Uma das evidências nestes trabalhos é que a fadiga mental aumenta a perceção do esforço durante a tarefa que se está a realizar. Diversos mecanismos foram apresentados para explicar este efeito, tanto fisiológicos, quanto biológicos. Outras evidências confirmaram a existência de estratégias mentais e biológicas de adaptação, ampliando as hipóteses de interferência da fadiga mental no desempenho. Estas evidências interferem tanto em atletas de modalidades individuais quanto em coletivas. Este trabalho propõe comparar, nas pesquisas realizadas após 2017, a relação entre os efeitos da fadiga mental e a perceção de esforço entre atletas de desportos individuais (ciclismo) e coletivos (futebol). Buscamos pesquisas na base de dados Web of Science Core e Periódicos CAPES e, por meio de uma revisão sistemática, identificamos relações entre as respostas de atletas de duas modalidades desportivas distintas. Alguns estudos indicaram que a fadiga mental aumenta a perceção de esforço da atividade realizada em ambas as modalidades, sendo que no ciclismo resulta em uma redução da potência critica, e com isso uma distância menor percorrida ao final dos testes, e no futebol, influencia na distância total percorrida pelo atleta durante o teste, e uma redução na precisão técnica (principalmente do passe). Neste sentido, sugerimos que novas análises sejam realizadas entre modalidades e quanto à performance técnica de atletas de desportos individuais sob fadiga mental, bem como quanto à capacidade de reforço de recompensa durante testes máximos de atletas de desportos coletivos.
O componente genético desempenha papel relevante na determinação de diversas características do indivíduo, desde atributos físicos até aspectos comportamentais. Nesse contexto, a genética e a epigenética são fundamentais na formação dos seres humanos. A hereditariedade é amplamente estudada por sua influência em traços comportamentais, como as preferências musicais. Este estudo teve como objetivo analisar a relação entre preferências musicais e hereditariedade, utilizando uma amostra de gêmeos monozigóticos e dizigóticos do Norte de Minas Gerais. Foram avaliadas cinco variáveis de preferência musical em 28 pares de gêmeos monozigóticos e 20 pares de gêmeos dizigóticos. Os resultados indicam um coeficiente Kappa médio de .808 entre os gêmeos monozigóticos e .568 entre os dizigóticos, sugerindo que as preferências musicais são pouco influenciadas por fatores genéticos. Embora a média geral do coeficiente Kappa tenha sido de .741, a análise separada dos grupos revela diferenças marcantes entre os tipos de gêmeos. Adicionalmente, a herdabilidade média calculada foi de 16.74%, classificada como baixa, indicando que os fatores genéticos contribuem de forma limitada para a variação nas preferências musicais. Os fatores ambientais, especialmente o ambiente compartilhado, parecem ter papel predominante nessa característica.
A brief digital mindfulness program was designed that proposes a space of conscious pause, transforming the relationship with technologies while navigating the digital world. The objective of this intervention was to evaluate the program’s impact on a sample of college students in Chile. The study was conducted using a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control-group research design. The experimental and control groups each consisted of 28 students. The impact of the program on the variables of Reflective Smartphone Disengagement, Generalized Anxiety, Academic Procrastination and Time of Use in RRSS was studied. The data were analyzed from a difference-in-differences model using parametric statistics. Significant effects attributable to the digital mindfulness intervention were identified. The intervention reduced the time spent on social networks and decreased anxiety levels. In addition, an increase in Reflective Disengagement from the Smartphone was observed in the experimental group. No effects of the intervention on academic procrastination were found. The results suggest that digital mindfulness is an effective strategy for achieving a balance in how people relate to technology, especially in recognizing the inescapable impact it has on mental health.
