Prolonged Grief, Posttraumatic Stress and Depression Symptoms Before and After COVID-19 in Brazil.

This study aims to explore the differences in prolonged grief (PDG), posttraumatic stress (PTSD), and depression symptoms (MDD) following the loss of a loved one before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a cross-sectional design, 888 bereaved individuals were classified on different groups according to the cause of death. Results indicate that participants who experienced a loss during the pandemic, regardless of the cause, presented higher levels of prolonged grief, posttraumatic stress and depression when compared to those who lost a loved one before the pandemic.

Improving access to evidence-based interventions for trauma-exposed adults in low- and middle-income countries.

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the mental health consequences of trauma exposure pose a substantial personal, societal, and economic burden. Yet, the significant need for evidence-based mental health treatment remains largely unmet. To unlock the potential for mental health care for trauma survivors in lower-resource contexts, it is critical to map treatment barriers and identify strategies to improve access to evidence-based, culturally appropriate, and scalable interventions.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of epigenetic clocks in schizophrenia.

Introduction: Evidence suggests that schizophrenia (SZ) is associated with accelerated biological aging. DNA methylation can be used as an indicator of biological aging by means of epigenetic clock estimates.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the association between SZ and different epigenetic clocks.

Habituating to pandemic anxiety: Temporal trends of COVID-19 anxiety over sixteen months of COVID-19.

The impact of COVID-19 anxiety on mental health and its association with preventive measures is well-established. We aimed to study how COVID-19 anxiety and its dimensions vary over time (16 months) in a sample of individuals (N = 2717) suffering from mental distress in the pandemic context that participated in a randomized clinical trial testing psychosocial interventions in Brazil. Results showed that pandemic anxiety reduced over time.

Migration experience and mental health: A qualitative study in France and Brazil.

Background: The relationship between migration and mental health is complex and involves factors at different levels, as the individual history of the migrant, the collective history of their home country, the host society's and their mutual past history. Even though the migratory scenario of France and Brazil has changed over the years, both countries currently host an important number of immigrants.

Aim: The main objective of the present study was to describe and analyze the impacts of the migratory experience on mental health of migrants with different migration experiences and living in two countries: France and Brazil.

A behavioral economic risk aversion experiment in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We investigated what degree of risk of infection with COVID-19 is necessary so that people intend to stay home, even when doing so means losing their salary. We conducted an online survey across Brazil during the initial outbreak, in which 8,345 participants answered a questionnaire designed to identify the maximum tolerated risk (k') necessary for them to disregard social distancing recommendations and guarantee their salaries. Generalized linear mixed models, path analysis structural equation, and conditional interference classification tree were performed to further understand how sociodemographic factors impact k' and to establish a predictive model for the risk behavior of leaving home during the pandemic.

Validation of the Core Beliefs Inventory (CBI) in Brazilian Portuguese.

Introduction: Experiencing trauma may entail psychopathological consequences, but also changes considered to be positive (i.e., posttraumatic growth).

Hair cortisol levels and mental health problems in children and adolescents exposed to victimization.

Youths who experience multiple forms of victimization are at a heightened risk for psychopathology across the lifespan. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is a key target for the investigation of neurobiological changes induced by chronic stress and violence exposure. The measurement of hair cortisol concentration allows the investigation of long-term HPA activity and its association with victimization.

Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the International Trauma Questionnaire for use in Brazilian Portuguese.

Background: The most recent editions of diagnostic manuals have proposed important modifications in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) criteria. The International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) is the gold-standard measurement for assessing PTSD and complex PTSD in accordance with the model of the 11th International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11).

Objective: The aim of this study was to adapt the ITQ for the Brazilian context.

Psychometric properties of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory in a sample of Brazilian university students.

Objective: To examine psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI).

Method: A total of 300 university students were evaluated though instruments that investigated trauma history, depression and posttraumatic symptoms, and personality traits through the Big Five model. Pearson's correlation was used to assess internal consistency, inter-item reliability and construct validity.

Executive functions and clinical symptoms in children exposed to maltreatment.

There is evidence of an association between childhood maltreatment and lifelong cognitive impairment. Few studies investigate cognitive functioning in maltreated children. The objective of this study was to investigate whether there are differences in executive processing between maltreated and nonmaltreated children.

Psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire.

Introduction: The Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) was developed to measure nine cognitive strategies referring to what someone thinks after the experience of threatening or stressful events. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity of the Brazilian version of the CERQ.

Methods: The adaptation process included translation, backtranslation, expert committee evaluation, and test on 30 participants from the target population.

Brazilian norms and effects of age and education on the Hayling and Trail Making Tests.

