Relationships, Development & Health

Relationships, Development and Health (RD&H) is a research group that conducts research in the field of Clinical and Health Psychology within a developmental perspective and that values the relational contexts. The RD&H research group includes researchers who share a common interest in prevention of illness, promotion of health and quality of life and psychosocial adaptation to chronic health conditions.

Scientific Objectives

The main scientific objectives that guide our research activities are:

  1. Mapping the correlates of individual, couple and family adaptation to different health conditions (e.g., HIV, oncology, pediatric chronic health conditions) and to pregnancy and parenthood in normative and risk contexts (e.g., infertility, postpartum depression);

  2. Developing and validating instruments for psychological assessment and risk indexes, allowing a more effective screening and early identification of people at risk of psychosocial maladjustment;

  3. Developing and assessing the efficacy of empirically-supported/informed psychological intervention programs directed at universal and selective/indicative prevention of emotional maladjustment.

For more information about our team, our projects, publications and Portuguese versions of psychological assessment instruments, please see: http://www.fpce.uc.pt/saude/

Scientific Coordinator

Maria Cristina Cruz Sousa Portocarrero Canavarro

Relationships, Development & Health (RD&H)

Integrated PhD member

mccanavarro@fpce.uc.ptORCID