This systematic review examines the relationship between new technologies and sleep disorders and the influence of these technologies on sleep quality. To this end, articles published between 2014 and 2021 were selected, which were open access, complete, published in scientific journals and peer-reviewed, and addressed the relationship between new technologies and sleep disturbances and/or quality problems and the amount of sleep. After reading and analyzing the subsections of the results for the selected articles, discussions on the relationship between new technologies and sleep quality/disturbances were constructed. The analyzed authors point out that new technologies have a negative impact on sleep quality, leading to daytime sleepiness and difficulty falling asleep, especially when used at night. Studies on this topic remain scarce, underscoring the need for further research better to understand the effects of new technologies on sleep.
Pursuing realism has been constant and considered computer graphics’ “holy grail” (Chalmers and Ferko, 2008). From entertainment to training simulations to research, realism offers a wide range of possibilities. Immersive Virtual Reality came as a technology capable of providing higher levels of immersion by isolating users from real-world stimuli, focusing their attention and senses on the virtual experience (Mel Slater, 2009). This technology unlocked new ways to push the boundaries of realism even further.
Youth sports can enhance adolescents’ well-being, but their impact depends on factors such as achievement goals and perceived motivational climate. This study examined the relationship between achievement goals (task/ego) and perceived motivational climate (task, performance, mistakes) with the emotional states of fear of failure and anxiety. Six hundred eighty-five male adolescent team sport players, aged between 10 and 16, completed questionnaires assessing the targeted variables. Correlational, canonical, and regression analyses revealed that task orientation and a perceived task-involvement climate were generally associated with lower levels of fear of failure and anxiety. Conversely, ego orientation and a perceived ego-oriented climate (performance - or mistakes-focused) were linked to higher levels of these emotional states. The findings highlight the importance of considering motivational climates and achievement goals in youth sports to understand better how participation influences young athletes’ emotional well-being.
This study analyzed the influence of bullying behaviors on adolescents’ self-esteem, considering sex and educational level variables. The research employed a quantitative and cross-sectional methodology, with a sample of 303 adolescents (158 females and 144 males) aged between 12 and 20 years (M = 14.54; SD = 1.86) from a secondary school in northern Portugal. Three instruments were used: a Sociodemographic Questionnaire, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Physical and Psychological Bullying Questionnaire. Aggressive behaviors, more prevalent in males, were associated with high self-esteem, challenging the ‘Aggression Compensation Model’ theory. The study also highlighted different bullying patterns between sexes, with boys tending more towards physical aggression and girls towards relational forms of bullying. These results contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics between bullying and self-esteem in adolescence, suggesting the need for sex-specific interventions and the importance of considering high levels of self-esteem as a possible risk factor for aggressive behaviors.
Scientific indexing databases play a crucial role in the visibility and impact of scientific output. Specifically, these databases enable academic journals to reach a wider audience for their published articles, thereby increasing the number of citations and, consequently, enhancing the scientific impact of both the articles and their authors. Among the leading multidisciplinary scientific databases, notable examples include Scopus, commonly used for calculating the h-index; the Web of Science, which references the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) impact factor; and the DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals), which indexes open-access journals that adhere to best editorial practices.
The expectancy-value theory posits that expectations of success and the value placed on a task are critical determinants of motivation and learning. This study explored the relationships between perceptions of the parental motivational climate, perceptions of competence (self-perceptions and parental reflected appraisals), and the value attributed to sport. 643 male athletes (aged 10-16) from various team sports completed a questionnaire assessing these variables. Correlational analyses, including Pearson and canonical correlations, indicated that both parents’ reflected appraisals and a motivational climate emphasizing learning and enjoyment were positively associated with higher perceived competence and greater value attributed to sport. Hierarchical regression analyses further revealed that higher reflected appraisals (from both parents) and a less mistakes-focused climate from fathers - but a more error-focused climate from mothers - predicted greater perceived competence. Similarly, fathers’ emphasis on learning and enjoyment and high levels of reflected appraisals from both parents predicted the value attributed to sport. These findings underscore the impact of perceived parental behaviors, suggesting that reflected appraisals and specific parental motivational approaches significantly shape young athletes’ perceived competence and the value they attribute to the sport.
