Perceived cognitive functioning in breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy compared to matched healthy women: Evidence from a Portuguese study

Aim: Cognitive concerns are one of the most frequently reported symptoms by breast cancer survivors. This study aimed to evaluate perceived cognitive functioning in Portuguese women with breast cancer treated with chemotherapy. Methods: A cross-sectional study enrolling 146 women (73 with breast cancer and 73 healthy) was conducted from August to October 2017, invited to participate through online dissemination. Participants completed self-reported questionnaires to collect sociodemographic and clinical data and assess perceived cognitive functioning and psychological adjustment variables (anxiety and depression). Results: Compared to healthy women, women with breast cancer showed significantly lower scores on the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function (FACT-Cog) subscales and higher levels of depression. Both groups showed significant negative correlations between perceived cognitive functioning and anxiety and depression. Health status and depression seem to better explain perceived cognitive functioning, with health status adding significantly more explained variance beyond sociodemographic and psychological adjustment variables. Conclusion: The current findings provide evidence for the existence of more cognitive complaints among Portuguese women with breast cancer, compared to healthy individuals. Anxiety, depression, age and education also explain perceived cognitive functioning. Considering that health status and psychological adjustment seem to significantly explain perceived cognitive functioning, special attention should be given by health-care professionals, including nurses, to designing clinical interventions for breast cancer patients to help manage cognitive impairment

The Portuguese observatory on occupational psychosocial factors: contribution for public health

To achieve the goal of sustainable employment, considering the profile of the Portuguese working population (PWP), is needed a range of strategies to ensure long, productive, and sustainable careers allied with a better quality of working life, health, and wellbeing, but also with public health policies grounded on scientifically validated and reliable data. This is possible through a comprehensive working system approach that ensures workers will be mentally and physically able to remain at work by the balance between work demands and individual resources allied with public health policies transfer into the workplaces by organizations’ leadership and policy makers. The Portuguese Observatory on Occupational Factors (Popsy@Work) aims at addressing this global challenge by: i) digitally collecting psychosocial data on the PWP; ii) implementing and strengthening of a psychosocial occupational health surveillance digital system; iii) providing reference values for the PWP concerning Psychosocial Health; iv) Transferring to society knowledge and best practices; v) Raising awareness on the importance of psychosocial management in occupational settings based on science. Popsy@work is a digital platform that collects and aggregates psychosocial data analytically and creates a visualization hub adding value to data on the PWP and giving science back to society in a usable way, empowering workers, strengthening organizations and grounding public policies. Pospy@Work considers the development of strategic intelligence on levels and inequalities of psychosocial health and well-being in occupational settings by robust metrics and reference data. Creating opportunities for national policy dialogue on inequalities, including the psychosocial health of the PWP through collaboration with diverse sectors identifying and mapping subgroups of populations whose unmet needs require specific outreach measures

Impact of a virtual reality-based simulation on empathy and attitudes toward Schizophrenia

Virtual Reality (VR) has been identified as one of the most promising resources for developing empathy towards stigmatized groups as it allows individuals to experience a situation close to reality from another person’s perspective. This quasi-experimental study aimed to examine the impact on empathy, knowledge, and attitudes towards people with schizophrenia of a VR simulation that reproduces the experience of psychotic symptoms while performing a cognitive task compared with watching a 2D video and, thus, how these experiences could reduce stigma towards people diagnosed with schizophrenia. The sample comprised of 102 higher education health students, distributed by the experimental and control groups. The impact of the program was measured by completing multiple questionnaires on levels of empathy, attitudes, and mental health knowledge. Both methods (VR and 2D video) were, to a certain extent, effective. However, VR was more effective at eliciting attitudes and knowledge change compared to the control group. These findings suggest that not only VR but also 2D videos could be interesting strategies to enhance empathy and improve attitudes towards people with schizophrenia in higher education health students.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Portuguese Third Version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire: Preliminary Validation Studies of the Middle Version among Municipal and Healthcare Workers

A third version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ III) was developed internationally aiming to respond to new trends in working conditions, theoretical concepts, and international experience. This article aims to present the preliminary validation studies for the Portuguese middle version of COPSOQ III. This is an exploratory cross-sectional study viewing the cross-cultural adaption of COPSOQ III to Portugal, ensuring the contents and face validity and performing field-testing in order to reduce the number of items and to obtain insight into the data structure, through classic test theory and item response theory approaches. The qualitative study encompassed 29 participants and the quantitative one 659 participants from municipalities and healthcare settings. Content analysis suggested that minor re-wording could improve the face validity of items, while a reduced version, with 85 items, shows psychometric stability, achieving good internal consistency in all subscales. The COPSOQ III Portuguese middle version proved to be a valid preliminary version for future validation studies with various populations, able to be used in correlational studies with other dimensions

The Portuguese Third Version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire: Preliminary Validation Studies of the Middle Version among Municipal and Healthcare Workers

A third version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ III) was developed internationally aiming to respond to new trends in working conditions, theoretical concepts, and international experience. This article aims to present the preliminary validation studies for the Portuguese middle version of COPSOQ III. This is an exploratory cross-sectional study viewing the cross-cultural adaption of COPSOQ III to Portugal, ensuring the contents and face validity and performing field-testing in order to reduce the number of items and to obtain insight into the data structure, through classic test theory and item response theory approaches. The qualitative study encompassed 29 participants and the quantitative one 659 participants from municipalities and healthcare settings. Content analysis suggested that minor re-wording could improve the face validity of items, while a reduced version, with 85 items, shows psychometric stability, achieving good internal consistency in all subscales. The COPSOQ III Portuguese middle version proved to be a valid preliminary version for future validation studies with various populations, able to be used in correlational studies with other dimensions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sucesso e desenvolvimento psicológico no Ensino Superior: Estratégias de intervenção

O insucesso escolar destaca-se, actualmente, como uma das grandes preocupações em todas as reflexões sobre o Ensino Superior, situação que tem conduzido ao desenvolvimento de estratégias para intervir ao nível do combate a este fenómeno. O presente trabalho tem como objectivo apresentar um programa de intervenção interdisciplinar ao nível da promoção do sucesso académico, aliando apoio psicológico, suporte social e promoção de estilos de vida saudável, concretizado no desenvolvimento do modelo do GAP-SASUC. Tendo por base as quatro áreas de intervenção que suportam o modelo (Consultas de Psicologia, Apoio de Alunos por Alunos, Serviço Social e Investigação), são apresentados os resultados referentes à identificação das necessidades e problemas dos estudantes do Ensino Superior, às estratégias de intervenção utilizadas e à avaliação das mesmas. Os resultados, quer em termos do aumento de participação, quer em termos de avaliação positiva realizada pelos alunos envolvidos, revelam a mais-valia que este modelo de interacção trouxe ao desenvolvimento psicológico do estudante universitário. São, ainda, referidas algumas implicações do desenvolvimento e aplicação do modelo, com incidência para o bem-estar do aluno e promoção do sucesso no Ensino Superior