Measuring Adolescent Chronic Stress: A Review of Established Biomarkers and Psychometric Instruments.

Adolescence is a period of stressful physiological and psychosocial changes. Exposure to chronic stress can cause specific structural and functional changes in an organism, which can be appraised objectively. Some of these alterations are an expected reaction of the body in its attempt to adapt to a stressful situation, while others are signs of possible disease development. The aim of this review was to present the most widely used methods of stress evaluation in adolescence research. Primary biomarkers associated with different biological systems, such as the stress hormones glucocorticoids, and catecholamines, as well as the available methods of extraction and assessment of each biomarker, are presented. This work also includes secondary outcomes, which can also provide an estimation of an individual's stress level. Also, most available psychometric instruments of stress, constructed to address specifically this period of life, are presented and discussed. In addition, this paper addresses possible confounding factors that may affect stress measurements, which should be taken under consideration when conducting stress research. To objectively evaluate stress, it is of great importance for a researcher to be familiar with the condition under examination and its representative stress indices. Adequate evaluation of adolescents with the selection of proper psychometric tests and biological markers can help design targeted interventions aiming to prevent or reverse the effects of physical and mental stressors that occur during adolescence, effects that can be carried into adulthood with detrimental consequences.

Psychological aspects of soccer and futsal players: A systematic review / Aspectos psicológicos em jogadores de futebol e futsal: Uma revisão sistemática

Abstract Introduction: The present systematic review aimed to compile the information available in the literature having to do with sport psychology regarding futsal and soccer players, in order to identify which psychological constructs are being investigated in these athletes and by means of which instruments and analysis techniques. Method: The search was carried out in the APA (PsycINFO), EBSCO (SportDiscus), PubMed, Web of Science, Scielo, Science Direct, Scopus, BVS and EMBASE databases, with the following descriptors: psychological construct; psychological factor; psychological variable; psychological phenomenon; soccer; futsal and athlete, in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Results: Initially, 66 studies met the established eligibility criteria. Of these, 46 studies were conducted with soccer players, 19 with futsal players and one with athletes who participate in both sports. The psychological constructs most studied in the soccer modality were anxiety, stress, motivation, coping, motivational climate, depression, self-efficacy and group cohesion. With regard to the futsal modality, the most studied psychological constructs were group cohesion, perfectionism, motivation, athlete satisfaction, leadership style, perceived parenting styles and burnout. Conclusions: Group cohesion was associated with several other psychological aspects of an individual nature, with cohesion being the construct of both modalities which is of the greatest interest to researchers possibly because it is a collective modality. It can be established that important psychological factors have not been studied in soccer and futsal modalities, especially among female athletes. Therefore, it is recommended that the research carried out with male athletes be extended to include female populations.

Resumo Introdução: O presente estudo de revisão sistemática procurou compilar informações disponibilizadas na literatura quanto aos estudos da psicologia do esporte em jogadores de futsal e futebol, com a finalidade de identificar quais construtos psicológicos estão sendo estudados nesse público e por quais instrumentos e técnicas de análise. Método: A busca foi realizada nas bases de dados APA (PsycINFO), EBSCO (SportDiscus), PubMed, Web of Science, Scielo, Science Direct, Scopus, BVS e EMBASE, com os seguintes descritores: construto psicológico; fator psicológico; variável psicológica; fenômeno psicológico; futebol; futsal e atleta, nos idiomas inglês, espanhol e português. Resultados: Foram selecionados 66 estudos por meio dos critérios de elegibilidade estabelecidos. Destes, 46 estudos foram conduzidos com jogadores de futebol, 19 com jogadores de futsal e um com atletas de ambas as modalidades. Os construtos psicológicos mais estudados na modalidade de futebol foram ansiedade, estresse, motivação, coping, clima motivacional, depressão, autoeficácia e coesão grupal. Os construtos psicológicos mais estudados na modalidade de futsal foram coesão de grupo, perfeccionismo, motivação, satisfação do atleta, estilo de liderança, estilos parentais percebidos e burnout. Conclusão: A coesão grupal foi associada a diversos outros aspectos psicológicos de natureza individual, sendo a coesão o construto de maior interesse dos pesquisadores de ambas as modalidades, possivelmente, por serem modalidades coletivas. Pode-se identificar que fatores psicológicos importantes não foram estudados nas modalidades de futebol e futsal, em especial junto a atletas do sexo feminino. Recomenda-se, assim, que pesquisas realizadas com atletas do sexo masculino sejam também conduzidas com a população feminina.

