Emotional abuse in childhood is a differential factor for the development of depression in adults.

We evaluate the association between subtypes of early life stress (ELS; sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, and emotional neglect) and psychiatric disorders in adults. The sample was composed of 81 adult psychiatric patients treated at the Day Hospital Unit in Brazil. The patients were assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview according to diagnostic criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. The presence of ELS was confirmed by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, which investigates abuse and neglect subtypes. The patients were also evaluated for the severity of psychiatric symptoms through self-report questionnaires. A total of 71.6% of the patients experienced some type of severe ELS compared with 28.4% of the patients without ELS. Of these, 55.5% reported having experienced emotional abuse; 48.1%, physical neglect; 45.7%, emotional neglect; 39.5%, physical abuse; and 27.2%, sexual abuse. Our data showed that, among the ELS subtypes, emotional abuse was positively associated with psychopathology in adults, particularly with mood disorders (p < 0.05). The patients with a history of emotional abuse had higher severity scores in all symptoms, such as depression, hopelessness, suicidal ideation, anxiety, and impulsivity. These data demonstrate the impact of ELS, especially in cases of emotional abuse, as a trigger for psychiatric disorders and indicate that the severity of ELS is associated with severity of psychiatric symptoms. Therefore, further studies are needed to assess the importance of emotional abuse as a risk factor of severe psychopathology in adults.

The role of early life stress in adult psychiatric disorders: a systematic review according to childhood trauma subtypes.

Early life stress (ELS; sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, and emotional neglect) has been the focus of numerous studies. It has been associated with the onset and the severity of psychiatric disorders in adults. The objective of this study was to review the literature on ELS associated with psychiatric disorders in adulthood, seeking to identify whether there are independent effects between subtypes of early stress in triggering psychopathology in adults. We reviewed articles from 2001 to 2011 in four databases (PubMed, SciELO, LILACS, and PsycINFO), with the following key words: child abuse, maltreatment, early life stress, psychiatric disorders, mental disease, and psychopathology. Forty-four articles were selected, and most of these articles demonstrate that the subtypes of ELS are associated with several psychiatric disorders, more specifically: physical abuse, sexual abuse, and unspecified neglect with mood disorders and anxiety disorders; emotional abuse with personality disorders and schizophrenia; and physical neglect with personality disorders. Physical neglect had the weakest association between the subtypes. ELS subtypes in childhood and adolescence can predict the development of psychopathology in adults. Scientific evidence shows that ELS triggers, aggravates, maintains, and increases the recurrence of psychiatric disorders. These results demonstrate the importance of a deeper understanding about the unique effects of ELS subtypes, especially for mental health professionals.

Effectiveness of psychoeducation for depression: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: Pharmacological treatment is considered indispensable to major depressive disorder. In spite of this, a significant number of patients do not respond adequately to treatment based only on medication, presenting high relapse and recurrence rates. Therefore, psychosocial interventions, such as psychoeducation, have been increasingly recognized as an essential component in the treatment of depression, associated with pharmacological strategies. Thus, the aim of the present systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness of psychoeducation for patients with unipolar depression, analyzing the evidence from the literature. METHOD: Searches were undertaken from April to October 2012 in LILACS, PsycINFO, PubMed, SCOPUS and ISI Web of Knowledge with keywords including 'psychoeducation', 'psychoeducational intervention' and 'depression', with no restriction regarding publishing dates. RESULTS: Fifteen studies were included in the review, 13 of which evaluated the effectiveness of psychoeducation for patients with depression: 10 papers evaluated in-person psychoeducation approaches and three papers evaluated long-distance approaches. In addition to these 13 papers, one evaluated psychoeducational interventions for patients' families and patients' responses and another evaluated psychoeducational interventions for patients' families and families' responses. Findings suggest that increased knowledge about depression and its treatment is associated with better prognosis in depression, as well as with the reduction of the psychosocial burden for the family. CONCLUSIONS: Psychoeducation is a psychosocial treatment that has been well documented as an adjunct to pharmacological therapy. However, there are only a few studies regarding its effectiveness on adult patients with major depressive disorder. Although the publications in this area are still very limited, the articles selected in this review suggest that psychoeducation is effective in improving the clinical course, treatment adherence, and psychosocial functioning of depressive patients.

