Children and adolescents' quality of life in repeated cross-sectional studies during the COVID-19.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, internalizing and externalizing symptoms have impacted the quality of life of children and adolescents. This cross-sectional study evaluated children's quality of life using parental reports, observing associations with mental health problems and sociodemographic variables. Some behavioral measures were linked to lower quality of life, particularly depression symptoms, relationship problems, and inattention.

Parent training for disruptive behavior symptoms in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a randomized clinical trial.

Background: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects 5% of children and 2.5% of adults worldwide. Comorbidities are frequent, and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) reaches 50%.

The mental health of Brazilian healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal study.

Objective: To compare the distress level among Brazilian healthcare professionals during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and estimate risks by sex, age, and occupation.

Methods: In a longitudinal cohort design, a nationally distributed online survey was used to collect data from 10,490 active healthcare professionals who worked during the pandemic. Participants were mostly female, aged 18 to 82 years; 13 different health professions and all states of Brazil were represented.

Social Determinants in Self-Protective Behavior Related to COVID-19: Association Rule-Mining Study.

Background: Human behavior is crucial in health outcomes. Particularly, individual behavior is a determinant of the success of measures to overcome critical conditions, such as a pandemic. In addition to intrinsic public health challenges associated with COVID-19, in many countries, some individuals decided not to get vaccinated, streets were crowded, parties were happening, and businesses struggling to survive were partially open, despite lockdown or stay-at-home instructions.

Selective visuoconstructional impairment following mild COVID-19 with inflammatory and neuroimaging correlation findings.

People recovered from COVID-19 may still present complications including respiratory and neurological sequelae. In other viral infections, cognitive impairment occurs due to brain damage or dysfunction caused by vascular lesions and inflammatory processes. Persistent cognitive impairment compromises daily activities and psychosocial adaptation.

Common Venues in Romantic Relationships of Adults With Symptoms of Autism and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) figures among the most common neurodevelopmental disorders. Despite having opposite stereotypes, both ADHD and ASD compromise, though in different ways, skills such as social interactions, communication skills, and social thinking, which may underlie difficulties in romantic relationships. We evaluated 306 adults about their romantic relationships and the intensity of their love.

The abbreviated version of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (ABIS): Psychometric analysis, reliable change indexes in clinical practice and normative data.

Impulsivity is highly associated with psychopathology and dysfunctional behavior. An abbreviated Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (ABIS) was proposed as a validated, reliable and less time-consuming scale. We tested in a sample of adults, its psychometric properties and computed a reliable change index for clinical use.

Investigation on the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Effect on Infatuation and Impulsivity in Adolescents.

Introduction: In this study, we proposed to investigate the association between infatuation/passionate love and impulsivity in a context of potential high impulsivity: adolescents with attention deficit and hyperactivity/impulsivity (ADHD) diagnosis compared with typically developing adolescents.

Methods: Impulsivity was understood as an exploratory and a sensation seeking behavior, a trend to engage in novel and exciting activities, and was evaluated using the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale. Eighty-one adolescents from 13-to-18 years old with and without ADHD diagnosis were compared regarding infatuation intensity, behavioral impulsivity, and social and educational profiles.

Cross-cultural adaptation, validity, and reliability of the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire - Short Version (PSDQ) for use in Brazil.

Objective: The Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ) is used worldwide to assess three styles (authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive) and seven dimensions of parenting. In this study, we adapted the short version of the PSDQ for use in Brazil and investigated its validity and reliability.

Methods: Participants were 451 mothers of children aged 3 to 18 years, though sample size varied with analyses.

Influence of COMT ValMet polymorphism on emotional decision-making: A sex-dependent relationship?

The biological underpinnings of sex-related differences in decision-making are still under-explored. The COMT gene is related to sexual dimorphism and with different choices made under uncertainty, albeit no study has specifically investigated a moderation effect of sex on the association between the COMT gene and the performance on decision-making paradigms. In this study, we investigated the influence of the COMT ValMet polymorphism on Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) performance depending on sex in a healthy adult sample.

COMT Val(158)Met Polymorphism Is Associated with Verbal Working Memory in Neurofibromatosis Type 1.

Neurofibromatosis type I (NF1) is a neurogenetic disease marked by multiple cognitive and learning problems. Genetic variants may account for phenotypic variance in NF1. Here, we investigated the association between the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val(158)Met polymorphism and working memory and arithmetic performance in 50 NF1 individuals.

Ecological validity of the five digit test and the oral trails test.

Tests evaluating the attentional-executive system are widely used in clinical practice. However, proximity of an objective cognitive test with real-world situations (ecological validity) is not frequently investigated. The present study evaluate the association between measures of the Five Digit Test (FDT) and the Oral Trails Test (OTT) with self-reported cognitive failures in everyday life as measured by the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ).

Impulsivity and compulsive buying are associated in a non-clinical sample: an evidence for the compulsivity-impulsivity continuum?

Objective: Compulsive buying is controversial in clinical psychiatry. Although it is defined as an obsessive-compulsive disorder, other personality aspects besides compulsivity are related to compulsive buying. Recent studies suggest that compulsivity and impulsivity might represent a continuum, with several psychiatric disorders lying between these two extremes.

Telomere length is highly inherited and associated with hyperactivity-impulsivity in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Telomere length (TL) is highly heritable, and a shorter telomere at birth may increase the risk of age-related problems. Additionally, a shorter TL may represent a biomarker of chronic stress and has been associated with psychiatric disorders. However, no study has explored whether there is an association between TL and the symptoms of one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood: Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD).

Use of a modified version of the switching verbal fluency test for the assessment of cognitive flexibility.

Objective: Verbal fluency tests are widely used for the assessment of executive functions. However, traditional versions of the test depend on several cognitive factors beyond these components. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations of a modified version of the verbal fluency with specific measures of executive functions.

Neurofibromatosis: part 2--clinical management.

Part 1 of this guideline addressed the differential diagnosis of the neurofibromatoses (NF): neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) and schwannomatosis (SCH). NF shares some features such as the genetic origin of the neural tumors and cutaneous manifestations, and affects nearly 80 thousand Brazilians. Increasing scientific knowledge on NF has allowed better clinical management and reduced rate of complications and morbidity, resulting in higher quality of life for NF patients.

ADHD inattentive symptoms mediate the relationship between intelligence and academic performance in children aged 6-14.

Objective: Fluid intelligence and the behavioral problems of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are related to academic performance, but how this association occurs is unclear. This study aimed to assess mediation and moderation models that test possible pathways of influence between these factors.

Methods: Sixty-two children with ADHD and 33 age-matched, typically developing students were evaluated with Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices and the spelling and arithmetic subtests of the Brazilian School Achievement Test.

Neuropsychological impairments in elderly Neurofibromatosis type 1 patients.

Cognitive performance is compromised in Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) patients, but neuropsychological data including elderly NF1 are extremely sparse. We compared the cognitive performance of a small elderly NF1 group (n = 5) with an age-matched healthy control group (n = 49). NF1 group performed worse than control group on a global cognitive impairment task, verbal working memory, and visuospatial functioning.