Repositório do ISPA
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Perceiving a depressive target: Infrahumanization at emotional and culture levels.
Publication . Silva, Diogo C. da; Martins, Ana C.; Garcia-Marques, Teresa
Abstract: Background: Health is a critical factor influencing key workplace outcomes,
including job attitudes, behaviors, and performance. This study investigated the role
of daily micro-breaks, specifically morning meditation practices, and positive affective
experiences (i.e., positive affect) at work in predicting health-related outcomes, namely
vitality and mental health. Using a non-experimental design, this study tested a moderated
mediation model in which sleep quality moderates the relationship between morning meditation
and positive affect, which, in turn, predicts end-of-the-day health-related outcomes.
Methodology: Data were collected twice a day from 44 healthcare employees over five
consecutive workdays using a daily survey approach. Key Results: Multilevel modeling
analyses revealed that morning meditation was significantly associated with increased
positive affect and improved health indicators at the end of the workday. Moreover, sleep
quality moderated the relationship between morning meditation and positive affect, such
that the conditional indirect effect of meditation on end-of-day mental health and vitality
via positive affect was significant when sleep quality from the preceding night was poor.
Conclusions: These findings underscore the interactive effect of prior-night sleep quality
and morning meditation on affective and health-related outcomes by the end of the day. By
identifying sleep quality as a key boundary condition, we contribute to a more nuanced
understanding of when meditation is most beneficial. Our findings have significant implications
for both research and practice, particularly in high-stress environments such
as healthcare, where optimizing employee well-being is crucial for both individual and
organizational performance.
Healthy minds: A school-based prevention Programme for Deliberate Self-harm in Adolescence
Publication . Candeias, Maria de Jesus; Rosa, Pedro J.; Gouveia-Pereira, Maria
In recent years, there has been a notable increase in the prevalence of deliberate self-harm (DSH) among adolescents, which has led to the recognition of this issue as a significant public health challenge. However, school-based prevention programmes for DSH remain scarce. This study aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of the Healthy Minds programme, a universal school-based prevention intervention targeting DSH in adolescents. Conducted in a Lisbon school, the programme sought to reduce DSH and suicidal ideation, change beliefs about DSH, and promote help-seeking. A quasi-experimental design with experimental and control groups included 137 participants aged 13–19 (M = 14.73; SD = 1.03), assessed at three time points: pre-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up. The intervention showed partial effectiveness, with delayed reductions in DSH and significant improvements in reducing false beliefs. In addition, both groups showed increased help-seeking behaviours, and these effects were sustained over the follow-up period, suggesting long-term effectiveness. However, no significant improvements were observed in the ability to recognise warning signs of DSH, nor were there reductions in levels of suicidal ideation. The Healthy Minds programme shows promise in reducing DSH, improving mental health literacy and promoting help-seeking behaviours in adolescents, with sustained benefits observed over time. These findings highlight the importance of implementing well-structured, methodologically robust school-based interventions aimed at preventing DSH in this population. To maximise programme effectiveness, longer follow-up periods and more integrated, multifaceted approaches are essential.
Manual de intervenção em grupo: Modelo integrativo focado no luto (Versão 1)
Publication . Paulo, Margarida; Moreira Coelho, Alexandra; Dias Neto, David Manuel; Barbosa, Miguel; Albuquerque, Sara
O presente manual descreve o modelo de intervenção terapêutica em grupo desenvolvido no âmbito do projeto GriefDiff – Cuidado Diferenciado a Pessoas Mais Velhas, destinado a adultos com 60 ou mais anos em processo de luto. A intervenção assenta no Modelo de Psicoterapia Integrativa focada no Processo de Luto (PIPL), que conceptualiza o luto como um processo multidimensional, dinâmico e não linear, envolvendo dimensões intrapessoal, interpessoal e existencial. O grupo terapêutico é concebido como um espaço relacional seguro que favorece a partilha de experiências, a identificação mútua, a validação emocional e a construção partilhada de significados, contribuindo para a diminuição do isolamento e para a elaboração progressiva da perda.
