Leogildo Alves Freires

This study investigated the positive and negative predictors of depression, anxiety, stress, and flourishing among Brazilian adults during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample consisted of 665 adults (women: 77%), aged between 18 and 79 years (M = 36.70; SD = 13.12). Participants completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Brief-COPE Inventory; the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale; the PERMA Profiler; the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II; and the Meaning-Centered Coping Scale. Multiple regression analyses indicated that avoidance coping, and psychological inflexibility were significant predictors of stress, anxiety, and depression. Age, flourishing, and perceived physical health acted as protective factors, with significant differences between participants with and without prior psychological diagnoses. Meaning-centered coping predicted flourishing in both groups. These findings suggest that interventions should address prior diagnoses, and foster flourishing dimensions, alongside adaptive coping strategies, including meaning-centered coping.

This study aims to investigate the psychometric parameters of the revised version of the Relational Factors for the Risk of School Dropout Scale (IAFREE-R). This updated version offers a methodological advantage over the original, as its design allows the scale to be completed solely by students, eliminating issues commonly associated with third-person measures (the case of teachers answering about the student's risk of dropping out of school). Several procedures were conducted, including item adaptations for self-report and psychometric procedures encompassing structural equation modeling and item response theory analysis. First, evidence of validity based on content was achieved across countries. Further, internal structure evidence indicated that IAFREE-R performed better than the original model tested in Brazil. In sum, the IAFREE-R ensured its operational advantages with psychometric evidence.

Introduction: Sexual prejudice can harm the well-being and mental health of members of groups that are minoritized by sex and gender, such as the LGBTQIAPN+ population. Individual or group coping strategies have proven effective in dealing with such harm. Furthermore, the level of identification of LGBTQIAPN+ people with this group and their political ideology also have an impact on the well-being of this group. Objectives: This research aimed to verify the effect of psychosocial variables (social identity, activist identity and commitment to activism, political ideology and cyberactivism) on mental health (depression, anxiety and stress) based on differences in engagement in cyberactivist actions. Method: The final sample of the research was made up of 249 people from the LGBTQIAPN+ population with an average age of 24.8 years. They responded to instruments related to the analysis variables online. Results: Participants were divided according to their level of engagement in cyberactivism, with the group with high engagement (n = 114) presenting higher levels of ingroup identification, activist identity, and egalitarian political ideology; and the group with low engagement (n = 135) presenting higher levels of conservative political ideology. Only for the latter group was there a significant effect of low engagement in cyberactivism on mental health. Conclusion: The results reinforce the relationship between social identity and political action, presenting cyberactivism as a coping strategy and its impact on promoting well-being. In addition, the research brings social psychology and political psychology closer to studies on mental health.

School dropout is a multifaceted and persistent challenge with serious implications for public health, economic development, and social equity. In Brazil, where educational disparities remain deeply rooted in structural and contextual inequalities, addressing dropout requires more than tracking attendance, academic performance, or behavior. This study presents the development and implementation of a Relational Model (RM) aimed at identifying and mitigating school dropout risks through a comprehensive, data-informed approach. Central to this model is the Alternative Instrument for Assessing School Dropout Risk Factors (IAFREE-A), which evaluates 13 interrelated risk factors across five key dimensions: Student-School, Student-School Professionals, Student-Family, Student-Community, and Student-Student. These dimensions allow for a nuanced understanding of how relational dynamics and contextual conditions shape students’ engagement with schooling. A pilot study was carried out in the state of Mato Grosso, involving 624 students across 10 public schools. Data collection was conducted through physical questionnaires, digitized using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, and processed via an integrated digital platform. This platform generates individual and institutional dropout risk profiles by mapping protective and risk factors, providing actionable insights for educators, school administrators, and policymakers. Results highlighted critical concerns such as inadequate school infrastructure, perceptions of insecurity, and weak family-school connections, reinforcing the need for early, context-specific interventions. The findings demonstrate that school dropout is not an isolated event, but the outcome of complex relational, institutional, and structural factors. The RM and IAFREE-A offer an innovative and culturally sensitive framework for prevention, enabling tailored interventions that respond to students’ lived realities. By fostering stronger connections among students, educators, families, and communities, this approach has the potential to reduce dropout rates and promote more equitable and supportive educational environments in Brazil and beyond.

Este artigo investigou as motivações e impactos positivos e negativos do ativismo na saúde mental e bem-estar de ativistas LGBTQIAPN+ brasileiros. Participaram 18 ativistas de Instituições LGBTQIAPN+ brasileiras, com média de idade de 37,3 anos (DP=10,7). Utilizou-se um questionário online com perguntas abertas sobre motivações e impactos do ativismo, além de um questionário sociodemográfico. Os dados foram analisados através do método de análise temática. As principais motivações identificadas foram a luta por direitos e o propósito de vida. Apesar do alto nível de desgaste e exaustão, sugerindo sintomas de Burnout, o autocuidado e o reconhecimento do impacto positivo proporcionaram bem-estar aos ativistas.

