MSc in Health Psychology and Neuropsychological Rehabilitation; PhD Student
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
Psychology, Applied Psychology, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management
6
Scopus Publications
120
Scholar Citations
5
Scholar h-index
5
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Validation of the third version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire for Portugal Teresa P. Cotrim, Pedro Bem-Haja, Paula Vagos, Isabel Silva, Rui Azevedo, et al. Plos Global Public Health, 2026 The prevalence and impact of exposure to psychosocial risk factors seems to be increasing in labour contexts in general. The assessment and measurement of psychosocial work factors is essential for the improvement of healthy workplaces and should be incorporated into health and safety management programmes. The assessment of psychosocial factors requires the selection of appropriate instruments that respond to the multidimensionality of that construct. The COPSOQ III covers a multitude of theoretical approaches and provides comprehensive information on psychosocial working conditions that may help to deduce actions for their improvement. The use of COPSOQ III in national context needs prior validation studies. In this regard, the paper aims to assess the psychometric properties of the middle version of COPSOQ III as to provide evidence on the validity of this instrument to be used for the Portuguese working population. The validation process comprised a national sample of 7,506 participants that included different occupational sectors based on a cross-sectional study. Construct validity was assessed through Confirmatory Factor Analysis and the internal consistency of the scales was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha. The results revealed a satisfactory reliability and ability of the Portuguese middle version of COPSOQ III (COPSOQ III-PT) to discriminate the psychosocial dimensions. The distribution of the scores of the study sample by each scale and by sex enables a better interpretation of the results based on reference values.
Organizational health factors: multidimensional insights into occupational stress in higher education Isabel Souto, Anabela Sousa Pereira, Elisabeth Brito, Paulo Alves, Daniel Marrinhas Frontiers in Psychology, 2026 Introduction Occupational stress (OS) among higher education (HE) teachers is a growing concern, intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores OS through the Organizational Health (OH) Framework, integrating individual, organizational, and contextual factors to assess their impact on teacher Health and Well-being. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 401 Portuguese HE teachers. Data were collected via validated instruments including the Brief Resilient Coping Scale, COPSOQ III, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, and a COVID-19-related checklist. Statistical analyses included correlations, ANOVA, and multiple regressions to identify predictive relationships. Results Findings revealed that (i) The professional context of teachers has its own characteristics, with low levels of resilient coping, high exposure to job demands, particularly cognitive demands. Concerning the Covid-19 pandemic, fear of infecting someone and the exaggeration of information on social media emerge as the most frequent causes of fear. Satisfaction with the level of adaptation to the pandemic situation, in terms of lifestyle, was high. For 32.7% of participants, Distress values have clinical significance, as well as Sleep Problems, Burnout, Stress, and Depressive Symptoms; around 40% of responses fell into the risk category for health impact. (ii) The Health and Well-being of Higher Education teachers is influenced by the interaction of individual and organizational factors, and vice versa, while both are influenced by contextual factors, namely experiences associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. (iii) Work–family conflict and Job Demands are risk factors with a pronounced predictive effect on Health and Well-being, while Resilient Coping and Meaningfulness of work stand out for their protective effect. Satisfaction with lifestyle concerning Covid-19 emerged as a predictor in all Health and Well-being domains. Discussion The study underscores the complex interplay between individual, organizational, and contextual factors in shaping teacher Health and Well-being. It highlights the need for targeted interventions and organizational policies that foster resilience and mitigate stress. Promoting well-being in HE requires integrated strategies addressing systemic and individual dimensions, with implications for public policy and institutional practice.
