Abstract Grief is a normal and expected reaction to the loss of a beloved one, yet it is inadequately addressed in the health professionals’ education. A large number of international studies is available on the topic but there is a shortage of publications in Portuguese. This article reviews the current state of the art concerning the knowledge on the subject, focusing on the psychological assessment of the condition and effective therapeutic interventions. Different academic databases were consulted, such as Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde, Scientific Electronic Library Online, and PubMed, as well as books in this field. The survey outcome includes theoretical models, prevalent diagnoses in the grieving population such as prolonged grief disorder, mental health of the bereaved individuals and therapeutic interventions. There is a scarcity of studies in Brazil and the main find findings and research limitations in the discussed subjects were highlighted.
Abstract The present work aimed to investigate aggressivity complaints brought to the Mental Health Program “Brincando em Família”, seeking to understand how the social suffering generated by structural classism is associated with these complaints. In order to achieve this purpose, we adopted a qualitative approach, designed through a case study developed with a family that utilizes the Program. The exploration of clinical material followed the epistemological assumptions of psychoanalysis, and the analyses were based on the methodological technique of thematic analysis. The findings situate childhood aggression as a family symptom, whose origin lies in silencing the suffering caused by class oppression. Furthermore, aggression is also an expression of the child’s psychological and social suffering, who finds in the “rebellion” a way to demand support from both family and institutions. It is concluded that care work made to address complaints of aggressivity must be conducted through intersectoral partnerships and should involve sociopolitical dimensions..
Abstract The aim of this study was to validate the Schedule for Meaning in Life Evaluation for the Brazilian context. Participants were 423 Brazilian adults, aged 18 to 65. Instruments included the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, Snyder’s Dispositional Hope Scale, and the Inventory of Anxious Thoughts. Results showed that the target instrument has good internal consistency (0.879), and significant correlations with the other measures. A cluster analysis showed that the most cited areas were family and work, whereas the least cited were artistic interest and hedonism. We discuss possible uses of the instrument in educational, clinical and hospital settings.
Abstract This study compared emotional and behavioral problems of Brazilian children upon returning to in-person classes after the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic, according to multiple informants (parents and teachers), and investigated differences based on the child’s sex and parents’ educational level. Sample: 583 parents and 37 teachers of second- and third-grade elementary school children (52.1% girls; mean age: 7.83, SD: 0.71). Instruments: the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and sociodemographic data questionnaires. Positive correlations were found between the informants across all Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire scales of difficulties. Parents (p = 0.043) and teachers (p = 0.002) reported higher Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire total scores for boys. Parents with lower educational levels reported more conduct problems (p = 0.012) and higher total scores on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (p = 0.019). Such results indicate the need to develop interventions and public policies to mitigate children’s emotional and behavioral problems in the post-pandemic context.
Abstract The aim of this study was to identify associations between the social skills, behavioral problems, and academic competence of students with intellectual disabilities in the context of school inclusion and the educational social skills of their parents and teachers. In addition, the study sought to examine the predictive role of sociodemographic variables and the educational social skills of caregivers and teachers on students’ social skills and behavioral problems. Participants were 42 caregivers and 34 teachers of 44 students with intellectual disabilities enrolled in regular public schools in a city in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. This was a quantitative, correlational, and predictive study with a cross-sectional design. Specific instruments and a sociodemographic questionnaire were used for data collection. The results indicated significant correlations between students’ behavioral repertoires and educators’ practices; age and educational social skills were found to predict children’s social skills; and negative parenting practices predicted behavioral problems. These findings highlight the importance of investigating these variables to inform possible interventions in the context of inclusive education.
Abstract This work arises from concerns regarding the increasing incidence of subjective suffering, especially among adolescents, where it is common to observe experiences of mental health crises marked by their unexpected, conflicting, tense, and contradictory nature. In this context, the biomedical perspective on crises is problematized, as it is historically linked to hierarchization, control, symptom suppression, and pathologization. Drawing on the Theory of Subjectivity within a cultural-historical perspective, this work proposes alternatives that advance both the theoretical understanding of the phenomenon of crisis – in a complex, non-rationalist approach – and the foundation for new psychosocial care practices for adolescents. It is argued that the main outcome of this proposal is to value the protagonism of adolescents in crisis, emphasizing the development of subjective resources that open unique life pathways as alternatives to the suffering they experience.
