Association between mental disorders and adherence to antiretroviral treatment in health facilities in two Mozambican provinces in 2018: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Lower adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) has been found among people with HIV (PWH) who have comorbid mental disorders like depression and alcohol use in Sub-Saharan African. However, there has been less exploration with regards to other mental disorders.

Methods: This study assessed the association of multiple mental disorders and adherence to ART based on the data from primary/tertiary health care facilities in Maputo and Nampula, Mozambique.

The Indirect Effect of #Tamojunto2.0 Program on Bullying Through Reduction of Alcohol Use Initiation.

Purpose: The Brazilian version of the prevention program Unplugged, #Tamojunto, has had a positive effect on bullying prevention. However, the curriculum has recently been revised, owing to its negative effects on alcohol outcomes. This study evaluated the effect of the new version, #Tamojunto2.

H NMR Metabolomics and Lipidomics To Monitor Positive Responses in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Following a Guided Parental Intervention: A Pilot Study.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition that is characterized by patients displaying at least two out of the classical symptoms, such as impaired social communication, impaired interactions, and restricted repetitive behavior. Early parent-mediated interventions, such as video modeling for parental training, were demonstrated to be a successful low-cost way to deliver care for children with ASD. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics/lipidomics has been successfully employed in several mental disorder studies.

A Multi-Site Study of Mental Disorders in the Mozambican Health Care System.

In Mozambique, human and financial resources for public mental health services are extremely limited. Understanding the mental health needs of those seeking healthcare can inform efficient targeting of mental health services. We examined if the frequency of mental disorders in a health facility varied based on the level of specialization of such facility, from primary care without mental health specialists (PrCMH -), to those with mental health specialists (PrCMH +) and tertiary care (TerC), where both inpatient and outpatient mental health services are available.

Emotional contagion behavior in a group of young girls in a secondary school in Maputo, Mozambique.

Background: Emotional Contagion Behavior (ECB), the synchronized expression of emotional symptoms among members of a group, has been observed globally. In Mozambique, there have been numerous reports of ECB in recent years. Since 2010 several girls from a secondary school in Maputo City, Mozambique exhibited ECB which involved repeated fainting spells, sometimes including verbal aggression and threats to colleagues and teachers.

The influence of caregiver attitudes and socioeconomic group on formal and informal mental health service use among youth.

Background: Young people can receive mental health care from many sources, from formal and informal sectors. Caregiver characteristics/experiences/beliefs may influence whether young people get help and the type of care or support used by their child. We investigate facilitators/barriers to receiving formal and/or informal care, particularly those related to the caregiver's profile.

Patterns of alcohol consumption in Brazilian adults.

In this study, we aimed to describe the patterns of alcohol consumption in Brazilian adults by sociodemographic characteristics and states according to sex. Cross-sectional study including 87,555 adults from the 2019 Brazilian National Health Survey who responded to a questionnaire on alcohol consumption and were classified as non-drinkers (0 g/day), light (1-12.5 g/day), moderate (12.

Bullying as a Risk Factor for Eating Disorder Behaviors Among Students: Secondary Analysis for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

This study aimed to examine whether being a victim of bullying predicted body dissatisfaction and eating disorder behavior (EDB). In this study, we performed secondary analysis from a cluster randomized controlled trial among 5208 eight grade students from 73 public schools in three Brazilian cities. Data were collected in 2019 through an anonymous self-report questionnaire on bullying, body dissatisfaction, and EDB.

Disability in children and adolescents: the extent of the impact on psychiatric disorders and educational deficits.

Introduction: Most children/adolescents with disability live in low and middle-income countries and, worldwide, they are more likely to have mental health problems and achieve worse academic performance compared to those with typical development.

Objective: To assess whether Brazilian children/adolescents with four types of disabilities are more likely to have psychiatric disorders and educational deficits than children/adolescents with typical development.

Method: A multicenter cross-sectional study involving a school-based probabilistic sample of second to sixth graders (N = 1,674) from public schools in four Brazilian regions.

Effectiveness of incorporating contingency management into a public treatment program for people who use crack cocaine in Brazil. A single-blind randomized controlled trial.

Background: Smoked cocaine (i.e., crack use) is a severe health problem in Brazil, with the country being reported as having the largest crack market in the world.

Effectiveness of the Elos 2.0 prevention programme for the reduction of problem behaviours and promotion of social skills in schoolchildren: study protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Background: Early interventions benefit the mental health, academic performance and productivity of children and adolescents throughout their life. The present study protocol will evaluate the effectiveness of the Elos 2.0 Programme, which is a version adapted for Brazil by the Ministry of Health, in reducing problem behaviours (e.

Validation of a Tool to Evaluate Drug Prevention Programs Among Students.

School-based prevention programs have been implemented worldwide with the intention of reducing or delaying the onset of alcohol and drug use among adolescents. However, their effects need to be evaluated, being essential to use validated and reliable questionnaires for this purpose. This study aimed to verify the semantic validity and reliability of an instrument developed to evaluate the results of a government drug prevention program for schoolchildren called #Tamojunto2.

Acceptability and feasibility of incorporating contingency management into a public treatment program for homeless crack cocaine users in Brazil: A pilot study.