Self-Efficacy, Resilience and Distress: Challenges in Education for Sustainable Entrepreneurship in a Health Context Isabel Souto, Elisabeth Brito, Anabela Pereira Education Sciences, 2022 The European Commission has highlighted the development of entrepreneurship competence in lifelong learning skills. In this way, the present study aims to contribute towards fostering the intrapreneurial mindset in healthcare settings. The focus of attention is on the relationship between organizational structures and processes (work-related content and content, specifically psychosocial risk factors), as well as individual wellbeing factors (distress and resilient coping) that could be relevant not only for the promotion of organizational wellbeing, but also to ensure an intrapreneurship-friendly environment (through the promotion of self-efficacy). An empirical study was conducted involving 333 formal caregivers of healthcare services. Portuguese versions of the instruments Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS), and Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ III, medium version) were employed. Results show that resilience and distress (at the individual level), as well as role clarity, control over working time, and job insecurity (at the organizational level) are predisposing factors for self-efficacy, which are highlighted as essential to ensure an enabling environment for intrapreneurship and wellbeing. For practical consideration, we present an entrepreneurial mindset development strategy through the implementation of cause-related marketing as a pedagogical tool for entrepreneurship within the organization, which allows for experimentation and the necessary creative flexibility.
Healthcare Services and Formal Caregiver’s Psychosocial Risk Factors: An Observational Study Anabela Pereira, Elisabeth Brito, Isabel Souto, Bruno Alves International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022 The prevention and management of chronic disease primarily requires risk reduction measures, through strategic coordination across various government areas. Recognizing that health workers and the public health workforce are integral to building strong and resilient health, the present study analyses the relation between Psychosocial Risk Factors (PRFs, to which formal caregivers are exposed in the healthcare settings), and the work system related elements of the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS 3.0) framework. An empirical study was carried out, involving 333 formal caregivers of healthcare services. A total of 31 PRFs were assessed (using the COPSOQ III), making it possible to find a relationship between the PRFs analyzed with three elements of the work system, namely Task (5 PRFs), Organizational factors (17 PRFs), and Individual (9 PRFs). The present work contributes not only in terms of outcomes that allow the development of mental illness prevention and mental health promotion actions for healthcare formal caregivers, but also in terms of the relevance that these factors can have on the quality of health services, as well as their users (patients), in line with SEIPS 3.0 model.
The Portuguese Third Version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire: Preliminary Validation Studies of the Middle Version among Municipal and Healthcare Workers Teresa P. Cotrim, Pedro Bem-Haja, Anabela Pereira, Cláudia Fernandes, Rui Azevedo, et al. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022 A third version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ III) was developed internationally aiming to respond to new trends in working conditions, theoretical concepts, and international experience. This article aims to present the preliminary validation studies for the Portuguese middle version of COPSOQ III. This is an exploratory cross-sectional study viewing the cross-cultural adaption of COPSOQ III to Portugal, ensuring the contents and face validity and performing field-testing in order to reduce the number of items and to obtain insight into the data structure, through classic test theory and item response theory approaches. The qualitative study encompassed 29 participants and the quantitative one 659 participants from municipalities and healthcare settings. Content analysis suggested that minor re-wording could improve the face validity of items, while a reduced version, with 85 items, shows psychometric stability, achieving good internal consistency in all subscales. The COPSOQ III Portuguese middle version proved to be a valid preliminary version for future validation studies with various populations, able to be used in correlational studies with other dimensions.
