Universidade Lusófona

• Despite the high prevalence of mental disorders, refugees underutilize mental health services. • Cultural adaptation of interventions is suggested as a way to narrow this treatment gap. • The Raha Arabic program was efficient in reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and PTSD. • The Raha Arabic program was also efficient in improving resilience and well-being. • Treatment effects were sustained at the 6-month follow-up. Despite an elevated risk for developing mental health problems, evidence-based treatment options for this population remain scarce. The current study aimed to examine the efficacy of a culturally adapted internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) program for youth and young adults with mild to moderate mental health problems. Raha is a culturally adapted, guided, and tailored iCBT program for mild to moderate mental health problems. One hundred twenty-five Arabic-speaking refugee youth and young adults aged 15–29 years were randomly allocated to either a 10-week CA-iCBT condition or a wait-list control condition. The Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-25) served as the primary outcome measure and was assessed at pre-treatment, 4-week follow-up, post-treatment, and at 6-months post-treatment. Treatment effects were evaluated using a latent growth model. In the intention-to-treat analysis, anxiety and depressive symptoms on the HSCL-25 were significantly reduced in the treatment group compared with the wait-list control group, with a between-group effect size at post-treatment of Cohen’s d = 1.43 [0.97,1.89]. Treatment effects were sustained at the 6-month follow-up. Significant moderate-to-large effects were also observed across most secondary outcome measures. The findings of this study indicate that CA-iCBT is effective in reducing symptoms of common mental health problems in a population that generally underutilizes traditional mental health services.

Mediterranean agro-silvo-pastoral ecosystems (MAEs) are increasingly affected by water scarcity, rising temperatures, drought, and land-use change, all of which reduce water availability and system resilience. These combined pressures threaten long-term ecological and economic sustainability by contributing to declining profitability, land abandonment, and land degradation. Collectively, these processes reduce ecosystem functions and the capacity for carbon sequestration.The Horizon Europe DRYAD project ("Demonstration and modelling of nature-based solutions to enhance the resilience of Mediterranean agro-silvo-pastoral ecosystems and landscapes") advances current knowledge by designing and implementing evidence-based, scientifically validated, and community-tailored nature-based solutions (NbS) in selected Pilot Demonstration Areas. The project explicitly addresses the hydrological and socio-ecological complexity of MAEs under multiple risk conditions. DRYAD employs an expanded interpretation of NbS, conceptualizing them as an "ecosystem of NbS" that includes intervention-, protection-, management-, and planning-oriented actions functioning in systemic interaction.One of DRYAD’s tasks is to develop a novel, standardized framework addressing a key limitation in current NbS implementation in agro-silvo-pastoral ecosystems: the lack of information, thereby enabling wider upscaling and mainstreaming. The framework, termed NbS Abacus, is implemented through the systematic documentation and evaluation of thirteen NbS using comprehensive fact sheets developed with stakeholder input. Each NbS is assessed against a set of characteristics, including implementation requirements, targeted ecosystem services (classified according to the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services), expected benefits, potential trade-offs, strengths, constraints, costs, policy relevance, and upscaling potential. While all NbS are multifunctional, they are classified according to their primary ecosystem service focus into water-, soil-, and biodiversity-related interventions.Water-related NbS address key hydrological constraints in MAEs, such as strong precipitation seasonality and prolonged summer droughts. Examples include contour-aligned drainage ditches, dry detention ponds, and artificial ponds. The framework explicitly captures associated risks. These include, e.g., substrate clogging and groundwater contamination from polluted runoff. This enables risk-informed NbS design, implementation, and the selection of appropriate monitoring protocols and indicator sets.MAEs have also experienced increasing degradation driven by contrasting land-use dynamics, notably land abandonment and intensification. Soil-related NbS aim to improve land management efficiency by enhancing soil water retention, fertility, and erosion regulation. Representative examples include adaptive grazing schemes, real-time livestock monitoring systems, and wildfire prevention measures.Climate-induced drought poses a major threat to biodiversity in MAEs. Biodiversity-related NbS aim to restore or conserve ecological functioning through measures such as strategic forestation, agropastoral system reforestation, habitat islands, and remote sensing-based detection of tree decline. The framework accounts for both long-term ecological benefits and short-term socio-economic constraints, including infrastructure requirements, site biophysical limitations, maintenance costs, forage yield reductions, and temporary impacts on livestock productivity.The NbS Abacus supports the uptake of NbS by providing harmonized, practice-oriented information on performance, costs, risks, and scalability. The framework and its NbS catalogue facilitate informed decision-making, replication, and mainstreaming across land management and climate adaptation strategies, with relevance for practitioners, advisors, policy-makers, and planners in Mediterranean and other drought-prone regions.Acknowledgements. This research has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 101156076 (DRYAD).