Differential Diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Disorder: Genetic and Hormonal Assessment and the Influence of Early-Life Stress.

Few studies have assessed biomarkers for the differentiation of major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD). However, some elements of depression such as hormones and receptors of the renin-angiotensin-adrenal system (RAAS), the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and history of early-life stress (ELS) could be considered for differential diagnosis. Therefore, this study aimed to assess aldosterone and cortisol levels, MR and GR gene polymorphisms, and ELS as potential biomarkers for differentiating MDD and BD. This study presents a case-control design. Groups comprised samples for genetic, cortisol, and aldosterone analysis: healthy control (HC; n = 113/97/103), MDD (n = 78/69/67) and BD (n = 82/68/65) subjects. Furthermore, all subjects were assessed for diagnostic screening, the severity of depression, and history of ELS by applying MINI-PLUS, GRID-HDRS, and CTQ, respectively. In addition, genotype and allelic frequencies of GR (N363S, R22/23K and BclI) and MR (MI180V and -2G/C) polymorphisms were evaluated via PCR. Our findings demonstrate that basal aldosterone levels may be a biomarker for differentiating BD and MDD. Furthermore, ELS affects the HPA axis in BD, cortisol may be considered a biomarker for distinguishing BD and MDD, but only in the absence of ELS, and, finally, history of ELS and MR-2G/C variant alleles are factors that contribute to the severity of depressive symptoms in MDD and BD.

The Association of Biochemical and Genetic Biomarkers in VEGF Pathway with Depression.

VEGF is an important neurotrophic and vascular factor involved in mental disorders. The objective of this study was to verify the effect of genetic polymorphisms in the VEGF pathway on the risk for depression, symptom intensity, and suicide attempts. To examine the association between the VEGF pathway and depression, we genotyped polymorphisms and measured the plasma concentrations of VEGF, KDR, and FLT1 proteins. The participants were 160 patients with depression and 114 healthy controls. The questionnaires that assessed the clinical profile of the patients were the MINI-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, GRID-HAMD21, CTQ, BSI, and the number of suicide attempts. Genotyping of participants was performed using the real-time PCR and protein measurements were performed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). VEGF and its inhibitors were reduced in depression. Individuals with depression and displaying the homozygous AA of the rs699947 polymorphism had higher plasma concentrations of VEGF (p-value = 0.006) and were associated with a greater number of suicide attempts (p-value = 0.041). Individuals with depression that were homozygous for the G allele of the FLT1 polymorphism rs7993418 were associated with lower symptom severity (p-value = 0.040). Our results suggest that VEGF pathway polymorphisms are associated with the number of suicide attempts and the severity of depressive symptoms.

Confirmatory factorial analysis of the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey in health professionals in emergency services.

OBJECTIVE: to confirm the factorial validity of the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey version in a sample of health professionals from the emergency services. METHOD: a quantitative, exploratory, descriptive and analytical study. Two hundred and eighty-two health professionals participated in the study. For data collection, a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory were used. The psychometric sensitivity for the MBI-HSS items was estimated by measures of central tendency, variability and the distribution shape. Internal consistency was estimated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and the adequacy of the sample was verified using the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) index. As indexes for assessing the quality of fit of the model, the chi-square ratio by the degrees of freedom (χ2/DoF), the comparative fit index (CFI), the goodness of fit index (GFI), the Tucker Lewis index (TLI) and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) were considered. To test data fit, the maximum likelihood method was used. RESULTS: the three-factor structure of the Maslach Burnout Inventory was confirmed. Items 9, 12, 15 and 16 had a factorial weight below what was considered appropriate and were removed from the model. The second order hierarchical model with the aforementioned modifications presented an adequate adjustment to the data and can be considered the best and most parsimonious model tested according to the information theory indexes. The internal consistency of the instrument's factors was recalculated considering the exclusion of the items and the three factors were considered adequate. CONCLUSION: the results obtained show that the Maslach Burnout Inventory is a reliable and factorially valid instrument for measuring the burnout syndrome in emergency service professionals in Brazil.

