RESEARCH · 2008 — 2017
WHAT THIS WORK RESTS ON
For nine years I worked with Prof. A. Rui Gomes’s research team at ARDH-GI, School of Psychology, University of Minho. We studied two things: how leadership shapes team cohesion, and why, faced with the same demands, some people break down while others grow.
The answer is not resilience or willpower. It is how each person reads the situation — what they see in it as threat or challenge, and the resources they believe they have.
PUBLICATIONS
2018
Burnout and occupational stress in the medical residents of Oncology, Haematology and Radiotherapy
Joaquim, A., Custódio, S., … Lopes, H., Araújo, A., & Gomes, R. · Psychology, Health & Medicine, 23(3)
118 residents assessed. 45.2% with burnout, 50% with high stress. Dealing with patients and work overload were the most critical dimensions.
2017
Avaliação cognitiva, stress ocupacional e burnout em profissionais de saúde
(Cognitive appraisal, occupational stress and burnout in health professionals)
Lopes, H. M. F. · Master’s dissertation, University of Minho
2,310 nurses. Cognitive appraisal and occupational stress factors are decisive in explaining the experience of burnout.
Acesso aberto · RepositóriUM 1822/49331
2016
Stress and Psychological Health: Testing the Mediating Role of Cognitive Appraisal
Gomes, A. R., Faria, S., & Lopes, H. · Western Journal of Nursing Research, 38(11)
2,302 professionals. How each person appraises a situation mediates the relationship between job demands and psychological health.
2011
Leadership, cohesion and satisfaction: Differences between swimming and handball Portuguese teams
Gomes, A. R., Lopes, H., & Mata, R. T. · Revista Mexicana de Psicología, 28(1)
467 federated athletes. A leader’s style shapes the cohesion and satisfaction of those being led.
RepositóriUM 1822/12395
PERGUNTAS FREQUENTES
Can a leader burn out even while loving the work?
Yes, and it is the most common pattern. In the study with residents in Oncology and Haematology, 45.2% showed burnout. It does not come from a lack of motivation, but from a prolonged imbalance between demands and resources. Those who value their work most tolerate the strain longest.
Why does my ability to decide get worse under pressure?
Because pressure changes how the situation is read. Under perceived threat, attention narrows, the time horizon shortens, and automatic responses take over from deliberate ones. The result is more reactive decisions. This mechanism can be changed.
Coaching or psychology, for someone who is exhausted?
It depends on what is going on. Coaching works on performance and goals and can be appropriate where there is no clinical condition. Psychology addresses psychological distress — insomnia, anxiety, depressive symptoms — with assessment, a professional code of ethics and a practising licence.
I am a psychologist working in the clinical and health field, registered with the Portuguese Psychologists Association (licence no. 27351). I am a Registered EuroPsy Psychologist and a member of the American Psychological Association. I hold an Integrated Master’s degree in Psychology from the University of Minho and an Advanced Postgraduate Specialization in Sport Psychology from INSPSIC.