Abstract The present article aims to examine the arguments put forth by homeschooling advocates who defend the use of physical punishment on children and adolescents as an educational method. As a methodological strategy, the content of posts and comments in a Telegram channel was analyzed. A justification for homeschooling was observed, grounded in the understanding that there is no explicit legal regulation prohibiting it. Moreover, part of the movement relies on interpretations of legislation to justify the physical punishment of children and adolescents – whether motivated by biblical principles, a desire to express love for their offspring, or as a method of education. These practices are all underpinned by the notion of the family as a private space, removed from State authority. The article ultimately suggests strategic proposals to address the legislative ambiguity surrounding physical punishment. It calls upon the field of Psychology to promote dialogue with communities, through public social policies, on this topic. Additionally, it highlights the need for Psychology to contribute through publications that bring psychological knowledge into a domain still largely dominated by legal discourse.
Abstract This study aims to analyze qualified listening as a tool within social pedagogy for the planning and management of socio-educational measures. The specific objectives are: to assess its contribution to the development of a contextualized, Individual Care Plan; to investigate its impact on adolescent engagement; and to identify challenges and opportunities in the integration between the Unified Social Assistance System and the facilities responsible for implementing socio-educational measures. A qualitative case study was conducted at a Specialized Social Assistance Reference Center in the city of Macapá (Brazil). Data collection involved two focus groups (seven adolescents and four professionals), semi-structured interviews, and document analysis of 22 records. All sessions were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using content analysis with data triangulation and intercoder reliability above 85%. Qualified listening facilitated the co-construction of care plans tailored to individual needs, as evidenced by the adolescents’ active participation in proposing activities and greater adherence to the Individual Care Plan. Participants reported feelings of relief and safety, along with strengthened bonds and team consensus on the importance of clear listening protocols. Gaps were identified in the standardization of procedures and inter-institutional communication, alongside potential for expanding support networks. Qualified listening proved essential for the effectiveness of socio-educational measures by fostering youth protagonism, increasing plan adaptability, and strengthening support networks. The institutionalization of participatory listening protocols and ongoing professional training is recommended, as well as further research to consolidate restorative practices and ensure the sustainable social reintegration of adolescents.
Abstract Traditional communities affected by large-scale projects suffer human rights violations and require psychological support given the risks of collective traumatization. This study analyzes and discusses the results of an outreach initiative in which a psychosocial expert opinion report was produced to support a public civil action. Participatory action research method was applied, based on a Community Action Cycle. Visits, meetings, and interviews were conducted with 10 participants from two rural remnant quilombola communities, across five territories in the state of Bahia, Brazil. The results reveal the damages arising from conflict, the disrespect for traditions, struggles, and collective memory, the risk of health deterioration, and the socio-environmental impacts resulting from the installation of a high-voltage power transmission line in quilombola territories. The elaboration of the psychosocial expert opinion was analyzed as a critical academic outreach initiative and for its potential to contribute to the understanding of the urgent social problems faced by these communities.
Abstract The Jequitinhonha Valley, impoverished by colonial expropriation and by unequal exchange with other regions, has seen its role reshaped under the twentieth-century developmentalist paradigm through the establishment of enterprises linked to eucalyptus monoculture, hydroelectric plants, mining, conservation units, and transmission lines. This article seeks to analyze the psychosocial harms associated with lithium mining in the Jequitinhonha territories, drawing on ongoing investigative processes that employ a qualitative methodological approach, including participant observation, document analysis, and dialogues with key informants. Traditional peoples and communities are being exposed to situations of vulnerability, with the production of stereotyped images, prejudice, and false polarizations that trigger psychosocial harms capable of resulting in psychopolitical trauma. Corporate practices, by attacking collective identities, in conjunction with institutional neglect of psychosocial and environmental harms, erode the social and community fabric and weaken prospects for remaining in the territories. The development of psychosocial expert assessments is necessary to safeguard and ensure that collective human rights are brought into the debate.