Cortical thickness and subcortical volume abnormalities in male crack-cocaine users.

Crack-cocaine offers a higher risk of abuse than intranasal and intravenous use of cocaine. Yet, current treatments remain disappointing and our understanding of the mechanism of crack-cocaine neurotoxicity is still incomplete. Magnetic resonance images studies on brain changes of crack-cocaine addicts show divergent data. The present study investigated gray matter (GM) abnormalities in crack-cocaine dependents (n = 18) compared to healthy controls (n = 17). MRI data was analysed using FreeSurfer and voxel-based morphometry (VBM). FreeSurfer analysis showed that CD had decreased cortical thickness (CT) in the left inferior temporal cortex (lTC), left orbitofrontal cortex (lOFC) and left rostro frontal cortex (lRFC), enlargement in left inferior lateral ventricle, and smaller GM volume in right hippocampus and right ventral diencephalon. VBM analysis showed that CD had significantly decreased GM volume in left Putamen and left nucleus accumbens. Furthermore, we found a negative correlation between duration of crack-cocaine use and lTC CT. These results provide compelling evidence for GM abnormalities in CD and also suggest that duration of crack-cocaine use may be associated with CT alterations.

Evaluation of the HPA Axis' Response to Pharmacological Challenges in Experimental and Clinical Early-Life Stress-Associated Depression.

Early-life stress (ELS) is associated with a higher risk of psychopathologies in adulthood, such as depression, which may be related to persistent changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of ELS on the functioning of the HPA axis in clinical and experimental situations. Clinically, patients with current depressive episodes, with and without ELS, and healthy controls, composed the sample. Subjects took a capsule containing placebo, fludrocortisone, prednisolone, dexamethasone or spironolactone followed by an assessment of plasma cortisol the morning after. Experimentally, male Wistar rats were submitted to ELS protocol based on variable, unpredictable stressors from postnatal day (PND)1 to PND21. On PND65 animals were behaviorally evaluated through the forced-swimming test (FST). At PND68, pharmacological challenges started, using mifepristone, dexamethasone, spironolactone, or fludrocortisone, and corticosterone levels were determined 3 h after injections. Cortisol response of the patients did not differ significantly from healthy subjects, regardless of their ELS history, and it was lower after fludrocortisone, prednisolone, and dexamethasone compared with placebo, indicating the suppression of plasma cortisol by all these treatments. Animals exposed to ELS presented altered phenotype as indicated by an increased immobility time in the FST when compared with control, but no significant long-lasting effects of ELS were observed on the HPA axis response. Limitations on the way the volunteers were sampled may have contributed to the lack of ELS effects on the HPA axis, pointing out the need for further research to understand these complex phenomena.

[Review of the guidelines of the Brazilian Medical Association for the treatment of depression (Complete version)]. / Revisão das diretrizes da Associação Médica Brasileira para o tratamento da depressão (Versão integral).

OBJECTIVE: Depression is a frequent, recurrent and chronic condition with high levels of functional disability. The Brazilian Medical Association Guidelines project proposed guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of the most common medical disorders. The objective of this paper is to present a review of the Guidelines Published in 2003 incorporating new evidence and recommendations. METHOD: This review was based on guidelines developed in other countries and systematic reviews, randomized clinical trials and when absent, observational studies and recommendations from experts. The Brazilian Medical Association proposed this methodology for the whole project. The review was developed from new international guidelines published since 2003. RESULTS: The following aspects are presented: prevalence, demographics, disability, diagnostics and sub-diagnosis, efficacy of pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatment, costs and side-effects of different classes of available drugs in Brazil. Strategies for different phases of treatment are also discussed. CONCLUSION: The Guidelines are an important tool for clinical decisions and a reference for orientation based on the available evidence in the literature.

Genetic biomarkers for differential diagnosis of major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder: A systematic and critical review.

