Need for information in a representative sample of outpatients with schizophrenia disorders

Background: providing adequate information and involving patients in treatment has become an essential component of mental health care. Despite this, research regarding the extent to which this need has been met in clinical services is still scarce. Aims: To investigate the need for information about psychiatric condition and treatment among outpatients with schizophrenia disorders and how this need is associated with service use, adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Methods: Need for information for information about condition and treatment was assessed using the corresponding domain in the Camberwell Assessment of Need (CAN), in a representative sample of 401 schizophrenia outpatients in Santos, Brazil. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to investigate the association of information as a reported need and as an unmet need with service use variables, adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Results: Need for information was reported by 214 (53.4%) patients, being met in 101 (25.2%) and unmet in 113 (28.2%). Hierarchical regression indicated a significant association of a reported need with higher age of onset, family monitoring medication use last year and lower education level, which was the only associated with an unmet need. Conclusion: Information was a commonly reported need and which was often unmet, showing no significant association with service use. Greater attention should be given by mental health services to information provision

Subjective distress in a representative sample of outpatients with psychotic disorders

The affective burden of psychotic disorder has been increasingly recognised. However, subjective… reports of distress and its covariates, especially those related to service use, remain under-investigated in patients with psychosis. This study investigated subjective distress and its covariates in a representative sample of 401 outpatients with a confirmed diagnosis of psychotic disorders in Brazil. Distress was assessed using the corresponding domain of a standardised measure of need - the Camberwell Assessment of Need. Distress was reported as a need by 165 (41%) patients, being met in 78 (20%) and unmet in 87 (22%). Hierarchical logistic regression showed that the presence of distress as a need was predicted by attendance at psychotherapy (OR=3.49, CI=1.62-7.53), presence of suicidal ideation (OR=2.89, CI=1.75-4.79), non-attendance at psychosocial rehabilitation (OR=2.84, CI=1.31-6.19), and higher psychopathology (OR=1.09, CI=1.06-1.12). An unmet need was predicted by family not accompanying patients to treatment (OR=2.60, CI=1.05-6.44) and higher psychopathology (OR=1.05, CI=1.02-1.09). The use of a cross-sectional design and a single questionnaire domain to evaluate distress are the main limitations. Subjective distress is a common unmet need in psychosis, and can be treated. The main clinical implication is that subjective distress in psychosis may be impacted on by family engagement and psychosocial intervention

Income inequality and mental illness-related morbidity and resilience: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Studies of the association between income inequality and mental health have shown mixed results, probably due to methodological heterogeneity. By dealing with such heterogeneity through a systematic review and meta-analysis, we examine the association between income inequality, mental health problems, use of mental health services, and resilience (defined as the ability to cope with adversity). Methods We searched the Global Health, PsychARTICLES, PsycINFO, Social Policy and Practice, Embase and MEDLINE databases up to July 6, 2016, for quantitative studies of the association of income inequality with prevalence or incidence of mental disorders or mental health problems, use of mental health services, and resilience. Eligible studies used standardised instruments at the individual level, and income inequality at the aggregated, contextual, and ecological level. We extracted study characteristics, sampling, exposure, outcomes, statistical modelling, and parameters from articles. Because several studies did not provide enough statistical information to be included in a meta-analysis, we did a narrative synthesis to summarise results with studies categorised as showing either a positive association, mixed results, or no association. The primary outcome in the random-effects meta-analysis was mental health-related morbidity, defined as the prevalence or incidence of any mental health problem. This study is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016036377. Findings Our search identified 15 615 non-duplicate references, of which 113 were deemed potentially relevant and were assessed for eligibility, leading to the inclusion of 27 studies in the qualitative synthesis. Nine articles found a positive association between income inequality and the prevalence or incidence of mental health problems; ten articles found mixed results, with positive association in some subgroups and non-significant or negative association in other subgroups; and eight articles found no association between income inequality and mental health problems. Of the nine articles included in our meta-analysis, one reported a positive association between income inequality and mental health problems, six reported mixed results, and two reported no association. Pooled Cohen's d effect sizes for the association between income inequality and any mental disorder or mental health problems were 0·06 (95% CI 0·01–0·11) for any mental disorder, and 0·12 (0·05–0·20) for depressive disorders. Our meta-regression analysis showed that none of the factors considered (sample size, contextual level at which income inequality was assessed, quality assessment, type of instruments, and individual income as control variable) explained heterogeneity between studies (I2 89·3%; p<0·0001). Only one study investigated the association between income inequality and resilience; it found greater income inequality was associated with higher prevalence of depression only among individuals with low income. The only study of the role of income inequality as a determinant of the use of mental health services reported no association. Interpretation Income inequality negatively affects mental health but the effect sizes are small and there is marked heterogeneity among studies. If this association is causal and growing income inequality does lead to an increase in the prevalence of mental health problems, then its reduction could result in a significant improvement in population wellbeing

