Cátia Branquinho

Dream Teens: Adolescents-Led Participatory Project in Portugal in the Context of the Economic Recession

This article describes the implementation process of a nationwide project to enhance young people’s participation and active citizenship in the context of Portugal’s economic recession. This project used an innovative Positive Youth Development approach that engaged Portuguese youth (aged 11-18 years) through social media tools to facilitate their civic engagement and development. Participants from all over the country were empowered (1) to design and conduct research activities on topics of their choice and about their life contexts and (2) to create ways to improve youth civic participation in their communities, while developing supportive interactions with adults and peers. Overall, youth were engaged in their activities, felt their voices were heard, and felt that they were viewed as experts of their own well-being and living contexts. Youth research actions and preliminary findings were then compiled in a set of recommendations that was formally received by a high commissioner of the Ministry of Health. The article concludes with a discussion of the next steps for the project and its limitations so far.

Is truth in the eyes of the beholder? Or are Portuguese schools, as viewed by Portuguese pupils, mismatching with what the educational system offers?

ABSTRACT Pupils who like school have better academic performance and better perception of health and well-being. This study aims to (1) know the pupils’ views of their schools and their schools’ characteristics, assets and problems and (2) identify the variables that may predict enjoying school. A total of 6026 Portuguese pupils participated in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study in 2014. Pupils reported that programme contents are too long and too boring as well as negative parental overpressure regarding school success. They also pinpointed issues regarding their perception of teachers (lack of trust and low person-to-person interaction) and regarding school facilities. These issues have an impact on the perception of how much they like and how they feel about school. Results suggested an urgent need to review present public policies regarding Portuguese education and the need to focus on the length and structure of programme contents and to the dynamics and length of the classes and school workload, as well as investing in school physical structures. Portugal has a ‘chronic’ low ranking regarding academic achievement according to several international studies; thus, some highlights on how to move forward are provided.

The Role of Worries in Mental Health and Well-Being in Adolescence in Portugal

This chapter purports to challenge the increasingly powerful position of psychiatry as a first-line narrative for understanding refugee youth suffering. Refugee youth are under significant social, cultural, political, and economic pressures as they settle into a receiving country. While some do experience debilitating emotional reactions that require “treatment,” we believe that many others are better served through nonmedical avenues, and that concepts of resilience promotion are crucial to addressing the complex issues they face. This is in contrast to the psychiatric paradigm, which critics see as translating socially related suffering into individual medical pathology. We discuss this trend and argue for a model of community-based psychiatric case consultation that focuses on a systemic understanding of mental health, including approaches that address sociopolitical oppression and its impacts. Finally, we acknowledge the limitations of the psychiatric lens and the need to support other modes of healing both locally and globally.

The Effect of a Social-Emotional School-Based Intervention upon Social and Personal Skills in Children and Adolescents

In the middle of the 20th century, there was a shift from a skills deficit approach to a positive approach, focused on promoting assets and individual strengths. The role of social-emotional competences became salient. School is a privileged arena for universal and selective prevention interventions that can help pupils in raising their competence to cope with life challenges in a relaxed, non-violent and effective way. Personal and social-emotional skills play a key role in children and adolescents’ development, as well as their behavior towards risk factors and there is a need to evidence-based interventions. The scale “For me it’s Easy” is an evaluation tool for personal and socio-emotional skills and was used to assess the effect of a Social and Emotional Skills Promotion Program. Personal and social skills play a key role in children and adolescents’ development, as well as their behavior towards risk factors. The study includes an intervention group with 960 Portuguese children and adolescents with a mean age of 12.5 years (SD = 1.61) and included were 56.8% boys of different educational levels. The waiting-list group included 171 children and adolescents; 46.2% were boys. The mean age was 14.7 years and the SD was 3.3. The results reveal significant differences in the intervention group related to the competences before and after the intervention, namely in the interpersonal relationships and definition of goal related skills, while in the waiting list group there were no significant differences in the moment before and after the intervention, and the scale “For me it’s Easy” can be considered an instrument which contributes to the research and evaluation of intervention in children and adolescents, especially in the prevention and promotion of personal and social skills and healthy development.