Depressive symptoms are present in the depressive mood state of bipolar disorder (BPD) and major depression disorder (MDD). Often, in clinical practice, BPD patients are misdiagnosed with MDD. Therefore, genetic biomarkers could contribute to the improvement of differential diagnosis between BPD and MDD. This systematic and critical review aimed to find in literature reliable genetic biomarkers that may show differences between BPD and MDD. This systematic review followed the PRISMA-P method. The terms used to search PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Web of Science were depress*, bipolar, diagnos*, genetic*, biomark*. After applying the selection criteria, N = 27 studies were selected, being n = 9 about biomarkers for BPD; n = 15, about MDD; and n = 3 for distinguishing MDD from BPD. A total of N = 3086 subjects were assessed in the selected studies (n = 486 in BPD group; n = 1212 in MDD group; and n = 1388, healthy control group). The articles were dated up to June 2017. Of the N = 27 studies, n = 16 assessed gene, n = 1 miRNA, n = 2 lcnRNA and n = 3 protein expressions, n = 4 methylation, and n = 4 polymorphisms. Some studies applied more than one of these genetic analyses. To find reliable genetic biomarkers we have taken into account the methodological care during the studies development and their validity. The genetic biomarkers selected are related to genes that play a fundamental role in synaptic plasticity, neurogenesis, mood control, brain ageing, immune-inflammatory processes and mitochondrial respiratory chain. BDNF gene expression was one of the genetic biomarkers that highlighted because of its capacity of distinguishing BPD and MDD groups, and being adequately reproduced by more than one selected study.

Relationship Between Depression and Subtypes of Early Life Stress in Adult Psychiatric Patients.

Numerous studies have researched the aggravating and maintainer effect of Early Life Stress in patients adults with psychiatric disorders. This study examined the relationship between depression and subtypes of early life stress among 81 psychiatric patients treated at the inpatient Day Hospital Unit of a University General Hospital. Psychiatric diagnosis was confirmed according to the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) was used for evaluating as retrospective assessment of the presence of ELS on these patients, and we also evaluated the severity of hopelessness with the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS). Our results suggested that the occurrence of depression in adulthood is related to situations of emotional abuse, sexual, and physical neglect during childhood. The analysis between depression and childhood emotional abuse was significant after a multiple logistic regression analysis OR (IC 95%): 4.4 (1.7-11.2), even accounting for gender adjusted OR [AOR] 4.0; (IC 1.5-10.5); psychiatry family history AOR 3.8 (1.4-10.5); previous suicide attempted AOR 3.7; (1.4-10.5) and Hopelessness AOR 3.2 (1.11-9.4). Thus, these findings demonstrate emotional abuse as a significant risk factor to be part of the mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of depression related to early life stress.

[Overlap between atypical depression, seasonal affective disorder and chronic fatigue syndrome]. / Superposição entre depressão atípica, doença afetiva sazonal e síndrome da fadiga crônica.

OBJECTIVE: We reviewed previous studies that have described an association between abnormal functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and depression. In addition to melancholic depression, a spectrum of conditions may be associated with increased and prolonged activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. In contrast another group of states is characterized by hypoactivation of the stress system, rather than sustained activation, in which chronically reduced secretion of corticotropin releasing factor may result in pathological hypoarousal and an enhanced hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal negative feedback. Patients with atypical depression, seasonal affective disorder and chronic fatigue syndrome fall in this category. METHOD: The literature data on the overlap between the key-words were reviewed, summarized and discussed. RESULTS: Many studies suggest that these conditions themselves overlap biologically, showing hypofunction of central corticotropin releasing factor neuronal systems. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, in the real world of clinical practice, patients often present in a grey area between classical idiopathic fatigue and early chronic atypical depression and/or seasonal depression. This underscores the potential common biological links underpinning common symptom clusters not only between depression (atypical and seasonal) and chronic fatigue syndrome, but also other conditions characterized by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis mainly diminished the corticotropin realising factor activity.

[Depression and stress: is there an endophenotype?]. / Depressão e estresse: existe um endofenótipo?

