Adriana Félix

Population ageing, social isolation, and limited opportunities for meaningful contact between generations pose important challenges to healthy ageing and community well-being. This mixed-methods pilot study examined the feasibility, acceptability, co-creation process, and preliminary outcomes of the P-IN Programme, a community-based intergenerational intervention involving preschool children and older adults living in residential care. The programme was developed and implemented in partnership with a preschool and a residential care facility in Portugal and comprised ten intergenerational sessions shaped through an iterative co-creation process involving participants, professionals, and researchers. Twenty-three children, eighteen older adults, and five professionals contributed to the study. Quantitative pre–post assessment explored fluency in both generations and cognitive functioning, quality of life, subjective well-being, and social participation in older adults. Qualitative data examined intergenerational beliefs, participants’ experiences, relationships, and reciprocal learning, while also informing the co-creation process. Most quantitative outcomes remained stable, although cognitive functioning showed a moderate, non-significant effect. Perceived quality of life changed significantly in an unfavourable direction. In contrast, qualitative findings revealed broader and more relational representations of the other generation, alongside shared experiences and clearer recognition of reciprocal learning. The integration of both components showed that positive relational and experiential changes were not necessarily accompanied by changes in broader standardised outcomes. Overall, the P-IN Programme was feasible to implement and generally well received within the two participating community settings. These findings support further evaluation of co-created intergenerational programmes using larger samples, controlled designs, and longer-term follow-up.

Sleep is essential for child development, influencing cognition, emotional regulation, behavior, and physical health. Recent studies increasingly frame sleep as both a key developmental process and a modifiable factor shaped by, and shaping environmental risks—including digital screen exposure and psychosocial stress. This systematic review synthesized empirical findings from cross-sectional and cohort studies published between 2019 and 2024 on the associations between sleep duration, quality, and patterns and developmental outcomes in typically developing children aged 6–12 years. Searches were conducted in EBSCO, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, yielding 99 records, of which 20 met inclusion criteria. Methodological quality was evaluated using Joanna Briggs Institute tools. Findings show consistent associations between better sleep and enhanced cognitive performance, emotional well-being, and reduced behavioral problems. Some studies identified sleep as a mediator between screen use and behavioral difficulties, whit additional moderating effects related to gender and socioeconomic status. However, most studies used cross-sectional designs and self-reported measures, limiting causal interpretation. Overall, sleep emerge as a potentially modifiable factor influencing developmental outcomes, based on correlational evidence. Future research should prioritize longitudinal and ecologically valid designs, objective measures, and computational approaches to identify sleep-related risk profiles and guide early interventions.

Sleep disturbances are prevalent among older adults, often due to natural physiological aging or various mental health factors, including beliefs and attitudes toward sleep. Despite this, the relationship between sleep quality and mental well-being in older populations remains underexplored. This study aims to examine the role of dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep as predictors of poor sleep quality in Portuguese adults aged 50 and above. The study included 125 Portuguese participants, aged 50 to 80 (M = 58.07, SD = 6.15). Data were collected using the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep (DBAS-16), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Work Health Questionnaire (WHQ), along with sociodemographic information. A self-report online survey was disseminated through social media between March and May 2024. Findings indicate a significant association between negative beliefs about sleep, poor perceptions of health, and decreased sleep quality in adults over 50. These relationships intensify with age, suggesting that negative attitudes toward sleep may exacerbate sleep disturbances. The results highlight the need to better understand the interplay between sleep beliefs, functional health, and sleep quality in older populations. Such understanding can inform the development of interventions to improve sleep literacy and overall well-being among older adults.