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Projeto de investigação
Center for Innovative Care and Health Technology
Financiador
Autores
Publicações
Effectiveness of Group Narrative Therapy Based on a Postmodern Psychotherapeutic Approach for Reducing Test Anxiety in Secondary School Students
Publication . Peker, Adem; Cengiz, Serkan; Laranjeira, Carlos; Yıldırım, Murat; Di Malta, Gina
Objective
This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a narrative therapy (NT)–based psychoeducation programme in reducing test anxiety among eighth-grade students in Türkiye.
Methods
Using a quasi-experimental design and purposive sampling, 22 students (63.6% female) were assigned to either an experimental or control group (11 each). Participants completed the Turkish version of The Test Anxiety Scale (EXS). The six-week NT-based programme was applied to the experimental group. Data were analysed using single-factor ANCOVA.
Findings
The results showed that the test anxiety levels of the students in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group (F = 6.23; p < 0.05).
Discussion
Research findings have shown that NT training programmes are effective in reducing test anxiety. These results suggest that incorporating NT principles and strategies can serve as an effective approach to addressing and alleviating test anxiety in students.
Quality of life after preoperative home-based exercise training in patients with lung cancer: a secondary analysis
Publication . Pimenta, Sara; Machado, Pedro; Silva, Cândida G.; Garcia, Ana Luís; Nogueira, Tiago; Silva, Sónia; Santos, Claúdia Lares dos; Martins, Maria Vitória; Canha, André; Oliveiros, Bárbara; Martins, Raul A.; Cruz, Joana
Background: A preoperative home-based exercise training (PHET) program appeared to improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients undergoing lung cancer surgery. However, inter-individual variability in response was observed. This secondary analysis aimed to identify characteristics of responders/non-responders to PHET, determine predictors of response, and examine whether preoperative HRQoL response to PHET is associated with postoperative HRQoL maintenance.
Methods: This was a secondary analysis of pooled data from a feasibility study and a randomized controlled trial, including sociodemographic/clinical data, physical performance and HRQoL (EORTC-QLQ-C30). Responders/non-responders were classified based on a change of ≥5 points in Global QoL score (EORTC QLQ-C30) from baseline to pre-surgery time point. Between-group differences and predictors of PHET response (logistic regression) were analysed.
Results: 32 patients (63% male, 67.1±7.8 years) were included, from which 56% (n=18) were responders to PHET in Global QoL. Responders had lower baseline scores in Global QoL, Emotional Function and Summary Score compared to non-responders (P<0.05), and 50% of responders had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (P=0.02). No other between-group differences were found (P>0.05). In the regression model including the Summary Score (EORTC-QLQ-C30) and COPD (Nagelkerke R2=0.511), COPD was a significant predictor of response: COPD patients were 13.4 times more likely to be responders (odds ratio =13.4; 95% confidence interval: 1.4; 132.2). 65% of PHET-responders maintained/improved HRQoL 1-month post-surgery.
Conclusions: Most patients awaiting lung cancer surgery responded in HRQoL to a PHET, however, a considerable proportion did not. Further research is needed to identify characteristics of non-responders and optimize prehabilitation strategies accordingly.
Evaluating the Impact of Integrative Art Therapies on Psychological Well-Being in Pediatric Oncology: A Single-Group Pre–Post Study
Publication . Ashraf, Farzana; Sadiq, Urooj; Tariq, Shahnila; Awan, Bushra; Yıldırım, Selma; Laranjeira, Carlos; Yıldırım, Murat
Background: Art therapy is an experiential, non-threatening intervention, used especially with children. The current study aimed to explore the effect of integrative art therapy on the psychological well-being (mental health and self-perception) of pediatric cancer patients. Methods: Using a single-group pre–post research design, each therapy session was individually administered to participants for approximately 45 min. Fourteen participants (Boys = 9, Girls = 5) were recruited from the inpatient oncology unit at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre over two months. The age range was from 5 years to 13 years (M = 7.95; SD = 1.65). Mental health, including physical and emotional symptoms associated with cancer, was assessed using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale-Revised, while self-perception was measured with the House Tree Person projective drawing test. Results: The integrative art therapy model significantly improved positive self-image (F = 16.77, p < 0.01) and reduced negative self-image (F = 99.11, p < 0.01) and mental health problems from the baseline to the second and third phases (F = 19.50, p < 0.01). Conclusions: This integrative approach demonstrates its potential as an effective method to enhance self-perception, alleviate mental health challenges, and improve overall quality of life.