Childhood individual and family modifiable risk factors for criminal conviction: a 7-year cohort study from Brazil

Crime is a major public problem in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and its preventive measures could have great social impact. The extent to which multiple modifiable risk factors among children and families influence juvenile criminal conviction in an LMIC remains unexplored; however, it is necessary to identify prevention targets. This study examined the association between 22 modifiable individual and family exposures assessed in childhood (5–14 years, n = 2511) and criminal conviction at a 7-year follow-up (13–21 years, n = 1905, 76% retention rate) in a cohort of young people in Brazil. Population attributable risk fraction (PARF) was computed for significant risk factors. Criminal convictions were reported for 81 (4.3%) youths. Although most children living in poverty did not present criminal conviction (89%), poverty at baseline was the only modifiable risk factor significantly associated with crime (OR 4.14, 99.8% CI 1.38–12.46) with a PARF of 22.5% (95% CI 5.9–36.1%). It suggests that preventing children’s exposure to poverty would reduce nearly a quarter of subsequent criminal convictions. These findings highlight the importance of poverty in criminal conviction, as it includes several deprivations and suggest that poverty eradication interventions during childhood may be crucial for reducing crime among Brazilian youth

Relação entre Vivência Acadêmica e Ansiedade em Estudantes Universitários

Researches have evaluated the anxiety and college students adaptation to academic life, but few Brazilian studies investigated the relation between these variables. This study aimed to evaluate the student’s degree of academic adaptation and its relation to anxiety and sociodemographic and academic variables. This is a cross-sectional Survey research, part of a multicentric study. Participated 316 students from three institutions: Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto e Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro. Subjects answered online instruments: Questionário de Vivências Acadêmicas (QVA-r); Escala de Depressão, Ansiedade e Estresse (DASS-21) and sociodemografic/academic questionnaire. Results showed moderate degree of academic adaptation, stronger for the dimensions Carrier, Personal and Interpessonal and moderate levels of anxiety. Multiple regression indicated that higher levels of anxiety were predictor of lower degree of academic adaptation, for Carrier, Study and Institucional. For Carrier, being in a medical course was predictor of lower degree of adaptation. For anxiety, the predictors were being female, being in Nursing course and low age. This research can be considered an advance in this area due to the lack of studies on this issue. Future studies should include others universities and parts of the country.Estudos têm investigado a ansiedade e a adaptação acadêmica em estudantes universitários, mas poucas pesquisas nacionais avaliaram a relação entre estas variáveis. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o grau de adaptação acadêmica dos estudantes e suas relações com ansiedade e variáveis sociodemográficas e acadêmicas. Trata-se de Pesquisa de Levantamento (Survey), de corte transversal, parte de um estudo multicêntrico. Participaram 316 alunos da Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto e Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro. Foram aplicados os seguintes instrumentos online: Questionário de Vivências Acadêmicas (QVA-r); Escala de Depressão, Ansiedade e Estresse (DASS-21) e Questionário sociodemográfico/acadêmico. Os resultados mostraram grau moderado de adaptação acadêmica, com maiores escores nas dimensões Carreira, Pessoal e Interpessoal e níveis moderados de ansiedade. Na regressão múltipla, maior nível de ansiedade foi preditor de menor adaptação acadêmica, nas dimensões Carreira, Estudo e Institucional. Para a dimensão Carreira, cursar Medicina também foi um fator preditor de menor adaptação. Para ansiedade, os fatores preditores foram: sexo feminino, cursar Enfermagem e ter menor idade. Esta pesquisa pode ser considerada um avanço na área, devido à carência de estudos nesta temática. Estudos futuros deverão incluir outras universidades e regiões do país