Modeling the effect of social interdependence in interprofessional collaborative learning.

Interprofessional education (IPE) often uses collaborative learning for better teamwork among multiple professions. Its theoretical background is social interdependence theory (SIT), and positive interdependence is key for successful collaborative learning. As there is little theoretical knowledge on how to optimize the social interdependence in IPE, educators often struggle to develop an effective program. Therefore, a more specific explanation of the relationship between social interdependence and interprofessional readiness might make IPE more effective. We aimed to elucidate how students' social interdependence in collaborative learning relates to interprofessional readiness. Health profession students (n = 259) undertaking a collaborative IPE program were asked to complete two validated questionnaires: Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale and Social Interdependence Scale in Collaborative Learning. A structural equation analysis provided a good fit for the data. Awareness of objectives positively predicted interprofessional collaboration and identity, whereas specific roles as health professionals negatively predicted interprofessional roles and identity. As the current healthcare system is highly specialized, there is a dilemma that the more specific a problem is, the clearer it is which profession is responsible for solving it. Hence, strengthening awareness collaboratively may overcome the dilemma. Also, it is necessary to reconstruct a curriculum based on the premise of interprofessional activities.

Evaluación neuropsicológica de la demencia avanzada: ¿son de utilidad los instrumentos psicométricos de valoración cognitiva? Una revisión sistemática / Neuropsychological evaluation of advanced dementia: are cognitive assessment psychometric instruments useful? A systematic review

Introducción: Hablamos de demencia avanzada cuando todas las funciones cognitivas muestran una generalizada e importante afectación. En el transcurso de la demencia avanzada será necesario valorar la idoneidad de la utilización o no de instrumentos psicométricos. Objetivo: Determinar la utilidad de los instrumentos psicométricos de valoración cognitiva dirigidos a la evaluación neuropsicológica de la demencia avanzada. Material y métodos. Se realizó una búsqueda de estudios en las bases de datos PubMed, PsychInfo, Medline y Cochrane. Las búsquedas combinaron términos de demencia avanzada, valoración cognitiva y pruebas psicométricas. Se incluyeron 10 estudios en la investigación. Desarrollo: Los 10 estudios seleccionados muestran cómo se pueden utilizar diferentes pruebas psicométricas para la valoración cognitiva de pacientes con demencia avanzada: Severe Impairment Battery, Short version of the Severe Impairment Battery, Ordinal Scales of Psychological Development modified, Severe Cognitive Impairment Profile, Severe Minimental State Examination, Modified version of the Test for Severe Impairment y Severe Impairment Rating Scale. Cinco de los 10 estudiaron la utilidad de esas pruebas en su versión original, y los cinco restantes comprobaron la validez y la fiabilidad de las versiones abreviadas de algunas de estas pruebas. Conclusiones: Son pocas las escalas que reúnen las características psicométricas adecuadas para poder realizar una valoración cognitiva de forma eficaz, teniendo en cuenta la dificultad que ésta supone para una persona con demencia avanzada, pero los instrumentos mencionados superan las principales limitaciones de otras herramientas al presentar ausencia de efecto techo y mínimo efecto suelo.(AU)

Introduction: We speak of advanced dementia when all the cognitive functions show a generalized and important affectation. In the course of advanced dementia it will be necessary to assess the suitability of the use or not of psychometric instruments. Objective: To determine the utility of the psychometric instruments of cognitive assessment that determines the neuropsychological evaluation of advanced dementia. Through the research of studies of the databases PubMed, PsychInfo, MedLine and Cochrane. The searches combined terms of advanced dementia, cognitive evaluation and pshycometric tests. Ten studies were included in the research. Development: The ten selected studies show how different psychometric tests can be used for the cognitive evaluation of patients with advanced dementia: SIB, SIB-s, M-OSPD, SCIP, SMMSE, mTSI and SIRS. Five of the ten studied the usefulness of these tests in their original version, and the remaining five verified the validity and reliability of the abbreviated versions of some of these tests. Conclusions: There are few scales that meet the appropriate psychometric characteristics to be able to carry out a cognitive evaluation effectively taking into account the difficulty that this poses for a person with severe dementia, but the instruments mentioned overcome the main limitations of other tools by presenting no effect ceiling and minimal floor effect.(AU)

Formalized Computer-Aided Handwriting Psychology: Validation and Integration into Psychological Assessment.

