Depressive symptoms and alcohol use among adolescents

Alcohol is the most consumed substance by young people, sometimes it’s associated with depressive symptoms. Objective: Assess the factors associated with alcohol use among 13-year-old teenagers, like depressive symptoms. Methods: Data of a population-based cohort of urban teenagers included cross-sectional information of 919 boys and 1016 girls collected by self-reported questionnaire. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using Beck Depressive Inventory II (BDI). The Mann-Whitney test was used to compare medians. Odds ratio (OR) and multiple linear regression (β) were performed to estimate the magnitude of associations with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). The final model was adjusted for parents’ education, sports, smoking, have friends who drink and parents’ history of depression. Results: Overall 515(50.0%) girls and 425(44.9%) boys have experimented alcoholic beverages and, 48(4.7%) girls and 62(6.6%) boys have drunk(one drink at least once time per month) at 13-year-old. For both genders, after adjustment, being experimenter was significantly associated with parents’ education, tobacco use and friends who drink. In girls, characteristics that was significantly associated to be drinker were tobacco use OR=6.9(3.1-15.2) and friends who drink OR=6.4(2.7-15.2). In boys, to be drinker was associated with tobacco use OR=5.9(2.7-13.0), friends who drink OR=7.3(3.5-15.4) and cohabiting with people who drink OR=5.1(1.4-17.6). Adolescents who have drunk presented a high score in BDI [median(25p-75p)] in girls[6.01(2.00-10.00)vs.6.38(3.00-11.99),p=0.002)] and in boys[3.00(1.01-6.01)vs.3.99(1.01-6.99),p=0.039]. After adjustment, the association was not significant in girls(β=0.583,95%CI[-0.483;1.648]) in boys(β=0.623,95%CI[-0.170;1.417]). Conclusions: Among 13-year-old adolescents parents’ education, smoking and friends who drink were associated with drinking behaviour. After adjustment, depressive symptoms did not show a significant association with alcohol use

A inteligência moral num processo de (des) construção dos projectos de liderança (s). Entre o pensar e o agir como gestão estratégica

Os estudos produzidos nos níveis nacional e internacional no âmbito da investigação científica da Liderança e da sua relação com a Ética, entendida esta como a fundamentação teórica da Moral, apontam, na sua generalidade, para a emergência da necessidade do reforço do seu envolvimento na (re)contribuição da sustentabilidade do desempenho eficaz das organizações educativas. Na senda dos problemas que afectam as organizações educativas, designadamente aqueles que elegem as pessoas como objecto central e em que se coloca(m) em discussão e em causa as formas de actuação e a sua relação com os resultados produzidos, assiste-se também ao surgimento de vários contributos científicos da História, da Sociologia e da Filosofia que, confinadas aos seus campos de investigação, reconhecem a necessidade de uma reflexão mais holística e, consequentemente, de um envolvimento interdisciplinar efectivo na (des)construção e no (re)desenho da(s) liderança(s) em acção. Assumimos o princípio da gestão estratégica das organizações aplicado à escola, em particular, como recurso necessário à transformação, mudança e inovação do espaço educativo. Em síntese, pretende-se que esta reflexão possa participar do aprofundamento do conhecimento nos domínios associados às problemáticas que o justificam, tendo como pano de fundo a inteligência moral, enquanto espaço de eficácia sustentável das lideranças escolares.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Violence in adolescents: social and behavioural factors

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of young people’s involvement in violence measured as participation in physical fights or being physically, sexually or emotionally abused. We also aimed to understand the role of social, demographic and other behavioural characteristics in violence. Methods: We evaluated 7511 adolescents (4243 girls and 3268 boys) aged 15 to 19 years old, enrolled in public schools. Information was obtained using an anonymous, self-administrated questionnaire. Results: The most frequently reported type of violence was emotional abuse(15.6%).Boys reported greater involvement in fights(3.6 vs.13.6%,p<0.001)and physical abuse (7.5 vs.19.5%,p<0.001).The prevalence of emotional abuse(16.2 vs.14.8%,p=0.082)and sexual abuse(2.0 vs.1.8%,p=0.435) was similar in girls and boys. After adjustment, increasing age decreased the odds of being involved in fights in both genders but increased the odds of emotional abuse. Living in a rented home was associated with physical abuse in girls (odds ratio[OR]:1.4;95%confidence interval[95%CI]:1.0–1.9)and boys(OR:1.6;95%CI:1.2–2.0).In girls the odds of being emotionally abused increased with greater parental education. Smoking and cannabis use were associated with all types of violence in both genders. Conclusions: The most frequently reported form of violence was emotional abuse. We found differences by gender, with boys reporting more physical abuse and involvement in fights. Adolescents whose parents had a higher educational level reported more physical and emotional abuse, which may be related to differences in the perception of abuse

