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.

Background: Cognitive Impairment (CI) is a growing public health problem among the older population, with well‐established risk factors. However, the role of psychosocial predictors still needs to be clarified. This study aimed to analyze whether psychosocial factors may be predictors of CI in older persons.Method: In the framework of “Porto. Importa‐se” longitudinal project, this study included older persons (≥70y.o. living alone and couples ≥75y.o.), living in social housing in Porto city, Portugal. The research protocol included: Six‐item Cognitive Impairment Test (CI), Barthel and Lawton Index (Basic/Instrumental Activities of Daily Living‐BADLs/IADLs), Geriatric Depression Scale‐15 (depressive symptoms) and Lubben Social Network Scale‐6 (social isolation). Loneliness was assessed with a categorical question: Do you feel lonely?. A logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify predictors of CI. Odds Ratio (OR) and its 95% Confidence Interval (95%CI) were calculated. A p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.Result: Of the 1213 older persons (mean age 81±5.7) included, most were female (74%) and 36% had low education level (<4years). About 11% were severely dependent on IADLs and 27% presented CI. Around 35% of participants were at risk of social isolation, 54% reported loneliness and 48% showed depressive symptoms.The logistic regression model was statistically significant [X²(5,N = 1213) = 148.596,p<.001], explaining 19.7%(Nagelkerke R²) of variance in CI (correctly classified 77% of cases). The adjusted model had a moderate sensitivity (63%) and specificity (78%). The oldest persons (≥80 years old) were 1.77 as likely to have CI than younger (OR = 1.77, 95%CI[1.3, 2.4]). Those with less education (<4years) were 0.26 times as likely to present CI than reference group (≥4years) (OR = 0.26, 95%CI[0.2, 0.4]) and females 1.5 times more than males (OR = 1.50, 95%CI[1.0, 2.2]). Older persons at risk of social isolation were 1.85 as likely to have CI (OR = 1.85, 95%CI[1.4, 2.5] and those with depressive symptoms were 1.39 likely to present CI (OR = 1.39, 95%CI[1.0, 1.9]).Conclusion: Older age, female gender, low education, depressive symptoms and social isolation were predictors of CI. The existence of potentially modifiable factors (e.g., social isolation, depression), means that CI prevention is possible through the implementation of effective individual and community‐level interventions, aiming to protect older persons from CI.