Desenvolvimento de um questionário de literacia em saúde mental para cuidadores formais de pessoas idosas

: secção pessoa idosa

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to develop a preliminary version of items for a new questionnaire in mental health literacy (MHL) for formal caregivers of the elderly, considering mental health needs for the elderly that they take care of. The process of the execution of this study consisted in three phases. It started with a review of the literature focused on theoretical and empirical contributions related to MHL topics and mental health problems prevalent in elderly people, as well as questionnaires that assess MHL and close constructs. Subsequently, the second phase consisted in the generation of items, simultaneously considering MHL dimensions – “knowledge of mental health issues”, “first-aid skills” and “self-help strategies” – and the most prevailing mental health problems in elderly people – depression, anxiety, and dementia. In this phase, there were carried out brainstorming meetings with the investigating team members and meetings with two psychometric specialists. Lastly, in the third phase, there was carried out a spoken reflection of the items with the participation of five caregivers of elderly people, allowing their analysis, reformulation, and elimination of items. At the end of this study, there were obtained 84 items that will integrate the experimental version of the MHLq FCE – section elderly person. Future studies should be focused on the psychometric properties of the questionnaire for which items were developed as the scope of this thesis.

Date of Award	12 Jul 2021
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Luísa Campos (Supervisor) & Pedro Dias (Co-Supervisor)