Validation of the third version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire for Portugal TP Cotrim, P Bem-Haja, P Vagos, I Silva, R Azevedo, C Fernandes, ... PLOS Global Public Health 6 (5), e0006036 , 2026 2026.0
Organizational health factors: multidimensional insights into occupational stress in higher education I Souto, AS Pereira, E Brito, P Alves, D Marrinhas Frontiers in Psychology 16, 1715167 , 2026 2026.0
Fostering Organisational Excellence: Analyzing the Interplay Between Involvement in Continuous Improvement and Organizational Social Capital E Brito, I Souto, A Pereira Economic and Social Development: Book of Proceedings, 144-151 , 2023 2023.0 Citations: 2
Self-efficacy, resilience and distress: Challenges in education for sustainable entrepreneurship in a health context I Souto, E Brito, A Pereira Education Sciences 12 (10), 720 , 2022 2022.0 Citations: 21
The Portuguese Third Version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire: preliminary validation studies of the middle version among municipal and healthcare workers TP Cotrim, P Bem-Haja, A Pereira, C Fernandes, R Azevedo, S Antunes, ... International journal of environmental research and public health 19 (3), 1167 , 2022 2022.0 Citations: 44
Avaliação de stress ocupacional em tempo de crise: desafios à psicologia 4.0 I Souto, I Brito, A Pereira Psicologia, Saúde & Doenças , 2022 2022.0 Citations: 4
Bateria de avaliação de desenvolvimento desportivo: psico, técnico-tático (badd. pt) F Batista, J Valinho, J Valinho, J Vigário, I Souto 14º CONGRESSO NACIONAL DE PSICOLOGIA DA SAÚDE–ACTAS 43 (3), 147 , 2022 2022.0
Healthcare Services and Formal Caregiver’s Psychosocial Risk Factors: An Observational Study A Pereira, E Brito, I Souto, B Alves Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 19 (5009), 1-10 , 2022 2022.0 Citations: 12
DO WE HAVE A MATCH? COPING WITH BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS IN VOCATIONAL TRAINING COURSES CA Santos, B Benedicto, I Souto, B Barbosa, F Costa, A Melo, S Filipe, ... ICERI2021 Proceedings, 2975-2982 , 2021 2021.0
MATHEMATICS IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING: A STRENGTH OR A WEAKNESS? CA Santos, I Souto, B Benedicto, B Barbosa, S Filipe, F Costa, A Melo, ... ICERI2021 Proceedings, 3040-3048 , 2021 2021.0 Citations: 1
Gender occupational health: how to support higher education teachers? I Souto, A Pereira, E Brito, IG Direito Edições ISPA , 2020 2020.0 Citations: 1
Occupational health risk among teachers in higher education I Souto, A Pereira, E Brito, L Sancho, S Barros International Conference on Healthcare Ergonomics and Patient Safety, 311-322 , 2019 2019.0 Citations: 15
SCHOOL PROBLEMS AND TEACHERS’COLLABORATION: BEFORE A COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING PROGRAM A Ataíde, I Souto, A Pereira Education and New Developments 1 (July), 222-226 , 2019 2019.0 Citations: 2
Ansiedade na performance musical de música de câmara: O efeito do biofeedback como medida interventiva em quarteto de trombones [Music performance anxiety in chamber music: The … S Barros, H Marinho, A Pereira, A Ribeiro, I Souto, L Sancho Revista Contexto & Saúde 19 (36), 120-126 , 2019 2019.0 Citations: 5
Estudo 5. Validation of the EGK questionnaire for the promotion of mental health in gatekeeper schools. A Almeida, P Pinheiro, O Okan, J Jardim, E Brito, I Souto, A Pereira Agar Nogueira 17, 117 , 2019 2019.0
Psychosocial risk factors and distress in higher education teachers I Souto, A Pereira, E Brito, L Sancho, J Jardim European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences 48 , 2018 2018.0 Citations: 13
Ansiedade na Performance Musical de Música de Câmara S Barros, H Marinho, A Pereira, A Ribeiro, I Souto, L Sancho
Validation Of The Egk Questionnaire For The Promotion Of Mental Health In Gatekeeper Schools A Almeida, P Pinheiro, O Okan, J Jardim, E Brito, I Souto, A Pereira European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences 48 , 0
“Escola Superior de Tecnologias e Gestão de Águeda, Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal I Souto, A Pereira, E Brito, I Direito
