Teresa Freire - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Teresa Freire

Análise psicológica, May 26, 2014

American Psychological Association eBooks, 2013

Abstract: Stemming from Aristotle's concept of eudaimonia, several studies in po... more Abstract: Stemming from Aristotle's concept of eudaimonia, several studies in positive psychology refer to a definition of happiness that comprises self-actualization and personal growth–at the individual level-and commitment to socially shared goals–at the social level. Human beings, as cultural animals (Baumeister, 2005) pursue distal goals and search for meaning in events, interpersonal relationships and daily activities. These human features are components of constructs such as psychological well-being, sense of coherence, self- ...

Applied Research in Quality of Life, Mar 29, 2023

The Meaning in Life Questionnaire assesses presence of and search for meaning in life. Although t... more The Meaning in Life Questionnaire assesses presence of and search for meaning in life. Although the questionnaire has shown promising psychometric properties in samples from different countries, the scale's measurement invariance across a large number of nations has yet to be assessed. This study is aimed at addressing this gap, providing insight into how meaning in life is constructed and experienced across countries and into the extent to which crosscountry comparisons can be made. A total of 3867 adult participants from 17 countries, aged 30-60, balanced by gender, and with at least secondary education, completed the questionnaire as part of the Eudaimonic and Hedonic Happiness Investigation. Single sample confirmatory factor analysis, multigroup confirmatory factor analysis, and alignment optimization were applied to investigate the scale's performance across the samples. Good psychometric properties and high levels of approximate measurement invariance emerged for the Presence subscale after removal of item 9, the only reverse-phrased item. Performance of the Search subscale varied more across samples, suggesting caution in interpreting related results supporting approximate measurement invariance. The conceptualization of presence of meaning operationalized in the corresponding subscale (without item 9) appears consistent across countries, whereas search for meaning seems to be less universally homogenous and requires further exploration. Moreover, the Meaning in Life Questionnaire does not reflect the conceptual distinction between "purpose" and "meaning" currently acknowledged by researchers. This issue should be further explored in studies addressing the scale's performance across cultures.

Psicologia, Saúde & Doença, 2021

This study aims to analyse: i) the relationship between sociodemographic, clinical and psychologi... more This study aims to analyse: i) the relationship between sociodemographic, clinical and psychological variables, and feeling happy during hospitalization; ii) the differences on feeling happy during hospitalization according to clinical variables; iii) and the contribution of socio-demographic, clinical and psychological variables, to feeling happy during hospitalization. The participants were 101 children and adolescents hospitalized (51.5% are girls) in the Pediatric Unit of a Hospital in the northern region of Portugal. Ages ranged between 10 and 17 years (M = 14, SD = 2.35). Participants answered the following questionnaires: Hope Scale for Children; Positive and Negative Affect Scale; and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale – Children. Feeling happy during hospitalization was assessed by a single item asking how they feel since they are hospitalized, using the "faces" scale from 1 (extremely unhappy) to 7 (extremely happy). The assessment took place in a single moment...

Frontiers in Psychology, 2016

In well-being research the term happiness is often used as synonymous with life satisfaction. How... more In well-being research the term happiness is often used as synonymous with life satisfaction. However, little is known about lay people's understanding of happiness. Building on the available literature, this study explored lay definitions of happiness across nations and cultural dimensions, analyzing their components and relationship with participants' demographic features. Participants were 2799 adults (age range = 30-60, 50% women) living in urban areas of Argentina,

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022

The coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted children’s and adolescents’ lives due to policies ... more The coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted children’s and adolescents’ lives due to policies and regulations implemented to slow the virus from spreading, which led to a loss of routine, structure, academic support, and social contacts. Literature also reports a lack of outdoor activity, inappropriate diet, and disruption of sleeping habits as affecting children’s and adolescents’ lifestyles and well-being. Remarkably, these consequent psychological, behavioral, and emotional changes can compromise their self-esteem, sense of self-efficacy, and self-concept, affecting their immune systems. These maladaptive coping strategies and associated effects may emerge as a failure to access some of the sources of support that might help them cope. Facing this crisis, we aimed at promoting well-being, growth, and the positive development of Portuguese adolescents through an intervention focused on positive coping strategies. We developed “Adolescer in time of COVID-19—A good practices Guid...

