Project 1 - Spirituality/Religiosity, pain and mental health in institutional contexts
Spirituality/Religiosity is a phenomenon that permeates different human experiences, among them: pain, in its expanded understanding; mental health, in different aspects and contexts. Regarding pain, which is one of the most prevalent complaints in the world, several studies point to management possibilities through resources that take into account spirituality/religiosity. The complexity and subjectivity that make up the painful phenomenon can become a challenge for professionals in recognition, assessment, and care, revealing the need to narrow the dialogue between different knowledge areas for proper management, especially when considering the concept of total pain, which encompasses physical, emotional, social, spiritual aspects, among others. Concerning mental health, resources linked to spirituality/religiosity have also guaranteed appropriate management strategies, promoting improvement in quality of life. Thus, there is recognized evidence in the international literature of the importance of spirituality/religiosity in the management of pain and mental health, in the various institutions in which individuals are inserted, which implies the relevance of studies that address these phenomena. The objective of this research project is to prepare professionals for the identification of spirituality/religiosity resources that can assist in the development of pain and mental health management strategies, considering the different institutional contexts (in the family, in education, in health, at work, etc.).
Responsible Professor: Simone Saltareli
Line 2: Adult mental health in different institutional contexts
Project 2 - Sex education, in institutions, as a resource for the development of mental and sexual health
Sexuality is a constituent part of human subjectivity, therefore demanding understanding, reflection, and intervention so that one can contribute positively throughout a person's development, whether child, adolescent, adult or elderly. The concept of sexuality here is understood in a broad sense, encompassing affection, love, friendship, gender, sexual practices, sexual orientation, reproduction and pleasure; and its consequences such as sexual abuse, autonomous experience of sexuality, gender diversity, sexually transmitted infections, among others. This project aims to equip health and education professionals to carry out sex education activities in institutions such as: schools, families, NGOs and communities, which can lead to an understanding of the importance of the health professional's role in identifying risk and protective factors related to awareness of sex education throughout development. Considering that a person's relationship with their environment can contribute to the construction of erroneous ideas and prejudices regarding the experience of sexuality, ideas that favor the development of psychopathologies, the emphasis of the work in this project will be on institutions that greatly contribute to the development of a person's subjectivity. As resulting products, it is intended to develop and implement instruments and procedures that enable the healthy development of sexuality, creating resources for the experience of autonomous sexuality.
Responsible Professor: Selma Aparecida Geraldo Benzoni
Line 1: Mental health and the different institutional contexts of child and adolescent development
Line 2: Adult mental health in different institutional contexts
Project 3 - Mental health, development and social skills in educational contexts and adverse situations
The literature presents the impact of some life situations, context and individual characteristics, such as skills and competencies, on development and health. The ability to overcome adversity can be characterized as resilience. Social skills can act as protective factors and, consequently, be associated with coping with adversity, promoting mental health promotion and prevention. Institutional contexts, especially educational ones, are also potential promoters of development and health, and can be interesting for preventive investigation and action, of a universal and selective nature. This project aims to identify promotion and risk factors for Mental Health and development, specifically in educational contexts, such as schools and universities, as well as in contexts that are considered adverse, such as being in a street situation, rehabilitation clinics, shelters and extreme poverty. It is expected that the results obtained can assist in the identification of promotion and prevention factors in mental health in educational contexts and in adverse conditions so that preventive and interventional actions can be carried out.
Responsible Professor: Marta Regina Gonçalves Correia Zanini
Line 1: Mental health and the different institutional contexts of child and adolescent development
Line 2: Adult mental health in different institutional contexts
Project 4 - Children, adolescents and adults in contexts of risk and social vulnerability
Violence is considered, by the World Health Organization, a public health problem with a multifactorial and multidimensional character. Countries like Brazil, where public policies are still under development, need to expand their studies covering not only the phenomenon of violence, but also risk and protective factors, so that public policies can have more actions that effectively address the population that benefits from them. This project aims to identify risk and protection indicators for people in situations of risk and social vulnerability (children, adolescents, adults, elderly), as well as the professionals who care for this population. The project focuses on the development and application of interventional practices in institutional contexts of low, medium and high complexity, thus providing improvement in developmental contexts, safeguarding mental health and producing specialized technology.
Responsible Professor: Ana Carolina Ferreira Castanho
Line 1: Mental health and the different institutional contexts of child and adolescent development
Line 2: Adult mental health in different institutional contexts
Project 5 - Mental health demands and actions in contexts of collective health care
The institutions that correspond to the gateway to the Unified Health System - SUS, receive a diverse demand. Considering the biopsychosocial aspect, any illness that is treated in a health unit will require a more complex and systemic look. This study is oriented to identify the prevalent needs, risk and/or protective factors for mental health for users, family members and the team of professionals working in different contexts of public health care. Thus, mental health demands will be investigated, considering the biological, psychological and social factors involved, in order to produce new strategies for promotion, prevention and intervention in collective mental health.
