Background/Objectives: Given the observed increase in life expectancy within Europe, it is anticipated that there will be a growing number of retirees and a lengthening of the retirement phase for individuals. This has brought attention to the examination of how the disengagement from professional endeavors influences overall wellbeing. The objective of this investigation was to conduct a comprehensive literature review spanning the period from 1998 to 2024, focusing on the intersection of retirement and wellbeing. Methods: This review (PROSPERO reference: CRD42024621454) was based on scientific articles available in PsycInfo, PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science, resulting in the inclusion of 32 articles in the systematic review, of which 12 were eligible for meta-analysis. The quality of evidence was evaluated based on the Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies checklist. Results: The meta-analysis results revealed that the observed effect size was d = 0.383, considered moderate. This value was statistically significant (Z = 3.197; p = 0.001) with a 95% CI [0.148, 0.617]. The publications were subjected to qualitative analysis, taking into account study type and thematic content. The discernible outcomes were categorized as follows: (1) expectations regarding retirement, (2) preparation for retirement, (3) family relations and grandparenting, (4) quality of life and satisfaction with retirement, and (5) health consequences of retirement. Conclusions: The prevalent approach predominantly comprised quantitative investigations, with a particular focus on exploring the nexus between retirement and health implications, particularly in the context of European participants. This emphasis on health consequences provides a deeper comprehension of this association.
Background/Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze the mediating effects of coping styles on the relationship between satisfaction with social support (SSS) and quality of life (QoL) in breast cancer patients. Methods: A cross-sectional structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was used to examine the mediating effects. The participants were 311 women who were breast cancer patients, aged between 27 and 86 years (M = 46.61, SD = 9.53). Results: SEM analyses showed that SSS was positively associated with fighting spirit (β = 0.31, p < 0.05), cognitive avoidance (β = 0.19, p > 0.05), and QoL (β = 0.21, p < 0.05), and negatively associated with helplessness–hopelessness (β = −0.28, p < 0.05). Furthermore, fighting spirit and helplessness–hopelessness showed significant relationships with QoL. Anxious preoccupation was negatively related to QoL. Furthermore, fighting spirit and helplessness–hopelessness showed significant relationships with quality of life (β = 0.18, p < 0.05; β = −0.15, p < 0.05, respectively). In addition, the mediation analysis revealed that coping styles (i.e., fighting spirit and helplessness–hopelessness) mediated the relationship between SSS and QoL. Conclusions: The findings suggest that perceptions of SSS from family and friends may promote perceived QoL via adaptive coping, such as fighting spirit and helplessness–hopelessness strategies to deal with the cancer experience.
(1) Background: Adolescents who are under the care of child and youth institutions are vulnerable due to factors that can include disruption to family structure or education and adverse experiences. They often experience poor or unstable support systems, leaving them at risk of delinquency. In this context, sports engagement may provide a stable structure and have positive effects in this population. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions, knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors regarding social and emotional skills among at-risk adolescents, with a specific focus on their engagement in sports. (2) Methods: Ninety-six adolescents aged 12 to 17 years (66 female, 30 male), residing in child and youth care institutions across Italy, Portugal, the UK, and Turkey, participated in this study. The participants were divided into 14 focus groups, each with six to eight participants of similar ages. (3) Results: Thematic analysis revealed four main themes: Emotional causes of behavioral problems; Emotional skills to regain control; Social support makes sports worthwhile; Sport as a socio-emotional resource. (4) Conclusions: The study findings highlight that although sports create many challenging emotional situations for these adolescents, they also provides resources that may help them cope with their emotions within and beyond sports.
Este estudo pretendeu desenvolver e avaliar as características psicométricas de um novo instrumento para avaliar a autopercepção de capacidades de inteligência emocional (IE) baseado no modelo de IE de Mayer e Salovey (1997): o Questionário de Auto-Percepção de Inteligência Emocional (QIE-AP). Foram desenvolvidos dois estudos transversais. A amostra inclui 401 participantes (n1=191; n2=210) com idades entre 16 e 75 anos. Os dados foram analisados considerando uma análise fatorial exploratória (AFE), análise fatorial confirmatória (AFC), análise multigrupos, confiabilidade, e análises de correlação. Os resultados da análise fatorial exploratória suportam a retenção de quatro fatores do modelo teórico original: percepção, avaliação e expressão emocional, facilitação emocional do pensamento, compreensão e análise emocional, e regulação emocional. A análise fatorial confirmatória demonstrou um bom ajustamento dos dados à estrutura original de quatro fatores, e os fatores revelaram confiabilidade, validade convergente e discriminante. Adicionalmente, as duas análises multigrupos demonstraram que o modelo final é totalmente invariante entre as duas amostras independentes e parcialmente invariantes entre gêneros. O estudo suporta a validade e confiabilidade inicial do QIE-AP, tornando-o num instrumento útil na área da IE.
The assessment of emotional intelligence is limited by the lack of psychometrically valid instruments. The present study aimed at cross-culturally adapting and validating the Emotional Intelligence Self-perception Questionnaire (EIQ-SP) in samples of Brazilian and Portuguese university students. Within this scope, in a sample of 1,074 students, reliability, construct-related validity, and criterion-related validity were analyzed. Additionally, metric invariance between the two samples and between genders was assessed. EIQ-SP showed appropriate psychometric qualities in its validation for use in Brazil, maintaining Mayer and Salovey’s four-branch model. With a short application time, simple and objective language, its small number of questions makes it an attractive and valuable instrument to investigate Emotional Intelligence.