Screen time: Implications for early childhood cognitive development.

Background: Exposure and introduction to digital media, especially in children, are a current cause for concern. The negative links associated with early screen exposure are extensive.

Aims: To evaluate the association between the time of exposure to a screen in children at 18 months of age and cognitive development in a population-based sample in Southern Brazil.

Thimerosal-containing vaccines and deficit in child development: Population-based study in southern Brazil.

Background: The discussion on the safety of thimerosal-containing vaccines (TCVs) and their impact on child development it́s very relevant.

Methods: This is a cohort study with mother-child dyads who received prenatal care in the Unified Health System. The domains of motor, cognitive and language development were evaluated in children between 24 and 36 months of age.

Childhood trauma and depressive symptoms in pregnant adolescents in Southern Brazil.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the association between child maltreatment and depressive symptomatology during gestation in adolescents.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with pregnant adolescents aged 12 to 19 years. Data were collected with the Beck Depression Inventory, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview.

Prevalence of mental health problems in preschoolers and the impact of maternal depression.

A large number of children of depressed mothers have one or more mental disorders. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of maternal depression on the mental health of 4-5-year-old children of adolescent mothers, according to the hypotheses generated from the model of accumulation. Between October 2009 and March 2011, all pregnant adolescents who received prenatal care from the public health system in Pelotas (southern Brazil) were invited to participate in the study and have been prospectively followed.

A Randomized, Controlled Trial of the Effectiveness of a Psychoeducational Intervention on Family Caregivers of Patients with Mental Disorders.

The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a psychoeducational intervention on caregivers of patients assisted by the Center for Psychosocial Health Care (CPHC) focusing on the patient's psychopathology. This was a randomized clinical trial with 130 caregivers with higher mean burden scores assessed using the Zarit Burden Interview Scale (ZBI) (66 caregivers in the intervention group and 64 in the control group). The intervention included six home visits of psychoeducational interventions according to each mental disorder identified in the CPHC records.

Maternal Depression Increases Childhood Dental Caries: A Cohort Study in Brazil.

Aim: To investigate the relationship between maternal depression and childhood caries in a cohort of adolescent mothers.

Methods: This cross-sectional study nested in a cohort evaluated a sample of 538 mother/child dyads. When the children were 24-36 months of age, data regarding oral health from children and mothers were collected by clinical dental examination.

Trends in burnout syndrome and emotional factors: an assessment of anesthesiologists in Southern Brazil, 2012.

Burnout syndrome (BOS) is the result of chronic stress at work, and is characterized by emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and low professional accomplishment. Anesthesiologyis a stressful profession. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of burnout as well as the sociodemographic and working characteristics associated with this syndrome's emotional factors, in anesthesiologists from Southern Brazil.

Comparison of two instruments to track depression symptoms during pregnancy in a sample of pregnant teenagers in Southern Brazil.

Introduction: Depression during pregnancy in adolescents is increasing significantly. However, instruments for early depression screening during prenatal care are scarce. Faced this fact, the objective of this research is to identify the best cutoff points for the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in a sample of pregnant adolescents.

The impact of anxious symptoms in the remission of depressive symptoms in a clinical trial for depression: follow-up of six months.

Background: Studies show high comorbidity between anxiety disorder and depression. Little is known regarding how anxiety symptoms affect prognosis in depression treatment, suggesting the importance of studying the impact of anxiety symptoms in the treatment of depression. We evaluated the impact of anxiety symptoms in the remission of depressive symptoms after brief psychotherapies for depression.

Serum NGF, BDNF and IL-6 levels in postpartum mothers as predictors of infant development: the influence of affective disorders.

Background: Early adverse experiences are associated with increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders, although little is known about the neurobiological mediators involved. The mechanisms by which early environmental influences may mediate vulnerability in the development of offspring await further investigation. The present study correlated the NGF, BDNF, IL-6 and cortisol levels of mothers with postpartum affective disorders (PPAD) with infant development.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor in post-partum depressive mothers.

Unlabelled: Postpartum depression (PPD) is the most common psychiatric complication observed in women after they give birth. Some women are particularly sensitive to hormonal changes, starting in early menarche, thus increasing their vulnerability to psychological stressing agents that are triggered by environmental and physiological factors throughout their lives. Decreased serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels have been associated to different neuropsychiatric conditions and BDNF has been considered as a candidate marker for such dysfunctions.