Margarida Gaspar de Matos

University of Lisbon | UL · Instituto de Saude Ambiental & Aventura Social

A considerable amount of literature demonstrates an association between physical activity (PA) and health. However, some studies also suggest an association between PA and health compromising behaviors. The purpose of this study is to determine the behaviors that can have a positive or negative association with PA in a nationally representative sam...

There is a recent decline in HIV in a significant number of countries due to the adoption of preventive sexual behaviors, which demonstrates that HIV reduction is possible. The goal of this research was to deepen knowledge of preventive sexual behavior in adolescents, including knowledge and attitudes about HIV/AIDS, and assessing whether they chan...

The aim of this study was to understand what children’s and adolescents’ worries are and the strategies used to face them. Two studies were carried out. Study one had a sample of 1,207 Portuguese children and adolescents, 48.4% boys, attending 5th to 9th grades, mean age 12.5, participated in a first approach to children and adolescents’ theories a...

Purpose Burnout was already a significant problem before the pandemic, but in the aftermath became a serious concern and a public health and occupational health priority. This study had two aims. First, we investigated how different healthy workplace dimensions and other health individual-level variables are related to burnout. Second, we examined...

Background: Loneliness is becoming progressively more frequent despite increasing communication facilities. The COVID lockdown and social interaction restrictions enhanced loneliness complaints in more vulnerable groups while increasing its global prevalence. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence, characteristics, and predictors of loneliness compl...

The academic years are a period of vulnerability when considering sleep problems and mental health. Growing evidence suggests poor sleep patterns are related to impaired academic life and lower psychological well-being. The aim of this study was to explore the importance of sleep habits and report the associations of sleep problems with quality of...

Objective: Sleep is of upmost importance for everybody and especially for adolescents who face life and leisure challenges that may impair their sleep. This study aimed to verify if girls are at a higher risk to present sleep problems and if associations of a sleep perception are different between sexes even when accounting for biological maturatio...

Screen time and the use of social networks is the most frequent form of leisure time occupation and socializing for adolescents. The present study is aimed at understanding and characterizing, from an ecological perspective, what distinguishes healthy and less healthy or even dependent use of social media in young people and the influence on adoles...

O Laboratório Português de Ambientes de Trabalho Saudáveis (LABPATS) realizou um estudo para compreender a tipologia de ambientes de trabalho saudáveis nas empresas (Gaspar et al., 2023). A pesquisa foi efetuada em Portugal e teve como principal objetivo aferir a saúde, o bem-estar dos profissionais, bem como a promoção e proteção da saúde perante...

Background: After two years of psychological, physical, social, economic, environmental, and societal challenges, this paper examines the psychological health and well-being of Portuguese students based on their socioemotional skills (SSES), positive youth development (PYD), depression, anxiety, and stress (DASS), as well as the relationship betwe...

Discussing sociopolitical issues with family or friends during adolescence, as well as staying informed through media outlets, is key to developing active civic engagement for both youth and future adults. Likewise, these communicative exchanges promote a sense of belonging and social skills which foster adolescents' wellbeing. This research aims t...

Background: The infection caused by SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) emerged in China in 2019. Studies carried out during the pandemic period demonstrated an association between this pandemic context and psychological suffering. Psychologists, as health professionals, came to play a leading role in this period. Goals: This study aimed to evaluate the psycholo...

The main objective of this paper is to understand and characterize the healthy work environment of organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was carried out in 2021 including organizations from different sectors at the national level and involved 460 participants, 50.3% of which were female. The workers’ ages ranged between 18 and 67 ye...

Comportamentos autolesivos na adolescência se tornaram um problema de saúde pública mundial. Frequentemente, esses comportamentos compõem o quadro sintomático de doenças psiquiátricas, sendo conceitualizados como estratégias disfuncionais de regulação emocional. Diante disso, este estudo investiga a relação entre comportamentos autolesivos, percepç...

Background and Aim of Study: The mental health and social adaptation of young students and cadets in wartime conditions is a new and understudied problem. The aim of the study: to identify the particularities of psychological well-being and social adaptation of students and cadets in wartime conditions. Material and Methods: Our study was conducted...