This paper examines the intersection of entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainability in the tourism sector through the lens of knowledge creation and transfer. It focuses on the Tourism Creative Factory (TCF) ideation programme, developed under Turismo de Portugal’s Fostering Innovation in Tourism 2.0 initiative. Using a case study methodology, the research situates the 2021–2022 “RESTART” edition of TCF within broader theoretical frameworks of knowledge-based development and organisational learning. This study highlights the programme’s role in facilitating knowledge exchange among participants, mentors, and institutional actors, thereby enhancing entrepreneurial readiness and resilience in a post-pandemic context. Emphasis is placed on mentorship, capacity-building, and experiential learning as mechanisms for knowledge management, enabling the 39 selected participants to develop sustainable business models and Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), with the 16 most innovative being selected for a final pitch presentation to a panel of experts representing diverse sectors of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The findings underscore the transferability of TCF’s methodology to other knowledge-intensive sectors and contribute to advancing theoretical and practical understanding of how structured ideation programmes function as knowledge systems within tourism and beyond.

Couple’s relationship can be either a protective or a risk factor for perinatal mental health, with an expectably higher impact on mothers and fathers facing adversity. This study analyzed the association between couple’s relationship before the COVID-19 pandemic and mother’s and father’s postnatal depressive and anxiety symptoms during a major adversity condition, the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample of 108 primiparous mothers and fathers was recruited and assessed at the first trimester of pregnancy before the COVID-19 pandemic and assessed again at six months postpartum, before (n = 68) or during the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 40). At both assessment waves, mothers and fathers completed self-reported measures of positive and negative dimensions of the couple’s relationship and depressive and anxiety symptoms. The positive dimension of the couple’s relationship before the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with less postnatal depressive symptoms in mothers and fathers facing the COVID-19 pandemic, while no association was found in mothers and fathers who did not face the COVID-19 pandemic. Couple’s relationship before the COVID-19 pandemic may be a protective factor for postnatal depressive symptoms in mothers and fathers facing the COVID-19 pandemic, and thus may promote postnatal mental health in parents facing adversity.

Purpose In the last decade, there has been a growing consensus that expanding gender diversity in the workplace can improve productivity and work quality. However, the well-being of female workers continues to be a challenge for companies. This study aims to evaluate the influence of some work practices (remote work, participation, flex-time, and work autonomy) on work engagement and work-life balance of European workers in the logistics sector, distinguishing male from female workers. The analysis is grounded in the job demands-resources (JD-R) model and social exchange theory (SET). Design/methodology/approach To this end, we used a quantitative methodology, carrying out a multi-group analysis and applying the partial least square method to a sample of 4,806 European workers in the logistics sector. Findings The results reveal significant gender differences in the intensity of influence of work practices on work engagement and work-life balance. Participation and flex-time practices positively influence the work engagement of female workers, and remote work practices their work-life balance, but with less intensity when compared to male workers. The relationship between work engagement and work-life balance is negative, being more intense in the case of female workers. Finally, when the association between workplace practices and work-life balance is mediated by work engagement, there is a positive influence of remote work and participation in work practices in the case of female workers. Originality/value This study contributes to deepening knowledge about gender differences in the workplace by integrating the JD-R model and SET to reveal gendered pathways between workplace practices, work engagement, and work-life balance in the logistics sector. It demonstrates that workplace practices appropriate to workers' gender should be promoted to enhance work engagement and work-life balance, which are valued by workers and could lead to greater worker proficiency.