This study aimed to identify the factors elite coaches consider most important in enhancing coach swimmers’ professional education and efficiency. A focus group was conducted with four Portuguese coaches recognized by the Portuguese Swimming Federation as “elite coaches” for having qualified swimmers for finals in the European Championships, World Championships, and Olympic Games. The focus group leader used a prepared set of semi-structured questions to guide the 90-minute sessions. Sessions were tape-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by a set procedure for qualitative analysis to identify the coaches’ perspectives on the factors that enhance coach swimmers’ professional efficiency. The coach’s personal and professional characteristics and beliefs about coach education, capacity for continuous updating, and teamwork play a determining role. The results showed that coaches value and recognize the benefits of their academic and informal training, the positive experiences as swimmers, and the importance of science in sports. Multidisciplinary support involving professionals from areas such as medicine, biomechanics, physiotherapy, nutrition, psychology, and rigorous management of the training and competition process complement the determining factors for success in high-performance swimming. In conclusion, the multifactorial nature of success in this sport has highlighted the central role of promoting eclectic training for coaches, considering the challenges of elite sports.
This paper is a conceptual and interpretative update of a previously published version. The main objective of this study was to understand how target position influences eye movements in navigational and informative tasks. The sample comprised 20 university students (13 females 7 males, aged 18-44). Participants completed a socio-demographic questionnaire and performed two tasks: navigational and informative. Eye movements were recorded during task performance. A 2x2 MANOVA was conducted to analyze linear combinations of dependent variables (blink duration, blink frequency, and fixation duration) across task types and target positions. Results revealed significant differences in eye movement patterns between tasks. The navigational task showed shorter average blink durations (204.236-1656.397 ms) and fewer blinks (1.987-9.786) compared to the informative task (553.598-1864.440 ms; 9.648-20.040 blinks, respectively). Strong interaction effects were observed between average fixation duration and individual position in both navigational (ηp2 = .216) and informative (ηp2 = .176) tasks. We conclude that target position in the navigational task significantly influences university students’ eye movements, while individual position affects eye movements in both navigational and informative tasks. These findings contribute to understanding how task demands modulate visual attention and potentially affect user interface design and educational technology.
This study evaluated the impact of a cognitive stimulation program on older adults diagnosed with dementia. The sample comprised 22 participants aged 73-95, randomly assigned to an experimental group (N = 12) and a control group (N = 10). While no statistically significant decreases were observed in the studied dimensions, clinically relevant gains were noted: 41.70% in cognition, 41.60% in quality of life, and 8.3% in functional skills. Although no therapeutic interventions have successfully reversed dementia, healthcare providers reported improvements in participants’ social interactions, behaviors, and engagement in daily institutional routines. These observations suggest tangible benefits from program participation. It’s important to note that staff working closely with these patients daily observed these improvements despite the lack of statistically significant results. This discrepancy highlights the potential limitations of relying solely on quantitative measures to assess such interventions’ effectiveness. In conclusion, the cognitive stimulation program shows promise as a potential tool for slowing dementia-associated degenerative processes, particularly in areas that standard quantitative assessments may not fully capture. Further research with larger sample sizes and more sensitive measures may be warranted to fully understand the program’s impact.
Physical activity shows benefits in cognitive function and the prevention and treatment of depression in older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and healthy ones. So, the purpose of this study was to compare cognitive function and depressive symptoms in two groups: a group of older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and a group of older adults without neurodegenerative diseases, by sex and level of physical activity. The sample was 30 participants divided into two groups: 15 participants with Alzheimer’s disease and 15 participants without neurodegenerative diseases. The instruments used were the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The results revealed that older persons with Alzheimer’s disease exhibit a more significant impairment of cognitive skills (p = .001) and a higher incidence of depressive symptoms (p = .001) compared to older persons without neurodegenerative diseases, with no differences between sex (p > .05). Results show that active older person had higher scores in cognitive abilities (p = .001) and a lower incidence of depression (p = .001). It seems that Alzheimer’s disease, typically associated with cognitive abilities decline and incidence of depressive symptoms, and physical activity influence cognitive performance and depressive symptoms in older people with Alzheimer’s disease and without dementia.