OBJECTIVE: To review the new findings about stress, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and depression trying to explain a possible endophenotype prone to depression. METHOD: Nonsystematic review of the literature based on the endophenotype hypothesis. RESULTS: Depression is linked to hypercortisolemia in many patients, but not all patients present these hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysfunction. The dexamethasone suppression test is not the most accurate test to measure the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function, and its use in the first studies published probably jeopardized the results. Hypercortisolemia frequently occurs in patients with severe depression, melancholic, either psychotic or nonpsychotic type; it is linked to the presence of a polymorphism in the promoter of the serotonin transporter gene, with a history of childhood abuse or neglect, or other significant stressful experiences like the loss of a parent during childhood and temperament leading to alterations in the response to stress. CONCLUSIONS: The alterations of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis depend on many factors like severity and type of depression, genotype, history of exposure to stress, temperament, and probably resilience. All these factors together result in an endophenotype thought to be prone to depression.

Neuropsychological changes in melancholic and atypical depression: A systematic review.

There is not a consensus as to whether neuropsychological profiling can distinguish depressive subtypes. We aimed to systematically review and critically analyse the literature on cognitive function in patients with melancholic and atypical depression. We searched in databases PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Knowledge and PsycInfo for papers comparing the neuropsychological performance of melancholic patients (MEL) to non-melancholic depressive patients (NMEL), including atypical depressives, and healthy controls (HC). All studies were scrutinised to determine the main methodological characteristics and particularly possible sources of bias influencing the results reported, using the STROBE statement checklist. We also provide effect size of the results reported for contrasts between MEL; patients and NMEL patients. Seventeen studies were included; most of them demonstrated higher neuropsychological impairments of MEL patients compared to both NMEL patients and HC on tasks requiring memory, executive function, attention and reaction time. Detailed analysis of the methodologies used in the studies revealed significant variability especially regarding the participants' sociodemographic characteristics, clinical characteristics of patients and differences in neuropsychological assessment. These findings suggest that MEL may have a distinct and impaired cognitive performance compared to NMEL depressive patients on tasks involving verbal and visual memory, executive function, sustained attention and span, as well as psychomotor speed, this last especially when cognitive load is increased. Additional studies with adequate control of potentially confounding variables will help to clarify further differences in the neuropsychological functioning of depressive subtypes.

Day hospital and psychosocial care center: Expanding the discussion of partial hospitalization in mental health.

INTRODUCTION: Since the second half of the twentieth century the discussions about mental patient care reveal ongoing debate between two health care paradigms: the biomedical/biopsychosocial paradigm and the psychosocial paradigm. The struggle for hegemony over the forms of care, on how to deal optimally with the experience of becoming ill is underpinned by an intentionality of reorganizing knowledge about the health/disease dichotomy, which is reflected in the models proposed for the implementation of actions and services for the promotion, prevention, care and rehabilitation of human health. OBJECTIVE: To discuss the guidelines of care in mental health day hospitals (MHDH) in contrast to type III psychosocial care centers (CAPS III). METHOD: Review of mental health legislation from 1990 to 2014. RESULTS: A definition of therapeutic project could not be found, as well as which activities and techniques should be employed by these health services. CONCLUSION: The MHDH and PCC III are services that replace psychiatric hospital admission and are characterized by their complementarity in the care to the mentally ill. Due to their varied and distinctive intervention methods, which operate synergistically, the contributions from both models of care are optimized. Discussions on the best mental health care model reveal polarization between the biomedical/biopsychosocial and psychosocial paradigms. This reflects the supremacy of the latter over the former in the political-ideological discourse that circumscribes the reform of psychiatric care, which may hinder a better clinical outcome for patients and their families.

