Sérgio Baxter Andreoli

This study translated and culturally adapted the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2–Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) into Brazilian Portuguese and examined cross-language score correspondence, internal consistency, measurement precision, and preliminary within-instrument patterns of association. Translation and adaptation followed International Test Commission guidelines and procedures required by the instrument publisher. Cross-language score correspondence was examined in 36 bilingual adults, and the Brazilian Portuguese version was administered to a community sample of 764 adults matched by sex. Cross-language correlations ranged from 0.53 for Neurological Complaints (NUC) to 1.00 for Introversion/Low Positive Emotionality-Revised (INTR-r). Internal consistency estimates varied considerably across scales, ranging from α = 0.38 for Helplessness/Hopelessness (HLP) to α = 0.90 for Demoralization (RCd), and standard errors of measurement ranged from 4 to 9 T-score points. Intercorrelations among the MMPI-2-RF scales ranged from weak to strong, with several comparatively larger associations occurring among scales assigned to the same broad domains. These findings provide descriptive information about cross-language score correspondence, reliability-related characteristics, and within-instrument covariance. They do not establish the constructs represented by the Brazilian scale scores, measurement equivalence, or clinical interpretability. Studies incorporating external criteria, latent structural models, clinical samples, and tests of measurement invariance are needed before interpretations developed for the original version can be evaluated for use in Brazil.

Despite available instruments to assess peritraumatic reactions - such as tonic immobility, dissociation, and panic reactions - content overlap remains an issue. To date, no comprehensive tool integrates these dimensions into a single valid instrument. This study consolidates items from various sources to create a standalone solution, employing both qualitative and quantitative approaches. At several stages, experts examined potential content overlaps and redundancies in item components, supported by psychometric assessments using exploratory structural equation models and confirmatory factor analysis. The 29-item instrument exhibits robust configural and metric properties, including unique items per factor, high reliability, absence of content redundancy, and convergent and discriminant factorial validity. The provisionally named Peritraumatic Response Questionnaire (PTRQ) seems suitable for use in epidemiological studies in its current state. Further refinement may enhance its comprehensiveness and suitability for broader applications. Thus, we propose this instrument for assessing peritraumatic experiences, with potential for future enhancement by continued research.

A large number of studies indicate that subanesthetic doses of ketamine induce a fast antidepressant effect. Limited studies have investigated the subcutaneous (SC) route, and it remains unclear for whom this treatment is most suitable. The aim of this study was to examine the effect on depressive symptoms of repeated subanesthetic doses of SC esketamine in unipolar and bipolar treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and clinical predictors of response. A retrospective analysis of 70 patients who received six SC esketamine doses weekly as an adjunctive treatment was carried out. Doses started at 0.5 mg/kg and it could be titrated up to 1 mg/kg, according to response. The primary outcome was reduction in depressive symptoms. Statistical analysis to investigate clinical predictors of effectiveness included logistic regression analysis using a dependent variable of a 50% reduction in rating scale scores at the end of treatment. Comparisons between groups were made through analysis of variance and treatment effects. At baseline, our sample presented with severe treatment resistance in 65.7%, as assessed by the Maudsley Staging Method (MSM), and 47.1% had anxiety disorder comorbidity. The response rate was 50%. A better outcome was predicted by mild and moderate MSM scores (OR = 3.162, p = 0.041) and anxiety disorder comorbidity (OR = 3.149, p = 0.028). Our results suggest that higher levels of treatment resistance may be associated with a poor response to SC esketamine. Unlike traditional pharmacotherapies, it might benefit those with poor prognosis such as patients with depression and comorbid anxiety. Therefore, future research could investigate whether esketamine should receive a more prominent place in the treatment algorithm for TRD.

RESUMO: Introdução: As prevalências de depressão em presídios são altas, porém não há clareza sobre os fatores de risco entre os sexos. Analisamos os fatores associados à depressão entre homens e mulheres presos no estado de São Paulo. Metodologia: Estudo transversal, de 2006 a 2007, com amostra probabilística estratificada e em múltiplos estágios. Aplicaram-se o Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) para diagnóstico psiquiátrico e questionário sobre histórico criminal em 1.192 homens e 617 mulheres. As prevalências foram calculadas para vida e fatores associados, para cada sexo, analisadas por meio da regressão logística multinomial. A variável dependente foi categorizada em: depressão, outro transtorno e sem transtorno mental. Resultados: A prevalência de depressão em mulheres foi de 33,3% (30,3 - 36,5) e em homens de 12,9% (11,1 - 15,0). Entre homens, foram associados à depressão falta disciplinar no presídio, histórico infracional na adolescência, ter companheira e problemas de saúde. Associados a outros transtornos: histórico infracional na adolescência e reincidência. Entre mulheres, as associações com depressão foram: problemas de saúde, crime de drogas e violência, estar presa em penitenciária e reincidência. Outros transtornos foram com problemas de saúde, reincidência, histórico infracional e crime violento. Discussão: Resultados confirmam estudos sobre diferenças entre os sexos para fatores associados à depressão. Conclusão: Há diferenças no perfil de homens e mulheres, que demandam distintas estratégias de enfrentamento, como coping e reabilitação em saúde para as mulheres com depressão.