Responsible Professor: Ana Paula Parada
Line 2: Adult mental health in different institutional contexts
Project 6 - Aging, psychosocial practices for quality of life in longevity and the care offered by health teams
Death is a possibility in the life of every human being at any moment in life. As part of our Western culture, many adults avoid talking about aging and the possibilities of approaching death, since they were not educated in their training to deal with losses and the management of finitude. This scenario often leads professional caregivers to impotence and illness due to the lack of a culture of welcoming and dealing with losses. This project aims to investigate the interventions of psychologists and other professionals involved in grief care for patients, families and health teams, regarding the challenges everyone faces in vital aging processes and the lack of effective and humanized care for human finitude. The objective is to prepare professionals such as psychologists, doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, social workers and others who work, or wish to work, on the theme of aging and grief. The project works with quantitative and qualitative studies, seeking to develop practices through different research methods and the needs of health scenarios, the users involved, institutions and care, raised through Cartography. Fields such as psycho-oncology, gerontology, psychiatry, neurology, continuing education of health professionals and clinical psychology, among others, constitute fields of action for the project.
Responsible Professor: Lílian Cláudia Ulian Junqueira
Line 2: Adult mental health in different institutional contexts
Project 7 - Psychosocial intervention, focusing on stress in workers affected by work-related health problems
In the work context, within public and private organizations, the manifestation of many mental health impairments is observed and, starting from a theoretical reference of cognitive behavioral psychology, taking stress as a manifestation of psychosocial problems and work-related mental health, the project seeks a broad and cross-cultural understanding of the psychological and social issues that negatively interfere in the quality of life, functionality and productive capacity of sick workers. Based on the ICF - International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (WHO), the project is developed through quantitative, qualitative and intervention methodologies, with participants being workers from the public and private sectors. Its products include the development of diagnostic instruments, intervention methodologies for recovery, strengthening and reintegration of these workers into productive activities, as well as the development and implementation of educational programs related to health promotion and prevention concerning mental health and work.
Responsible Professor: Paulo Eduardo Benzoni
Line 2: Adult mental health in different institutional contexts
Project 8 - Practices of social reintegration and promotion of citizenship in the context of mental health
Work guided by the observation that workers in the mental health area need to guide their practices by current Legislation, especially regarding services that aim to replace old hospitalizations in psychiatric hospitals. Its objective is the promotion of citizenship for individuals discharged from psychiatric hospitals and/or people with demands for resocialization. In this sense, institutional clinical practices based on the theoretical-methodological framework of operative groups and phenomenology will be used in the discussion and guidance of possible interventions in the mental health services of the municipality. As a method of collecting and analyzing research data developed here, the same references will also be used, aiming at madness as a social phenomenon that can be understood in the collective context in which it manifests itself.
Responsible Professor: Isabel Cristina Carniel
Line 2: Adult mental health in different institutional contexts
Project 9 - Mental health problems in the educational context and their effects on human development processes
In recent years, a new paradigm in mental health has been consolidating in educational contexts, through which more comprehensive and contextualized practices of prevention and promotion of psychological health are gaining space. Children and adolescents affected by risk factors present more frequently emotional, learning, schooling, socialization, behavior problems, school dropout, among others. There is an observed increase in rates of work leave by education professionals due to problems related to well-being in the educational context. There are several effects that mental health problems experienced in the educational context can cause in psychological development processes. Based on the assumptions of Socio-Interactionist Psychology, this project has two main objectives: a) to survey indicators that produce mental health problems related to educational contexts, and investigate their effects on psychological development processes; and b) develop interventional practices seeking to promote mental health. It will work with qualitative and quantitative methodologies, assessment instruments, and intervention research, enabling the construction of innovative practices, from a critical and interdisciplinary perspective.
Responsible Professor: Caroline Francisca Eltink
Line 1: Mental health and the different institutional contexts of child and adolescent development
Line 2: Adult mental health in different institutional contexts
Project 10 - Interdisciplinary and intersectoral practices of psychology in defense of mental health related to work
Considering that work activities in contemporary times present increasingly dynamic and complex characteristics, with significant impacts on the mental health and subjectivity of workers, this research project aims to understand and analyze the interdisciplinary and intersectoral actions of Psychology professionals aimed at confronting work-related mental illness. It seeks to highlight that, given the numerous current challenges in the world of work and in the field of worker health, it becomes essential to expand practices that involve various social actors and sectors of society in promoting the psychological health of workers. Psychology, as a science and profession, can contribute significantly through networked actions committed to defending the mental health of these individuals. The project is conducted based on qualitative methodologies and dialogical intervention-research, with participants being workers from different sectors, both public and private. It intends to identify integrated practices and foster the strengthening of interdisciplinary and intersectoral networks, expanding the role of Psychology in promoting mental health in the work context and contributing to transformative proposals in public policies and institutional practices in mental health. As a result, it is intended to produce different technical-scientific materials, such as intersectoral practical guides, digital booklets and/or training workshops, among other products, with guidance and applicable strategies for promoting mental health at work, in different institutions and territories.
Responsible Professor: Heidy Johanna Garrido Pinzón
Line 2: Adult mental health in different institutional contexts