Frontiers in Psychology, 2021

Climate change has been acknowledged as one of the most significant current threats for younger g... more Climate change has been acknowledged as one of the most significant current threats for younger generations. However, few studies have focused on climate change impacts on youth and how they can be supported. The purpose of this systematic review is to emphasize that a developmental perspective is fundamental within the interdisciplinary studies concerning climate change. Specifically, we focus our research on how the Positive Youth Development framework may inform future approaches to promote adolescents' and young adults' well-being and engagement in the context of climate change. A systematic review was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The search comprised two databases, and a total of 13 articles were finally considered eligible for review. Data were analyzed using a narrative method. The results show that the Positive Youth Development theory is not yet directly embedded in existing studies concerning ado...

Revista de Psicodidáctica (English ed.), 2017

Sažetak: This chapter will provide empirical evidence about how individuals conceptualize and con... more Sažetak: This chapter will provide empirical evidence about how individuals conceptualize and contextualize happiness, life goals and meaning across seven Western countries. These aspects will be analyzed through the findings obtained from the Hedonic and Eudaimonic Happiness Investigation project (EHHI, Delle Fave, Brdar, Freire, Vella-Brodrick, & Wissing, 2011). We will first outline our theoretical reference framework, then present findings, and finally explore connections and differences between our perspective and ...

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020

This systematic review offers a comprehensive examination of the relationship between leisure and... more This systematic review offers a comprehensive examination of the relationship between leisure and self-esteem. The different perspectives were analyzed according to a framework that includes the different approaches for defining and measuring leisure, and a similar one was proposed for self-esteem. Articles indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) up to the end of 2018 were reviewed, specifically those that contained the keywords “leisure”, “self-esteem” or “self esteem” anywhere in the manuscript. Articles that did not present the qualitative or quantitative instruments needed to evaluate leisure or self-esteem were excluded. A total of 49 articles included the final quantitative synthesis. The overall findings showed that the prevailing methodology was objective (external). As regards content, the following combinations predominated: the behavioral approach to leisure with the unidimensional approach to self-esteem and the experiential approach to leisure with the unidimensional approa...

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022

The coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted children’s and adolescents’ lives due to policies ... more The coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted children’s and adolescents’ lives due to
policies and regulations implemented to slow the virus from spreading, which led to a loss of routine,
structure, academic support, and social contacts. Literature also reports a lack of outdoor activity,
inappropriate diet, and disruption of sleeping habits as affecting children’s and adolescents’ lifestyles
and well-being. Remarkably, these consequent psychological, behavioral, and emotional changes
can compromise their self-esteem, sense of self-efficacy, and self-concept, affecting their immune
systems. These maladaptive coping strategies and associated effects may emerge as a failure to access
some of the sources of support that might help them cope. Facing this crisis, we aimed at promoting
well-being, growth, and the positive development of Portuguese adolescents through an intervention
focused on positive coping strategies. We developed “Adolescer in time of COVID-19—A good
practices Guide for adolescents in social distancing” as a digital document to be quickly disseminated
online, answering the emergent needs of Portuguese youth between 13 and 18 years old during the
COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, we present the rationale and process of construction of this
intervention while living within a quarantine period, considering the restrictive measures adopted at
the time.

Counselling Psychology Quarterly

Portugal is one of the European countries that implemented early protective measures in the conte... more Portugal is one of the European countries that implemented early protective measures in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Portugal declared a state of emergency on 18 March, and a set of regional and national preventive public health measures was progressively implemented. Studies on the psychological impact of pandemics show evidence of the negative impact on mental health. Of particular concern are individuals with previous fragility (e.g. personal, family or occupational) and those undergoing life transitions. In this paper, we present a telephone-based psychological crisis intervention that was implemented to provide brief, appropriate, and timely psychological help. This intervention follows standard models of crisis intervention and is structured in five phases and five different intervention modules to take into account the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of specific risk groups. With these support services, we hope to help our community better cope with the immediate impact of the pandemic and to contribute to preventing serious mental health problems in the medium and long term.

Psychological Reports

This study aims to analyze the relationships between gender, age, positive (self-esteem, life sat... more This study aims to analyze the relationships between gender, age, positive (self-esteem, life satisfaction) and negative/distress psychological variables (anxiety, depression, stress), and subjective happiness. A total of 910 adolescents (51.0% girls, mean age of 13.89 years) answered measures of subjective happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and stress. Girls showed lower life satisfaction and self-esteem and greater distress symptoms than boys. Older age was associated with lower subjective happiness, life satisfaction, and self-esteem and greater distress symptoms. Being girl, younger, having lower levels of depressive symptoms, and higher levels of life satisfaction and self-esteem were associated with greater subjective happiness. Self-esteem was a moderator between depressive symptoms and subjective happiness, and stress and subjective happiness. Life satisfaction was a moderator between depression and subjective happiness. Results highlight the rol...