Confirmatory factorial analysis of the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey in health professionals in emergency services / Análise fatorial confirmatória do Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey em profissionais de saúde dos serviços de emergência / Análisis factorial confirmatorio del Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey en profesionales de la salud de los servicios de emergencia

Objective: to confirm the factorial validity of the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey version in a sample of health professionals from the emergency services. Method: a quantitative, exploratory, descriptive and analytical study. Two hundred and eighty-two health professionals participated in the study. For data collection, a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory were used. The psychometric sensitivity for the MBI-HSS items was estimated by measures of central tendency, variability and the distribution shape. Internal consistency was estimated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and the adequacy of the sample was verified using the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) index. As indexes for assessing the quality of fit of the model, the chi-square ratio by the degrees of freedom (χ2/DoF), the comparative fit index (CFI), the goodness of fit index (GFI), the Tucker Lewis index (TLI) and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) were considered. To test data fit, the maximum likelihood method was used. Results: the three-factor structure of the Maslach Burnout Inventory was confirmed. Items 9, 12, 15 and 16 had a factorial weight below what was considered appropriate and were removed from the model. The second order hierarchical model with the aforementioned modifications presented an adequate adjustment to the data and can be considered the best and most parsimonious model tested according to the information theory indexes. The internal consistency of the instrument's factors was recalculated considering the exclusion of the items and the three factors were considered adequate. Conclusion: the results obtained show that the Maslach Burnout Inventory is a reliable and factorially valid instrument for measuring the burnout syndrome in emergency service professionals in Brazil.

Objetivo: confirmar a validade fatorial do Maslach Bunout Inventory - versão Human Services Survey numa amostra de profissionais da saúde dos serviços de emergência. Método: estudo de abordagem quantitativa, exploratório, descritivo e analítico. Participaram do estudo 282 profissionais de saúde. Utilizou-se para a coleta de dados, um questionário sociodemográfico e o Maslach Burnout Inventory. A sensibilidade psicométrica dos itens do Maslach Bunout Inventory - versão Human Services Survey foi estimada pelas medidas de tendência central, variabilidade e forma da distribuição. A consistência interna foi estimada por meio do Coeficiente alfa de Cronbach e a adequação da amostra verificada por meio do índice de Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO). Como índices para a avaliação da qualidade de ajustamento do modelo foram considerados a razão de qui-quadrado pelos graus de liberdade (χ2 /gl), comparative fit index (CFI), goodness of fit index (GFI), índice de Tucker Lewis (TLI) e root mean square error of aproximation (RMSEA). Para testar o ajustamento dos dados utilizou-se o método de máxima verossimilhança. Resultados: confirmou-se a estrutura trifatorial do Maslach Burnout Inventory. Os itens 9, 12, 15 e 16 apresentaram peso fatorial abaixo do considerado adequado e foram removidos do modelo. O modelo hierárquico de segunda ordem, com as modificações mencionadas, apresentou ajustamento adequado aos dados e pôde ser considerado o melhor e mais parcimonioso modelo testado de acordo com os índices da teoria da informação. A consistência interna dos fatores do instrumento foi recalculada considerando-se a exclusão dos itens e foi considerada adequada nos três os fatores. Conclusão: os resultados obtidos mostram que o Maslach Burnout Inventory é um instrumento confiável e fatorialmente válido para medir a síndrome de o burnout em profissionais dos serviços de emergência no Brasil.

Objetivo: confirmar la validez factorial del Maslach Bunout Inventory - versión Human Services Survey en una muestra de profesionales de la salud de los servicios de emergencia. Método: estudio cuantitativo, exploratorio, descriptivo y analítico. Participaron en el estudio 282 profesionales de la salud. Para la recopilación de datos, se utilizó un cuestionario sociodemográfico y el Maslach Burnout Inventory . La sensibilidad psicométrica de los ítems del Maslach Bunout Inventory - versión Human Services Survey se estimó mediante medidas de tendencia central, variabilidad y forma de distribución. La consistencia interna se estimó usando el Coeficiente alfa de Cronbach y la adecuación de la muestra se verificó usando el índice de Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO). Como índices para evaluar la calidad de ajuste del modelo fueron considerados la razón chi-cuadrado para los grados de libertad (χ 2 /gl), comparative fit index (CFI), goodness of fit index (GFI), índice de Tucker Lewis (TLI) y root mean square error of aproximation (RMSEA). Para probar el ajuste de los datos, se utilizó el método de máxima verosimilitud. Resultados: se confirmó la estructura de tres factores del Maslach Burnout Inventory . Los ítems 9, 12, 15 y 16 presentaron un peso factorial por debajo de lo que se consideraba adecuado y se eliminaron del modelo. El modelo jerárquico de segundo orden, con las modificaciones antes mencionadas, presentó un ajuste adecuado a los datos y puede considerarse el mejor y más parsimonioso modelo probado de acuerdo con los índices de teoría de la información. La consistencia interna de los factores del instrumento se recalculó ponderando la exclusión de los ítems y se consideró adecuada en los tres factores. Conclusión: los resultados obtenidos muestran que el Maslach Burnout Inventory es un instrumento confiable y factorialmente válido para medir el síndrome de burnout en los profesionales de los servicios de emergencia en Brasil.