Higher health literacy is associated with better health behaviors and better overall well-being; however, the contribution of relational and socio-economic factors to this association remains insufficiently explored. The present study aimed to examine the relationships between health literacy, well-being, social support, and stress among adolescents. In particular, the mediating roles of social support (family, peers, and teachers) and stress in the association between health literacy and well-being were analyzed. Data were drawn from the 2022 wave of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, an international survey conducted every four years in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and implemented according to a standardized protocol. The sample comprised 7643 students from the 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grades of Portuguese public schools. Of the participants, 53.9% were female, and the mean age was 15.05 years (SD = 2.36). Gender-based comparisons indicated statistically significant differences for all study variables, with the exception of health literacy. Mediation analysis reveals an effect of health literacy on well-being. After the inclusion of the mediating variables, the direct effect of health literacy on lack of well-being remained negative. All four mediators showed statistically significant indirect effects, accounting for the difference between the total and direct effects. These findings indicate that the association between health literacy and lack of well-being was partially mediated by family support, peer support, relationships with teachers, and stress. Health literacy influenced lack of well-being both directly and indirectly through these mediating pathways, with stress emerging as the strongest indirect contributor. The findings support an ecological interpretation of health literacy and well-being, as these constructs are embedded within multiple interacting systems. Individual adolescent characteristics, such as gender, age, and stress management, are interconnected with interpersonal contexts, including relationships with family members, peers, and teachers. In addition, adolescents' socio-economic circumstances appear to play a relevant role in shaping both health literacy and perceptions of well-being.

Research to date has focused primarily on the mental and physical health problems of university faculty. However, given that health includes the presence of well-being, research is also needed on positive indicators of optimal functioning. Generativity is a developmental challenge in adulthood that is defined as a commitment to the flourishing of future generations. Because generativity is intrinsically connected with educators’ vocational development, more research is needed to examine generativity and its underlying working conditions in the university context. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationships between values and leadership, work climate, engagement, and generativity. A sample of 832 university professors (61.4% women, M age = 47.76, SD = 10.78) from 52 universities in Spain participated in the study, A cross-sectional study was carried out by administering some self-report measures. The results showed positive correlations between leadership values, work climate, engagement, and generativity. Moreover, a mediational analysis showed that both positive leadership values and work climate are related to higher generativity through a positive effect on the level of engagement in the university context. These findings underscore the need to design programs to increase generativity vocation in university faculty by increasing engagement and developing positive organizational practices.

This study applies phase plane analysis of medio-lateral, anteroposterior, and vertical directions for the coordination assessment of whole-body (WB) center of mass (COM) movement during the impulse phase of a standard maximum vertical jump (MVJ) with long, short, and no countermovement (CM). A video system and force platform were used, with the amplitudes of WB COM excursion obtained from image-based motion capture at each anatomical direction, and the 2D and 3D mean radial distance were compared under long, short, and no CM conditions. The estimate of the population mean length was used as a measure of distribution concentration, and the Rayleigh statistical test for circular data was applied with the sample distribution critical value. Watson’s U2 goodness-of-fit test for the von Mises distribution was used with the mean direction and concentration factor. The applied metrics led to the detection of shared and specific features in the global and phase plane analysis of WB COM movement coordination in the medio-lateral, anteroposterior, and vertical directions during long, short, and no CM conditions in relation to MVJ performance assessed from ground reaction force (GRF) through the force platform. Thus, long, short, and no CM impulses share lower amplitudes of WB COM excursion in the medio-lateral direction and mean radial distance to its mean, whereas the anteroposterior and vertical excursion of WB COM, along with the 2D transversal and 3D spatial length of the WB COM path, present as potential predictors of MVJ performance, with distinct behavior in long CM compared to short and no CM. Additionally, the applied workflow on generalized phase plane analysis led to the detection, through complementary metrics, of the anatomical WB COM movement directions with higher coordination based on phase concentration tests at 5% significance, in line with MVJ performance under different CM conditions.

Background: The present study aimed to assess the psychometric properties and the factor structure of the Ukrainian version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) in the prenatal and postpartum women. Method: In a cross-sectional study, 625 participants, including 207 (33.2%) pregnant and 408 (66%) postpartum women, completed online questionnaires: Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the City Birth Trauma Scale (City BiTS), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Results: A 3-factor model (anhedonia, anxiety, and depression) is the best fit to the data, both for antepartum and postpartum samples. EPDS exhibits excellent internal consistency for the overall scale and good internal consistency for its subscales. The total sample’s Cronbach’s alpha has a value of .87 for antepartum women and .86 for postpartum women, similar to those of the original scale. Conclusions: The Ukrainian version of EPDS is reliable and can be used to screen in the perinatal period, during pregnancy, and in the postpartum period.