The main objective of this study is to understand how the target’s position influences eye movement in navigational and informative tasks. The study included 20 university students, 13 females and 7 males, aged between 18 and 44. Participants answered a socio-demographic questionnaire and performed two tasks: navigational and informative. Linear combinations of dependent variables were performed through the MANOVA (2x2) test, which maximized the differences between several conditions of the independent variables. The results indicate that the target’s position in the navigational task significantly influences the eye movement of university students. Additionally, the individual’s position influences eye movement in both navigational and informative tasks. It is concluded that both the target’s position and the individual’s position determine eye movement factors during navigational and informative tasks, highlighting the importance of considering these variables in studies of visual perception and human-computer interaction.
To examine the influence of Sex, age, area of residence, academic year, health behaviors, and social media use on self-esteem and psychological well-being in a sample of Portuguese university students. A descriptive, correlational, and quantitative study was conducted using a cross-sectional, quasi-experimental design. The sample comprised 194 individuals (171 female, 23 male) aged 18-57 years. Data were collected using a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Psychological General Well-being Index short version. The results showed a positive correlation between self-esteem and psychological well-being. Gender showed effects on both self-esteem and psychological well-being when associated with hours of sleep per day and social media use. Academic year and physical exercise practice only affected self-esteem. Age demonstrated statistically significant multivariate effects on both self-esteem and psychological well-being. No significant effects were found on self-esteem and psychological well-being for the remaining variables (area of residence, smoking habits, hours of sleep per day, social media use, and daily time spent on social networks). It is possible to conclude that self-esteem positively influences psychological well-being, and psychological well-being affects self-esteem, highlighting the importance of a healthy relationship between these constructs. In the absence of such a relationship, access to mental health and support services is necessary.
A Psychtech & Health orgulha-se de ser uma publicação livre e independente. Nasceu no seio de um grupo de investigação cujo objetivo era a partilha e disseminação de conhecimento nas áreas da psicologia e da tecnologia e de como estas podes ser alavancadas tendo em vista o desenvolvimento humano a vários níveis. De forma a ter impato, a PsychTech & Health Journal decidiu seguir um modelo de ciência aberta de forma a promover a partilha de conhecimento entre a comunidade científica, a sociedade e as empresas. Nesse sentido, foi sempre promovida uma política sem custos de publicação associados para que todos os investigadores pudessem submeter os seus trabalhos de forma a serem avaliados e publicados sem necessitarem de qualquer financiamento, assim como também foi seguida uma política de acesso aberto, onde todos os artigos estão disponíveis de forma gratuita.
Este estudo visa analisar a prevalência das principais síndromes geriátricas entre idosos assistidos por equipes da Estratégia de Saúde da Família, explorando a associação com o sexo feminino. Foi realizado um estudo transversal com uma amostra aleatória e representativa de idosos cadastrados e acompanhados pelas equipes da ESF. A amostra foi de 1750 idosos, dos quais 63.5% eram do sexo feminino e 48.6% tinham entre 60 e 69 anos. Foram utilizados, o Questionário de Avaliação Multidimensional de Função Brasileira para Idosos (BOMFAQ) e o Índice de Vulnerabilidade Clínico-Funcional (IVCF-20). Para comparar a prevalência em homens e mulheres recorreu-se ao teste qui-quadrado de Pearson. A magnitude das associações entre sexo feminino e síndromes geriátricas foi estimada usando Odds Ratios. As mulheres idosas apresentaram chances significativamente maiores de imobilidade (OR = 1.63), incapacidade cognitiva (OR = 1.44), instabilidade postural (OR = 1.56), incontinência esfincteriana (OR = 1.40) e iatrogenia (OR = 1.69) em comparação com os homens idosos. Concluindo, observou-se uma elevada prevalência das principais síndromes geriátricas no grupo avaliado, com maior incidência entre o sexo feminino, indicando uma carga de morbidade mais significativa para as mulheres idosas.