To analyze the association between drug (DAD) and alcohol (AAD) abuse and dependency and criminal and clinical background by gender of prisoners in São Paulo, Brazil. Cross-sectional study, random sample stratified by administrative district, from which prisons and prisoners were selected via random, multistage sampling. Psychiatric diagnoses were made with the CIDI 2.1. Lifetime prevalence and 95% CI were calculated and adjusted via analysis of complex samples. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was carried out with four categories of dependent variables: presence AAD; presence DAD; presence of another mental disorder; no mental disorders. For female alcohol and drug abuse and dependency (ADAD) were combined into a single category. The sample was composed by 1809 interviewed prisoners (1192 men and 617 women). Prevalence of DAD and AAD was 25.2% and 15.6%, respectively, among female prisoners, and 26.5% and 18.5% among males. Male prisoners with DAD were more likely to have a criminal record as an adolescent (OR 2.17), to be a repeat offender (OR 2.85), and to have committed a property crime (OR 2.18). Prisoners with AAD were repeat offenders (OR 2.18). Among female prisoners, ADAD was associated with repeat offenses (OR 3.39), a criminal record as an adolescent (OR 9.24), a clinical or infectious condition (OR 5.09), another health problem (OR 3.04), and violent crime (OR 2.5). The study confirmed an association between drug-use disorders and the criminal and clinical background in the study population. Prisoners with such disorders were more likely to be repeat offenders and to have a criminal record as adolescents. Among female prisoners disorders were also associated with violent crime and health problems, while among males they were associated with property crime. These patterns in clinical and criminal backgrounds illustrate the need for social rehabilitation programs and specific medical treatment for prison populations.

Resilience is a dynamic process involving the interaction between intrapsychic and social factors of risk and protection. For resilience to be recognized there must be a significant threat to the individual, such as a traumatic event, and a good quality of adjustment. The aim of this study was to identify predisposing factors and possible mechanisms associated with resilience to traumatic events in the general population. We conducted a cross-sectional study with a random sample, aged 15-75 years, living in the two largest cities in Brazil, who were exposed to trauma (N = 3,231). Positive adaptation to trauma was defined as the lifetime absence of anxiety (including posttraumatic stress disorder), depression and alcohol related disorders in the presence of at least one traumatic event. Logistic regression models predicting resilience were used to estimate the incidence density ratio. This measure expresses the extent to which the rate of resilience differs from the exposed group to the non-exposed group. Moreover, we explored the relationship between positive/negative affect and resilience, using linear regression models. Male gender was a predisposing factor to positive adaptation (incidence density ratio [IDR] = 1.34; p < 0.001). There was an inverse linear relationship between childhood violence and resilience (IDR = 0.67; 0.53; 0.19; p < 0.001). Our findings suggest that the absence of parental mental disease (IDR = 1.35; p = 0.07) also predisposes individuals to positive adaptation. This study provides results that help to identify vulnerable groups and protective factors that may lead to a positive adaptation following traumatic experiences.

The large number of individuals with severe mental disorders in prisons worldwide has alarming implications, which leads to the question of the appropriateness of the prison system for people with this type of morbidity. This article discusses these implications, the problems in therapeutic approaches and the legal aspects in the Brazilian context.

Tonic Immobility is a temporary state of motor inhibition in situations involving extreme fear. The first scale developed for its assessment was the 10-item Tonic Immobility Scale (TIS). However, there are still few studies on its structural (dimensional) validity. The objective of this study was to reassess the factor structure of the TIS applied to representative samples exposed to general trauma of two Brazilian mega-cities. The sample comprised 3,223 participants reporting at least one traumatic experience. In São Paulo (n = 2,148), a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) first tested the originally proposed two-dimensional structure. This was followed by sequential Exploratory Structural Equation Models to identify the best fitting model, and subsequently tested in Rio de Janeiro (n = 1,075) via CFA. Alternative reduced versions were further explored using the aggregate sample. Model-based Item Response Theory (IRT) location parameters were also investigated. An absence of factor-based convergent and discriminant validity rejected the original proposition. However, the one-dimensional structure still held several residual correlations. Further exploration indicated the sustainability of reduced versions with seven (alternative A) and six (alternative B) items. Both presented excellent fit and no relevant residual item correlation. According to the IRT location parameters, items in alternative B covered a wider range of the latent trait. The Loevinger's H scalability coefficients underscored this pattern. The original model did not hold. A one-factor solution was the most tenable in both large samples, but with significant item residual correlations, indicating that content redundancies persisted. Further reduced and simplified versions of the TIS proved promising. Although studies are yet to be carried out in other settings, it is the authors' impression that the restricted versions of the TIS are already apt for use in epidemiologic studies since the pros tend to outweigh the cons (as outlined in the Discussion section).