The recent implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) establishes a set of formal requirements that reinforce personal data protection, namely, those concerning the collection, treatment, and dissemination of data on research participants. With the application of this new legal provision at the European level, new types of restrictions are emerging, whose nature and reach intensify the tension between demands for privacy and scientific freedom in research. In this article, we take as a reference an ongoing research taking place in Portugal, in the field of Sociology of Health, concerning the consumption of medicines by professionals exposed to high-performance pressure. Our main objective is to identify and analyse the implications of regulatory challenges faced in the research process and how the researchers managed and overcame them. We present a critical narrative that sheds light on the nature of the choices taken while also assessing the practical implications for the operationalisation of the research. We conclude by noting that, despite the benefits that may flow from the application of GDPR, the new requirements regarding the protection of personal data may override the ethical principles of scientific research and strengthen regulatory restrictions on conducting research. In the research concerned, the significant practical implications were indirect access to participants, a more time-consuming process in terms of participant adherence and a temporal discrepancy between the different stages of recruitment.

This paper addresses the issue of work-life balance based on data from a sociological study carried out in Portugal among three professional groups under high pressure to perform — nurses, police officers and journalists — based on a mixed-methods approach. The results elucidate how some characteristics of the nature of work (namely the working hours, the pace of work and the level of demand of the activity) have an impact on time management, sleep and conciliation with private/family life. The main conclusion is that there is prevalence of a totalizing nature of work.

This article discusses results from a sociological study on (i) the sources and use of information on medicines and/or supplements and (ii) the self-assessment of how informed participants were about the last medicine or supplement they purchased. It seeks to demonstrate the plurality of information sources (expert and lay) that individuals call upon—with which they build up their medication literacy—and their perception of the information they have. While these social components of literacy are scarcely visible in available studies, the need to produce knowledge on them is a requisite for a more laypeople-centred approach in public policies seeking to promote medication literacy. A questionnaire was applied in-person (n = 1107) in urban pharmacies in Lisbon and Porto (Portugal). Results show expert information (medical and pharmaceutical) as the dominant reference, followed by lay sources (family/friends/colleagues), while digital sources were less valued than interpersonal ones. This interpersonal dimension was a relevant factor in the building of trust in information. The self-assessment of the information on medication was higher in functional literacy and lower in comprehensive literacy. Studies on medication literacy are particularly relevant in the current context of the expansion and diversification of medicines’ use and of individuals’ growing autonomy in their consumption habits.

The present article seeks to help update what we know about Sociology’s place in Portuguese higher education — not as a primary academic field, but rather when mobilised by other courses and areas. After surveying the information in curricular plans, the author looks at how the discipline fits into the general framework of other courses and how useful people find it, with interviews of a number of senior staff (coordinators / teachers) from different courses and institutions. The outcome shows that although Sociology is valued in such contexts, it still faces various obstacles.

Este texto aprofunda o tema das estratégias de obtenção de emprego entre imigrantes brasileiros em Portugal. Entre os principais objetivos está, em primeiro lugar, compreender a importância das redes sociais na obtenção de emprego no exterior, como mecanismo facilitador do processo de migração. Em segundo, explorar a hipótese de que, entre os migrantes internacionais, os "laços fracos" importam mais para obtenção de emprego do que os "laços fortes". Por fim, identificar as variáveis - sexo, idade, qualificação, inserção socioprofissional e tipo de empregador, entre outras - associadas aos diferentes tipos de estratégias e de redes. A principal base empírica utilizada é uma pesquisa com imigrantes brasileiros em Portugal realizada no ano de 2009. This article addresses the theme of job search strategies among Brazilian immigrants in Portugal. Its main objectives are, first, to understand the importance of social networks in finding employment abroad, as an enabling mechanism of the migration process. Second, to explore the hypothesis that, among international migrants, the "weak ties" matter more than "strong ties" to get a job. Finally, to identify the variables - gender, age, qualification, socio-professional insertion and type of employer, among others - associated with different types of strategies and networks. The main empirical base used for this study is a survey of Brazilian immigrants in Portugal carried out in 2009

Departing from a broader sociological study, this article presents exploratory research seeking to analyse practices of online information exchange on the consumption of medicines and food supplements among students, mainly to improve cognitive performance. It aims to show that the Internet is a relevant space which should be considered when analysing where lay people, specifically students, get information about medicines. The empirical field was limited to online open discussion forums, websites, and blogs registered in Portugal, and the collected information was subjected to a qualitative content analysis. The research took place between January 2021 and February 2022, and the analysed threads date back to March 2015. The results show that young people use these platforms to ask questions related to the consumption of medicines and supplements for cognitive performance. While sharing experiences is central to the validation of practices and behaviours, key elements in this discussion also include the construction of a shared social identity, the possibility of anonymity, and the attribution of credibility to the sources of information.