Intervening variables of Burnout in health professionals of emergency services / Variables de intervención del Burnout en los profesionales sanitarios de los servicios de emergencia / Variáveis interventoras do Burnout em profissionais de saúde dos serviços emergenciais

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the association between Burnout, stress, mental suffering and other personal and work factors associated with this syndrome. Method: cross-sectional, descriptive and correlational study with 282 health professionals from the emergency services of the city of Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, collected from October 2015 to March 2016. The instruments used were: sociodemographic questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Stress Symptom Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale, Psychiatric Screening Questionnaire, Fantastic Lifestyle Checklist, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Holmes-Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale. Descriptive writing of the data. Pearson's Chi-Square or Fisher's Exact Tests to check the association between variables and later regression analysis, in which ORs were calculated, with 95% CI and 5% significance level. Results: there was statistical evidence of an association between Burnout and education, early stress, stress, common mental disorders, lifestyle, anxiety and depression. The regression analysis shows that the variables that influence Burnout are: type of service (p=0.032; OR=0.187), education (p=0.029; OR=2.313), perception of stress (p=0.037; OR=1.67) and social readjustment (p=0.031; OR=1.279). Conclusion: this study points to a profile for the development of Burnout, consisting of health professionals with higher education, who suffered early stress, who have symptoms and perception of stress, who do not have a healthy lifestyle and show symptoms of mental suffering. Such results can assist in the development and implementation of strategies aimed at reducing both work stress and the prevalence of Burnout syndrome.

RESUMEN Objetivo: analizar la asociación entre Burnout, estrés, sufrimiento mental y otros factores personales y laborales asociados a este síndrome. Método: estudio transversal, descriptivo y correlacional entre 282 profesionales sanitarios de los servicios de emergencia de la ciudad de Ribeirão Preto, Brasil, recolectados de octubre de 2015 a marzo de 2016. Utilizados os instrumentos: Los instrumentos utilizados fueron: cuestionario sociodemográfico, Inventario de Burnout de Maslach, Cuestionario de Trauma Infantil, Inventario de Síntomas de Estrés, Escala de Estrés Percibido, Cuestionario de Exploración Psiquiátrica, Cuestionario de Estilo de Vida Fantástico, Escala de Ansiedad y Depresión Hospitalaria y Escala de Reajuste Social de Holmes-Rahe. Redacción descriptiva de los datos. Prueba Chi-Cuadrado de Pearson o Prueba exacta de Fisher para comprobar la asociación entre variables y posterior análisis de regresión, en el que se calcularon OR, con IC del 95% y nivel de significancia del 5%. Resultados: hubo evidencia estadística de asociación entre Burnout y educación, estrés temprano, estrés, trastornos mentales comunes, estilo de vida, ansiedad y depresión. El análisis de regresión muestra que las variables que influyen en el Burnout son: tipo de servicio (p=0.032; OR=0.187), educación (p=0.029; OR=2.313), percepción de estrés (p=0.037; OR=1.67) y reajuste social (p=0.031; OR=1.279). Conclusión: Este estudio apunta a un perfil para el desarrollo del Burnout, conformado por profesionales sanitarios con educación superior, que sufrieron estrés temprano, que presentan síntomas y percepción de estrés, que no tienen un estilo de vida saludable y presentan síntomas de sufrimiento mental. Dichos resultados pueden ayudar en el desarrollo e implementación de estrategias destinadas a reducir tanto el estrés laboral como la prevalencia del síndrome de Burnout.