Superação em Esquizofrenia: relato de casos

RESUMO A esquizofrenia tem sido tradicionalmente vista como uma doença que leva a deterioração e incapacidade progressivas. Essa visão pessimista se faz presente na própria prática clínica em psiquiatria. O livro Casos de superação em esquizofrenia desafia tal visão, ao apresentar um número considerável de casos clínicos reais de pessoas com esquizofrenia que apresentaram um desfecho mais otimista. Cada capítulo apresenta um caso, descrito por seu clínico responsável e caracterizado por uma superação clínica e pessoal da doença. A obra contribui, de forma original, com o desenvolvimento de uma atitude mais positiva e de esperança em relação ao tratamento da esquizofrenia

Percepção dos pacientes sobre o tratamento em serviços de saúde mental: validação da Escala de Mudança Percebida Patient's perception on the treatment in mental Health services: validating the Perception of Change Scale - patient version

Na avaliação de serviços de saúde mental, tem-se destacado as escalas de medida que avaliam os resultados do tratamento relatados pelos próprios pacientes. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi validar a Escala de Mudança Percebida (EMP) pelos pacientes. Trezentos pacientes psiquiátricos, atendidos em serviços de saúde mental, participaram de entrevistas individuais estruturadas, com a escala. A escala possui 19 itens que avaliam mudanças percebidas, com alternativas de resposta em escala do tipo Likert de 3 pontos. Análise pelo método dos Componentes Principais resultou em estrutura de 3 fatores: a) Ocupação e saúde física; b) Aspectos psicológicos e sono; c) Relacionamentos e estabilidade emocional. A escala apresentou boa consistência interna (Alfa de Cronbach= 0,85), estabilidade temporal teste-reteste (r=0,93; p<0,05) e validade convergente com uma escala que avalia o construto teoricamente relacionado de satisfação com o serviço (r=0,37; p<0,05).<br>The evaluation of mental health services has stressed the use of patient-reported outcome scales. Thus, this research aimed at validating the Perception of Change Scale - Patient Version (PCS-P). Three hundred psychiatric patients, attending mental health services, participated in individual structured interviews which use the scale. The scale has 19 items which evaluate perceived changes and response alternatives disposed in a three-point Likert-type scale. Analysis using the Principal Components Method revealed a 3-factor structure: (a) occupation and physical health; (b) psychological aspects and sleeping condition; (c) relationships and emotional stability. The scale had good indices of internal consistency (Cronbach alpha = 0.85), test-retest temporal stability (r = 0.93; p<0.05) and convergent validity with another scale evaluating the related construct of service satisfaction (r = 0.37; p<0.05)

Childhood poverty and mental health disorders in early adulthood: evidence from a Brazilian cohort study

Background: We examined the association between childhood poverty and mental health disorders (MHD) in childhood and early adulthood. We also investigated whether the association between poverty in childhood and MHD is mediated by exposure to stressful life events (SLE). Methods: We used data from a prospective community cohort of young people assessed at baseline (M=9.7 years, SD=1.9), first (M=13.5 years, SD=1.9), and second (M=18.2 years, SD=2.0) follow-ups (N=1,590) in Brazil. Poverty was assessed using a standardized classification. Exposure to 20 different SLE was measured using the Life History instrument. Psychiatric diagnoses were evaluated using the Development and Well-Being Assessment. Latent growth models investigated the association between poverty at baseline and the growth of any MHD, externalizing, and internalizing disorders. Mediation models evaluated whether the association between childhood poverty and MHD in early adulthood was mediated by exposure to SLE. Results: Poverty affected 11.4% of the sample at baseline and was associated with an increased propensity for presenting externalizing disorders in adolescence or early adulthood (standardized estimate=0.27, p=0.016). This association was not significant for any disorder or internalizing disorders. Childhood poverty increased the likelihood of externalizing disorders in early adulthood through higher exposure to SLE (OR=1.07, 95CI% 1.01–1.14). Results were only replicated among females in stratified analyses. Conclusions: Childhood poverty had detrimental consequences on externalizing MHD in adolescence, especially among females. Poverty and SLE are preventable risk factors that need to be tackled to reduce the burden of externalizing disorders in young people

Núcleos de Ensino da Unesp: artigos 2008

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq