Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2021-05-06"
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- Psychosocial hazards and coping strategies: an exploratory study with victim support portuguese professionalsPublication . Morgado, Ana Filipa; Sobral, FilipaConsidered a public health problem and a violation of human rights, interpersonal violence is present in all societies, affecting about 25% of the adult population. In order to guarantee their safety and recovery, the intervention of professionals specialized in victim support is essential. These professionals are part of multidisciplinary teams, whose work is characterized by lengthy and emotional contact with the victims, which can enhance the development of conditions such as occupational stress and burnout. However, the lack of representativeness of these professionals in scientific studies means that their working conditions and the protective factors they adopt in the face of stress are not known. The present investigation aims to identify the most pressing psychosocial hazards to which Portuguese professionals supporting victims of interpersonal violence are exposed and to characterize the coping strategies adopted in the face of stressful situations. Through a qualitative methodology, data was collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with 10 professionals from different academic backgrounds and belonging to six Portuguese Private Institutions of Social Solidarity (IPSS) in support of victims of violence. The results indicate that these professionals are exposed to psychosocial hazards related to the precariousness of their employment contracts and remuneration, the high emotional demands of their functions, the unpredictable tasks, the conflict between work and personal life and the high workload and that they adopt strategies that allow cognitive distance from the stressful situation and seek social support inside and outside the organization.
- Organizational culture and the perception of autonomy and work overload in StartupsPublication . Dala, Manuel; Sobral, Filipa; Morais, CatarinaThe number of Portuguese startups and incubators has increased significantly in recent years, but there are few studies in the literature dedicated to understanding the environment of startups, and those that exist do not study the most prominent culture in these organizations or how this construct influences work dynamics. The objectives of this study were: (a) to verify which is the most prominent organizational culture in the context of startups; and (b) to evaluate the relationship between the perception of organizational culture and the perception of autonomy and overload in the employees of Startups technical staff. For this, a questionnaire was applied to a sample of 292 workers in technical staff of startups. Multiple regression models and repeated measures ANOVA were used to verify that the entrepreneurial culture is the most prominent in these contexts, differing significantly from the other types of culture. It was also observed that the entrepreneurial and team culture positively predict autonomy at work and negatively overload while the bureaucratic culture negatively predicts autonomy at work and positively overload. The results of this study point to the importance of promoting more autonomous teams in organizations, thus reducing the perception of overwork that can be harmful to the worker's physical and mental health. In practical terms, it will allow managers to make better decisions about the degree of freedom of their teams.
- A dose of creativity : an integrative review of the effects of psychedelics on creativityPublication . Costa, Miguel Ângelo Lexim Rouçado Oliveira; Zuzarte, Pedro Miguel; Ribeiro, FilipaBackground: Creativity is an important asset in the modern world. It can be defined as the ability to come up with ideas or artefacts that are original and valuable. Classic psychedelic drugs (i.e., dimethyltryptamine, psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide, and mescaline) have long been hailed as substances that can enhance creativity in their users. The recent resurgence in psychedelic research has brought with it the opportunity to understand the psychological, cognitive, and behavioural effects that these drugs exert in humans. This integrative review was conducted in order to summarize the knowledge pertaining to the effects that psychedelics can have on creativity by analyzing every study to date that assessed creativity through psychometric measures. Methods: A search was conducted on the MEDLINE, Web of Science, and PsycINFO databases for studies published until 17 November 2020, alongside other relevant sources, that assessed changes in creativity alongside psychedelic administration. Results: Out of the 314 studies identified, a total of 10 studies were included and analyzed, of which 5 were quasi-experiments, 4 were observational/naturalistic, and only 1 was a randomized controlled trial. All four of the main psychedelic compounds were represented. Every study assessed components and subcomponents of divergent and convergent thinking, with only one instance of product assessment. In most studies, divergent thinking increased during the acute stage of the drug intake and convergent thinking increased in the long-term. Conclusions: Psychedelics may be able to enhance divergent thinking in the acute phase and convergent thinking in later phases. However, evidence is limited due to the low number of studies available, small sample sizes, lack of randomized controlled trials, and significant methodological limitations throughout most studies. Potential mechanisms underlying these effects are discussed, along with suggestions for future studies.
- Work-life balance and life satisfaction: perceptions of professionals who support victims of interpersonal violencePublication . Sousa, Inês Teixeira de; Sobral, FilipaSpecifically in Portugal, according to APAV, in 2019, 54,403 attendances were reported, where it was possible to identify 29,816 crimes and other forms of violence in which 95.8% of these were against people. Given these data, the main victim support institutions have strengthened their intervention to meet the needs of victims comprising different types of support. Professionals specialized in various areas of action are faced with extreme cases and are placed before unique challenges, which may trigger situations with influence on their physical and emotional health. These individuals feel that their lives are increasingly overloaded with professional and personal responsibilities. Although the challenges faced by professionals who support victims of interpersonal violence are well known, in Portugal little is known in academic terms about this population. As such, the main purpose of this study is to analyze the ability/strategy of these professionals to reconcile their work with their personal life, and to identify their perception of satisfaction with their own life. The study uses the qualitative method, with ten semistructured individual interviews. The data was analyzed and processed with the help of NVivo 12, with emphasis on open coding. The results indicate that although the participants perceive a high perception of work-life conflict, they also experience a high overall satisfaction with life. Finally, as practical implications of this study, it is suggested the adoption of good work-life balance practices.