Sílvia Maria Fernandes Ala

Prof. Dr. Sílvia Maria Fernandes Ala

Ciências Sociais, da Vida e Saúde Pública, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Bragança, Portugal
orcid
Professor at the Department of Social Sciences, Life and Pub...

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

13Years (2014-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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Sílvia Maria Fernandes AlaSílvia Maria Fernandes Ala
Sílvia Maria Fernandes Ala
FCFrancisco Ramos Campos
Francisco Ramos Campos
IRInês Carvalho Relva
Inês Carvalho Relva
The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the most stressful events in recent times across the world. The long-term effect of these experiences raises several concerns, including the development of post-traumatic stress symptomatology. However, little is known about the psychological processes that mediate this association. The aim of this study was to explore the association of emotional exhaustion and anxiety in post-traumatic stress symptomatology, and the mediating role of resilience and psychological well-being in university students. A total of 526 university students of both sexes participated in this study, and they were aged between 17 and 62 years old. Symptoms of anxiety and emotional exhaustion were significantly higher in females, in contrast, males showed on average more resilience and psychological well-being. Additionally, participants with COVID-19 infection had higher levels of emotional exhaustion, anxiety, and PTSD. The results indicated that the variables were correlated with each other (p < 0.001). A conceptual model was confirmed that describes anxiety and emotional exhaustion as predictors, post-traumatic stress symptomatology as an outcome variable, and resilience and psychological well-being as mediators. Resilience and psychological well-being can be important protective factors for adaptive responses in stressful situations. The findings obtained in this study will provide a theoretical basis for designing targeted interventions to improve psychological health, whether for crisis intervention, the process of adapting to higher education, or for recovery plans from psychological trauma.

Sílvia Maria Fernandes AlaSílvia Maria Fernandes Ala
Sílvia Maria Fernandes Ala
FCFrancisco Ramos Campos
Francisco Ramos Campos
IRInês Carvalho Relva
Inês Carvalho Relva
Academic emotional exhaustion is the first stage of academic burnout syndrome, and it is necessary to assess it and intervene early, as the consequences can lead to harmful effects on psychological well-being. The main objectives of this study were to explore the psychometric properties of the Emotional Exhaustion Scale (ECE); to assess the association with suffering and positive well-being, using the MHI-5 Inventory; and to provide information on its validity and to compare it with these constructs. A total sample of 526 university students (81% female and 19% male) aged between 17 and 62 (M = 21.42 years and SD = 5.78) took part in this study. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were carried out. In the internal consistency assessment, the ECE was 0.89 and the MHI-5 was 0.81 (Cronbach’s alpha). Exploratory factor analysis was carried out with Varimax rotation and confirmatory analysis, obtaining the factor that explains 50.5% of the variance. The results indicated that the ECE has adequate psychometric properties for use with higher education students in Portugal. Its use by mental health professionals in higher education institutions could be very relevant for screening for emotional exhaustion and thus preventing possible serious pathologies.

1 August 2017 in Revista Portuguesa de Enfermagem de Saúde Mental
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Journal Article
Closed access
AGAna Galvão
Ana Galvão
MPMarco Pinheiro
Marco Pinheiro
MGMaria José Gomes
Maria José Gomes
Sílvia Maria Fernandes AlaSílvia Maria Fernandes Ala
Sílvia Maria Fernandes Ala

1 September 2014
Verified
Conference Paper
Closed access
Fernando CassolaFernando Cassola
Fernando Cassola
Hugo ParedesHugo Paredes
Hugo Paredes
Benjamim FonsecaBenjamim Fonseca
Benjamim Fonseca
PMPaulo Nogueira Martins
Paulo Nogueira Martins
Sílvia Maria Fernandes AlaSílvia Maria Fernandes Ala
Sílvia Maria Fernandes Ala
Leonel MorgadoLeonel Morgado
Leonel Morgado
To enhance older citizen's practice of physical exercise, we present the architecture, development, and pilot testing of a multiuser online gymnasium based on Kinect motion capture and OpenSimulator, which aims to enable socialization and supervision of exercise practice without travel requirements. The prototype was tested simultaneously with 4 elders at different locations, providing data on the feasibility of the approach and informing subsequent development and research.

24 February 2017 in BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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IMIdoia Muñoz
Idoia Muñoz
JGJokin Garatea
Jokin Garatea
Sílvia Maria Fernandes AlaSílvia Maria Fernandes Ala
Sílvia Maria Fernandes Ala
FCFrancisco Cardoso
Francisco Cardoso
Hugo ParedesHugo Paredes
Hugo Paredes
VAVasco Amorim
Vasco Amorim
Becoming the European reference center for the development of new products and services for the Ocean sliding sector and water activities.-Divide the ""Time to Market" and "project risks" in 2. A3 e-Health usability and acceptance: A case study of the Portuguese citizens' health portal

1 January 2018
Verified
Conference Paper
Open access
HLHélio B. M. Lourenço
Hélio B. M. Lourenço
VSVíctor Sanfins
Víctor Sanfins
Sílvia Maria Fernandes AlaSílvia Maria Fernandes Ala
Sílvia Maria Fernandes Ala
FBFrancisco Barros
Francisco Barros
HSHugo P. Silva
Hugo P. Silva
Manuel José Cabral dos Santos ReisManuel José Cabral dos Santos Reis
Manuel José Cabral dos Santos Reis