No abstract

BackgroundFigure rating scales were developed as a tool to determine body dissatisfaction in women, men, and children. However, it lacks in the literature the validation of the scale for body silhouettes previously adapted. We aimed to obtain evidence for construct validity of a figure rating scale for Brazilian adolescents.MethodsThe study was carried out with adolescent students attending three public schools in an urban region of the municipality of Florianopolis in the State of Santa Catarina (SC). The sample comprised 232 10-19-year-old students, 106 of whom are boys and 126 girls, from the 5th "series" (i.e. year) of Primary School to the 3rd year of Secondary School. Data-gathering involved the application of an instrument containing 8 body figure drawings representing a range of children's and adolescents' body shapes, ranging from very slim (contour 1) to obese (contour 8). Weights and heights were also collected, and body mass index (BMI) was calculated later. BMI was analyzed as a continuous variable, using z-scores, and as a dichotomous categorical variable, representing a diagnosis of nutritional status (normal and overweight including obesity).ResultsResults showed that both males and females with larger BMI z-scores chose larger body contours. Girls with higher BMI z-scores also show higher values of body image dissatisfaction.ConclusionWe provided the first evidence of validity for a figure rating scale for Brazilian adolescents.

Objective: To examine psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). Method: A total of 300 university students were evaluated though instruments that investigated trauma history, depression and posttraumatic symptoms, and personality traits through the Big Five model. Pearson's correlation was used to assess internal consistency, inter-item reliability and construct validity. Principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were performed to investigate the factor structure of the PTGI. Results: Results confirmed the original five-factor structure. The results showed good internal consistency for the total scale (α = 0.91) and its subscales, ranging from α = 0.85 to α = 0.70. Also, evidence of construct and convergent validity was observed through correlations with posttraumatic and depression symptoms and personality measures. Conclusions: These preliminary results suggest that the Brazilian PTGI is reliable and showed adequate evidence of validity.

Sujeitos da história do ensino de leitura e escrita no Brasil

The increasing use of virtual reality (VR) environments in different domains of research and psychotherapy offers advantages over traditional treatment approaches. However, in order to feel immersed and involved by the VR experience, participants require VR scenarios that promote the subjective feeling of ''being there,'' i.e., presence. The most utilized mean of operationalization of presence is through self-report scales and questionnaires. This article aims to report the translation and adaptation of the presence questionnaire (PQ) into Brazilian Portuguese, comparing the factorial distribution of the adapted version with the original PQ. Translation and back-translations were conducted by a team of Brazilian psychologists and computer science professionals with experience on the field. Participants (n = 100) answered the Brazilian version of the questionnaire after wearing a head-mounted display (HMD) and driving a virtual automobile in a VR scenario. The principal component analysis of the translated version generated factors consistently with the original study; however, items that had equivocal construct adequacy in the original PQ changed factors. The factor structure of the PQ is discussed. The growing use of VR environments requires instruments assessing the presence of immersed individuals, and the Brazilian Portuguese version of the PQ appears to be a viable option.