Análise psicológica, May 26, 2014

American Psychological Association eBooks, 2013

Abstract: Stemming from Aristotle's concept of eudaimonia, several studies in po... more Abstract: Stemming from Aristotle's concept of eudaimonia, several studies in positive psychology refer to a definition of happiness that comprises self-actualization and personal growth–at the individual level-and commitment to socially shared goals–at the social level. Human beings, as cultural animals (Baumeister, 2005) pursue distal goals and search for meaning in events, interpersonal relationships and daily activities. These human features are components of constructs such as psychological well-being, sense of coherence, self- ...

Applied Research in Quality of Life, Mar 29, 2023

The Meaning in Life Questionnaire assesses presence of and search for meaning in life. Although t... more The Meaning in Life Questionnaire assesses presence of and search for meaning in life. Although the questionnaire has shown promising psychometric properties in samples from different countries, the scale's measurement invariance across a large number of nations has yet to be assessed. This study is aimed at addressing this gap, providing insight into how meaning in life is constructed and experienced across countries and into the extent to which crosscountry comparisons can be made. A total of 3867 adult participants from 17 countries, aged 30-60, balanced by gender, and with at least secondary education, completed the questionnaire as part of the Eudaimonic and Hedonic Happiness Investigation. Single sample confirmatory factor analysis, multigroup confirmatory factor analysis, and alignment optimization were applied to investigate the scale's performance across the samples. Good psychometric properties and high levels of approximate measurement invariance emerged for the Presence subscale after removal of item 9, the only reverse-phrased item. Performance of the Search subscale varied more across samples, suggesting caution in interpreting related results supporting approximate measurement invariance. The conceptualization of presence of meaning operationalized in the corresponding subscale (without item 9) appears consistent across countries, whereas search for meaning seems to be less universally homogenous and requires further exploration. Moreover, the Meaning in Life Questionnaire does not reflect the conceptual distinction between "purpose" and "meaning" currently acknowledged by researchers. This issue should be further explored in studies addressing the scale's performance across cultures.

Psicologia, Saúde & Doença, 2021

This study aims to analyse: i) the relationship between sociodemographic, clinical and psychologi... more This study aims to analyse: i) the relationship between sociodemographic, clinical and psychological variables, and feeling happy during hospitalization; ii) the differences on feeling happy during hospitalization according to clinical variables; iii) and the contribution of socio-demographic, clinical and psychological variables, to feeling happy during hospitalization. The participants were 101 children and adolescents hospitalized (51.5% are girls) in the Pediatric Unit of a Hospital in the northern region of Portugal. Ages ranged between 10 and 17 years (M = 14, SD = 2.35). Participants answered the following questionnaires: Hope Scale for Children; Positive and Negative Affect Scale; and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale – Children. Feeling happy during hospitalization was assessed by a single item asking how they feel since they are hospitalized, using the "faces" scale from 1 (extremely unhappy) to 7 (extremely happy). The assessment took place in a single moment...

Frontiers in Psychology, 2016

In well-being research the term happiness is often used as synonymous with life satisfaction. How... more In well-being research the term happiness is often used as synonymous with life satisfaction. However, little is known about lay people's understanding of happiness. Building on the available literature, this study explored lay definitions of happiness across nations and cultural dimensions, analyzing their components and relationship with participants' demographic features. Participants were 2799 adults (age range = 30-60, 50% women) living in urban areas of Argentina,

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022

The coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted children’s and adolescents’ lives due to policies ... more The coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted children’s and adolescents’ lives due to policies and regulations implemented to slow the virus from spreading, which led to a loss of routine, structure, academic support, and social contacts. Literature also reports a lack of outdoor activity, inappropriate diet, and disruption of sleeping habits as affecting children’s and adolescents’ lifestyles and well-being. Remarkably, these consequent psychological, behavioral, and emotional changes can compromise their self-esteem, sense of self-efficacy, and self-concept, affecting their immune systems. These maladaptive coping strategies and associated effects may emerge as a failure to access some of the sources of support that might help them cope. Facing this crisis, we aimed at promoting well-being, growth, and the positive development of Portuguese adolescents through an intervention focused on positive coping strategies. We developed “Adolescer in time of COVID-19—A good practices Guid...

