Vitor Simões-Silva
@ess.ipp.pt
Occupational Therapist
www.ess.ipp.pt
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
Occupational Therapy
Scopus Publications
Scholar Citations
Scholar h-index
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Gislene Meilsmeidth, Maria João Trigueiro, Vítor Simões-Silva, Raquel Simões de Almeida, Paula Portugal, Paulo Veloso Gomes, Sara de Sousa, Filipa Campos, Pedro Monteiro, Ana Paula Soutelo,et al.
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
AbstractThe prevalence of mental disorders in adolescents has a considerable impact on daily life, restricting tasks and diminishing overall quality of life while potentially leading to stigmatization. This study aims to measure the impact of a mental health literacy intervention program, called “Bicho de 7 Cabeças” project, in b-learning format, on the increase of knowledge and the decrease of stigma in young people from Póvoa de Varzim, in Portugal. A quasi-experimental study was conducted, from November 2022 to May 2023, involving an experimental group (“Bicho de 7 Cabeças” protocol) and an active control group (informational brochures), utilizing a pre-test/post-test design. Mental Health Literacy Measure-MHLM, Mental Health Promoting Knowledge Scale-MHPK-10, Mental Illness Knowledge Schedule-MAKS, Reported and Intended Behaviour Scale-RIBS, and Community Attitudes toward People with Mental Illness-CAMI were used. A total of 504 young students from the 9th grade enroll in this study, with a mean age around 14 years old. There is a significant difference between stigma (p <.001) and knowledge (p <.001) scores at baseline and follow-up. The results of this study shows that interventions aimed at young people for the promotion of mental health literacy and stigma reduction are needed and more initiatives should be implemented in schools to address these problems.
Raquel Simões de Almeida, Maria João Trigueiro, Paula Portugal, Sara de Sousa, Vítor Simões-Silva, Filipa Campos, Maria Silva, and António Marques
MDPI AG
Portugal has Europe’s second-highest prevalence of psychiatric illnesses, and this is the reason why mental health literacy (MHL) and stigma should be addressed. This study aimed to investigate the mental health literacy and stigma levels among different groups of people from Póvoa de Varzim, a municipality in the north of Portugal. Students, retired people, and professionals (education, social, and healthcare fields) were recruited using a convenience sample from June to November 2022. Participants’ MHL levels were evaluated using the Mental Health Promoting Knowledge Scale (MHPK), Mental Health Literacy Measure (MHLM) and Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS). Stigma levels were evaluated using Community Attitudes towards Mental Illness (CAMI) and the Reported and Intended Behaviour Scale (RIBS). A total of 928 questionnaires were filed. The respondents included 65.70% of women, a mean age of 43.63 (±26.71) years and 9.87 (±4.39) years of school education. MHL increased with age, education level and was higher in women (p < 0.001). A higher level of MHL was seen in health professionals (p < 0.001). Findings revealed that older people stigmatized people with mental illness more (p < 0.001), and the female gender stigmatize less (p < 0.001). In addition, results showed that stigma decreased with higher mental health literacy (r between 0.11 and 0.38; p < 0.001). To conclude, specific campaigns that promote mental health literacy should be tailored to specific profiles within this population to address those that have more stigma.
Filipa Cunha, Sara Campos, Vitor Simões-Silva, Victòria Brugada-Ramentol, Bebiana Sá-Moura, Hossein Jalali, Amir Bozorgzadeh, and Maria João Trigueiro
Frontiers Media SA
Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a virtual reality based intervention in processing speed and working memory in students with ADHD symptomatology.Methods: A randomized experimental study was conducted, with a sample consisting of 25 adult participants recruited from the Escola Superior de Saúde do Politécnico do Porto. The participants were allocated into two groups: a passive control group and an intervention group that completed 10 sessions using virtual reality-based games from the Enhance VR app. The intervention included 6 games: Whack-a-mole, Shuffled, Assembly, React, Memory Wall, and Maestro. The participants underwent pre- and post-intervention evaluations using the Southwestern Assessment of Processing Speed (SWAPS) and the Sequence of Letters and Numbers and Spatial Location of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - 3rd Edition - WAIS-III. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample and a mixed ANOVA was used to test the effectiveness of the intervention.Results: There was an improvement in the results of processing speed in the group exposed to the intervention (p &lt; 0.001) and the value of the interaction between intervention and time was also significant (p = 0.004). There were no statistically significant differences between the participants’ working memory in the different variables under study, except for the values of the Spatial location test in the experimental group that improved relative to the initial assessment (p = 0.034).Discussion: A virtual reality cognitive training intervention resulted in improvements in the processing speed measures, which were not found in the control group. Although we cannot make the same conclusions regarding working memory, these results suggest that the VR intervention resulted in progress in the experimental group, possibly influenced by the intervention, which should be verified in future studies with longer interventions.
Vitor Simões-Silva, Vanessa Maravalhas, Ana Rafaela Cunha, Maria Inês Soares, and António Marques
IGI Global
Social phobia usually starts in adolescence. Social situations that include meeting people, talking in groups, or in more specific situations are going to be avoided by individuals. Therefore, this condition has the consequence of significant impairment in different occupations. Recent studies show that gamification is commonly applied to interventions for the treatment of chronic diseases, and although there are interventions concerning mental health, these are few and there is evidence that these interventions have positive effects on mental health, particularly among young people. The desensitization therapy program using gamification consisted of 15 sessions: an initial assessment session, 13 biweekly exposure therapy sessions, and the last reevaluation session corresponding to a total duration of the program of seven weeks. Each session, lasting approximately 50 minutes, is followed a formal structure consisting of the following phases. The intervention focused on shaping appropriate approach behaviors through a process of successive approximations.