Objectives: To describe normative data for the Hayling Test and the Trail Making Test (TMT) in a sample of Brazilian adults, and to investigate the effects of age and education on test performance.

Method: A total of 313 (TMT) and 364 (Hayling) individuals with age ranges of 19-39, 40-59, and 60-75 years, and with at least 5 years of formal education, participated in this study. The tests were administered as part of a large battery of a normative project.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist 5 (PCL-5) and Life Events Checklist 5 (LEC-5) for the Brazilian context.

Objective:: To describe the process of cross-cultural adaptation of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist 5 (PCL-5) and the Life Events Checklist 5 (LEC-5) for the Brazilian sociolinguistic context.

Method:: The adaptation process sought to establish conceptual, semantic, and operational equivalence between the original items of the questionnaire and their translated versions, following standardized protocols. Initially, two researchers translated the original version of the scale into Brazilian Portuguese.

The role of memory in posttraumatic stress disorder: implications for clinical practice.

Introduction: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a highly prevalent disorder with important social consequences. Several models have been developed with the aim of understanding the mechanisms underlying its symptoms. Intrusions are idiosyncratic symptoms that commonly take the form of involuntary recollection of images or flashbacks about the traumatic event.

Childhood maltreatment and executive functions in adolescents.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate differences in executive functions between adolescents exposed to different forms of single- and multitype childhood maltreatment.

Method: The sample was composed of 83 adolescents, divided into three groups: single-type maltreatment (n = 24), multitype maltreatment (n = 19), and no history of maltreatment (n = 40), matched for education and sex.

Results: The results showed that teenagers who suffered a single type of childhood maltreatment performed worse than the other two groups on tasks of cognitive flexibility and visual processing speed.

Post-traumatic stress symptoms and exacerbations in COPD patients.

Background: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a common psychological consequence of exposure to traumatic stressful life events. During COPD exacerbations dyspnea can be considered a near-death experience that may induce post-traumatic stress symptoms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between COPD exacerbations and PTSD- related symptoms.

Translation and adaptation of the Child Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (cPTCI) to Brazilian Portuguese.

Introduction: Experiencing a traumatic event is a risk factor for the development of mental illness, especially posttraumatic stress disorder. A child's appraisals of a traumatic event may play a prominent role in the development or maintenance of the disorder. Therefore, subjective responses should be evaluated to understand the impact of a traumatic event on a child's life.

The impact of frontal and cerebellar lesions on decision making: evidence from the Iowa Gambling Task.

Although the frontal lobes have traditionally been considered the neural substrates of executive functioning (EF), recent studies have suggested that other structures, such as the cerebellum, may be associated with these abilities. The role of the cerebellum has only been sparsely investigated in connection with decision making (DM), an important component of EF, and the few results obtained on this front have been inconclusive. The current study sought to investigate the role of the cerebellum in DM by comparing the performance of patients with cerebellar strokes, frontal-damaged patients, and a healthy control group on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT).

Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) in Brazilian samples of different age groups: findings from confirmatory factor analysis.

The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) is internationally accepted as a key tool for the assessment of childhood abuse and neglect experiences. However, there are relative few psychometric studies available and some authors have proposed two different factor solutions. We examined the dimensional structure and internal consistency of the Brazilian version of the CTQ.

Adaptation and content validation of the Brazilian version of the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory.

Objective: To translate, adapt and validate the contents of the Brazilian version of the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory.

Methods: The process of translation and adaptation of the initial instructions and items involved five steps: (1) translation; (2) back translation; (3) correction and semantic adaptation; (4) content validation by professional experts (judges); and (5) test of final version through a verbal-numbered scale. As performance indicators for understanding, the scores of central tendency (mean) and dispersion (standard deviation) were calculated for each item in step 5.

Childhood physical neglect associated with executive functions impairments in crack cocaine-dependent women.

Background: Studies that have investigated the executive functions (EFs) in crack cocaine-dependence have focused on differences between groups of drug users and non-user controls. In this study, however, we employ a promising additional approach that considers individual differences, such as exposure to childhood neglect that might be related to the degree of cognitive impairment associated with addiction.

Objective: We evaluated EFs in crack cocaine-dependent women who have reported a history of childhood physical neglect (CPN) and compared these measures with those of crack cocaine-dependent women who do not reported CPN.

Supervising Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Practitioners in Urban Brazil.

There is growing interest in the study of supervision as a core aspect of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) learning and practice. Standard models of CBT supervision generally contain some components of the following structure: teaching therapist conceptualization skills, interpersonal processes to build a collaborative therapeutic relationship, clinical procedures, and treatment protocols presenting specific procedures for particular problems. As is true for CBT practice, supervision is affected by the cultural context, including macrostructures (e.