Este estudo buscou compreender as representações sociais da maternidade entre mães de pessoas LGBTQIAPNb+, focando na experiência do coming out segundo a perspectiva dessas mães. Fundamentado na Psicologia Social Sociológica e na Teoria das Representações Sociais, com destaque para a Teoria do Núcleo Central, realizou-se uma pesquisa qualitativa descritiva. Foram coletados relatos de 14 mães cisgênero e biológicas, integrantes de um coletivo nacional de mães ativistas, por meio de grupos focais remotos (Google Meet e Zoom). Os dados, analisados via software Iramuteq, revelaram que a maternidade é permeada por crenças biologizantes, como o suposto instinto natural feminino para criar filhos. Assim, destaca-se a experiência solitária das mães no cuidado e desenvolvimento dos filhos ao longo da infância e adolescência, além da responsabilização e culpabilização atribuídas às mães pela orientação sexual ou identidade de gênero de seus filhos.

This study analyzed the syllabi of psychological assessment (PA) courses from undergraduate psychology programs at public and private higher education institutions (HEIs) in Northeastern Brazil, with the aim of reflecting on PA training in the region. A total of 17 public and nine private institutions made their syllabi available online; we analyzed these materials using IRaMuTeQ. The results indicate predominantly technique-driven approaches to PA instruction, with an emphasis on psychodiagnostics — features that were more prominent in private HEIs. Advances aligned with PA teaching guidelines were more evident in public HEIs, including the revision of course nomenclature, stronger integration with other psychological domains, treatment of PA as a process, and more sustained attention to ethical issues. Overall, PA training in public HEIs appears to align more closely with established teaching guidelines. Nevertheless, progress is still needed in both settings to ensure high-quality professional training, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has challenged psychology to revisit its practices and adapt to new contexts without compromising ethical standards or the quality of teaching and training.

Este estudo objetivou realizar uma análise dos ementários das disciplinas de avaliação psicológica (AP) dos cursos de graduação em psicologia de instituições de ensino superior (IES) públicas e privadas do Nordeste brasileiro, com fins a refletir sobre a formação em AP nesta região. Desse modo, 17 instituições públicas e nove privadas disponibilizaram estas informações on-line, as quais foram analisadas no Iramuteq. Os resultados demostram a presença de abordagens de ensino tecnicistas sobre a AP, com ênfase no psicodiagnóstico, sendo esses aspectos mais preponderantes nas IES privadas. Os avanços nas diretrizes para o ensino da AP foram mais perceptíveis em IES públicas, tais como: reformulação de nomenclaturas; maior articulação com outros saberes psicológicos; compreensão de AP enquanto processo; e a discussão sobre questões éticas. Conclui-se que a formação em AP nas IES públicas converge em maior medida com as diretrizes de ensino da disciplina, embora avanços em ambos os contextos sejam ainda necessários para uma formação profissional de qualidade, principalmente no contexto da pandemia do novo coronavírus, em que a psicologia em geral, tem sido desafiada a revisitar suas práticas e adaptar-se aos novos contextos, sem prejuízos de ordem ética e de qualidade do ensino e formação.

Desde sua criação em 2009, o ambiente virtual do Grindr tem se mostrado fértil para o estudo das interações sociais entre o público LGBTQIAPNb+, especialmente entre homens gays, bissexuais e outros homens que fazem sexo com homens (HSH). Este estudo analisa o uso de emojis nas interações desses usuários, com o objetivo de compreender como essas representações comunicam e modelam as práticas sexuais e de cuidado. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de uma roda de conversa online com seis usuários, recrutados por amostragem bola de neve. Os dados foram transcritos e analisados com o auxílio do software Iramuteq, resultando em um corpus textual que revelou temas centrais sobre posições sexuais, expressões de gênero, práticas sexuais, uso de substâncias e exclusão étnico-racial. Os achados indicam que, embora o aplicativo se apresente como um espaço seguro, muitos usuários relatam experiências marcadas por racismo, hostilidade e exclusão. A análise evidenciou que os emojis, além da comunicação, também funcionam como dispositivos de poder, condensando discursos e práticas sociais que delimitam quem é aceito e quem é excluído. Em conclusão, o estudo aponta que a separação entre as esferas real e virtual é ilusória, revelando como experiências online são marcadas por processos sociais já presentes no cotidiano. Por fim, o estudo reforça a urgência de repensar as interações online e desenvolver políticas públicas e estratégias de saúde sexual e cuidado que considerem interseccionalidades.