Youth Have A Voice - Qualitative Exploration Of A Participatory Action-Research Program

Although the participatory action-research programs with young people are increasingly common around the world, their inclusion in the evaluation of intervention programs in the area of health promotion is still not a rule. This study presents youths’ assessment of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the Dream Teens project, along with its impact on their development as a person, the development of their individual action and their social support (family, school and community). Two studies are presented: study 1, referring to individual interviews, including a total of 12 young people, with a mean age of 18.5 years (± 1.62), mostly girls (83.3%) attending secondary school (41.67%), higher education (33.33%) and third grade (25%); and study 2, referring to a focus group that involved 8 young people, mostly girls (75%), age 18.5 years ( ± 2) attending higher education (37.5%), secondary school (37.5%) and third grade (25%). The NVivo software was used for the analysis and processing of data. Overall, young people identify the establishment of goals in the project, the relationships established, the acquired knowledge and face-to-face meetings as forces; their difficulty in dealing with empowerment, and weak participation of some young people as weaknesses; the availability of local authorities and some teachers to listen to young people as opportunities; and the necessary bureaucracy in order for a project to be implemented, the lack of support from the educational community and some teachers, along with the lack of support of political power as threats. In terms of impact on the participants, there is an increase in their capacity for the development of the person, in the promotion of their self-esteem, personal goals, a sense of community participation, communication skills and respect for themselves and for others; and their development of individual action, a greater political empowerment, development of skills and confidence for research-action, and relationships established. The opportunities created include the establishment of new contacts and the feeling of support from some political bodies at a social support level; promotion of active listening, capacity for argumentation and development of new interests at the family level; at school, these include better relationships with teachers and colleagues, better academic performance, easier coping with frustration, better acceptance of the other; and in the community, although they have not noticed significant changes, they believe that their work will have future repercussions. This work is expected to contribute to an increase in the number of research-action programs with the participation of young people, enhancing their effectiveness as a way to promote their health and wellbeing.

A escola portuguesa pelos olhos dos adolescentes

Young people who reported to like school have more positive behaviors associated, including better academic performance and more well-being. This study aims to understand 1) the relationship between liking school and academic ability 2) what young people would like to change in their schools, 3) check the variables that may predict liking school and perceived academic ability 4) analyze the variables related to the school including pressure with school work, problems about school, relationship with classmates and teachers. 6026 students from 6th, 8th and 10th grades that integrated the study Health Behaviour in School - Aged children (HBSC) in 2014 participated. Young people that reported to like school very much are those who would not change anything in their school and are the ones who have more trust in teachers. Students report that school subjects are too extensive, too boring and even useless and referred some negative parental overpressure regarding school success. The results suggest the need to review existing policies in Portuguese education system pointing out that it is crucial to intervene in schools, with families, teachers and young people.

Motives to use alcohol among adolescents according to their neighbourhood characteristics, gender, age, and drinking patterns

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to understand if motives to drink are associated to certain patterns of drinking and specific socio-demographic drinkers’ characteristics. As part of the Portugal Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey, developed with 5050 pupils (47.7% of boys), attending the 6th, 8th, and 10th grade levels and with a mean age of 13.98 years (SD = 1.85), the present study was carried out using the “Drinking Motive Questionnaire Revised Short Form” (Kuntsche & Kuntsche, 2009) in order to investigate the drinking motives among young people and its relationship with neighborhood characteristics, gender, age, and drinking patterns. Results showed that social motives are the most frequent, followed by enhancement, coping, and conformity motives. Statistically significant differences were found between gender and grade (a proxy for age), being essentially the boys who consume more socially and the boys of the 8th grade that reported to consume for enhancement motives, cope with negative emotions, or to affirm themselves within peers group. Differences between the place of residence and consumption patterns are also found, showing that pupils who live in a neighborhood marked by many night entertainment venues, violence and theft, along with its location in an isolated area, have a significantly higher average in the four motives. Considering the drinking pattern, drinking to cope or for conformity motives are more common during the week and during the day, while drinking for social motives is more frequent during the day. Implications of the results for health and educational public policies are discussed.

Girls’ physical activity and sedentary behaviors: Does sexual maturation matter? A cross‐sectional study with HBSC 2010 Portuguese survey

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between girls’ sexual maturation (age of menarche) and physical activity and sedentary behaviors.

Gender Differences in Risk Behaviours: Does Sexual Maturation Matter?

Background: Menarche is a milestone of entering puberty, representing an indicator of sexual maturity and revealing normal physical, biological, psychological, and emotional development. This study aimed to compare pre-menarche girls, same age post-menarche girls, and boys according to risk behaviours. Methods: Participants (n=2608) completed a comprehensive survey regarding headache, irritability, feeling nervous, tobacco use, drinking beer, physical fighting, diet, and perception of health. Results: The prevalence of having headaches (p<0.001), being irritable or having a bad temper (p<0.001), feeling nervous (p<0.001), being on a diet (p<0.001) was significantly higher among post-menarche girls than boys and pre-menarche girls. Post-menarche girls had a poorer perception of health (p<0.001). After adjusted data for socioeconomic status and BMI, frequency of having headaches, bad temper and feeling nervous was higher for post-menarche girls. Conclusions: Specific school-based intervention is required so that the perception of well-being and social participation can be maintained during after menarche.