Resumo: Instituições de Ensino contribuem para o bem-estar, saúde e desempenho dos estudantes. O presente estudo tem como objetivo o estudo de validação de um instrumento de avaliação dos ambientes de aprendizagem. O estudo do instrumento Ecossistemas dos Ambientes de Aprendizagem Saudáveis (EA2S) envolveu 521 estudantes, 359 (69,4%) do sexo femini...

COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on adolescents’ psychological health. Two national studies were conducted. The DGEEC study included 9 to 18-year-old pupils. The HBSC study (2 waves) included pupils from the 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th grades. For each study, two groups were established based on life satisfaction scores and on psychological symptom...

Background: Female depression has proved to be a substantial public health challenge, given its high prevalence and consequent personal, social, and economic implications. The relationship between depression and resilience seems evident, and studies in this area can help identify effective interventions and support for women with depressive disorde...

The present research is based on a large and representative national survey and intends to analyse the correlation of several leisure activities with risk, and with health and well-being outcomes. This work is part of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, a collaborative WHO international study that aims to explore the school-a...

During and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, several works reflected on young people’s physical and psychological health. The Dual Factor Model, which we refer to as the quadripartite model, is useful for understanding children’s and adolescents’ psychological health and differentiating them regarding their attitude toward the effects of t...

Introdução: As úlceras por pressão (UPP) são dos eventos adversos mais frequentes em contexto hospitalar, com elevados custos de saúde (diretos e indiretos). Serão apresentadas as recomendações que emergiram dos estudos realizados no projeto de doutoramento financiado com bolsa de doutoramento da Universidade de Lisboa “Educação para Saúde na Preve...

The quality of the school environment is associated with greater school involvement and academic success and improved levels of well-being/quality of life. In this sense, this study intends to explore the relationship between the quality of life of Portuguese adolescents and school. 8215 adolescents participated in this study, 52.7% of which were f...

Background: Recognized as a common and debilitating condition with a high recurrence rate, depression is considered a severe public health problem. The association between interpersonal problems and depressive disorders is well documented, but studies in non-clinical populations are scarce. The working hypotheses were that (Hp1) depressed women rep...

The occurrence of accidental injuries and non-suicidal self-injuries in adolescence is still a global concern in terms of public health. To analyse gender relations and associations regarding accidental injuries and non-suicidal self-injuries in adolescents. There were 5569 Portuguese adolescents as participants of HBSC/WHO Portuguese study 2022. T...

Health literacy is a fundamental aspect of adolescent health. The present study intends to analyze the influence of health-related factors (i.e., health perception, chronic conditions, prescription medication, physical and psychological symptoms, vaccination and COVID-19) on the health literacy of Portuguese adolescents, as well as gender and schoo...

Resumo: Na sequência do estudo "Observatório Escolar: Monitorização e Ação | Saúde Psicológica e Bem-estar" (Matos et al., 2022), foi aplicado um questionário a 60 Agrupamentos de Escolas/Escolas não Agrupadas que se voluntariaram, com o objetivo de conhecer a sua realidade, e tendo como finalidade identificar, antecipar, alertar e recomendar ações...

Resumo: Tendo por base o primeiro relatório do "Observatório Escolar: Monitorização e Ação-Saúde Psicológica e Bem-estar", este estudo teve como objetivo de aprofundar o impacto da pandemia e das medidas decorrentes dos resultados do primeiro estudo. Foram realizados 14 grupos focais online, com base na seleção de um agrupamento de escolas/ escola...

Resumo: O estudo "Observatório de Saúde Psicológica e Bem-Estar: Monitorização e Ação" tem como principal objetivo inicial conhecer e monitorizar a saúde psicológica e bem-estar das crianças e adolescentes em idade escolar (educação pré-escolar ao 12.º ano de escolaridade), dos seus professores e educadores, e identificar recomendações de ação e in...

The present study intends to assess how chronic health conditions are being evaluated in general health questionnaires aimed at adolescents. A review of questionnaires that contain questions about different domains of the adolescents' lives and about chronic disease and/or disability was performed. Different terminologies regarding the domain of ch...

Introdução: A vulnerabilidade em saúde de adolescentes em região de fronteira tem recebido destaque em pesquisas na área de educação e saúde pública, auxiliando na identificação e influências na alteração de comportamentos e relacionamentos nessa faixa etária, campo que as habilidades sociais tem demonstrado evidências no enfrentamento dessa proble...