Abstract This article analyzes the body of publications issued by the Federal Council of Psychology and the Regional Council of Psychology of São Paulo concerning professional practice within the justice system, with the aim of assessing whether and how these publications guide psychologists in defending the rights of individuals involved in judicial proceedings. Through an interpretative examination of resolutions, technical notes, and guiding documents, the study identifies the ethical, technical, and political principles that underpin the professional practice of psychologists in responding to the various demands of the justice system. The findings suggest that these documents not only guide and regulate psychological practice, but also reinforce a commitment to human rights and to the construction of a justice system that is socially engaged, calling upon the profession to resist the naturalization of institutional violence and the instrumentalization of psychological knowledge for exclusionary and punitive purposes. It is concluded that qualified – both technically and ethically – psychological practice in the field of justice requires ongoing training, critical supervision, engagement with social movements, and intersectoral dialogue, grounded in a form of listening that is sensitive to social contradictions and in an ethical commitment to justice, equity, and care.
Abstract The purpose of this study was to assess the advances and challenges in the process of educational inclusion of three groups: gifted students, students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and gifted students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Six students enrolled in common inclusive classes in the public education network of Brazil Federal District, aged between 12 and 17, participated in the investigation. Two school principals, six teachers and six family members, totaling 20 participants, contributed to the elucidation of cases. The results indicate that the implementation of public educational policies, family support, training of professionals specialized in inclusive education and support from specialized educational services favor the three groups of students’ process of educational inclusion. It was concluded that the implementation of inclusive educational practices is a complex process that depends on the entire school community.
Abstract The study aimed to review the scientific production on the performance of protective and susceptibility indicators in relation to the resilience of adolescent students in situations of social vulnerability. The study is an integrative review and was guided by the following question: What is the scientific evidence on the performance of protective and susceptibility indicators in relation to the resilience of adolescent students in situations of social vulnerability? A total of 3,249 papers were identified in the databases and after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 18 articles constituted the final sample. The studies assessed revealed several mechanisms and interventions that describe how to act in order to stimulate resilience. It is relevant to consider resilience among adolescent students as an element that enhances human capacity to deal with the adversities experienced in their daily lives.
Abstract The Recovery model, as a paradigm for mental health care, has been expanding internationally and is characterized by each person taking the lead in managing their own recovery journey. Its primary goal is not a cure or merely eliminating symptoms but rather the development of one’s sense of self and citizenship. This study aims to phenomenologically describe and understand the lived experiences of providers in Brazil’s Psychosocial Care Network in relation to this model. Grounded in Husserlian phenomenology, the research involved dialogical encounters with seven participants, after which comprehensive narratives were created. The following elements emerged: “the desire for change, but the experience of frustration”; “the desire to be heard but being a minority”; and “the desire to do more but feeling constrained”. Results reveal that Brazil’s Psychosocial Care has not yet incorporated the Recovery model. Swimming against the current, professionals feel a pushback and long for a distant, ideal place in which the trajectory of mental health services will have Recovery as their destination.
Abstract This study investigated the application of harm reduction to alcohol consumption among students at Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro. The preliminary instrument indicated that 33.3% (N = 63) students increased consumption during the pandemic. The ASSIST 3.0 instrument showed a mean of 14.10 (indicative of abuse). The DTCQ-8-Alcohol instrument was divided into three situations: positive, negative and temptation; which presented, respectively, the averages 64.06; 82.29 and 74.79. The HRSEQ instrument with a structure divided into three scenarios and the domains: hygiene precautions, overdose prevention, safe consumption practices and health prevention; presented a mean of 5.93 for the abstinence scenario, 5.05 for the feeling depressed scenario and 5.83 for the social pressure scenario. There was a relationship between the DTCQ-8 and the HRSEQ, due to objection to alcohol consumption in the face of negative situations; however, when the students decided to drink, they did not adopt harm reduction measures.