V. Silva, C. Campos, A. Sá, M. Cavadas, J. Pinto, P. Simões, S. Machado, E. Murillo‐Rodríguez, and N. Barbosa‐Rocha
Wiley
AbstractBackgroundPeople with Down syndrome (DS) usually display reduced physical fitness (aerobic capacity, muscle strength and abnormal body composition), motor proficiency impairments (balance and postural control) and physical functional limitations. Exergames can be an appealing alternative to enhance exercise engagement and compliance, whilst improving physical fitness and motor function. This study aims to analyse the effects of a Wii‐based exercise program on physical fitness, functional mobility and motor proficiency of adults with DS.MethodsTwenty‐seven adults with DS were randomly allocated to an experimental group (Wii; n = 14) or control group (n = 13). Participants in the experimental group completed a 2‐month Wii‐based exercise program, with three 1‐h sessions per week that included training games for aerobic endurance, balance and isometric strength. Participants completed assessments regarding anthropometric measures, physical fitness, functional mobility and motor proficiency.ResultsMixed ANOVA analysis showed a significant group by time interaction for aerobic endurance, explosive leg power and flexibility. Independent samples t‐test for change scores indicated significant between‐group differences favouring the experimental group regarding speed of limb movement, trunk strength and functional mobility, as well as a trend towards significance on body weight. Mann–Whitney's U test for change scores demonstrated between‐group differences favouring the experimental group for visceral fat as well as running speed and agility. Large within‐group effect sizes were observed for explosive leg power (d = 1.691), body weight (d = 1.281), functional mobility (d = 1.218), aerobic endurance (d = 1.020), speed of limb movement (d = 0.867) and flexibility (d = 0.818) in the experimental group.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that Wii‐based exercise can be an effective tool to improve physical fitness, functional mobility and motor proficiency of adults with DS, including crucial measures such as aerobic capacity and lower limb strength. Exergames using Wii Fit or other equipment can be appealing alternatives for adults with DS to engage in regular physical activity, preventing sedentary behaviour and decreasing the risk to develop cardiovascular diseases.
Antonio de Souza Moura, Murilo Lamego, Flávia Paes, Nuno Ferreira Rocha, Vitor Simoes-Silva, Susana Rocha, Alberto de Sá Filho, Ridson Rimes, João Manochio, Henning Budde,et al.
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
Depression is a common and disabling disease that affects over 100 million people worldwide and can have a significant impact on physical and mental health, reducing their quality of life. Thus, the aim of this article was to provide information on research results and key chains related to the therapeutic effects of chronic aerobic exercise compared with other types of interventions to treat depression, which may become a useful clinical application in a near future. Researches have shown the effectiveness of alternative treatments, such as physical exercise, minimizing high financial costs and minimizing side effects. In this review, the data analyzed allows us to claim that alternative therapies, such as exercise, are effective on controlling and reducing symptoms. 69.3% of the studies that investigated the antidepressant effects of exercise on depressive were significant, and the other 30.7% of the studies improved only in general physiological aspects, such as increased oxygen uptake, increased use of blood glucose and decreased body fat percentage, with no improvement on symptoms of depression. From the sample analyzed, 71.4% was composed of women, and regarding the severity of symptoms, 85% had mild to moderate depression and only 15% had moderate to severe depression. However, there is still disagreement regarding the effect of exercise compared to the use of antidepressants in symptomatology and cognitive function in depression, this suggests that there is no consensus on the correct intensity of aerobic exercise as to achieve the best dose-response, with intensities high to moderate or moderate to mild.
Antonio de Souza Moura, Murilo Lamego, Flávia Paes, Nuno Ferreira Rocha, Vitor Simoes-Silva, Susana Rocha, Alberto de Sá Filho, Ridson Rimes, João Manochio, Henning Budde,et al.
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric disorders observed currently. It is a normal adaptive response to stress that allows coping with adverse situations. Nevertheless, when anxiety becomes excessive or disproportional in relation to the situation that evokes it or when there is not any special object directed at it, such as an irrational dread of routine stimuli, it becomes a disabling disorder and is considered to be pathological. The traditional treatment used is medication and cognitive behavioral psychotherapy, however, last years the practice of physical exercise, specifically aerobic exercise, has been investigated as a new non-pharmacological therapy for anxiety disorders. Thus, the aim of this article was to provide information on research results and key chains related to the therapeutic effects of aerobic exercise compared with other types of interventions to treat anxiety, which may become a useful clinical application in a near future. Researches have shown the effectiveness of alternative treatments, such as physical exercise, minimizing high financial costs and minimizing side effects. The sample analyzed, 66.8% was composed of women and 80% with severity of symptoms anxiety as moderate to severe. The data analyzed in this review allows us to claim that alternative therapies like exercise are effective in controlling and reducing symptoms, as 91% of anxiety disorders surveys have shown effective results in treating. However, there is still disagreement regarding the effect of exercise compared to the use of antidepressant symptoms and cognitive function in anxiety, this suggests that there is no consensus on the correct intensity of aerobic exercise as to achieve the best dose-response, with intensities high to moderate or moderate to mild.