Este estudo objetivou estimar a prevalência de osteoporose em idosos atendidos em um centro de referência e identificar fatores associados. Trata-se de um estudo transversal, analítico, com coleta de dados em prontuários médicos e entrevistas aos idosos atendidos no Centro de Referência em Assistência à Saúde dos Idosos (CRASI), e que realizaram exame de densitometria óssea nos anos de 2017 e 2018. Utilizou-se análise bivariada para investigar a associação entre osteoporose e características do grupo: perfil sociodemográfico, Índice de Massa Corporal (IMC), hábitos de vida, cuidados e condições de saúde. As variáveis com associação até o nível de 20% (p ≤ .20) foram avaliadas de forma conjunta por regressão múltipla de Poisson com estimador robusto, admitindo-se para o modelo final apenas as variáveis com nível de significância de até 5%. A prevalência de osteoporose foi de 48.5%. No modelo final ficaram associadas as variáveis: sexo feminino (RP = 1.88; IC95%: 1.36 - 2.60), idade acima de 80 anos (RP = 1.55; IC95%: 1.29 - 1.85), IMC menor que 22 (RP = 1.23; IC95%: 1.02 - 1.49) e como protetor IMC acima de 27 (RP = .52; IC95%: .41 - .67). Concluindo,verificou-se alta prevalência de osteoporose e associação como fator modificável o baixo peso e outros não modificáveis: sexo e idade. Não foram identificadas associações com variáveis relacionadas aos hábitos de vida.
An athlete’s sporting experience is a factor associated with better-coping strategies and emotional regulation, especially concerning competitive anxiety and its symptoms. To verify whether more experienced athletes have lower rates of negativism and higher levels of self-confidence, we compared the means of these two variables between athletes with more and less experience. A meta-analysis was performed, following the PRISMA model. Seven articles were selected that measured, through the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory – 2 (CSAI-2 or its shortened version, CSAI-2R), the levels of self-confidence and negativism of high-performance athletes with different sports experiences. Significant statistical differences were found regarding the levels of negativism between athletes with more and less experience (p < .001). The same occurred with the levels of self-confidence between athletes with more and less sports experience (< .001). The results align with our initial hypothesis, formulated by Martens et al. (1990), that athletes with more experience would have higher self-confidence and lower negativism averages. One of the reasons may be using more effective coping strategies that are improved during the career years.
A Dengue é um problema de saúde pública conhecido no Brasil há vários anos e tem como vetor o mosquito Aedes aegypti. Ademais, é uma doeça que afeta todo o território brasileiro, apresentando um comportamento que varia entre epidemia, endemia e surtos. Com o período da pandemia da Covid-19, os números de notificações da Dengue caíram drasticamente, inversamente proporcional aos casos de SARS-COV-2. Diante disso, o presente estudo tem como objetivo relacionar a queda nos números de notificação de Dengue com o período pandêmico, a fim de constatar uma possível subnotificação ou declínio real da contaminação por Dengue no Brasil, considerando variáveis sociodemográficas e clínicas. No período de 2017 a 2019, nota-se uma variação de 241.880 para 1.553.546 nos casos de Dengue. Em contrapartida, de 2019 a 2021, este valor declinou para 544.765, apresentando maior predomínio no Sudeste e maior prevalência no Centro-Oeste. Por fim, são reforçadas a ideias de que houve subnotificação dos casos de Dengue, tendo em vista a emergência em Saúde Pública representada pelo COVID-19, e a redução real na contaminação pelo vírus da Dengue representam as possíveis teorias para a situação epidemilógica apresentadas por este trabalho.