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
The Portuguese Third Version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire: preliminary validation studies of the middle version among municipal and healthcare workers TP Cotrim, P Bem-Haja, A Pereira, C Fernandes, R Azevedo, S Antunes, ... International journal of environmental research and public health 19 (3), 1167 , 2022 2022.0 Citations: 44
Self-efficacy, resilience and distress: Challenges in education for sustainable entrepreneurship in a health context I Souto, E Brito, A Pereira Education Sciences 12 (10), 720 , 2022 2022.0 Citations: 21
Occupational health risk among teachers in higher education I Souto, A Pereira, E Brito, L Sancho, S Barros International Conference on Healthcare Ergonomics and Patient Safety, 311-322 , 2019 2019.0 Citations: 15
Psychosocial risk factors and distress in higher education teachers I Souto, A Pereira, E Brito, L Sancho, J Jardim European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences 48 , 2018 2018.0 Citations: 13
Healthcare Services and Formal Caregiver’s Psychosocial Risk Factors: An Observational Study A Pereira, E Brito, I Souto, B Alves Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 19 (5009), 1-10 , 2022 2022.0 Citations: 12
Ansiedade na performance musical de música de câmara: O efeito do biofeedback como medida interventiva em quarteto de trombones [Music performance anxiety in chamber music: The … S Barros, H Marinho, A Pereira, A Ribeiro, I Souto, L Sancho Revista Contexto & Saúde 19 (36), 120-126 , 2019 2019.0 Citations: 5
Avaliação de stress ocupacional em tempo de crise: desafios à psicologia 4.0 I Souto, I Brito, A Pereira Psicologia, Saúde & Doenças , 2022 2022.0 Citations: 4
Fostering Organisational Excellence: Analyzing the Interplay Between Involvement in Continuous Improvement and Organizational Social Capital E Brito, I Souto, A Pereira Economic and Social Development: Book of Proceedings, 144-151 , 2023 2023.0 Citations: 2
SCHOOL PROBLEMS AND TEACHERS’COLLABORATION: BEFORE A COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING PROGRAM A Ataíde, I Souto, A Pereira Education and New Developments 1 (July), 222-226 , 2019 2019.0 Citations: 2
MATHEMATICS IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING: A STRENGTH OR A WEAKNESS? CA Santos, I Souto, B Benedicto, B Barbosa, S Filipe, F Costa, A Melo, ... ICERI2021 Proceedings, 3040-3048 , 2021 2021.0 Citations: 1
Gender occupational health: how to support higher education teachers? I Souto, A Pereira, E Brito, IG Direito Edições ISPA , 2020 2020.0 Citations: 1
Validation of the third version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire for Portugal TP Cotrim, P Bem-Haja, P Vagos, I Silva, R Azevedo, C Fernandes, ... PLOS Global Public Health 6 (5), e0006036 , 2026 2026.0
Organizational health factors: multidimensional insights into occupational stress in higher education I Souto, AS Pereira, E Brito, P Alves, D Marrinhas Frontiers in Psychology 16, 1715167 , 2026 2026.0
Bateria de avaliação de desenvolvimento desportivo: psico, técnico-tático (badd. pt) F Batista, J Valinho, J Valinho, J Vigário, I Souto 14º CONGRESSO NACIONAL DE PSICOLOGIA DA SAÚDE–ACTAS 43 (3), 147 , 2022 2022.0
DO WE HAVE A MATCH? COPING WITH BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS IN VOCATIONAL TRAINING COURSES CA Santos, B Benedicto, I Souto, B Barbosa, F Costa, A Melo, S Filipe, ... ICERI2021 Proceedings, 2975-2982 , 2021 2021.0
Estudo 5. Validation of the EGK questionnaire for the promotion of mental health in gatekeeper schools. A Almeida, P Pinheiro, O Okan, J Jardim, E Brito, I Souto, A Pereira Agar Nogueira 17, 117 , 2019 2019.0
Ansiedade na Performance Musical de Música de Câmara S Barros, H Marinho, A Pereira, A Ribeiro, I Souto, L Sancho
Validation Of The Egk Questionnaire For The Promotion Of Mental Health In Gatekeeper Schools A Almeida, P Pinheiro, O Okan, J Jardim, E Brito, I Souto, A Pereira European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences 48 , 0
“Escola Superior de Tecnologias e Gestão de Águeda, Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal I Souto, A Pereira, E Brito, I Direito
