Browsing by Author "Querido, Ana"
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- COVID-19 pandemic and its psychological impact among healthy Portuguese and Spanish nursing studentsPublication . Laranjeira, Carlos; Querido, Ana; Marques, Goreti; Silva, Mafalda; Simões, Daniela; Gonçalves, Luísa; Figueiredo, RitaFew studies have explored the impacts of COVID-19 and lockdown on the mental health of undergraduate nursing students. This study aimed: a) to explore perceived stress among undergraduate nursing students in Portugal and Spain during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak; and b) to analyze several COVID-19 related factors and psychological issues that may be associated with perceived stress. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a convenience sample of Portuguese and Spanish undergraduate nursing students (n=1075). The data gathered included demographic information, questions about COVID-19 related factors, and psychological issues. Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression with a degree of significance at p<0.05. High perceived stress scores were found in 558 participants (51.9%). Students with high perceived stress most likely had a COVID-19 diagnosis in their household; their household income had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; experienced difficulty falling asleep or sleeping all night; consumed junk food in excess; neglected their appearance; felt headaches, stomach aches, and back pain; and lacked the patience or desire to exercise. Additionally, high perceived stress was negatively associated with life satisfaction. The results provide evidence that infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, may significantly influence mental health. Further research should explore the long-term psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic among nursing students.
- Dynamic model of evaluation and family intervention: collaborative approach in nursingPublication . Charepe, Zaida; Resende, Ana; Oliveira, Palmira; Querido, Ana
- Hope genogram: assessment of resources and interaction patterns in the family of the child with cerebral palsyPublication . Charepe, Zaida; Querido, Ana; Figueiredo, Maria HenriquetaBackground: Hope has been defined as a dynamic life force, an important phenomenon in the promotion, maintenance and sustenance of life. At this level there are several strategies that promote hope that have been described in the literature, including the involvement of the extended family, especially in its relationship with the anguish of experiences in parents of children with special health care needs. Objective: To identify the resources and hope interactions in an inter-generational perspective on child family with cerebral palsy. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted with a sample of parents of children with cerebral palsy in the area of influence of Administração Regional de Saúde (ARS) of Lisboa and Vale do Tejo. For data collection and treatment, semi-structured interviews and content analysis were used, respectively. Results: From the parents' perspective the Hope genogram was co-constructed. They identified the family as a network of support and encouragement. Optimism, self-efficacy of mothers in caring for their children and the acceptance of their health condition were valued as positive psychological factors. From the analysis of indicators emerged personal attributes, relationships and bond established with other family members. Hope was valued in the coping process, playing a significant role in the adjustment of mothers to children's health. Conclusions: Hope genogram is an instrument that facilitates the assessment of the internal and external structure of the family of children with cerebral palsy. It allowed the identification of stories of hope as well as personal attributes and patterns of hope promoters as interactions established among members.
- Hope in nursing carePublication . Antunes, Mónica; Laranjeira, Carlos; Querido, Ana; Charepe, ZaidaHope is a central concept within the nursing literature, which is crucial towards the development of nursing knowledge. Nursing teams play a crucial role in exploring the meaning of hope and promoting hope among patients and their families.
- Mental health and psychological impact during COVID-19 pandemic: an online survey of Portuguese higher education studentsPublication . Laranjeira, Carlos; Dixe, Maria Anjos; Valentim, Olga; Charepe, Zaida; Querido, AnaThe COVID-19 pandemic has had significant psychological impact on vulnerable groups, particularly students. The present study aims to investigate the mental and psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated factors in a sample of Portuguese higher education students. An online cross-sectional study was conducted among 1522 higher education students selected by convenience sampling. The survey assessed mental health symptoms as well as sociodemographic variables, health-related perceptions, and psychological factors. Results were fitted to binary and multivariable logistic regression models. The overall prevalences of stress, anxiety, and depression were 35.7%, 36.2%, and 28.5%, respectively. Poor mental health outcomes were related with being female, having no children, living with someone with chronic disease, facing hopelessness, and lacking resilient coping. Future studies focusing on better ways to promote mental health and wellbeing among students are warranted. It is necessary to gather more evidence on the post-pandemic mental health using robust study designs and standardized assessment tools.
- Promoting ecological hope as an antidote for eco-emotions and earth-related mental syndromesPublication . Laranjeira, Carlos; Marujo, Helena Águeda; Charepe, Zaida; Querido, Ana
- Promoting hope at the end of life: effectiveness of an intervention programmePublication . Querido, Ana; Dixe, Anjos; Marques, Rita; Charepe, ZaidaBackground: Hope is essential to life and a coping strategy for people with advanced chronic illness facing the end of life. Objectives: Test the effect of an intervention Programme to Promote Hope (PPH) on hope, quality of life (QOL) and comfort of people in palliative situation. Methods: Fifty-six (56) palliative patients were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 28) and a control group (n = 28). The intervention group was provided with 3 PPE sessions (1 hour) for one week, while the control group were submitted to the regular treatment. All patients were assessed with the Portuguese versions of the Herth Hope Index, McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire and Holistic Comfort Questionnaire at pre-test/post-test, at one month follow up. The dropouts resulted in n = 11 in intervention group and 12 in control group. Results: Patients experienced good levels of hope, QOL and comfort. There was no significant difference at the pre-test of outcome measures (p > 0.05). After the intervention significant differences existed between the 2 groups in Hope and QOL, but no differences in comfort levels. Follow-up hope levels decreased with significant differences between the groups (p < 0.05). Differences in QOL were not found. Comfort levels were significantly different in follow up, with higher levels of comfort experienced by the intervention group. Conclusions: A structural hope intervention programme in palliative patients in a community setting had a positive effect on improving hope, quality of life and comfort. More studies need to be developed to test the intervention on a bigger sample.
- Psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic among portuguese and swiss higher-education students: protocol for a mixed methods studyPublication . Querido, Ana; Aissaoui, Djamel; Dixe, Maria dos Anjos; Schwander-Maire, Françoise; Cara-Nova, Tanya; Charepe, Zaida; Laranjeira, CarlosBackground: Higher-education students are particularly vulnerable to both everyday stressors and mental health problems. Public health emergencies may generate a range of unforeseen potential stressors for vulnerable individuals and communities. The current pandemic has apparently led to an increase in psychiatric symptoms among these students. Objective: The goal of this study is to characterize the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic among Portuguese and Swiss higher-education students. Methods: This project will use a mixed methods sequential explanatory design in Portugal and Switzerland, with two consecutive phases. During Phase I, a quantitative study will assess the psychological responses of higher-education students during the COVID-19 pandemic. A convenience sampling method will be used for collecting information from students. The association between variables will be determined with univariable and multivariable analyses. During Phase II, qualitative data will be collected in order to understand the determinants of psychological stress and the strategies adopted by students as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to identify their opinions and feelings about the teaching-learning process during quarantine. In this phase, participants will be selected using a maximum-variation sampling method. Data from focus group discussions will be coded and inductively analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Finally, quantitative and qualitative results will be merged during interpretation to provide complementary perspectives. Results: This paper describes and discusses the protocol for this mixed methods study, which will be completed in December 2021. This study was formally approved by the local ethics committee (CE/IPLEIRIA/22/2020) in Portugal and authorized by the Swiss Association of Research Ethics Committees, swissethics (CER-VD-2020-02889). Conclusions: This research can contribute to the development of teaching tools and methods that reinforce positive mental health strategies, hope, and adaptive coping among students, and to the development of a class on mental health interventions in the context of catastrophic and traumatic events. This project will also help government stakeholders as well as health and education professionals safeguard the psychological well-being of students facing an expanding COVID-19 pandemic.
- Psychological responses and strategies towards the COVID-19 pandemic among higher education students in Portugal and Switzerland: a mixed-methods studyPublication . Schwander-Maire, Françoise; Querido, Ana; Cara-Nova, Tanya; Dixe, Maria Anjos; Aissaoui, Djamel; Charepe, Zaida; Christie, Derek; Laranjeira, CarlosBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused overwhelming changes in individual and community daily-life, resulting from the public health measures implemented to contain it, and also from its psychological and socio-economic consequences. These shifts and consequences impacted the entire population, but some groups are more likely to be affected by these changes, including higher education students. Objectives: a) to investigate mental health status and its determinants among higher-education students in Portugal and Switzerland; and b) to explore adjustment patterns used by these students to overcome the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study with a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design was conducted in two phases. First, an online survey was conducted among higher education students in Portugal and Switzerland, in Portuguese and French respectively. A convenience sampling method was used. Second, some participants from the first phase were invited to participate in four online focus group discussions (two in each country) using a maximum variation sampling method. Results: The survey was answered by 1,880 students. Portuguese students revealed higher levels of stress and anxiety, but lower depression symptoms and less resilient coping compared to Swiss respondents. Hope was identified as an explanatory variable for mental health symptoms in students from both countries. In the focus groups (n = 27), 13 adjustment strategies were found, which were subdivided into three spheres: personal, social, and contextual. Conclusions: The results suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic had a mild to moderate impact on most of the evaluated mental health variables. Nevertheless, the students reacted and mobilized positive short-term strategies, which need to be reinforced in order to prevent long-term psychological harm. In addition, our results can inform psychosocial interventions to minimize psychological impact, anxiety, depression, and stress due to sanitary crises or other population-wide problems or disasters.
- Psychometric properties and rasch validation of the Herth Hope Index in a sample of Portuguese higher education students during a pandemicPublication . Laranjeira, Carlos; Querido, Ana; Lourenco, Tania; Charepe, Zaida; Ali, Amira Mohammed; Fekih-Romdhane, Feten; Yildirim, Murat; Dixe, Maria AnjosA greater understanding of health-promoting factors, such as hope, is crucial for preventing and enhancing the mental health of higher education students. The Herth Hope Index (HHI) is a 12-item tool that has been widely used to assess a comprehensive, non-temporal perception of hope. While this instrument has been used extensively in adult populations, most studies focus on clinical populations. Additionally, the HHI reveals inconsistencies in terms of scale dimensionality and items to be retained. Therefore, this study sought to assess the HHI's psychometric characteristics in a sample of Portuguese Higher Education students. The person response validity, internal scale validity, unidimensionality, and uniform differential item functioning were assessed using a Rasch rating scale model. A total of 2227 higher education students participated during the e-survey activation period (spring semester of 2020). The mean age of the sample was 22.5 +/- 6.2 years (range 18-59 years). Three of the twelve items (#3, #5, and #6) failed to satisfy the established criterion for goodness of fit. Following the elimination of these three items, the resultant nine-item scale exhibited satisfactory item fit to the model, appropriate unidimensionality (52.4% of the variance explained), enough person goodness of fit, sufficient separation, and the absence of differential item functioning. The 9-item version of the HHI had psychometric properties comparable to the original 12-item version. This study also underscores the importance of validated instruments for assessing hope-based interventions in academic contexts. Further research is necessary to explore the potential dimensions inherent to the hope concept and to identify variations in hope profiles among items influenced by cultural attributes.