Abstract Analysis of the role of individual and sociocultural behavior in modifying health status is essential to explain the disease process from a psychological perspective. Tobacco use disorder is considered a chronic mental illness, but few behavioral aspects are considered in its diagnosis and treatment. Piña-López’s psychological model of biological health proposes the analysis of behavioral processes to describe and explain their relative influence on the biological states of organisms that are more or less susceptible to disease. This disorder was analyzed in three stages: past, present and future. The variables taken into account to determine how the disease is generated were situations related to stress, history of competences, motives, organismic dispositional events, present competences, social dispositional events, and risk and prevention behaviors. This type of analysis makes it possible to marginalize the perspective of a chronic mental illness and to consider the contingency aspects of behavior implied in the consumption patterns.
Abstract This study aimed at investigating dropout rates and their relationship with variables such as academic success /failure, retention, teachers’ evaluation by students and students’ motivation in different areas of knowledge at a Federal University located in one of the capitals of the Northeast region of Brazil. The data were retrieved from the institutional evaluation, carried out by the students through the Integrated System for the Management of Academic Activities (SIGAA) and through the Institution’s Undergraduate Data Observatory, using univariate and bivariate descriptive and inferential statistics. The outcome of such evaluation indicates the existence of relationships between the approaches of the teaching-learning process of teachers, the students’ learning and the students’ school dropout. It also indicates the need to implement strategies to curb and prevent school evasion that take into account the multifactorial character of this phenomenon and to seek to foster greater involvement and motivation of students, promoting reflections regarding the role of the teacher in the referred phenomenon.
Abstract The study aimed to revise the Inventory of Supporting Socio-emotional Skills - Revised and explore models of internal structure controlling for acquiescence bias. The instrument assesses students’ perceptions of socioemotional support provided by their teachers. The sample consisted of Brazilian students (N = 232) who responded to the Supporting Socio-emotional Skills with 72 items. Based on preliminary analyses, the 20 items with the best psychometric performance were selected. The four-factor model revealed that acquiescence accounted for 6.6% of the total variance. High correlations among the factors and low discriminant validity led us to choose the bifactor model to structure the scale. This model exhibited the best fit, and the data explained item behavior better through a general factor. The reduced version of the Supporting Socio-emotional Skills showed adequate psychometric properties and aligns with the original scale, advancing the understanding of the construct.
Abstract Reconciling work and personal life during the pandemic was challenging, especially if the couple had young children. This study compared the perceptions of working mothers and fathers who had children from zero to six years of age regarding work-family balance and mental health during compulsory telework period in the pandemic period. Two hundred thirty-four professionals participated (158 mothers and 76 fathers). Data collection was performed online and included four duly validated scales: Current Perception of Professional Development Scale, Skills Scale for Telework at Home, Work Interference Scale with Family and Family Interference with Work Scale, and Scale of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress. The t-test analyses indicated unfavorable average scores for women, with an important effect size regarding depression, stress, work-family, and family-work conflict. Furthermore, men had a greater perception of professional development and skills for telework. We discuss the study’s theoretical contributions and practical implications for combating gender inequalities in the work-family relationship.
Abstract Prevalence of emotional problems such as anxiety, depression and stress can affect up to 60% of college students. However, knowledge of those students’ protective factors can contribute to a better understanding of this phenomenon. Thus, the present study sought to assess the relationship between risk and protective factors for the subjective well-being of university students. A total of 752 college students participated in the survey and answered the following tests: Anxiety, Depression and Stress Scale, Character Strengths Scale, Life Satisfaction Scale, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. The main outcomes point to the existence of positive correlations between character strengths and life satisfaction, and negative correlations between depression, anxiety and stress with the character strengths. It was concluded that positive psychology can help to improve the understanding of those symptoms and minimize their impact on university students.