Homeless substance users are particularly hard to treat. In this pilot study, we evaluated the acceptability and feasibility of incorporating Contingency Management (CM) into a public Abstinent-Contingent Housing (ACH) treatment program developed to treat currently homeless crack cocaine users. A total of 21 homeless crack cocaine users were randomized to receive 12 weeks of ACH alone (n = 9) or ACH plus CM (ACH + CM) (n = 12).

Do adolescents exposed to peer aggression at school consider themselves to be victims of bullying? The influence of sex and age.

Introduction: Exposure to peer aggression (PA) and bullying victimization (BV) are both expressions of peer victimization.

Objectives: In four age-sex groups, (1) Can exposure to PA and BV be considered distinct experiences? (2) To what extent do adolescents exposed to PA consider themselves bullying victims? and (3) What is the effect on BV of the number of PA events experienced?

Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated a probabilistic community-based sample of 669 adolescents (11-15 years, 51.7% girls).

Translating science into policy: mental health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several stressors associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are expected to affect the mental health of global populations: the effects of physical distancing, quarantine, and social isolation; the emotional suffering of health and other frontline workers; neuropsychiatric sequelae in those affected by the virus; the impact to families of lives lost to the disease; differential effects for those with severe mental disorders; and the consequences of social and economic deterioration. In this context, we sought: to form a panel of Brazilian experts on child and adolescent health, neurodevelopment, health services, and adult and elderly mental health; and to compile evidence-based interventions to support suggested policy changes in Brazil to mitigate the expected increase in mental health disorders during the pandemic and its mental health consequences. The following actions are recommended: 1) invest in prevention programs for the safe return of students to schools; 2) adopt evidence-based psychosocial interventions to maintain an adequate environment for child and adolescent development; 3) target socially vulnerable populations and those experiencing discrimination; 4) train primary care teams to solve common mental health problems, provide needs-based assessments, and manage long-term, at-home care for older patients; 5) invest in technological advancements (e.

Partnerships in Research to Implement and Disseminate Sustainable and Scalable Evidence-Based Practices (PRIDE) in Mozambique.

Background: Mental health conditions impose a major burden worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where health specialists are scarce. A challenge to closing LMICs' mental health treatment gap is determining the most cost-effective task-shifting pathway for delivering mental health services using evidence-based interventions (EBIs). This article discusses the protocol for the first study implementing comprehensive mental health services in LMICs.

A cluster randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of the school-based drug prevention program #Tamojunto2.0.

Aims: The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the government school-based program #Tamojunto2.0, the third Brazilian version of the European drug prevention program, Unplugged, in preventing the use of alcohol and other drugs.

Design: A parallel, two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in 205 classes in 73 public schools (37 intervention and 36 control) with a baseline assessment and follow-up after 9 months.

Evaluation of NDEL1 oligopeptidase activity in blood and brain in an animal model of schizophrenia: effects of psychostimulants and antipsychotics.

Nuclear distribution element-like 1 (NDEL1) enzyme activity is important for neuritogenesis, neuronal migration, and neurodevelopment. We reported previously lower NDEL1 enzyme activity in blood of treated first episode psychosis and chronic schizophrenia (SCZ) compared to healthy control subjects, with even lower activity in treatment resistant chronic SCZ patients, implicating NDEL1 activity in SCZ. Herein, higher NDEL1 activity was observed in the blood and several brain regions of a validated animal model for SCZ at baseline.

A study in first-episode psychosis patients: does angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) activity associated with genotype predict symptoms severity reductions after treatment with the atypical antipsychotic risperidone?

Background: Our previous studies showed increased angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) activity in chronic schizophrenia (SCZ) patients compared to healthy control (HC) volunteers, and the relevance of combining ACE genotype and activity for predicting SCZ was suggested.

Methods: ACE activity was measured in plasma of ACE insertion/deletion (I/D) genotyped HC volunteers (N = 53) and antipsychotic-naïve first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients (N = 45), assessed at baseline (FEB-B) and also after 2-months (FEP-2M) of treatment with the atypical antipsychotic risperidone.

Results: ACE activity measurements showed significant differences among HC, FEP-B and FEP-2M groups (F = 5.

Gene expression changes associated with trajectories of psychopathology in a longitudinal cohort of children and adolescents.

We aimed to identify blood gene expression patterns associated to psychopathological trajectories retrieved from a large community, focusing on the emergence and remission of general psychiatric symptoms. Hundred and three individuals from the Brazilian High-Risk Cohort Study (BHRCS) for mental disorders were classified in four groups according to Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) total score at the baseline (w0) and after 3 years (w1): low-high (L-H) (N = 27), high-low (H-L) (N = 12), high-high (H-H) (N = 34) and low-low (L-L) groups (N = 30). Blood gene expression profile was measured using Illumina HT-12 Beadchips, and paired analyses comparing w0 and w1 were performed for each group.

Detecting multiple differentially methylated CpG sites and regions related to dimensional psychopathology in youths.

Background: Psychiatric symptomatology during late childhood and early adolescence tends to persist later in life. In the present longitudinal study, we aimed to identify changes in genome-wide DNA methylation patterns that were associated with the emergence of psychopathology in youths from the Brazilian High-Risk Cohort (HRC) for psychiatric disorders. Moreover, for the differentially methylated genes, we verified whether differences in DNA methylation corresponded to differences in mRNA transcript levels by analyzing the gene expression levels in the blood and by correlating the variation of DNA methylation values with the variation of mRNA levels of the same individuals.