Ansiedade social e comorbidades em professores do ensino superior / Social anxiety and comorbidities in higher education teachers / Ansiedad social y comorbilidades en profesores de enseñanza superior

Introdução: As transformações no ensino podem ocasionar prejuízos à saúde mental do professor. Este estudo objetivou avaliar a presença do transtorno de ansiedade social e comorbidades em professores de ensino superior. Método: Estudo quantitativo, transversal e correlacional. Participaram 50 professores, sendo 58% mulheres com idade média de 35 anos. Foram utilizados os instrumentos: Questionário de Ansiedade Social para Adultos (CASO) e a Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Resultados: Foi identificado repertório deficitário nos fatores Expressão Assertiva de Incômodo, Desagrado ou Tédio (16%), Interação com Pessoas Desconhecidas (2%), Estar em Evidência e Fazer Papel de Ridículo (2%). Evidenciaram-se sintomas moderados, severos e extremamente severos de depressão, ansiedade e estresse. Discussão: Foram identificadas variáveis prejudiciais ao desempenho dos professores e à interação com os alunos. Conclusões: Estudar a saúde mental dos professores pode contribuir para o seu bem-estar e qualidade do processo ensino-aprendizagem.

Introduction: Changes in teaching can harm the teacher's mental health. This study aimed to evaluate the presence of social anxiety disorder and comorbidities in higher education teachers. Method: Quantitative, cross-sectional and correlational study. Fifty teachers participated, being 58% women with an average age of 35 years. The instruments used were: Social Anxiety Questionnaire for Adults (CASO) and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Results: A deficient repertoire was identified in the factors Assertive Expression of Discomfort, Displeasure or Boredom (16%), Interaction with Strangers (2%), Being in Evidence and Playing Ridiculous (2%). Moderate, severe and extremely severe symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress were found. Discussion: Variables detrimental to teacher performance and student interaction were identified. Conclusions: Studying teachers mental health can contribute to their well-being and the quality of the teaching-learning process.

Introducción: Los cambios en la enseñanza pueden dañar la salud mental del maestro. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar la presencia de trastorno de ansiedad social y comorbilidades en los docentes de educación superior. Método: Estudio cuantitativo, transversal y correlacional. Participaron cincuenta docentes, siendo 58% mujeres con una edad promedio de 35 años. Los instrumentos utilizados fueron: Cuestionario de Ansiedad Social para Adultos (CASO) y Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Resultados: Se identificó un repertorio deficiente en los factores Expresión Asertiva de Incomodidad, Disgusto o Aburrimiento (16%), Interacción con Extraños (2%), Estar en Evidencia y Hacer el Ridículo (2%). Se encontraron síntomas moderados, severos y extremadamente severos de depresión, ansiedad y estrés. Discusión: Se identificaron variables perjudiciales para el desempeño del maestro y la interacción del alumno. Conclusiones: Estudiar la salud mental de los docentes puede contribuir a su bienestar y a la calidad del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje.

Cognitive performance of individuals with animal hoarding.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to characterize the cognitive performance of individuals with animal hoarding. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study, in which 33 individuals between the ages of 29 to 84 (M = 61.39; SD = 12.69) with animal hoarding have been assessed. The participants completed a neurocognitive battery including measures of general cognitive functioning, visual memory and organization, verbal fluency, and verbal reasoning. RESULTS: Data suggest that individuals with animal hoarding have high rates of cognitive deficits related to visual memory and verbal reasoning. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the performance tests used, we can suggest the existence of cognitive difficulties related especially to the executive functions of individuals with animal hoarding in this sample.

Social Distancing: Prevalence of Depressive, Anxiety, and Stress Symptoms Among Brazilian Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic can impact mental health, triggering symptoms such as anxiety, stress and depression. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the levels of anxiety, depression and stress during the period of social distancing due to COVID-19 in students from a campus of the Federal Institute in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre/RS. A correlational and exploratory study was performed. The sample of the present research was composed by 208 students, who responded to a self-administered online questionnaire with sociodemographic variables and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale Short Form - DASS-21. The detected prevalence of symptoms classified as moderate-severe was 49% for stress, 39% for depression and 33% for anxiety. An association was found between higher levels of anxiety symptoms (OR = 5.652; 95% CI = 2.872-11.123; p < 0.001), depression (OR = 3.289; 95% CI = 1.810-5.978; p < 0.001) and stress (OR = 5.684; 95% CI = 3.120-10.355; p < 0.001) with occurrence of sleep problems during the period of social distancing. There was a protective factor provided by regular physical exercise in relation to depressive symptoms (OR = 0.490; 95% CI = 0.250-0.960; p =0.033). These data are extremely important for understanding the adverse effect on the mental health of students and for developing psychological support strategies, thus promoting well-being during and after the pandemic.