In contrast to traditional researches that involve a manual, non-quantitative, and subjective way of performing handwriting analysis, in the current research, a special computer-aided method of revised handwriting analysis is used. It includes the detection of personality traits via manual quantitative registration of handwriting signs and their automated quantitative evaluation. This method is based on a mathematical-statistical model that integrates multiple international publications on the evaluation of handwriting signs. The first aim is the validation of the revised method against the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire Revised (16PF-R), which is performed as a self-report personality test by test persons and was developed and researched empirically by Raymond B. Cattell et al. A second aim is the development of an integrated model for assessment including handwriting analysis: when both methods come to the same result on a certain scale, then the construct can be accepted with higher reliability; in contrast, when results are contradictory, they should be regarded as a limitation of each method and raise awareness in the researchers, as these contradictions are a precious source of additional information regarding the complexity, ambiguity, and context specificity of personality traits.

Instrumentos psicométricos para avaliação da empatia em crianças e adolescentes: revisão sistemática / Psychometric instruments for the evaluation of empathy in children and adolescents: a systematic review / Instrumentos psicométricos para la evaluación de la empatía en niños y adolescentes: revisión sistemática

Os instrumentos psicológicos auxiliam o psicólogo no processo de avaliação, sendo ferramentas fundamentais para direcionar estratégias interventivas. Entre tantas medidas de avaliação com crianças e adolescentes, a empatia torna-se fundamental para o conhecimento, considerando a capacidade de se colocar em perspectiva em relação às emoções e comportamentos de outra pessoa. Este estudo trata de revisão sistemática, como objetivo de investigar, nas produções científicas das bases de dados BVS/Bireme, Medline e Scielo, instrumentos de avaliação da empatia em crianças e adolescentes. Foram 19 estudos, indicando que os instrumentos avaliados apresentam adequadas propriedades psicométricas para a avaliação da empatia em crianças e adolescentes. No Brasil, poucos estudos foram realizados, sendo que a maioria das pesquisas trata de medidas adaptadas do âmbito internacional.

Psychological instruments help the psychologist with the evaluation process, and are fundamental tools to guide interventional strategies. Among several evaluation procedures targeting children and adolescents, empathy becomes fundamental for the knowledge, considering the ability to put oneself into perspective in relation to another person’s emotions and behaviors. The present study focus on the systematic review, aiming to investigate, in the scientific production in the BVS/Bireme, Medline and Scielo databases, instruments for the evaluation of empathy in children and adolescents. Nineteen (19) studies were carried out indicating that the evaluated instruments hold adequate psychometric properties for the evaluation of empathy in children and adolescents. In Brazil, few studies have been carried out and most researches are adapted from international studies.

Los instrumentos psicológicos ayudan al psicólogo en el proceso de evaluación, siendo herramientas fundamentales para dirigir las estrategias de intervención. Entre muchas medidas de evaluación con niños y adolescentes, la empatía es fundamental, ya que es conocida como la capacidad de ponerse en la perspectiva de las emociones y de los comportamientos de otra persona. Este estudio es una revisión sistemática, con el fin de investigar la producción científica de las bases de datos de la BVS/Bireme, Medline y Scielo, herramientas de evaluación de la empatía en niños y adolescentes. Hubo 19 estudios, lo que indica que los instrumentos evaluados tienen propiedades psicométricas adecuadas para la evaluación de la empatía en los niños y adolescentes. En Brasil, se realizaron pocos estudios, y la mayoría de las investigaciones es una adaptación de las medidas a nivel internacional.

Tooth Color as a Predictor of Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Young Adults.

