Empathy Education

Child mental health has become a pressing global concern, with 13-20% of children and adolescents presenting mental disorders and about half of adult disorders emerging before age 18. Socioemotional development - encompassing emotion regulation, self-empathy, and empathy for others - is considered a cornerstone of mental health and a key protective factor. Although primary caregivers are central to fostering these competencies, educators also play a decisive role once children enter preschool, while being themselves particularly vulnerable to burnout, with consequences for classroom climate and child outcomes. Integrated programs that simultaneously support children's development and adults' socioemotional competencies are therefore needed, yet remain scarce in Portugal. This study aims to evaluate the cultural adaptation, implementation, and effectiveness of the RAISE program (Research and Practice Partnership: Building Awareness and Increasing Social-Emotional Capacity in the Early Years), developed in Canada and grounded in Malti's 3 E's model and the Kindness developmental paradigm. A Randomized Controlled Trial will be conducted with approximately 100 educators from public and private institutions, randomly allocated to an intervention or waitlist control group. RAISE is delivered online over three weeks, combining asynchronous videos and synchronous group sessions across three modules. Assessments at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up will use multi-informant measures, including the DASS-21, SDQ, and SERT. Data will be analyzed through mixed ANOVA models following intention-to-treat principles. Findings are expected to inform the feasibility and cultural relevance of integrated, prevention-oriented socioemotional programs and to contribute to early childhood mental health promotion in Portugal.

This clinical trial (randomized controlled experimental study) aims to learn about the effects of presenting the family-witnessed CPR process from a patient's perspective through 360° virtual reality and 2D video within second-year nursing students. The primary question(s) / hypotheses it aims to answer are: * H1: Will the content validity ratio of the developed scenario be above 0.80? * H2: Is the increase in empathy scores (pre-test/post-test difference) of students in the 360° VR group significantly higher compared to the 2D video and control groups? * H3: Is the increase in ethical sensitivity scores of students in the 360° VR group significantly higher compared to the 2D video and control groups? * H4: Is the change in perception scores toward family-witnessed CPR more positive in the 360° VR group compared to the other groups, and is their mean SUS (System Usability Scale) score at or above the acceptability threshold of 70? * H5: Is the VES (Video Engagement Skale) score of students in the 360° VR group significantly higher than that of the 2D video group? Researchers will compare the 360° immersive video (360° VR) group, the 2-dimensional (2D) video group, and the control group to see if there are effects on empathy, ethical sensitivity, perception of risks-benefits of family presence, self-confidence regarding family presence, video engagement, and system usability. Participants will be asked to: * Watch the scenario reenactment involving a family-witnessed CPR process, recorded via a 360° camera (in either 360° VR or 2D format, depending on their assigned group). * Complete data collection tools consisting of the Introductory Information Form, "Jefferson Scale of Empathy", "Ethical Sensitivity Questionnaire", "Family Presence Risk-Benefit Scale and Family Presence Self-Confidence Scale", "System Usability Scale (SUS-TR)", and "Video Engagement Skale(VES)".