Animal Hoarding Disorder: A new psychopathology?

This study aimed to characterize the sociodemographic profile of animal hoarders in a southern city of Brazil. In addition, it aimed to propose Animal Hoarding Disorder as a new nosological category, distinct from Hoarding Disorder. Thirty-three individuals with Animal Hoarding Disorder, 73% female and 60% elderly, composed the sample. The average age of the sample was 61.39 years (SD = 12.69) and the average period that individuals hoarded or lived with a large number of animals was 23.09 years (SD = 15.98.) It was observed that 56.7% of the sample hoarded other inanimate objects, besides the animals. The total number of hoarded animals was 1.357 and the average number of animals per hoarder was approximately 41 (SD = 24.41). Significant differences between hoarding disorder and animal hoarding are discussed. Unlike hoarded objects, hoarded animals generally do not obstruct domicile environments. The processes of disengaging from or donating animals also differ from those of object hoarding, since there is an affectional bond with lives and not with unanimated objects. In this sense, the characterization of Animal Hoarding Disorder as a new mental disorder may arouse great interest from both clinical professionals and researchers.

Factors Influencing Consonant Acquisition in Brazilian Portuguese-Speaking Children.

Purpose: We sought to provide valid and reliable data on the acquisition of consonant sounds in speakers of Brazilian Portuguese. Method: The sample comprised 733 typically developing monolingual speakers of Brazilian Portuguese (ages 3;0-8;11 [years;months]). The presence of surface speech error patterns, the revised percentage consonants correct, and the age of sound acquisition were evaluated using phonological assessment software. The normative values for these variables were reported using means and standard deviations. Results: Age had a significant impact on phoneme production. Increasing age was generally associated with an increase in correct phoneme production, a reduction in error patterns, and an increase in scores on revised percentage consonants correct. Phonological error patterns persisted for a longer time in consonants and consonant clusters acquired later in development. The 2 youngest age groups differed from the remainder of the sample on the frequency of the following phonological patterns: cluster reduction, liquid gliding, fricative deletion-coda, and weak-syllable deletion. Performance was similar between groups starting at 5;0 years old. Conclusion: This study confirmed that nasal and stop consonants are acquired first, followed by fricatives and, finally, liquids. We suggest that future studies replicate our investigation in larger samples and younger age groups.

Executive functions and sustained attention: Comparison between age groups of 19-39 and 40-59 years old.

Few studies involving the cognition of middle-aged adults are available in the international literature, particularly investigating the process of cognitive aging, executive components and attention. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate whether there are differences in performance on neuropsychological tasks of executive functions and sustained attention between two age groups. METHODS: The sample consisted of 87 adults aged from 19 to 59 years old, divided into two groups according to the age variable (younger adults and middle-aged adults). All participants were Brazilian and had no sensory, psychiatric or neurological disorders; subjects also had no history of alcohol abuse, and no self-reported use of illicit drugs or antipsychotics. The neuropsychological instruments administered were the Hayling Test, Trail Making Test, Bells Test and verbal fluency tasks. RESULTS: Groups showed no significant differences in relation to sociodemographic variables, educational level or frequency of reading and writing habits. The younger adult group performed better than the middle-aged group on tasks that involved mainly processing speed, cognitive flexibility and lexical search. CONCLUSIONS: These findings serve as a valuable reference for cognitive processing in middle-aged adults, since a large number of comparative studies focus only on the younger and later phases of adulthood. Additional studies are needed to investigate possible interaction between different factors such as age and education.