Frontiers in Psychology, 2021

Climate change has been acknowledged as one of the most significant current threats for younger g... more Climate change has been acknowledged as one of the most significant current threats for younger generations. However, few studies have focused on climate change impacts on youth and how they can be supported. The purpose of this systematic review is to emphasize that a developmental perspective is fundamental within the interdisciplinary studies concerning climate change. Specifically, we focus our research on how the Positive Youth Development framework may inform future approaches to promote adolescents' and young adults' well-being and engagement in the context of climate change. A systematic review was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The search comprised two databases, and a total of 13 articles were finally considered eligible for review. Data were analyzed using a narrative method. The results show that the Positive Youth Development theory is not yet directly embedded in existing studies concerning ado...

Revista de Psicodidáctica (English ed.), 2017

Sažetak: This chapter will provide empirical evidence about how individuals conceptualize and con... more Sažetak: This chapter will provide empirical evidence about how individuals conceptualize and contextualize happiness, life goals and meaning across seven Western countries. These aspects will be analyzed through the findings obtained from the Hedonic and Eudaimonic Happiness Investigation project (EHHI, Delle Fave, Brdar, Freire, Vella-Brodrick, & Wissing, 2011). We will first outline our theoretical reference framework, then present findings, and finally explore connections and differences between our perspective and ...

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020

This systematic review offers a comprehensive examination of the relationship between leisure and... more This systematic review offers a comprehensive examination of the relationship between leisure and self-esteem. The different perspectives were analyzed according to a framework that includes the different approaches for defining and measuring leisure, and a similar one was proposed for self-esteem. Articles indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) up to the end of 2018 were reviewed, specifically those that contained the keywords “leisure”, “self-esteem” or “self esteem” anywhere in the manuscript. Articles that did not present the qualitative or quantitative instruments needed to evaluate leisure or self-esteem were excluded. A total of 49 articles included the final quantitative synthesis. The overall findings showed that the prevailing methodology was objective (external). As regards content, the following combinations predominated: the behavioral approach to leisure with the unidimensional approach to self-esteem and the experiential approach to leisure with the unidimensional approa...

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022

The coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted children’s and adolescents’ lives due to policies ... more The coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted children’s and adolescents’ lives due to
policies and regulations implemented to slow the virus from spreading, which led to a loss of routine,
structure, academic support, and social contacts. Literature also reports a lack of outdoor activity,
inappropriate diet, and disruption of sleeping habits as affecting children’s and adolescents’ lifestyles
and well-being. Remarkably, these consequent psychological, behavioral, and emotional changes
can compromise their self-esteem, sense of self-efficacy, and self-concept, affecting their immune
systems. These maladaptive coping strategies and associated effects may emerge as a failure to access
some of the sources of support that might help them cope. Facing this crisis, we aimed at promoting
well-being, growth, and the positive development of Portuguese adolescents through an intervention
focused on positive coping strategies. We developed “Adolescer in time of COVID-19—A good
practices Guide for adolescents in social distancing” as a digital document to be quickly disseminated
online, answering the emergent needs of Portuguese youth between 13 and 18 years old during the
COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, we present the rationale and process of construction of this
intervention while living within a quarantine period, considering the restrictive measures adopted at
the time.

Counselling Psychology Quarterly

Portugal is one of the European countries that implemented early protective measures in the conte... more Portugal is one of the European countries that implemented early protective measures in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Portugal declared a state of emergency on 18 March, and a set of regional and national preventive public health measures was progressively implemented. Studies on the psychological impact of pandemics show evidence of the negative impact on mental health. Of particular concern are individuals with previous fragility (e.g. personal, family or occupational) and those undergoing life transitions. In this paper, we present a telephone-based psychological crisis intervention that was implemented to provide brief, appropriate, and timely psychological help. This intervention follows standard models of crisis intervention and is structured in five phases and five different intervention modules to take into account the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of specific risk groups. With these support services, we hope to help our community better cope with the immediate impact of the pandemic and to contribute to preventing serious mental health problems in the medium and long term.

Psychological Reports

This study aims to analyze the relationships between gender, age, positive (self-esteem, life sat... more This study aims to analyze the relationships between gender, age, positive (self-esteem, life satisfaction) and negative/distress psychological variables (anxiety, depression, stress), and subjective happiness. A total of 910 adolescents (51.0% girls, mean age of 13.89 years) answered measures of subjective happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and stress. Girls showed lower life satisfaction and self-esteem and greater distress symptoms than boys. Older age was associated with lower subjective happiness, life satisfaction, and self-esteem and greater distress symptoms. Being girl, younger, having lower levels of depressive symptoms, and higher levels of life satisfaction and self-esteem were associated with greater subjective happiness. Self-esteem was a moderator between depressive symptoms and subjective happiness, and stress and subjective happiness. Life satisfaction was a moderator between depression and subjective happiness. Results highlight the rol...