Changes in personality traits in patients with Alzheimer's Disease.

Changes in personality traits in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are extremely common throughout the course of the pathology, and these behavioral changes present themselves as challenges in clinical management and as a significant cause of caregivers' burden. Objective: Using a personality inventory based on the five-factor model of personality, this study aimed to assesses the change in these factors by comparing the premorbid and current personality of individuals recently diagnosed with AD. Methods: A total of 30 AD patients were recruited, and their respective family members responded to the personality inventory at home through a hosted site. The patients were also divided into two groups according to the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR): mild dementia (CDR 1) and moderate dementia (CDR 2). Results: Among all patients, there was a significant increase in neuroticism factor levels and a significant decrease in the extraversion, conscientiousness, openness, and socialization factors. When comparing the groups, only the extraversion factor showed a difference, with CDR 1 group accusing a higher change in scores. Higher scores in the factor neuroticism in the premorbid personality correlated with the current severity of the disease. Conclusions: This research draws the attention of family members and health professionals to changes in personality traits or behavior of relatives or patients, because it can reflect an underlying neurodegenerative process.

Mudanças em traços de personalidade em pacientes com doença de Alzheimer (DA) são extremamente comuns ao longo do curso da referida patologia, e essas alterações comportamentais apresentam-se como desafios no manejo clínico e como causa significativa de esgotamento dos cuidadores. Objetivo: Por meio de um inventário de personalidade baseado nos cinco fatores de personalidade, este estudo avalia a mudança nos escores desses fatores comparando a personalidade pré-mórbida e a atual dos indivíduos com DA. Métodos: O total de 30 pacientes com DA foi recrutado, e seus familiares responderam ao inventário de personalidade. Os pacientes também foram divididos em dois grupos conforme a avaliação clínica da demência: demência leve (CDR1) e demência moderada (CDR2). Resultados: Em todos os pacientes, houve aumento significativo nos escores do fator neuroticismo e decréscimos significativos nos fatores extroversão, realização, abertura e socialização. Quando feita a comparação entre grupos, apenas o fator extroversão apresentou diferença, com o grupo CDR 1 mostrando maiores mudanças nos escores. Os níveis do fator neuroticismo da personalidade pré-mórbida correlacionaram-se com a gravidade da doença no momento do diagnóstico. Conclusões: Este estudo procura esclarecer aos familiares e profissionais de saúde que mudanças em traços de personalidade de seus parentes ou pacientes podem refletir processos neurodegenerativos subjacentes.

Occupational Stress and Cognitive Processes Among Teachers in the COVID-19 Pandemic / Estresse Ocupacional e Processos Cognitivos de Professores na Pandemia da COVID-19 / Estrés Laboral y Procesos Cognitivos en Profesores durante la Pandemia COVID-19

Abstract Education is an area directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many teachers started to have new work demands, which can be perceived as stressful variables. This study aimed at analyzing the relationship between cognitive planning and occupational stress among teachers from Distrito Federal, in the COVID-19 pandemic context. This is a correlational and quantitative study, whose variables are cognitive planning, occupational stress and cognitive failures. Data collection was performed electronically with 29 adults aged between 30 and 49 years old, by applying the Cognitive Planning Scale, the Work-related Stress Scale and the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire. The analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, parametric and non-parametric tests and correlations. The results indicated that there was no significant relationship between cognitive planning and occupational stress. In addition, the study contributed to the discussion of the effects of the pandemic on basic education professionals.

Resumo A educação é uma área diretamente afetada pela pandemia da COVID-19. Muitos professores passaram a ter novas exigências de trabalho, que podem ser percebidas como variáveis estressoras. Este estudo teve por objetivo analisar a relação entre planejamento cognitivo e estresse ocupacional de professores do Distrito Federal no contexto da pandemia da COVID-19. Trata-se de um estudo correlacional, quantitativo, tendo como variáveis planejamento cognitivo, estresse ocupacional e falhas cognitivas. A coleta de dados foi realizada eletronicamente, com 29 adultos entre 30 e 49 anos, por meio da aplicação da Escala de Planejamento Cognitivo, da Escala de Estresse no Trabalho e do Questionário de Falhas Cognitivas. A análise foi conduzida por meio de estatísticas descritivas, testes paramétricos e não paramétricos e correlações. Os resultados indicaram que não houve relação significativa entre planejamento cognitivo e estresse ocupacional. Ademais, o estudo contribui para a discussão dos efeitos da pandemia nos profissionais de Educação Básica.

Resumen La educación es un área directamente afectada por la pandemia COVID-19. Los profesores empezaron a tener nuevas demandas laborales que pueden percibirse como variables estresantes. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo analizar la relación entre planificación cognitiva y estrés ocupacional entre profesores del Distrito Federal, en el contexto de la pandemia COVID-19. Se trata de un estudio cuantitativo y correlacional, cuyas variables son la planificación cognitiva, el estrés laboral y las fallas cognitivas. La recolección de datos se realizó en forma electrónica con 29 adultos de 30 a 49 años de edad, mediante la Escala de Planificación Cognitiva, la Escala de Estrés Laboral y el Cuestionario de Fallas Cognitivas. El análisis se realizó mediante estadística descriptiva, pruebas paramétricas y no paramétricas y correlaciones. Los resultados indican que no hubo relación significativa entre planificación cognitiva y estrés ocupacional. Además, el estudio contribuye a la discusión de los efectos de la pandemia en profesores.

Special Phenomena in Rorschach Protocols in Patients Diagnosed with Schizophrenia.

The Rorschach method has been proved as an effective tool for personality dynamics assessment, as well as for identify psychopathological patterns, especially with regard to the dissociation of consciousness, which makes it relevant in the context of schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to contribute to the evaluation of the so-called special phenomena in Rorschach protocols in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. The sample consisted of ten patients previously diagnosed with ICD-10 F20 who were hospitalised in the Federal District, Brazil, in the Centre for Living and Psychosocial Care (Life Mansion). The participants were chosen in the free choice form by the lead researcher. All were under regular psychiatric care and used medication continuously to treat the illness. Data were analysed according to the interpretative principles of Bruno Klopfer's theoretical and clinical approach. It was found eight fixed special phenomena in the schizophrenic patients' responses to Rorschach tests. All patients responses showed the following special phenomena: confabulation; contamination; named colour; self-referential ideation; referential ideation; looking at the back of the card; perseveration and position response. Normal patients did not present high frequency and intensity of special phenomena in their respective protocols. Taken together, this clinical study supports the conclusion that the Rorschach technique is an important tool for the evaluation of schizophrenic patients.

A influência da intensidade emocional no reconhecimento de emoções em faces por criancas brasileiras / The importance of emotional intensity on the recognition of facial emotions by Brazilian children

The ability to recognize emotions in faces is essential to human interaction and occurs since childhood. Hypothesis: research using the morphing technique assume that children require greater or lesser intensity of emotional expression to perceive it. Objective: to examine the emotional recognition of faces in childhood, using a task with emotional intensity variation. Method: it was applied a Test of Facial Emotion Recognition for Children to 28 children between 7 and 11 years, of both sexes, which presented 168 faces manipulated by the morphing technique, of the six basic emotions. Results: age as a trend growth of the likelihood of success at the task; more right answers for happiness and worst performances for fear; and the emotional intensity increasing at 42% the chance of success by every unit of intensity. Conclusion: these findings are relevant because they show the recognition of emotions at different levels as a more sensitive method.