VÂNIA ROCHA

Integrated Member

Vânia Rocha is a psychologist at Centro Hospitalar São João in Porto, Portugal since 2011. She has previously participated in the study “Determinants of Decrease in Mortality from Coronary Disease in Portugal from 1987 to 2000” at the Institute of Public Health, University of Porto (ISPUP) as an investigation scholarship holder of FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology). She has also collaborated with the Institute of Education, University of Minho (IE-UM), as a researcher).

Vânia completed her PhD at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Porto (FPCEUP) in 2017. She developed a longitudinal study, which tested the Self-Determination Theory model for Health Behavior Change in a sample of Portuguese patients who smoked and suffered an acute coronary syndrome. Besides her clinical work as a psychologist, Vânia studies the role of motivation and psychosocial variables on smoking dependence, the impact of psychological interventions on the rehabilitation of patients with severe mental illness, and the psychological adjustment to cardiovascular diseases.

You can find more about Vânia Rocha in ResearchGate

Selected publications

• Precioso, J., Rocha, V., Sousa, I., Araújo, A.C., Machado, J.C., Antunes, H. (2019). Prevalence of Portuguese children exposed to secondhand smoke at home and in the car. Ata Médica Portuguesa, 32, 499-504. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pulmoe.2019.02.006
• Sá, C., Rocha, V., Machado, J., & Precioso, J. (2018). Preventing alcohol use among adolescents: Assessment of the “Alcohol-free” programme. Health and Addictions, 18, 133-141. https://doi.org/10.1017/sjp.2017.61
• Rocha, V., Guerra, M., Lemos, M., Maciel, J., & Williams, G. (2017). Motivation to quit smoking after acute coronary syndrome. Acta Médica Portuguesa, 30, 34-40. https://doi.org/10.20344/amp.7926
• Precioso, J., Araújo, A. C., Samorinha, C., Machado, J. M., Rocha, V., Becoña, E., Vitória, P., & Antunes, H. (2017). Exposure of children to environmental tobacco smoke: Evaluation of a preventive program.Psicologia, Saúde & Doenças, 18(2), 591-601. https://doi.org/10.15309/17psd180225
• Faria, A., Matos, A. R., Rocha, V., Rodrigues, L., Araújo, A., Magalhães, P., Barroso, D., Samorinha, C., & Precioso, J. (2017). Traffic risk behavior: an observational study of drivers’ behavior in Braga (Portugal). Gaceta Sanitaria. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaceta.2017.10.012
• Antunes, H., Precioso, J., Araújo, A. C., Machado, J. M., Samorinha, C., Rocha, V., Gaspar, A., Becona, E., Belo-Ravara, S., Vitória, P., Rosas, M., & Fernandez, E. (2016). Prevalence of secondhand smoke exposure in asthmatic children at home and in the car: A cross-sectional study. Revista Portuguesa de Pneumologia, 22, 190-195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rppnen.2015.12.009
• Rocha, V., Guerra, M. P., Lemos, M. S. & Glover, E. D. (2014). Validation of the Glover-Nilsson Smoking Behavioral Questionnaire for the Portuguese population: A Psychometric Process. American Journal of Health Behavior, 38, 801-806. https://doi.org/10.5993/AJHB.38.6.1
• Pereira, M., Carreira, H., Vales, C., Rocha, V., Azevedo, A., & Lunet, N. (2012). Trends in hypertension prevalence (1990-2005) and mean blood pressure (1975-2005) in Portugal: > systematic review. Blood Pressure, 21, 220-226. https://doi.org/10.3109/08037051.2012.666380