Face-To-Face with the Pandemic: Experiences of Staff in Portuguese Residential Care Facilities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed care facilities for older adults under high pressure. This study aimed to identify the perception of staff in Portuguese Residential Care Facilities for Older Adults about their experience during and right after the first lockdown (March/April 2020) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It comprises 198 respondents who answered an open question about their experiences during the pandemic on an online questionnaire. The main findings suggested three themes: 1) a cascade of new needs on top of old problems; 2) working on the razor's edge: a difficult balance between protecting against the virus and maintaining one's well-being; and 3) a need for support and appreciation. The pandemic has exposed and accentuated the fragilities of Residential Care Facilities in Portugal, which operate with low budgets, and minimum staff. The measures to protect against infection have to be balanced by actions to maintain psychosocial and rehabilitation activities with the residents, to promote their well-being and functional capacity.

From the drama of unoccupied time and isolation due to Covid-19's pandemic to the need for person-centered care at residential care facilities in Portugal.

During the pandemic, restrictive measures were implemented at Portuguese residential care facilities (PRCF), such as isolating residents and ceasing collective activities. It is important to understand how PRCF are implementing activities that allow residents to occupy their time and fight isolation. As such, we aim to analyze whether: 1. new activities were implemented for residents (identifying which were carried out); 2. occupation activities were provided to isolated residents in their rooms (identifying which were carried out); 3. the implementation of activities is associated with variables like the amount of staff. This is an exploratory, quantitative, and cross-sectional study. An online questionnaire was sent by email to 2325 PRCF and entities were asked to share it with their workers. The study was also divulged on social networks. Data collection occurred between July 8th and October 18th, 2020. The study had 784 staff members participating and 90.8% reported that new activities were implemented at their facilities, predominantly videocalls. Concerning isolated residents most respondents (64.4%) stated that providing activities was impossible. Results showed that those PRCF that expanded teams had a higher percentage of new activities and activities with residents isolated in bedrooms. These results are alarming because while residents should have had more resources to cope with the pandemic, higher risks of unoccupied time and isolation existed, a dramatic situation for its potentially harmful consequences. Focusing on sanitary issues (and less on older adults) may reinforce traditional care models that had shown negative impacts before the pandemic. This highlights the need to evolve the care paradigm during and beyond the pandemic at PRCF: with Person-Centered Care as an option.

Adaptation and validation of the Person-centered Care Assessment Tool (P-CAT) to the Portuguese population.

BACKGROUND: The relevance of person-centred care as an optimising approach to the quality of care provided to older adults has sparked the development of important instruments that measure this approach at residential care facilities and requires validation for the Portuguese population. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to adapt and validate the Person-centered Care Assessment Tool (P-CAT) to the Portuguese population. METHODS: The P-CAT assesses the level of person-centred care provided by residential care facilities, according to staff. The process of adapting the P-CAT to the Portuguese population includes its translation, backtranslation and a pilot study. To recruit participants for the validation study, we contacted the Portuguese residential care facilities with emails provided in the official registries, and the study was also divulged on social media. RESULTS: The study had the participation of 573 staff members. The mean score of P-CAT was 50.76 (SD = 7.65). The exploratory factor analysis showed three dimensions: the extent of care personalisation, the amount of organisational support and the degree of environmental accessibility. The results show good internal consistency for the total scale (α = 0.809) and good temporal stability in the test-retest assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient (0.893). CONCLUSIONS: This version of the P-CAT for the Portuguese population has shown adequate psychometric properties and contributes to the study of care provided at residential care facilities in Portugal through self-reporting from staff. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The availability of this instrument is useful for professional practice and research purposes and supports technical and scientific advancements that are necessary for the evolution of care frameworks.

Caring and Working during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspective of Portuguese Residential Care Facility Workers.

Residential care facilities (RCF) for older people are facing high demands due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to explore the workers' perspectives on the changes in work and care dynamics amidst the first wave of the pandemic at Portuguese RCF. This is a descriptive, quantitative, and cross-sectional study. An online questionnaire about pandemic-induced changes in work and care dynamics was sent to 2325 RCF. These entities were then asked to share it with their workers. The participants (n = 784) were mostly women (92.7%) and mostly composed of technical directors (41.6%) and direct-care workers (17.1%). The respondents reported that during the first wave of the pandemic, when compared to the pre-pandemic period, there were greater difficulties in providing care related to the basic necessities of older people (52.7%); direct-care workers were required to work more consecutive hours in each shift (69.95%); direct-care workers had to live at RCF (14.8%), and there were changes concerning the possibility of promoting person-centered care (PCC) practices. It also revealed that focusing on disease prevention and sanitary measures alone facilitates practices that reinforce the traditional model of procedure-centered care and have negative consequences on the rights and well-being of those living and working at RCF, exposing and accentuating preexisting vulnerabilities. This study considers the pandemic's serious implications and alarming questions about basic care, dignity, living, and working conditions at Portuguese RCF. These notions reinforce the need for change through redefining care policies and practices in Portuguese RCF beyond the pandemic. The current situation provides an opportunity to adopt a formal PCC model.

