A preliminary study of the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety symptoms in female adolescents maltreatment victims in Mexico / Un estudio preliminar sobre la prevalencia de síntomas de estrés postraumático, depresión y ansiedad en mujeres adolescentes femeninas víctimas de maltrato en México

Abstract: Introduction: Although child maltreatment is related with psychopathologic symptoms, however their clinical prevalence in the general population and more so in specific groups of age and gender, such as female adolescents, has been scarcely documented. Objective: The purpose of the present study was to examine the prevalence mental illness symptoms ‒such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety‒ in female adolescent maltreatment victims in Mexico. Method: Fifty-five 12-17-year old female adolescent victims of maltreatment (sexual, physical, and emotional abuse) recruited from four different Mexican institutions were evaluated through clinical scales for post-traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety, in addition to clinical interviews. Results: More than half of the participants presented significant scores of psychopathological symptoms in the three scales evaluated. Discussion and conclusion: The high prevalence of psychopathologic symptoms found in this study suggests that female adolescents who had experienced some form of abuse present highed a susceptibility to develop psychopathology. Results are discussed in the context of their relevance as a public health problem and their implications for professional interventions.

Resumen: Introducción: Aunque el maltrato infantil se ha asociado con síntomas psicopatológicos, se ha documentado poco la prevalencia clínica que tiene en la población general y aún más en grupos específicos de edad y género, como en el caso de mujeres adolescentes. Objetivo: El presente estudio tiene como propósito examinar la prevalencia de síntomas de enfermedades mentales como el trastorno de estrés postraumático, la depresión y la ansiedad en adolescentes víctimas de maltrato en México. Método: Se evaluaron 55 mujeres adolescentes víctimas de maltrato (abuso sexual, físico y emocional) de 12 a 17 años, reclutadas en cuatro diferentes instituciones mexicanas. A todas se les aplicaron entrevistas y escalas clínicas de estrés postraumático, depresión y ansiedad. Resultados: Más de la mitad de las participantes presentaron altos puntajes de síntomas psicopatológicos en las tres escalas evaluadas. Discusión y conclusión: La alta prevalencia de síntomas psicopatológicos encontrada en este estudio sugiere que las adolescentes que experimentaron alguna forma de abuso presentaron una alta susceptibilidad a desarrollar psicopatología. Se discuten los resultados en el contexto de su relevancia como un problema de salud pública y sus implicaciones para las intervenciones profesionales correspondientes.

Male rat pelvic copulatory movements: computarized analysis of accelerometric data

Three specifically made computational programs are described. These programs were developed in order to delimitate and analyze the accelerometric signals generated in relation to the pelvic thrusting performed by the male rat during its mounting, intromission, and ejaculation copulatory responses. This methodology has allowed us to perform quantitative analysis, not only about duration and frequency but also about amplitude or vigor of pelvic thrusting trains. We found that during long ejaculation, the extravaginal pelvic movement had a significantly higher amplitude than that of the intravaginal movements