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) among Portuguese adults2019 - Pereira, Anabela; Monteiro, Sara; Oliveira, Carla Andreia; Jardim, Jacinto; Bártolo, Ana; Vagos, PaulaThe 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) has been presented as a valid measure to assess psychological distress levels in population surveys but its dimensional structure was not consensual. Our main objective was to provide a Portuguese version of the K10 exploring the reliability and factor structure of this measure. This cross-sectional study included 694 adults collecteda web-based survey and in training entities. Results showed that 37.9% of the individuals reported significant distress symptoms. A good internal consistency of the K10 scale (α=.91) and strong inter-item correlation (ranges350 to .659) were found in our study but the original one-dimensional structure was not confirmed. A two-factor model considering anxiety and depression as two latent, independent but correlated factors shows a good fit with the data even across two data collection methods. The K10 tool was sensitive to sociodemographic variables. Participants aged 40 or over and belonging to the general working class presented higher distress levels. Our data indicates the Portuguese version of K10 as a reliable tool with a factor structure to assess psychological distress.Publicação Acesso Restrito Initial psychometric characterization for the Portuguese version of the Morningness-Eveningness-Stability-Savel improved (MESSi)2018 - Pandeirada, Josefa; Marinho, Patrícia; Randler, Christoph; Silva, Carlos F.; Rodrigues, Pedro F. S.; Vagos, PaulaThis work reports the initial psychometric characterization of the Morningness-EveningnessStability-Scale improved (MESSi) for Portuguese young-adults (N = 466). A confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a three-factor model (i.e. Morning Affect, Eveningness and Distinctness) in our data, as originally proposed. Furthermore, construct validity evidence in relation to external variables (i.e. morningness/eveningness and satisfaction with life), as well as adequate reliability (i.e. internal consistency and test-retest reliability), were found. Finally, sex-based invariance and between-sex differences were investigated for the three subscales, as were correlations with age. Results point to the suitability of the MESSi for multi-cultural research on relevant and multiple aspects of chronotype.Publicação Acesso Aberto Development and preliminary psychometric study of the student version of the Teacher-Student Relationship Scale2020-08 - Maia, Rafaela; Carvalhais, Lénia; Vagos, PaulaThis study developed a version for students of the Teacher-Student Relationship Scale and evaluated its psychometric characteristics. In line with its teacher version, this student version intends to evaluate conflict and closeness as dimensions characterizing teacher-student interactions. Qualitative evaluation (i.e. via thinking aloud) of the instrument with a group of eight 7th grade students showed that the instrument had good facial validity. The instrument was then applied to 297 students, boys and girls, attending the 7th trough 9th grade. The two-factor internal structure of the instrument was confirmed, and both factors had good internal consistency values; furthermore, this measurement model proved invariant by sex. This instrument will allow (re)addressing the student's perspective on his / her relationship with the teacher and may allow further work into how this perception can impact on several aspects of the intra and interpersonal functioning of both student and teacher.Publicação Acesso Aberto Dimensionality and gender-based measurement invariance of the Compassion Scale in a community sample2017-10-17 - Sousa, Rúben; Castilho, Paula; Vieira, Cláudia; Rijo, Daniel; Vagos, PaulaCompassion has been proposed as relevant to psychological functioning and mental health, involving being compassionate and caring towards others in times of difficulty. The Compassion Scale (CS) proposes to assess compassion for others considering its different dimensions (Kindness; Common humanity; Mindfulness; Indifference; Separation, and Disengagement) and also offers a total score. The current work investigated the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of this instrument in adults (N = 610). Results showed the acceptability of a two higher-order factor solution representing a negative and a positive valence of compassion (i.e., Compassion and Disconnectedness), with each higher-order factor comprising three different dimensions of compassion. Multi-group analyses established measurement invariance across gender; further mean comparison analyses showed that women presented higher levels of the positive dimensions of compassion, whereas men showed higher levels of the negative ones. The CS demonstrated good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and limited validity in relation to external variables. Overall, these findings contribute to the validation of the CS in a non-clinical adult sample, supporting a new measurement model that partially concurs with the original one. It thus provides the user with a new way of assessing and interpreting compassion that may be useful both in research and clinical settings.Publicação Acesso Restrito The abbreviated dysregulation inventory: dimensionality and psychometric properties in Portuguese adolescents2018 - Motta, Carolina Dall’Antonia da; Rijo, Daniel; Sousa, Bruno; Vagos, PaulaPsychological dysregulation is a complex and multidimensional construct encompassing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral dimensions. Research on psychological dysregulation emphasizes its importance in relation to several psychological disorders. However, assessing psychological dysregulation is often problematic because many of the existing instruments address a specific dysregulation dimension at a time, predominantly emotional dysregulation. The Abbreviated Dysregulation Inventory (ADI) was developed to assess three dimensions of psychological dysregulation: emotional, cognitive and behavioral. This study’s goal was to analyze the factor structure, internal consistency, and validity in relation to external variables of the Portuguese version of the ADI in a sample of 511 adolescents aged between 12 and 19 years old. The 3-factor solution was confirmed, and high internal consistency was found for the three subscales. Peculiar findings on the cognitive dysregulation subscale raised issues addressed in the discussion section. Results indicated that dysregulation associates positively with aggressive behavior and negatively with quality of life. Age and gender presented small influence on the cognitive and behavioral subscales scores, respectively. Findings suggested that ADI can be a valuable self-report measure to assess cognitive, behavioral or emotional dysregulation in youths, within research and psychological intervention settings.