Maria Raul Xavier, a lecturer at the Faculty of Education and Psychology at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (FEP-UCP), recently visited the Comillas Pontifical University in Madrid with the aim of strengthening international collaboration on the subject of alcohol and pregnancy.
As part of this visit, and at the invitation of the coordinator of the “Individual, Family and Society: A Multidisciplinary Vision” doctoral programme at the Spanish university, the FEP-UCP professor gave a seminar entitled “Alcohol and pregnancy: ¿un tema que interesa a todos? Cuestiones conceptuales y metodológicas", attended by more than 100 doctoral students.
What is known about alcohol consumption during pregnancy?
During the seminar, organised by the International Doctoral School of the Comillas Pontifical University, Maria Raul Xavier presented a comprehensive overview of what is known about alcohol consumption during pregnancy. This is an issue of growing importance worldwide, especially in Portugal and Spain, where alcohol is the most widely consumed psychoactive substance.
The researcher, from the Research Centre for Human Development (CEDH), presented statistical data showing the current scenario of alcohol consumption and went into detail about the consequences of drinking alcohol during pregnancy, which affects both prenatal development and the development of the baby after birth.
In her presentation, she also reflected on methodological issues related to research: “I had the opportunity to address some methodological issues, using as an example the work we have done in the research team I coordinate," she said. The meeting also served to discuss the preliminary results of the study, with the proviso that more specific data will be published in the future.
The debate at the seminar was enriched by the special presence of a lecturer from the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos and a representative of the Visual TEAF Association, a Spanish non-profit organisation formed by families of people with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.
During her stay at the Comillas Pontifical University, the Professor worked with Spanish researchers who are part of the international Alcohol and Pregnancy project, developed within the framework of the CEDH.
The visit to the Comillas Pontifical University is another step in the FEP-UCP's mission to collaborate in the generation of scientific knowledge on the effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. The visit could help to strengthen links between Portuguese and Spanish academia and open up new perspectives for future collaboration.