Childhood Exposure to Violence: Looking through a Life-Course Perspective

Childhood is the most important period of development during life course, highly sensitive to external influences and with a profound impact on children’s well-being. During this period, the foundations for every individual’s physical and mental health capacities and attainment are laid, influencing children’s lives throughout adolescence, adulthood and aging. Violence is one of the most traumatic experiences that can impact the healthy development of the child, compromising its growth and future health. Although violence assessment in the scope of a cohort study comprises methodological and ethical challenges, a life-course perspective allows researchers to understand the effects of multiple forms of violence by distinguishing between repetitive violence over time and isolated incidents, the occurrence of violent experiences in different contexts and settings, as well as the interconnection between different experiences of trauma. This chapter aims to demonstrate the importance of a life-course perspective to understand the detrimental relationship between early exposure to violence and worse health in the first years of life

Consumo de substâncias ilícitas por adolescentes portugueses

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of illicit drug consumption among adolescents and the motives that led these adolescents to try them. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with 2,499 adolescents aged 17 years, based on a cohort called EPITeen, which was started in 2003/2004 with adolescents born in 1990 who studied in public and private schools of the city of Porto, Portugal. A new assessment was carried out in 2007/2008: 1,716 adolescents (79.5%) were recovered and 783 new participants were evaluated. Information about social and demographic characteristics, family and personal history of diseases and behaviours were obtained through self-administered structured questionnaires. The chi-square test was used to test the associations. The statistical analysis was performed in the program SPSS® version 17. RESULTS: Of the adolescents, 14.6% had tried drugs at least once in their lives. The most tried illicit drug was cannabis (12.5%), followed by alcohol together with cannabis (5.5%) and tranquilizers (1.7%). The most cited reason for trying drugs was curiosity (77.5%). Friends were the most frequently cited form of obtaining drugs and the school was seen by 24.2% of the adolescents as a place where it was possible to buy cannabis. CONCLUSIONS: The results support the need to intervene at an early age and suggest that this intervention should be integrated with strategies targeted at other risk behaviors, particularly in schools.OBJETIVO: Describir la prevalencia de consumo de drogas ilícitas en adolescentes y los motivos que los llevan a experimentarlas. MÉTODOS: Estudio transversal con 2.499 adolescentes de 17 años, con base en una cohorte designada por EPITeen, iniciada en 2003/2004 con adolescentes nacidos en 1990 que estudiaban en las escuelas públicas y privadas de la ciudad de Porto, Portugal. Se realizó nueva evaluación en 2007/2008, siendo recuperados 1.716 adolescentes (79,4%) y evaluados 783 nuevos participantes. Informaciones sobre características sociales y demográficas, historia familiar y personal de enfermedad y comportamientos fueron obtenidas con cuestionarios estructurados auto-administrados. La prueba de chi-cuadrado fue utilizada para evaluar las asociaciones. El análisis estadístico fue realizado en el programa informático SPSS® versión 17. RESULTADOS: De los adolescentes, 14,6% relataron haber experimentado drogas alguna vez en la vida. La droga ilícita más experimentada fue la cannabis (12,5%), seguida por el alcohol simultáneamente con cannabis (5,5%) y por los tranquilizantes (1,7%). La tasa más referida para experimentar drogas fue la curiosidad (77,5%). Los amigos fueron la forma más frecuentemente referida para obtener la droga y la escuela era vista por 24,2% de los adolescentes como un lugar donde se podía comprar cannabis. CONCLUSIONES: Los resultados fundamentan la necesidad de intervenir en edades precoces y sugieren que dicha intervención debe ser integrada con estrategias dirigidas a otros comportamientos de riesgo, específicamente en medio escolar.OBJETIVO: Descrever a prevalência de consumo de drogas ilícitas em adolescentes e os motivos que os levam a experimentá-las. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal com 2.499 adolescentes de 17 anos, com base numa coorte designada por EPITeen, iniciada em 2003/2004 com adolescentes nascidos em 1990 que estudavam nas escolas públicas e privadas da cidade do Porto, Portugal. Foi realizada nova avaliação em 2007/2008, sendo recuperados 1.716 adolescentes (79,4%) e avaliados 783 novos participantes. Informações sobre características sociais e demográficas, história familiar e pessoal de doença e comportamentos foram obtidas com questionários estruturados autoadministrados. O teste de qui-quadrado foi utilizado para testar as associações. A análise estatística foi realizada no programa informático SPSS® versão 17. RESULTADOS: Dos adolescentes, 14,6% referiram ter experimentado drogas alguma vez na vida. A droga ilícita mais experimentada foi a cannabis (12,5%), seguida pelo álcool em simultâneo com cannabis (5,5%) e pelos tranquilizantes (1,7%). A razão mais referida para experimentar drogas foi a curiosidade (77,5%). Os amigos foram a forma mais frequentemente referida para obter a droga e a escola era vista por 24,2% dos adolescentes como um local em que se podia comprar cannabis. CONCLUSÕES: Os resultados fundamentam a necessidade de intervir em idades precoces e sugerem que essa intervenção deve ser integrada com estratégias dirigidas a outros comportamentos de risco, nomeadamente em meio escolar