In an unprecedented scenario, much of the research and interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic, which focused on young people, found themselves suspended. (1) Background: The goals of this project were to investigate (Study 1) social participation and positive development among young people in Cascais, Portugal, and to investigate (Study 2-a cas...

Variables associated with lifestyle can constitute either risk or protective factors for the development and progression of chronic conditions (CC). This study intends to explore the differences between adolescents with and without CC and between adolescents whose school participation is affected/not affected by the existing CC with regard to varia...

Introdução: A adolescência é uma fase de desenvolvimento humano repleta de rápidas mudanças individuais, com incertezas e desafios para os próprios e, para terceiros. O Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) é um estudo colaborativo da Organização Mundial de Saúde que decorre a cada 4 anos. Em Portugal, é realizado há 20 anos (1998 – 2018)...

Rationale The associations between COVID-19 cases/deaths levels and subsequent uptake of protective behaviors may reflect cognitive and behavioral responses to threat-relevant information. Objective Applying protection motivation theory (PMT) this study explored whether the number of total COVID-19 cases/deaths and general anxiety were associated...

What is the association between empathy, parental regulation and violence in adolescent? This study analyze the association between empathy, parental regulation and violence in adolescents. Cross-sectional study conducted with 722 adolescents in Foz do Iguaçu. Data collection was carried out through a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, chi-squa...

The main objective of this study is to understand which conditions migrants and refugees living in Portugal identify as being the most important to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. We also intend to explore how they managed to help other migrants and refugees to deal with the pandemic. This is a qualitative study with content analysis part of the i...

The research protocol of the project “Positive Youth Development in Spanish Undergraduates: Analysis of Developmental Assets related to Health, Psychological Wellbeing and Social Contribution” (FEDER Andalusia Program 2014-2020, UHU-1259711) is presented. The general aim of this project was to analyze to what extent the dimensions of positive youth...

Scarcely explored, intergenerational dialogue may support the re-encounter between generations. Background: Focused on intergenerational sharing and on the identification of differences between generations, the project #GenerationsWithAVoice aims to identify generational inequalities, with the aim of promoting awareness of intergenerational chall...

In the last 2 years, the COVID-19 pandemic has spread all over the world, forcing the closure of universities, among other unusual measures in recent history. (1) Background: This work is based on the study HOUSE-ULisbon, a survey carried out during the second confinement (March–May 2021) in Portugal with the collaboration of all the Faculties of t...

The promotion of physical distancing is a highly effective way of preventing the interpersonal transmission of pathogenic agents, including SARS-CoV-2. However, the protection of physical health through physical distance should not promote social distancing, which is a relevant disrupter of human subjective and psychological well-being. Interperson...

Students with chronic conditions (CC) tend to experience several barriers in terms of their school participation and performance. Therefore, the present study aims to explore the factors related to the time of diagnosis of CC (recent/non-recent), the barriers to participation and academic success (health condition, people’s attitude towards CC and...

The use of images is highly frequent in science and health communication, and it is usually considered to be very effective to transmit health messages. Although not so much attention has been paid to measuring the effects of using visual elements in public health communication, images can indeed contribute to increase effectiveness in promoting ad...

Abstract The high prevalence of depressive disorders is documented in different countries and ethnic groups, significantly higher in women than in men and currently the leading cause of illness-related disability in the female population. This study examines how interpersonal problems, resilience, self-regulation and depression are related to each...

Adherence to COVID-19 vaccine is determined by several cognitive and emotional determinants. Portuguese population has remarkable trust level on vaccines, also explained by a highly favorable public perception of the quality of healthcare public services. However, the process of development, testing and implementation of COVID-19 vaccines (some of...

Behavioral activation requires both cognitive and emotional processes. Fast and automatic decisions are highly dependent of emotional stata and, therefore, emotion activation is widely used in marketing initiatives. Health promotion campaigns traditionally opted by using threatening messages, aiming to raise awareness of health risks and to promote...

Objective: what youth found most difficult during COVID-19, their coping strategies and expectations regarding the future. Method: multi-method with 318 participants (16-24 years; M = 19.07, SD = 2.66), mostly girls (69.5%), students (78.5%) in secondary school or equivalent (52.8%) or higher (41.7%). Results: Overall, a negative perspective was hi...

Resumo O presente trabalho tem como objetivo principal a compreensão dos sintomas depressivos na adolescên-cia durante a pandemia COVID-19 numa perspetiva bi-opsicossocial. Participaram no estudo 826 adolescen-tes residentes na área geográfica da Câmara Municipal de Famalicão (Portugal). Os resultados revelaram que dos adolescentes em estudo, 30,7...

Marco teórico: El envejecimiento ha sido una fuente creciente de mayores oportunidades generadas por la longevidad, pero también una fuente creciente de preocupación, particularmente con respecto a la salud mental y el bienestar de las personas mayores. Como tal, es muy importante tener una mejor comprensión de la relación entre los factores psicos...

Objectives The consequences of long-lasting restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic have become a topical question in the latest research. The present study aims to analyze longitudinal changes in adolescents’ social emotional skills, resilience, and behavioral problems. Moreover, the study addresses the impact of adolescents’ social emotiona...

The interest surrounding consumer food waste behavior has been increasing in the academia and civil society, with academic research focusing on understanding its causes and testing interventions to reduce it. This paper aims to understand how to influence consumer food waste behavior with interventions and what further research is needed. For this...

Objectives: The consequences of long-lasting restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic have become a topical question in the latest research. The present study aims to analyze longitudinal changes in adolescents' social emotional skills, resilience, and behavioral problems. Moreover, the study addresses the impact of adolescents' social emotion...

Food literacy is a combination of functional, critical, and relational skills that pave the way for navigating the food system properly, taking personally and contextually available resources into account. The aim was to validate the Spanish version of the self-perceived food literacy scale in university students to explore the factorial structure...

Analisar a associação entre desenvoltura social, regulação parental e atividade física em adolescentes. Estudo de corte realizado com 722 adolescentes de escolas públicas de Foz do Iguaçu. Os dados foram recolhidos por questionários. A associação da desenvoltura social com a regulação parental e a atividade física foram analisados no grupo geral e...

Background: In times of unprecedented infectious disease threats, it is essential to understand how to increase individual protective behaviors and support for collective measures. The present study therefore examines factors associated with individual and collective pathways. Methods: Data was collected via an online survey from 4,483 participants...

During COVID-19 pandemic, the use of internet in adolescent population has increased. A growing research interest has been developed about the consequences of internet use for adolescent development. Despite most studies have examine the impact of internet use in some indicators of psychological maladjustment, few studies have addressed the detrime...

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionately hard impact on refugees and other migrants who are often exposed to the virus with limited means to protect themselves. We tested the hypothesis that during the COVID-19 pandemic, refugees and other migrants have suffered a negative impact on mental health and have been unjustly discrimi...

Background Depression is the most prevalent mental disorder. In the treatment of depressive symptoms, patients' religious practices and beliefs are often not considered. We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs to analyse the effect of religious interventions on depression. Methods A literature screening was performed on August...

The main objective of this study is to understand and characterize the adoption of an ecological perspective and the physical, psychological, social, and contextual health factors that may influence the adjustment to and mental health experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study included 5479 participants, of which 3710 were female (67.7%),...

The healthy development of children and young people is strongly associated with the relationship that they establish with parents and the functioning of their family as a whole, with a special focus on the affective relationship between parents and children. One aspect that has more influence on the well-being and quality of life of children is th...

Objectives: Relationships with supportive adults during adolescence may be a protective factor that lowers the risks associated with bullying. The current study aimed to examine the moderating role of supportive adults in the associations between bullying involvement (in-person and cyber) and mental health problems (psychological symptoms and low l...

Background: The UN has recognised well-being as a main goal of The Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health (2016-2030). Objective: The aim was to identify the areas of mental health that are the most significant to teenagers. Material and methods: The mixed-method approach was applied. Quantitative research included ado...

Sexual activity usually begins during adolescence, and national and international investigations suggest that age at first intercourse and condom use are crucial determinants of sexual health. This study analyzed trends in sexual behavior among adolescents from 2018 to 2021 in the educational region of northern Portugal. The sample consists of 2773...