Experiences of Loss and Grief Among Brazilian Frontline Healthcare Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis: A Grounded Theory Analysis
Publication . Lima, Paola Kallyanna Guarneri Carvalho de; Laranjeira, Carlos; Ali, Amira Mohammed; Fekih-Romdhane, Feten; Yıldırım, Murat; Carreira, Lígia; Salci, Maria Aparecida
Background/Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic exerted unprecedented pressure on healthcare professionals and systems worldwide. To manage this increased demand, hospitals extended working hours, resulting in increased strain on workers and impacting their professional well-being. Simultaneously, the numerous deaths due to illness meant that healthcare professionals did not have sufficient time to process grief, which may have led to unresolved grief and other mental health problems. The aim of this study was to understand the experiences of loss and grief and their repercussions on Brazilian healthcare professionals working on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This qualitative study followed Charmaz’s constructivist grounded theory. The study used the COREQ checklist. Between August 2024 and January 2025, 24 healthcare professionals who worked on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic were interviewed via telephone. Participants were primarily female (n = 14) with a mean age of 42 years (SD = 9.13). Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Results: The core phenomenon that emerged from the analytical process is “between exhaustion and resilience in a war-like scenario: challenges and opportunities in the care provided by frontline professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic”. This main axis was anchored in three categories: (1) adversities imposed by COVID-19 on the functioning of health services; (2) witnessing sudden deaths and the physical absence of families; (3) reconstruction of meanings and personal and professional growth. Conclusions: The experience of grief was intensified by the peculiarities permeating the death process in the pandemic context and the modification of farewell moments. The study exposes a need for training programs focused on medical, nursing, psychological, and other areas of care education that involve not only understanding clinical issues but also recognizing loss and grief as an integral part of care processes. Importantly, legislators should allocate additional resources to services that provide psychological support to healthcare professionals, in order to promote their adaptive coping.
Nursing Practice Environments and Professional and Care-Related Outcomes in Portuguese Emergency Services: A Descriptive Study of 2018 and 2022
Publication . Pragosa, Ângela; Roque, Sofia; Araújo, Beatriz; Jesus, Élvio
Background/Objectives: Emergency Services (ESs) are highly demanding clinical settings where Nursing Practice Environments (NPEs) play a critical role in shaping professional- and care-related outcomes. International evidence suggests that unfavorable NPEs are associated with reduced job satisfaction, compromised care quality, and increased safety risks. This study aimed to describe NPEs and selected professional and care-related outcomes among ESs nurses in Portugal in 2018 and 2022. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted using data from two national surveys of ESs nurses collected in 2018 (n = 390) and 2022 (n = 434). Data were collected through an online questionnaire including the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI), measures of job satisfaction, intention to leave, perceived quality and safety of care, safety culture, incident occurrence, and missed nursing care. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize results across both samples. Results: NPEs were predominantly classified as unfavorable in both samples, with around 70% of nurses working in unfavorable environments. The most compromised dimensions were staffing and resource adequacy, nurses’ participation in hospital affairs, and nurse manager ability, leadership, and support of nurses. Job satisfaction was low in both samples, and a high proportion of nurses reported an intention to leave the organization. Differences were observed between samples in perceived quality and safety of care, incident occurrence, and missed nursing care, particularly in relational and autonomous interventions. Collegial nurse–physician relations emerged as the only favorable dimension in both samples. Conclusions: The findings indicate that NPEs in Portuguese ESs were predominantly unfavorable in both study periods, reflecting structural and organizational challenges. These findings may be associated with nurses’ professional outcomes and perceived care quality and safety, highlighting the importance of targeted organizational interventions to improve practice environments.
Unidades organizacionais
Descrição
Palavras-chave
Rehabilitation,Nutrition Innovation,Palliative Care,Assistive Technology,Digital Health,Health Literacy, Medical and health sciences
Contribuidores
Financiadores
Entidade financiadora
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P.
Programa de financiamento
Avaliação UID 2023/2024
Número da atribuição
UID/05704/2025