Influence of social adversity on perceived health status and depressive symptoms among portuguese older people

This study aims to investigate how exposure to poverty, food insecurity, and abuse at older ages relates to health outcomes. A questionnaire collecting data on sociodemographic and economic characteristics, health status, depressive symptoms, food insecurity, and abuse was administered to a sample of 677 older adults. Logistic regression was used to quantify the association of poverty, food insecurity, and abuse with perceived health status and depressive symptoms. If the older person only reported experiences of abuse, it was more likely to report the presence of depressive symptoms, even after adjustment for covariates. If it was only reported the experience of food insecurity, it was more likely to report a worse health status. Older people exposed to at least two factors of vulnerability were significantly more likely to report (very) poor perceived health status (OR: 7.11, 95% CI: 2.77-18.25) and the presence of relevant depressive symptoms (OR: 4.34; 95% CI: 2.04-9.22). Thus, the combined effect of vulnerabilities was significantly associated with worse health among older people. Public health policies to mitigate these adverse exposures should be developed to promote health and well-being in this population

How do early socioeconomic circumstances impact inflammatory trajectories? Findings from Generation XXI

© 2020. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. This version of the article [S. Soares, A. López-Cheda, A. C. Santos, H. Barros, y S. Fraga, «How do early socioeconomic circumstances impact inflammatory trajectories? Findings from Generation XXI», Psychoneuroendocrinology, vol. 119, p. 104755, sep. 2020] has been accepted for publication in Psychoneuroendocrinology. The Version of Record is available online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104755.[Abstract]: Background: The association between socioeconomic position and markers of inflammation in adults, including C-reactive protein (CRP), is well-established. We hypothesized that children from families of less-advantaged socioeconomic circumstances may be at higher inflammatory risk during childhood and, consequently, throughout their life course. Thus, we aimed to investigate whether early socioeconomic circumstances impact CRP trajectories using repeated measures of data from a population-based birth cohort. Methods: Data from 2510 participants of Generation XXI, a prospective Portuguese population-based birth cohort, were included in this study. Early socioeconomic circumstances comprised maternal education and occupation, paternal education and occupation, and household income at the child’s birth. Venous blood samples were collected from the children at ages four, seven, and ten years, and high-sensitivity CRP (Hs-CRP) was quantified. Hs-CRP trajectories were computed using a linear mixed-model approach. Results: Participants from less-advantaged socioeconomic circumstances presented higher levels of Hs-CRP by age of ten years. The higher the mother´s education and disposable household income, the lower the minimum value of the log Hs-CRP observed throughout childhood. Further, the age at which that minimum log Hs-CRP value was reached occurs later, meaning that children born in more-advantaged socioeconomic circumstances had lower levels of log Hs-CRP compared with children from less-advantaged families. Conclusions: Poor socioeconomic circumstances early in life are associated with increased inflammation levels throughout the first decade of life. This study demonstrates that social inequalities may impact population health beginning at very early ages.This work was supported by the European Regional Development Fund through the Operational Programme Competitiveness and Internationalization and national funding from the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology, and Higher Education under the projects “BioAdversity: How childhood social adversity shapes health: The biology of social adversity” (POCI-01- 0145-FEDER-016838; reference FCT PTDC/DTP-EPI/1687/2014), “HIneC: When do health inequalities start? Understanding the impact of childhood social adversity on health trajectories from birth to early adolescence” (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029567; reference: FCT PTDC/SAU-PUB/29,567/2017). It is also supported by the Unidade de Investigação em Epidemiologia–Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto (EPIUnit) (reference UIDB/04750/2020), Administração Regional de Saúde Norte (Regional Department of Ministry of Health) and Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian; PhD grant SFRH/BD/108742/2015 (to SS) co-funded by FCT and the Human Capital Operational Programme (POCH/FSE Program); FCT Investigator contracts CEECIND/01516/2017 (to SF) and IF/01060/2015 (to ACS); and BEATRIZ GALINDO JUNIOR Spanish Grant (code BEAGAL18/00143) from MICINN (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades), reference BGP18/00154 (to ALC). This study is also a result of the project DOCnet (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000003), supported by the Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement.Portugal. Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior; FCT PTDC/DTP-EPI/1687/2014Portugal. Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior; FCT PTDC/SAU-PUB/29,567/2017Universidade do Porto; UIDB/04750/202