RESUMO Objetivo: analisar a associação entre Burnout, estresse, sofrimento mental e demais fatores pessoais e laborais associados a esta síndrome. Método: estudo transversal, descritivo e correlacional entre 282 profissionais de saúde dos serviços de emergências da cidade de Ribeirão Preto, Brasil, coletado de outubro de 2015 a março de 2016. Utilizados os instrumentos: questionário sociodemográfico, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Inventário de Sintomas de Stress, Escala de Estresse Percebido, Psychiatric Screeming Questionnaire, Questionário de Estilo de Vida Fantástico, Escala Hospitalar de Ansiedade e Depressão e Escala de Reajustamento Social de Homes-Rahe. Redação descritiva dos dados. Testes Qui-Quadrado de Pearson ou Exato de Fisher para verificar a associação entre as variáveis e posteriormente análise de regressão, na qual foram calculados OR, com IC de 95% e o nível de significância de 5%. Resultados: houve evidência estatística de associação entre Burnout e escolaridade, estresse precoce, estresse, transtornos mentais comuns, estilo de vida, ansiedade e depressão. A análise de regressão evidencia que as variáveis que influenciam no Burnout são: tipo de serviço (p=0,032; OR=0,187), escolaridade (p=0,029; OR=2,313), percepção de estresse (p=0,037; OR=1,67) e reajustamento social (p=0,031; OR=1,279). Conclusão: este estudo aponta um perfil para o desenvolvimento de Burnout, constituído por profissionais de saúde com maior escolaridade, que sofreram estresse precoce, que apresentam sintomas e percepção de estresse, que não possuem um estilo de vida saudável e apresentam sintomas de sofrimento mental. Tais resultados podem auxiliar no desenvolvimento e implementação de estratégias visando reduzir tanto o estresse laboral como a prevalência da síndrome de Burnout.

Early life stress in depressive patients: role of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors and of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity.

Depression is a chronic, recurrent and long-term disorder characterized by high rates of impairment and several comorbidities. Early life stress (ELS) is associated with the increased risk for developing depression in adulthood, influences its clinical course and predicts a poorer treatment outcome. Stressful life events play an important role in the pathogenesis of depression, being well established as acute triggers of psychiatric illness. The vulnerability for developing depression is associated to changes in neurobiological systems related to stress regulation. The hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis responds to external and internal stimuli. Reported results indicate that stress in early phases of development can induce persistent changes in the response of the HPA axis to stress in adulthood, leading to a raised susceptibility to depression. These abnormalities appear to be related to the HPA axis deregulation in depression, partially due to an imbalance between glucocorticoid receptors (GR) and mineral ocorticoid receptors (MR). While most studies have consistently demonstrated that GR function is impaired in major depression (reduced GR-mediated feedback in HPA axis), data about the MR role in depression are still limited and contr oversial. Thus, in this review article we summarize the main reported findings about the consequences of ELS in HPA axis functioning and in the responsivity of MR/GR receptors in depression.

Factors related to the cortisol awakening response of children working on the streets and siblings, before and after 2 years of a psychosocial intervention.

The study objective was to observe the cortisol awakening response (CAR) pattern before and after a psychosocial intervention with children from dysfunctional families who had at least one child working on the streets, and to verify factors related to it. Two hundred and eleven children between 7 and 14 years old were selected and 191 were included, 178 were re-evaluated 2 years after, of whom 113 had cortisol measures completed. Besides cortisol, they were evaluated at baseline and at end point regarding: abuse/neglect, mental health symptoms, exposure to urban violence and family environment. There was no significant difference between the CAR area under the curve (AUC) before and after the intervention. Two regression analysis models were built to evaluate factors related to the CAR before and after intervention. Before the intervention, working on the streets (vs. not) was related to a greater cortisol increase after awakening, at follow-up, having suffered physical punishment (vs. not) was related to a flattened cortisol response. The intervention was not associated with changes in the magnitude of the CAR AUC, though the CAR was associated with psychosocial stressors pre- and post-intervention. Effective interventions for children at risk that might shape a physiological cortisol response are still needed.