Na literatura internacional são escassos os estudos envolvendo a cognição de adultos de meia idade, principalmente quando o objetivo é investigar o processo de envelhecimento cognitivo, de componentes executivos e de atenção. OBJETIVOS: Este estudo teve como objetivo verificar se existem diferenças no desempenho em tarefas neuropsicológicas que examinam componentes das funções executivas e da atenção sustentada entre dois grupos etários. MÉTODOS: A amostra foi constituída de 87 adultos com idades entre 19-59 anos, divididos em dois grupos de acordo com a variável idade (adultos jovens e adultos de idade intermediária). Os participantes eram originalmente brasileiros e não apresentavam desordem sensorial (não corrigida), psiquiátrica ou neurológica, além de história de abuso de álcool, drogas ilícitas e antipsicóticos autorrelatadas. Os instrumentos utilizados foram o Teste Hayling, Trail Making Test, Teste de Cancelamento dos Sinos e tarefas de fluência verbal. RESULTADOS: Os grupos não apresentaram diferenças significativas em relação às variáveis sociodemográficas, além de elevado nível de escolaridade e alta frequência de hábitos de leitura e escrita. O grupo de adultos jovens apresentou melhor desempenho do que o grupo de idade intermediária em tarefas que envolviam, principalmente, velocidade de processamento, flexibilidade cognitiva e busca lexical. CONCLUSÕES: Estes resultados fornecem referências para o processamento cognitivo também em adultos de idade intermediária, visto que um grande número de estudos comparativos foca apenas nas fases inicial e mais avançada da vida adulta. Estudos adicionais são necessários para investigar a possível interação entre fatores como idade e educação.

Pragmatic and executive functions in traumatic brain injury and right brain damage: An exploratory comparative study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the frequency of pragmatic and executive deficits in right brain damaged (RBD) and in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients, and to verify possible dissociations between pragmatic and executive functions in these two groups. METHODS: The sample comprised 7 cases of TBI and 7 cases of RBD. All participants were assessed by means of tasks from the Montreal Communication Evaluation Battery and executive functions tests including the Trail Making Test, Hayling Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, semantic and phonemic verbal fluency tasks, and working memory tasks from the Brazilian Brief Neuropsychological Assessment Battery NEUPSILIN. Z-score was calculated and a descriptive analysis of frequency of deficits (Z< -1.5) was carried out. RESULTS: RBD patients presented with deficits predominantly on conversational and narrative discursive tasks, while TBI patients showed a wider spread pattern of pragmatic deficits. Regarding EF, RBD deficits included predominantly working memory and verbal initiation impairment. On the other hand, TBI individuals again exhibited a general profile of executive dysfunction, affecting mainly working memory, initiation, inhibition, planning and switching. Pragmatic and executive deficits were generally associated upon comparisons of RBD patients and TBI cases, except for two simple dissociations: two post-TBI cases showed executive deficits in the absence of pragmatic deficits. DISCUSSION: Pragmatic and executive deficits can be very frequent following TBI or vascular RBD. There seems to be an association between these abilities, indicating that although they can co-occur, a cause-consequence relationship cannot be the only hypothesis.

OBJETIVO: Descrever a frequência de déficits pragmáticos e executivos em pacientes com lesão de hemisfério direito (LHD) e com traumatismo cranioencefálico (TCE), e verificar se existem dissociações entre pragmática e funções executivas nesses dois grupos. MÉTODOS: A amostra foi composta de 7 casos de TCE e 7 casos de LHD. Todos os participantes foram avaliados por tarefas da Bateria Montreal de Avaliação da Comunicação e com testes de funções executivas como o Trail Making Test, Teste Hayling, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, tarefas de fluência verbal semântica, fonêmica e livre, tarefas de memória de trabalho do Instrumento de Avaliação Neuropsicológica Breve NEUPSILIN. O escore Z foi calculado e a freqüência de déficits (Z< -1.5) foi descrita. RESULTADOS: Os pacientes com LHD apresentaram déficits principalmente no discurso conversacional e narrativo, por enquanto que os pacientes com TCE demonstraram um padrão mais difuso de déficits pragmáticos. Quanto as FE, os déficits dos pacientes com LHD foram de memória de trabalho e iniciativa verbal, principalmente. Por outro lado, os pacientes com TCE apresentaram novamente um padrão mais geral de disfunção executiva, com prejuízos principalmente de memória de trabalho, iniciativa, inibição, planejamento e switching. Em geral, os déficits pragmáticos e executivos foram associados comparando os pacientes com LHD e com TCE, exceto por duas dissociações simples: dois casos de TCE demonstraram déficits executivos com ausência de déficits pragmáticos. DISCUSSÃO: Os déficits pragmáticos e executivos podem ser muito frequentes após um TCE ou uma LHD. Parece haver uma associação entre essas habilidades, ressaltando-se que apesar de elas poderem co-ocorrer, uma relação de causa-consequência não parece ser a única hipótese.