O programa é composto por 12 sessões semanais de aproximadamente 90 minutos, organizadas em três módulos: Fase Inicial (Sessões 1–3), centrada na estabilização emocional e na construção da relação terapêutica; Fase Intermédia (Sessões 4–8), dedicada à flexibilização do sistema de proteção e à elaboração da narrativa da perda e de memórias traumáticas; e Fase Final (Sessões 9–12), orientada para a reformulação de significados, a reorganização da identidade e a reconstrução do projeto de vida. O manual destina-se a psicólogos com formação específica na área do luto e experiência em intervenção grupal, fornecendo orientações detalhadas para a condução de cada sessão, incluindo objetivos, sugestões de indicação e perguntas orientadoras. O programa foi desenvolvido no contexto do ensaio clínico aleatorizado GriefDiff, financiado pela Fundação ‘la Caixa’, em parceria com a associação InLuto, e é aplicado em contexto comunitário no âmbito do braço MSHGroups do estudo.
Healthy work environment ecosystems for teleworking and hybrid working
Publication . Gaspar, Tânia; Jesus, Saúl; Farias, Ana Rita; Gaspar Matos, Margarida
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought global physical, psychological, social and occupational health challenges. Telework and hybrid work have been a necessary response that has sustained and transformed companies and work at a global level.
The main objective of this paper is to understand and characterize how ecosystems of healthy work environments in the context of telework and hybrid work. The Healthy Workplace Model proposed by the World Health Organization (Burton, 2010) was adopted. Thus, we analyzed the relationship between core principles related to physical work environment, psychosocial work environment, organizational culture, enterprise internal and external social responsibility and resources for occupational health in teleworking and hybrid working contexts. The study involved a total of 1829 participants, 1246 (68.1%) female and 571 (31.2%) male. The age of the professionals varies between 18 and 72 years, with a mean of 43 years and standard deviation of 10.45. The Healthy Workplaces Ecosystems Tool (EATS) was used (Gaspar et al., 2022). 57% of participants were in telework, 16% in hybrid work and 27% in face-to-face work. The comparative results showed statistically significant differences in relation to all dimensions of healthy work environments between the three types of work. The professionals in hybrid work situations have a more positive perception of the organisational culture, psychosocial work environment, physical work environment, resources for health and social responsibility, and better mental health indicators. The professionals in hybrid situations are followed by the professionals in telecommuting and, finally, the professionals in face-to-face situations. Three linear regression models were performed to understand the factors that best explain the psychosocial risks related to mental health (PRMH) in the three types of work. The results reveal that for workers who are in face-to-face exclusive work what best explains PRMH (R2 =.41) is marital status, psychosocial environment, leadership commitment, professional engagement, physical environment and stress management skills. For professionals in hybrid work what best explains the PRMH (R2 =.36) is age, marital status, psychosocial environment, professional engagement and stress management skills. For teleworking professionals that best explains the PRMH (R2 =.39) is psychosocial environment, leadership commitment, professional engagement, community engagement/social responsibility, physical environment and stress management competencies. The results show that workers in hybrid situation reveal a more positive perception of the ecosystems of healthy work environment. The professionals who have exclusive face-to-face job are those who report a more negative perception of the work environment. For all workers, PRMH are explained by the psychosocial environment, the professional’s involvement and stress management skills. Specificities are identified for each type of work that should be taken into account in the promotion of healthy work environment ecosystems adapted to the new types and diversity of work models in order to promote mental health and prevent psychosocial risks at work.
The impact of community resilience, well-being, and community attachment on human service workers’ burnout
Publication . Henriques, Joana; Luís, Sílvia; Rivero, Catarina; Gonçalves, Sónia P; Tavares, Lara Patrício; Marujo, Helena Á
Burnout has become an increasingly prevalent condition, especially affecting professionals in direct contact with clients. Human service workers (HSWs) have quite emotionally taxing jobs supporting vulnerable groups. In developing a close relationship with the communities they work with, it could be possible that community-related variables have an impact on HSWs’ burnout. We aim to analyze the prevalence of burnout in a sample of HSWs from Portugal and the role of community resilience as a predictor of their burnout, as well as explore if their subjective well-being and community attachment could explain the relationship between community resilience and burnout, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected through an online questionnaire between August 2020 and January 2021 ( N = 598).
Results indicate that HSWs presented medium to low levels of burnout, although 8.9% presented high levels. Those who reported lower levels of burnout perceived higher community resilience and had much higher well-being and community attachment. Findings point to community resilience having a significant direct effect on burnout and also an indirect effect, which was explained by subjective well-being and community attachment
Results seem to suggest that this sample's low-medium levels of burnout could be linked to the benefit of experiencing high community attachment and working in communities with high resilience, which consequently impacted their well-being and burnout. This highlights the crucial role of the work context in professionals’ mental health, showing that a broader context needs to be considered in professional mental health promotion programs.