PURPOSE: Smiling plays an important role in social interaction. The purpose of this research was to explore the extent to which objective parameters of color of one's own teeth affected the social and emotional dimensions of young adults' lives. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample included 134 subjects-students of the University of Rijeka, Croatia (65% female) aged 19 to 28 years (median 21). All subjects had six intact maxillary anterior teeth without restorations or severe malocclusions and healthy gingiva with no signs of inflammation. Tooth color was assessed intraorally using a spectrophotometer. Lightness, chroma, and translucency of the right maxillary central incisors (the reference teeth) were calculated and used for analysis. Subjects reported dimensions of their oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP), Orofacial Esthetic Scale (OES), and the Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire (PIDAQ). Linear relationships between elements of tooth color and OHRQoL were explored using Pearson correlations. Multiple linear regression, while controlling for the influence of age and gender, was also calculated. ANOVA with a Tukey post hoc test was employed to test whether nonlinear relationships existed between OHRQoL and categories of color elements. RESULTS: Dental self-confidence, esthetic concerns, orofacial appearance, social impact and psychological impact were not related to lightness, chroma, or translucency of the subjects' teeth. Neither linear nor nonlinear relationships were detected between those aspects. Satisfaction with smile esthetics was only related to translucency where subjects with moderate translucency were least likely to be satisfied (p = 0.033). Women tended to report greater psychosocial impacts than men (p < 0.05), regardless of their tooth color. CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study objective, measurable, quantitative parameters of tooth color did not accurately predict psychosocial dimensions of OHRQoL in dentate young adults.

Are the Multidimensional Body Self-Relations Questionnaire Scales stable or transient?

Body image is an important concept when assessing mental health and, thus, a target for intervention work. The common approach to assess body image is via self-report and, consequently, it is important to assess stability and susceptibility of items to random change. Participants (N = 99, aged: 18-30 years) completed the 34-item Multidimensional Body Self-Relations Questionnaire-Appearance Scales (MBSRQ-AS) twice, separated by two weeks. Stability was quantified by calculating the test-retest differences for each item, with a stable item showing 90% of respondents' differences within a criterion of ≤±1. This method was used in preference to correlation, which is a test of association rather than agreement. Analyses identified 29 stable items. Five items were found to be unstable including the entire "Appearance Evaluation" scale. One particular unstable question, Q9 = "Most people would consider me good-looking", revealed strong associations with both gender and weight status. Forty-four per cent of "overweight" respondents changed their minds by more than ±1 compared with only 10% of "normal-weight" participants, suggesting that being overweight is associated with uncertainty and instability. We suggest that future research is needed to investigate why such factors as being overweight appear to be linked to instability in self-report measures of body image.

Health-related quality of life in chronic inflammatory neuropathies: a systematic review.

Chronic inflammatory neuropathies represent a heterogeneous group of disorders which affect patients' functional status and quality of life. We conducted a systematic review of the scientific literature on the effects of both disease and treatment interventions on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in this patient population. The available data are limited, as few studies have systematically considered HRQoL in patients with inflammatory neuropathies. Moreover, in treatment trials, HRQoL measures have exclusively been used as secondary outcome measures. There is some evidence suggesting that baseline pre-treatment HRQoL reports are lower in patients with chronic inflammatory neuropathy than in age and gender-matched controls. Following treatment interventions, improvements in self-reported measures were consistently documented in the physical domain of HRQoL, which in turn correlated with improvements in traditional strength and functional scales. The impact of available treatments on the quality of life of patients with inflammatory neuropathies remains largely under-investigated. Interestingly, recent, although limited evidence from generic HRQoL measures may partly or completely contradict the results found with the primary, traditional outcome measures used (rituximab for anti-MAG neuropathy; immunoglobulins versus corticosteroids for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy). Similarly, HRQoL measures may suggest superiority, rather than equivalence, of certain drug administration methods (subcutaneous over intravenous immunoglobulins). Further research is needed to assess HRQOL in patients with untreated chronic inflammatory neuropathies in comparison to normative values, as well as precisely quantify treatment benefit. The role of both generic and disease-specific HRQoL measures in the evaluation of patients with chronic inflammatory neuropathies is also worthy of further consideration.

Diagnostic instruments for behavioural addiction: an overview.

In non-substance-related addiction, the so-called behavioural addiction, no external psychotropic substances are consumed. The psychotropic effect consists of the body's own biochemical processes induced only by excessive activities. Until recently, knowledge was limited with respect to clinically relevant excessive reward-seeking behaviour, such as pathological gambling, excessive shopping and working which meet diagnostic criteria of dependent behaviour. To date, there is no consistent concept for diagnosis and treatment of excessive reward-seeking behaviour, and its classification is uncertain. Therefore, a clear conceptualization of the so-called behavioural addictions is of great importance. The use of adequate diagnostic instruments is necessary for successful therapeutical implications.This article provides an overview of the current popular diagnostic instruments assessing the different forms of behavioural addiction. Especially in certain areas there are only few valid and reliable instruments available to assess excessive rewarding behaviours that fulfill the criteria of addiction.