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The Portuguese Version of the Psychological Adjustment to Separation Test-Part A (PAST-A): A Study with Recently and Non-recently Divorced Adults

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  • Diogo Lamela
  • Bárbara Figueiredo
  • Alice Bastos

Abstract

Past research has demonstrated that divorced adults show more health problems and psychological distress than married adults. Considering the high prevalence rates of divorce among Western countries, new and robust measures should be developed to measure psychological distress after this specific transition in adulthood. The aim of this study was to adapt and validate a Portuguese version of the Psychological Adjustment to Separation Test-Part A (PAST-A; Sweeper and Halford in J Family Psychol 20(4):632–640, 2006 ). PAST-A is a self-report measure that assesses two key dimensions of separation adjustment problems: lonely-negativity and former partner attachment. Psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of PAST-A were assessed in terms of factor structure, internal consistency, and convergent and divergent validity, in an online convenience sample with divorced adults (N = 460). The PAST-A two-factor structure was confirmed by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, with each factor demonstrating very satisfactory internal consistency and good convergence. In terms of discriminant validity, the Portuguese PAST-A reveals a distinct factor from psychological growth after divorce. The results provided support for the use of the Portuguese PAST-A with divorced adults and also suggested that the explicative factors of the psychological adjustment to divorce may be cross-cultural stable. The non-existence of validated divorce-related well-being measures and its implications for divorce research are also discussed. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Diogo Lamela & Bárbara Figueiredo & Alice Bastos, 2014. "The Portuguese Version of the Psychological Adjustment to Separation Test-Part A (PAST-A): A Study with Recently and Non-recently Divorced Adults," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 387-406, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:15:y:2014:i:2:p:387-406
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-013-9427-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jonathan Gardner & Andrew J. Oswald, 2006. "Do divorcing couples become happier by breaking up?," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 169(2), pages 319-336, March.
    2. Arber, Sara & Bote, Marcos & Meadows, Robert, 2009. "Gender and socio-economic patterning of self-reported sleep problems in Britain," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 281-289, January.
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    1. Sagrario Yárnoz-Yaben & Alaitz Garmendia & Priscila Comino, 2016. "Looking at the Bright Side: Forgiveness and Subjective Well-Being in Divorced Spanish Parents," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 17(5), pages 1905-1919, October.

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