O pass‑through da taxa de câmbio para índices de preços: análise empírica para o Brasil

O presente artigo objetiva analisar empiricamente a relação entre taxa de câmbio e preços no Brasil no período de 1999 a 2012. Adicionalmente apresenta‑se uma revisão da literatura teórica e empírica destacando os canais de transmissão do câmbio para os índices de preços tanto no âmbito micro quanto macroeconômico. Para alcançar o objetivo proposto, utilizou‑se o procedimento econométrico de séries temporais através do Vetor de Correção de Erros. Os resultados encontrados sugerem uma relação de longo prazo entre câmbio e os índices de preços domésticos em análise, embora seja possível constatar um grau de pass‑through incompleto. Observa‑se também que o repasse é maior para o índice de preços (IGPDI) com maior componente de preços por atacado

Self-reported psychosocial factors among In Vitro Fertilization patients interviewed alone or with the partner

"Published online: 07 Nov 2015"The purpose of this study was to compare the sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics reported by female in vitro fertilization (IVF) patients interviewed alone or with the partner in heterosexual couples. During 12 months (2011-2012), all patients undergoing IVF or intracytoplasmic sperm injection at one public reproductive medicine unit, in Portugal, were interviewed on the day of the diagnosis of pregnancy, being recruited 221 women interviewed with the partner and 92 interviewed alone. Interviewers collected data on sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics; and anxiety, depression, social support and partner relationship were collected by self-administered questionnaires. χ(2) test was used to assess the independent association between the categorical variables and being interviewed alone or with the partner. For continuous variables, mean or median differences were compared by the t-test or the Mann-Whitney test, according to data distribution. No statistically significant differences were found in the self-reporting of depression, anxiety, social support and partner relationship or in sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics between women interviewed alone or with the partner. Although women interviewed alone were older and more frequently had children than women interviewed with the partner, no significant associations were observed. Thus, having a male partner present in the research setting during a self-administered questionnaire seems not to influence women's responses to psychosocial measures. Other outcomes and settings need to be evaluated to support evidence-based guidelines for research on infertility.The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding from FEDER by the Operational Programme Factors of Competitiveness – COMPETE and the national funding from the Foundation for Science and Technology – FCT (Portuguese Ministry of Education and Science) (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-014453), and the grants IF/00956/2013 (to SS), IF/00829/2013 (to HM), SFRH/BPD/103562/2014 (to EA) and SFRH/BD/75807/2011 (to CS).The authors thank the staff of the reproductive medicine unit for the collaboration and support, and all the patients who participated. The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding from FEDER by the Operational Programme Factors of Competitiveness – COMPETE and the national funding from the Foundation for Science and Technology – FCT (Portuguese Ministry of Education and Science) (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-014453), and the grants IF/00956/2013 (to SS), IF/00829/2013 (to HM), SFRH/BPD/103562/2014 (to EA) and SFRH/BD/75807/2011 (to CS)