Validation of the English version of the Mood Rhythm Instrument.

BACKGROUND: Disruption of biological rhythms has been linked to the pathophysiology of mental disorders. However, little is known regarding the rhythmicity of mood symptoms due to the lack of validated clinical questionnaires. A better understanding of the rhythmicity of mood symptoms can help identifying individuals whose severity of mood symptoms follows an altered circadian rhythm. The objective of this study was to validate the English version of the Mood Rhythm Instrument (MRhI), a self-reported measure of self-perceived rhythmicity of mood symptoms and behaviours, in a sample of the general population from Canada. METHODS: After the translation process, the final English version of the Mood Rhythm Instrument (MRhI-English) was applied on participants recruited at McMaster University and St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton campuses. Individuals were also asked to answer the Reduced Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (rMEQ). RESULTS: Four hundred one individuals completed the English version of the MRhI and the rMEQ. The MRhI-English presented a Cronbach's alpha of 0.75. The factorial analysis grouped the MRhI-15 items in 3 factors (cognitive, affective and somatic), with affective items having a lower frequency of self-reported 24-h peaks. Comparison between sexes showed that women reported a higher frequency of daily peaks in irritability, anxiety, sadness and talking to friends, while men exhibited peaks more frequently in problem-solving, sexual arousal and motivation to exercise. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the English version of the MRhI displayed good internal consistency. Future directions will include the use of the MRhI instrument in individuals with mood disorders, aiming to provide a better understanding of the relationship between daily patterns of mood variability and mental health outcomes.

Poor sleep quality associates with self-reported psychiatric and cardiometabolic symptoms independently of sleep timing patterns in a large sample of rural and urban workers.

Poor sleep associates with mental and cardiometabolic pathological outcomes. The participation of sleep timing features in the pathways by which this relationship occurs is not clear. This study aims to evaluate the interrelationship between sleep quality and self-reported psychiatric/cardiometabolic symptoms, considering mediation and moderation effects of sleep timing patterns, and urban versus rural work environment, respectively; and to verify the association between sleep quality and polymorphisms of AANAT, RORA and TIMELESS genes. An epidemiological survey was performed in a rural area in southern Brazil. Eight-hundred and twenty-nine subjects were evaluated for sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and sleep timing patterns using the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire. Work characteristics and psychiatric/cardiometabolic symptoms were assessed using a structured self-report questionnaire. Three polymorphisms of AANAT, RORA and TIMELESS (rs3760138, rs782931 and rs774045, respectively) were genotyped in blood samples. We found statistically significant associations of poor sleep quality with self-reported psychiatric symptoms (B = 0.382; 95% CI 0.289-0.476; adjusted p-value <.001), and with self-reported cardiometabolic symptoms (B = 0.079; 95% CI 0.013-0.151; adjusted p-value = .048). The genetic analysis showed that RORA GA/AA genotype was associated to poor sleep quality (B = 0.146, 95% CI 0.054-0.239; adjusted p-value = .004). No moderated mediation effects were observed in the conditional analysis. TIMELESS polymorphism was not included in the analysis due to the low frequency of risk genotypes. These results yield new insights regarding the interrelationship between sleep characteristics and psychiatric/cardiometabolic self-reported symptoms, taking into account genes related to the biological clocks and melatonin pathways.

Time de Resposta Rápida em Saúde Mental (TRRSM): protocolo de atendimento psicossocial para trabalhadores da saúde no contexto de pandemia / Mental Health Rapid Response Team (MHRRT): psychosocial care protocol for health care workers in the context of a pandemic

As novas demandas de saúde mental resultantes do contexto de pandemia levaram a equipe do Programa de Saúde Mental do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre a desenvolver um protocolo de assistência especializada em saúde mental para os trabalhadores da instituição: Time de Resposta Rápida em Saúde Mental (TRRSM). O TRRSM foi elaborado em consonância com os achados na literatura sobre intervenções em saúde mental em contextos pandêmicos e eventos com elevado potencial de trauma comunitário. Essa medida visa monitorar ativamente as manifestações psíquicas dos trabalhadores durante a pandemia do novo coronavírus, através da identificação e o pronto atendimento aos grupos de alto risco para o desenvolvimento de sofrimento psíquico. Considera-se ainda que a monitorização do sofrimento psíquico deve se estender além do período de maior incidência de casos, visto que uma segunda onda de manifestações tardias, que surgem após a resolução do fator estressor, é esperada, devendo ser prontamente abordada. (AU)

New mental health demands result from the context of a pandemic and have led the Mental Health Program team of an university hospital to develop a mental health care protocol for the institution's workers: the Mental Health Rapid Response Team (MHRRT). The MHRRT was developed according to the literature on mental health interventions in pandemic contexts and events with a high potential for community trauma. This measure aims to actively monitor the psychic manifestations of health care workers during the new coronavirus pandemic through identification and prompt assistance to groups at high risk for experiencing psychological distress. Also, monitoring of psychological distress should extend beyond the period of highest incidence of cases, since a second wave of late mental manifestations, which arise after resolution of the stressor, is expected and should be promptly addressed. (AU)

Work routines moderate the association between eveningness and poor psychological well-being.

Well-being is a useful screening method for the detection of mood disorders. Evidence associating psychological well-being with sleep-wake patterns exists, as well as associations with sleep-wake patterns, work-related parameters, and perceived self-efficacy. Despite the growing research regarding the relationship between these factors and mental health, there are few studies that analyze them together. OBJECTIVE: To investigate if the association between sleep-wake patterns and psychological well-being is mediated or moderated by perceived self-efficacy, work flexibility and work routines. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This cohort study was performed in southern Brazil. A sample of 987 individuals was analyzed (66.9% women; mean age = 43.9 years). Work routines parameters and work schedule flexibility were evaluated, most participants were farmers (46%) and most worked 7 days a week (69.1%). Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQ) was administered for evaluation of sleep-wake patterns, General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) for assessment the participants' beliefs about how they coped with daily hassles, and World Health Organization Five-item Well-being Index (WHO-5) for evaluation of psychological well-being levels. Moderation and mediation models were tested. RESULTS: The moderation model showed influences of work end time on the relationship between sleep onset time and psychological well-being (R2 = 0.147; F = 24.16; p<0.001). The final regression model showed an association of psychological well-being with sex (Beta = -0.086; p = 0.004), sleep onset time (Beta = -0.086; p = 0.006), and self-efficacy (Beta = 0.316; p<0.001); the work end time showed association in the interaction with sleep onset time (Beta = -0.075; p = 0.016). CONCLUSION: The findings support the direct association of psychological well-being with sleep-wake patterns and self-efficacy, and show an interaction between work routines and sleep-wake patterns. Our results draw attention to the importance of the interplay between individual and social rhythms in relation to psychological well-being.

Stress and coping in a sample of medical students in Brazil

Background Medical training is a stressing situation, making medical students vulnerable to psychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety. Objective The study aimed to assess the prevalence of stress and coping in students of a public medical school in Brazil, comparing the groups from the first and sixth years of training. Methods Through a cross-sectional, observational study, a sample of 232 first and sixth-year regularly registered medical students has been evaluated. Students filled a socio-demographic questionnaire, the Lipp Inventory of Stress Symptoms (ISSL), and the Coping Strategies Inventory (CSI). Results From the total sample of 232 students, 110 were first-year students and 122 sixth-year students. Stress symptoms were significantly higher in first-year students (49.1%) than in the sixth-year group (33.6%; p = 0.018). Variables significantly associated with stress were: year of the training (1st year > 6th year), income (lower > higher income), satisfaction with the training (dissatisfied > satisfied) and the use of escape/avoidance copying strategy (positive association). Discussion Considering the higher stress symptoms among first-year medical students and the positive association of the escape/avoidance copying strategy with stress, strategies must be developed to enable students starting medical school to be better at coping with this stressful situations.

Differences in circadian patterns between rural and urban populations: an epidemiological study in countryside.

The physiological pattern of the sleep-wake cycle is influenced by external synchronizing agents such as light and social patterns, creating variations in each individual's preferred active and sleep periods. Because of the demands of a 24-h working society, it may be imperative for many people to adapt their sleep patterns (physiologically) to their daily activities. Therefore, we analyzed the difference in sleep patterns and chronobiological parameters between an essentially rural farming and urban small-town populations. We studied 5942 subjects (women, 67.1%, N = 3985; mean age, 44.3 ± 13.1 years), from which the chronotype, circadian sleep pattern, and period of light exposure were collected using the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQ). A structured questionnaire was also made for collection of social and demographic information. Compared with the urban population (N = 3427, 57.7%), the rural population (N = 2515, 42.3%) presented a more predominantly early sleep pattern, as determined by the mid-sleep phase (rural: 2.26 ± 1.16; urban: 3.15 ± 1.55; t-test, p < 0.001). We also found less social jetlag (rural: 0.32; urban: 0.55; Mann-Whitney U test, p < 0.001) and higher light-exposure (rural: 9.55 ± 2.31; urban: 8.46 ± 2.85; t test, p < 0.001) in the rural population. Additionally, the rural population presented a higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders (rural: 156, 6.20%; urban: 165, 4.80%; Chi-square, p < 0.05), and a lower prevalence of metabolic diseases (rural: 143, 5.70%; urban: 225, 6.60%; Chi-square, p < 0.05). The significant difference in sleep parameters, chronotype, and light exposure between groups remained after multivariate regression analysis (r(2 )= 0.41, F = 297.19, p < 0.001, ß = 1.208). In this study, there was a significant difference between the rural and urban populations in natural light exposure and sleeping patterns. Because of agricultural work schedules, rural populations spend considerable time outside that is an obligation related to work schedules. Our results emphasize the idea that latitude may not be the main factor influencing individual circadian habits. Rather, circadian physiology adapts to differences in exposure to light (natural and artificial) as well as social and work schedules.

Glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase deficiency and its correlation with other risk factors in jaundiced newborns in Southern Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the correlation between glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency and neonatal jaundice. METHODS: Prospective, observational case-control study was conducted on 490 newborns admitted to Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre for phototherapy, who all experienced 35 or more weeks of gestation, from March to December 2007. Enzymatic screening of G6PD activity was performed, followed by PCR. RESULTS: There was prevalence of 4.6% and a boy-girl ratio of 3:1 in jaundiced newborns. No jaundiced neonate with ABO incompatibility presented G6PD deficiency, and no Mediterranean mutation was found. A higher proportion of deficiency was observed in Afro-descendants. There was no association with UGT1A1 variants. CONCLUSIONS: G6PD deficiency is not related to severe hyperbilirubinemia and considering the high miscegenation in this area of Brazil, other gene interactions should be investigated.