Perceived emotional intelligence assessment - the Portuguese validation of Schutte's Emotional Intelligence Scale (SEIS-P) / Avaliação da inteligência emocional percebida - validação portuguesa da Escala de Inteligência Emocional de Schutte (EIES-P) / Evaluación de la inteligencia emocional percibida - versión portuguesa de la Escala de Inteligencia Emocional de Schutte (EIES-P)

The aim of this study was to expand the (perceived) emotional intelligence scientific assessment domain and to validate the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale (SEIS) with Portuguese speaking adults. The research sample was composed of 2,380 subjects, all Portuguese speakers, with a mean age of 34.91 years. The factorial validity analysis produced four factors, similar to the international reference studies with this scale, which explained 45.56% of the total variance. In accordance with the theoretical and instrumental background, the four factors were named: Recognition of others' emotions; Recognition and communication of one's own emotions; Management of one's own emotions and Use of emotions. The adapted instrument presented valid psychometric characteristics for the assessment of perceived emotional intelligence, suggesting that the Portuguese version of the SEIS maintains the content validity and a regular structure, when compared to previously adapted and explored versions.(AU)

O objetivo deste estudo foi expandir o domínio de avaliação científica da inteligência emocional (percebida) e validar a Escala de Inteligência Emocional de Schutte (SEIS) para adultos falantes de língua portuguesa. A amostra pesquisada foi formada por 2.380 indivíduos, todos falantes de português, com idade média de 34,91 anos. A análise da validade fatorial mostrou quatro fatores, semelhante aos estudos internacionais de referência com essa escala, que explicaram 45,56% da variância total. Em consonância com os antecedentes teóricos e instrumentais, os quatro fatores foram denominados: Reconhecimento das emoções dos outros; Reconhecimento e comunicação de suas próprias emoções; Gerenciamento de suas próprias emoções e Uso de emoções. O instrumento adaptado demonstrou características psicométricas válidas para avaliação da inteligência emocional percebida, sugerindo que a versão em português da SEIS mantém a validade do conteúdo e uma estrutura regular, em comparação com versões previamente adaptadas e exploradas.(AU)

El objetivo de este artículo fue expandir el dominio de evaluación científica de la inteligencia emocional (percibida) y validar la Escala de Inteligencia Emocional de Schutte (SEIS) para adultos hablantes de lengua portuguesa. La muestra investigada fue formada por 2380 individuos con una edad media de 34.91 años. El análisis de la validez factorial presentó cuatro factores, equiparable a los estudios internacionales de referencia con esta escala, que resultó el 45.56% de la varianza total. En conformidad con los antecedentes teóricos e instrumentales, los cuatro factores fueron denominados: Percepción emocional de los demás; Reconocimiento y comunicación de sus propias emociones; Gestión de sus propias emociones; y Utilización de emociones. El instrumento adaptado mostró características psicométricas válidas para evaluar la inteligencia emocional percibida, sugiriendo que la versión en portugués de la SEIS mantiene la validez del contenido y una estructura regular, en comparación con versiones previamente adaptadas y exploradas.(AU)

Perceived Emotional Intelligence: what is its influence in Subjective Well-Being? / Inteligência Emocional Percebida: qual a sua influência no Bem-Estar Subjetivo? / Inteligencia Emocional Percibida: ¿cuál es su influencia en el bienestar subjetivo?

In this article we propose to explore the Perceived Emotional Intelligence influence in Subjective Well-Being. To do so, we carry out a quantitative, transversal study adopting a descriptive approach and inter-subject correlational design. The sample is formed of n = 1377 Portuguese and Brazilian participants, between 18 and 81 years of age, of whom 57.8% identified themselves as female and 42.1% as male, 44.4% were Portuguese and 54.9% were Brazilian. In terms of education 38,1% had a post-graduate/master, 33,2% had a first degree/diploma, 14.9% had up to 12 years of schooling and 13.8% had a Ph.D./post-Ph.D. Participants answered the Assessing Emotions Scale and the Reduced Version of the Portuguese Scale of Positive and Negative Affect. There are differences in many dimensions of PEI, according to socio-demographic characteristics and high perception of the competences forming EI is associated with SWB and has a great effect on predicting the variance of Positive Affect.

Este artigo propõe explorar a influência da Inteligência Emocional Percebida no Bem-Estar Subjetivo. Para tal, executa-se um estudo quantitativo, transversal, descritivo com design correlacional intersujeitos. A amostra é constituída por n = 1377 participantes entre 18 e 81 anos, dos quais 57,8% se identificaram com o género feminino e 42,1% com masculino, 44,4% eram portugueses e 54,9% eram brasileiros. Em termos de educação, 38,1% tinham pós-graduação/mestrado, 33,2% tinham licenciatura/bacharelato, 14,9% tinham até 12 anos de escolaridade e 13,8% tinham doutoramento/pós-doutoramento. Os participantes responderam à Escala de Avaliação de Emoções e à Versão Reduzida da Escala Portuguesa de Afeto Positivo e Negativo. Encontraram-se diferenças ao nível de grande parte das dimensões da Inteligência Emocional Percebida, em função de caraterísticas sociodemográficas e concluiu-se que uma elevada perceção das competências que enformam a Inteligência Emocional está associada com o BES e produz um grande efeito na predição da variância do Afeto Positivo.

Este artículo, propone explorar la influencia de la Inteligencia Emocional Percibida en el Bienestar Subjetivo. Se realiza un estudio cuantitativo y transversal descriptivo con diseño correlacional intersujetos. La muestra está formada por n = 1377 participantes entre 18 y 81 años,de los cuales el 57,8% se identificaron como mujeres y 42.1% como hombres. En cuanto a la nacionalidad, 44,4% eran portugueses y 54,9% eran brasileños. En términos de educación, 38,1% tenía un postgrado/máster, 33,2% tenía un primer grado/diploma, 14,9% tenía hasta 12 años de escolaridad y 13,8% tenía un PhD./post-PhD. Los participantes respondieron a la Escala de Evaluación de las Emociones y a la Versión Reducida de la Escala Portuguesa de Afecto Positivo y Negativo. Se encontraron diferencias en la mayoría de las dimensiones de la Inteligencia Emocional Percibida de acuerdo con las características sociodemográficas. Se concluyó que una alta Inteligencia Emocional Percibida está asociada con el Bienestar Subjetivo y tiene un gran efecto en la predicción del Afecto Positivo.