EDITORIAL

 

Alessandra Gotuzo Seabra

Editor

 

 

The journal Psychology: Theory and Practice arrives at the end of 2018 presenting the readers the third number of its twentieth volume. It has been twenty years of hard work, challenges, and victories. Alongside the intrinsic challenges of a scientific journal editorial process, we have been dealing with issues that have been imposed on science in our country. In this context, our joy is even greater for being able to offer a quality journal with scientific articles by Brazilian and foreign authors, with original and relevant contributions to science, a large part with English versions, which extends the possibility of reaching beyond our country.

Throughout 2018, in the three issues of the 20^th volume, we have published 36 articles. Among these, six have international authorship, coming from Canada, Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. Altogether, 75% have already been available in English versions, a strategy adopted by the journal to promote internationalization and broaden the reach of our articles. In addition to the international participation, we highlight that throughout the three issues of 2018 we have had the participation of authors from all five regions of Brazil, including the states of Piauí, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, and São Paulo.

The current edition presents 13 articles, ten of them are available in English. Three have international authorship, from Canada, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.

In the "Psychology Evaluation" section, there are four articles. In "Scales assessing eating behavior in autism spectrum disorder," Cristiane Pinheiro Lázaro and Milena Pereira Pondé, from the Bahia School of Medicine and Public Health, and Jean Caron, from McGill University and Douglas Mental Health University Institute, in Canada, systematically reviewed the subject. The authors discuss the results found and highlight the need to develop a new instrument that can contemplate the parents' impressions and the severity of the disorder.

In the article "Brazilian adaptation of the self-efficacy for study inventory," written by Patrícia Nunes da Fonsêca, Ricardo Neves Couto and Maria Izabel Fernandes da Silva, from the Federal University of Paraiba, Gabriel Lins de Holanda Coelho, from Cardiff University in United Kingdom, and Thayro Andrade Carvalho, from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, the authors adapted and validated the Self-Efficacy for Study Inventory (Idape), which showed satisfactory psychometric evidence to investigate self-efficacy and self-regulating learning activities in the Brazilian context.

In "Screening for ASD signs in very low birth weight preterm infants," Vivian Renne Gerber Lederman, from Mackenzie Presbyterian University, Ana Lucia Goulart and Amélia Miyashiro Nunes dos Santos, from the Federal University of São Paulo, and José Salomão Schwartzman, from Mackenzie Presbyterian University, compared the frequency of positive screening for signs of Autistic Spectrum Disorder using two questionnaires. The authors conclude that the evaluation at different times increases the frequency of positive screening for signs of ASD.

The authors from the Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Emilia dos Santos Magnan and Marina Damion, from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Vanessa Kaeser, also from the Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, and Leandro Almeida, from Minho University, in Portugal, present the article "Analysis of psychological test manuals approved by SATEPSI for adult assessment." In the article, the manuals of psychological tests considered favorable by SATEPSI to evaluate personality, emotional/social attributes or career development in adults were analyzed under different criteria.

The "Human Development" section presents three articles. In "Executive functions in preschool children: development and relationships with language and behavior," Camila Barbosa Riccardi León, from Mackenzie Presbyterian University, Natália Martins Dias, from the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Gabriela Lamarca Luxo Martins, and Alessandra Gotuzo Seabra, also from Mackenzie Presbyterian University, investigated the relation between the executive functions, language and behavior in preschoolers. Correlations were found among all domains, and the article discusses the importance of early assessment of executive functions.

The article "Psychologists training on autism: a cross-sectional study with undergraduate students" is presented by Leonidas Valverde Silva, from Mackenzie Presbyterian University, Felipe Alckmin-Carvalho, from the University of São Paulo, Maria Cristina Triguero Veloz Teixeira, and Cristiane Silvestre Paula, from Mackenzie Presbyterian University. Several aspects related to the knowledge about ASD among psychology students were investigated. The results revealed that this knowledge, although higher among students with experience in research, is still insufficient among undergraduates.

Márcia Moraes Lima Coutinho, Rebeca Fernandes Ferreira Lima, and Normanda Araujo de Morais, from the University of Fortaleza, present the article "Adolescence, street situation and sexual exploitation: a case study." The study describes the life trajectory and behaviors related to the entrance, permanency, and drop out the sexual exploitation of an adolescent living in a street condition. The authors emphasize that the affective relations and the opportunities for improving living conditions were potential factors for dealing with sexual exploitation by this adolescent.

Three articles compose "Social Psychology" section. In "Traditional peoples and communities: a systematic review about knowledge production in Psychology," Andressa Veras de Carvalho and João Paulo Macedo, from the Federal University of Piauí, present a systematic review of the articles published in Psychology about traditional peoples and communities. The characteristics of the articles are discussed, and the small number of studies in the area is highlighted, which reveals an important gap in the area.

In "Contemporary institutional transformations: an analysis on non-contact relations," Paulo Roberto de Carvalho aimed to analyze the institutions, trying to understand how the changes in the functions that capitalist societies attribute to them are given and what are they, focusing on family, school, prison and labor organizations. The author discusses the major institutional changes in modern societies.

The article "Association between job satisfaction and alcohol use: a systematic review" is presented by Isabela de Matos Alves Mendonça Luquini, Laisa Marcorela Andreoli Sartes, Maira Leon. Ferreira, Jessica Silva Cypriano, and Arielle Aparecida Marco, from the Juiz de Fora Federal University. They made a systematic review of scientific articles on job satisfaction and alcohol, discuss the results obtained and reiterate the need for more studies on the subject to delineate individual intervention actions and strategies in the work context.

The section "Psychology and Education" presents the article "Emotional-behavioral problems and school repetition: a case-control study with adolescents." The authors Angela Helena Marin, Bruna Mainardi Rosso Borba, both from the Vale do Rio dos Sinos University, and Alessandra Turini Bolsoni-Silva, from the Federal University of São Paulo, compared the indicators of emotional and behavioral problems assessed by adolescents, their parents, and teachers, among groups of students with and without a history of failure in primary education. The results showed that externalizing and internalizing problems were associated with academic performance, and the authors also observed differences in the reports, which reinforces the importance of having the evaluation of several informants.

In "Clinical Psychology" section, we have two articles. The authors Beatriz Azevedo Moraes and Paola Esposito de Moraes Almeida, from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, present the article "An interventional proposal for binge eating among individuals who have undergone bariatric surgery." It was investigated the effect of instructions and a chip-saving procedure in controlling the eating behavior of women who had undergone bariatric surgery and had a compulsive eating pattern. Results indicated a reduction in the intervals between meals, an increase in the intake of palatable in a continuous and limited way, and a decrease in the report of compulsive episodes.

In "Depression and chronic kidney disease: an integrative literature review," Gabriela da Silva Cremasco and Makilim Nunes Baptista, from the University of Sao Francisco, analyzed national and international scientific productions regarding depression and chronic kidney disease. Characteristics of the articles found were discussed, with emphasis on the need to evaluate depression with instruments that consider context specificities to identify the depressive symptomatology correctly.

We invite everyone to read the articles and once again thank all the authors, reviewers, section editors, and employees who have allowed the publication of this issue.