Stress ocupacional em profissionais de saúde e seus efeitos a nível individual (saúde psicológica) e organizacional (comprometimento afectivo)

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Psicologia (área de especialização em Psicologia do Trabalho, das Organizações e Recursos Humanos)Os efeitos negativos do stresse na saúde e bem-estar têm sido estudados em vários grupos de profissionais, todavia, existem razões especiais como referem Quick, Murphy & Hurrel (1992) e Melo, Gomes & Cruz (1997) para constituir os profissionais da saúde como um grupo particularmente afectado pelo stress. O objectivo desta dissertação é o estudo dos efeitos do stress a nível individual - saúde psicológica e a nível organizacional - comprometimento organizacional afectivo num grupo de profissionais de saúde. Outro objectivo será a análise dos níveis de stress ocupacional e o estudo da relação de variáveis sócio-demográficas e profisissionais – sexo, idade e experiência profissional – com o stress. Exploraremos também a relação da percepção de apoio organizacional com o stress e com o comprometimento afectivo. Os dados analisados foram recolhidos junto de 302 profissionais, 90 a exercerem numa instituição de saúde privada e 212 sócios da Associação Portuguesa de Fisioterapeutas. A recolha de dados procedeu-se no primeiro caso através de questionários em formato papel e, no segundo, em formato on-line. Os resultados indicam que 35,5% dos participantes relatam índices globais de stress significativos. De uma maneira geral, são as questões relacionadas com a carreira e a remuneração que parecem desencadear maior mal-estar, seguindo-se as questões relacionadas com as pessoas a quem prestam serviços de saúde, e num terceiro grande domínio, as questões relacionadas com o excesso de trabalho. Observou-se uma relação negativa significativa da fonte de pressão associada à carreira e remuneração com a idade e com a experiência profissional. Também se verificam relações positivas significativas na perturbação da saúde psicológica com o nível global de stress e com as seis fontes de stress ocupacional. As fontes de stress ―excesso de trabalho‖, ―lidar com os clientes‖ e ―relações interpessoais‖ constituem preditores significativos da saúde psicológica. Observou-se também que a percepção de apoio organizacional estava associada ao comprometimento organizacional afectivo.The negative effects of stress on health and well-being have been studied in several professional groups, however, there are special reasons as described by Quick, Murphy & Hurrell (1992) and Melo, Gomes & Cruz (1997) to provide health professionals as a group particularly affected by stress. The aim of this dissertation is to study the effects of stress on an individual level - psychological health and organizational level - affective commitment in a group of health professionals. Another objective will be to analyze the levels of occupational stress and the study of the relation of socio-demographic and professional - sex, age and professional experience - with stress. We will also explore the relationship between perceived organizational support with stress and with affective commitment. Data were collected from 302 professionals, 90 to exercise at an institution of private health care and 212 members of the Portuguese Association of Physiotherapists. Data collection proceeded in the first case through questionnaires on paper and, in the second, on-line format. The results indicate that 35.5% of participants reported global indices of stress significant. In general, the issues are related to the career and remuneration that seem to trigger greater malaise, followed by issues related to people who provide health services, and a third major area, the issues related to excess work. There was a negative relationship significant source of pressure associated with the career and income with age and work experience. Also exist a positive relationship significant disruption of psychological health with the overall level of stress and the six sources of occupational stress. The sources of stress "overwork", "dealing with customers" and "interpersonal relationships" are significant predictors of psychological health. It was also observed that the perception of organizational support was associated with affective commitment

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field