New Psychometric Evidence of the Grief Impairment Scale (GIS) in People Who Have Experienced the Death of a Loved One From a Network Psychometric Approach in Two Latin American Countries.

This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Grief Impairment Scale (GIS) using a network psychometric model. A total of 1048 individuals from Peru and El Salvador participated. A network psychometric model was used to determine internal structure, reliability, and cross-country invariance. The results indicate that the GIS items were grouped into a single network structure through Exploratory Graph Analysis. Reliability was estimated by structural consistency, and it was found that when replicating the network structure within an empirical dimension, a single network structure was consistently obtained, and all items remained stable. Furthermore, the network structure was invariant, thus functioning similarly across the different country groups. In conclusion, the GIS presented solid psychometric evidence of validity based on its internal structure, reliability, and cross-country invariance. Therefore, the GIS is a psychometrically sound measure of functional impairment symptoms due to grief for Peruvian and Salvadoran individuals.

COVID-19 Bereavement in Ten Latin American Countries: Measurement Invariance of the Pandemic Grief Scale and Its Relation to Suicidal Ideation.

The present study aimed to evaluate the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the Pandemic Grief Scale (PGS) in ten Latin American countries. A total of 2,321 people who had lost a family member or other loved one due to COVID-19 participated, with a mean age of 34.22 years old (SD = 11.99). In addition to the PGS, a single item of suicidal ideation was applied. The unidimensional model of the PGS had adequate fit in most countries and good reliability estimates. There was evidence of measurement invariance by country and gender. Also, a one-point increase in the PGS was associated with an almost twofold increase in the odds of suicidal ideation. Scores greater than or equal to 4 on the PGS are proposed as a cut off to identify individuals with suicidal ideation. Strong evidence of the cross-cultural validity of the PGS is provided.

A Psychometric Analysis of the Spanish Version of the Grief Impairment Scale: A Screening Tool of Biopsychosocial Grief-Related Functional Impairment in a Salvadoran Sample.

The objective of this study was to translate and psychometrically evaluate a Spanish version of the Grief Impairment Scale (GIS) using a sample of bereaved adults from El Salvador (N = 579). The results confirm the unidimensional structure of the GIS, and solid reliability, item characteristics, and criterion-related validity, where the GIS scale significantly and positively predicts depression. However, this instrument only showed evidence of configural and metric invariance between different sex groups. Overall, these results support the Spanish version of the GIS as a psychometrically sound screening tool for health professionals and researchers to use in their clinical work.

Assessment of Obsessive Thoughts About COVID-19 in 7 Latin American Countries: Structure and Measurement Invariance of the Obsession With COVID-19 Scale.

The present study aimed to evaluate the measurement invariance of the Obsession with COVID-19 Scale (OCS) among seven Latin American countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Although the OCS has been used in several countries and languages, there is a need for approaches that better integrate the cross-cultural equivalence of the scale. A total of 3185 people participated in the study. The results indicated the presence of a unidimensional structure and good reliability indices for the OCS in each country. The alignment method indicated that the OCS is an invariant measure of COVID-19 obsession among the populations of seven Latin American countries. The findings based on IRT analysis indicated that all OCS items had adequate discrimination and difficulty parameters. The findings contribute to the understanding of the internal structure of the scale in different countries at the same time, something that has been pending evaluation.

Cross-cultural measurement invariance of the fear of COVID-19 scale in seven Latin American countries.

The objective was to evaluate the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) in 7 Latin American countries (Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay). The participants were 2944 people, selected through non-probability sampling for convenience, where the majority were women. Data collection occurred between 12 June and 14 September 2020. The results indicated that the model with two related factors presents a better fit to the data and has partial scalar invariance among the 7 countries. Differences in emotional and physiological reactions were observed between the countries.

Network analysis of the relationships between conspiracy beliefs towards COVID-19 vaccine and symptoms of fear of COVID-19 in a sample of latin american countries.

The present study examined how conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines specifically relate to symptoms of fear of COVID-19 in a sample of four South American countries. A total of 1785 people from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru participated, responding to a sociodemographic survey, the Fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19 S) and the Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale-COVID-19 (VCBS-COVID-19). Network analysis identified the most important symptoms of fear and conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines (nodes) and the associations between them (edges). In addition, the robustness of the network of these indicators of centrality and the possible differences in the structure and connectivity of the networks between the four countries were evaluated. The results suggest that the nodes with the highest centrality were items 2 and 5 of the FCV-19 S and item 2 of the VCBS-COVID-19. Likewise, item 6 is the belief that most predicts conspiracy beliefs about vaccines against COVID-19; while item 6 was the symptom that most predicts fear of COVID-19. The findings strongly support cross-cultural similarities in the networks across the four countries rather than differences. Although it was expected that a higher presence of symptoms of fear of COVID-19 may lead people to compensate for their fear by believing in conspiratorial ideas about vaccines and, consequently, rejecting the COVID-19 vaccine, the results do not clearly show this relationship. This could lead other researchers to generate evidence to explain the differences between Latin American countries and countries in other contexts in terms of vaccination rates. This evidence could be useful to develop policies favoring vaccination against COVID-19 that are more contextualized to the Latin American region, characterized by social instability and economic recession during the pandemic.

Cross-cultural measurement invariance of the purpose in life test - Short form (PIL-SF) in seven Latin American countries.

The aim was to test the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the PIL-SF in a sample of people from seven Latin American countries. Additionally, the characteristics of the PIL-SF items were evaluated and to assess the relationship between purpose in life, as measured by the PIL-SF, and fear of COVID-19. A total of 4306 people from seven Latin American countries participated in the study. The results indicated that the PIL-SF is invariant in the seven participating countries and, therefore, there is evidence that the items reflect the purpose of life in the same way in all countries. This allows comparisons of purpose in life between countries that are free of bias, reflecting the true differences in how countries respond to items. From IRT, the discrimination parameters are adequate and indicate that the items cover a wide range of the purpose in life construct. The difficulty parameters are adequate and increase monotonically. This indicates that people would need a higher level of purpose in life to respond to the higher response categories. Thus, the PIL-SF items would be useful in determining people with a relatively high degree of purpose in life. Identifying people with different levels of purpose in life would allow them to be part of intervention programs, either to support those with low levels or to maintain and reinforce their purpose in life. The evidence of cross-country measurement invariance of the PIL-SF provides a measure to be used in cross-cultural studies about the meaning of life.

Cross-cultural validation of the new version of the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale in twelve Latin American countries.

The Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) was recently developed to assess dysfunctional anxiety related to COVID-19. Although different studies reported that the CAS is psychometrically sound, it is unclear whether it is invariant across countries. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the measurement invariance of the CAS in twelve Latin American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay). A total of 5196 people participated, with a mean age of 34.06 (SD = 26.54). Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine the measurement invariance of the CAS across countries and gender. Additionally, the graded response model (GRM) was used to provide a global representation of the representativeness of the scale with respect to the COVID-19 dysfunctional anxiety construct. The unidimensional structure of the five-item CAS was not confirmed in all countries. Therefore, it was suggested that a four-item model of the CAS (CAS-4) provides a better fit across the twelve countries and reliable scores. Multigroup CFA showed that the CAS-4 exhibits scalar invariance across all twelve countries and all genders. In addition, the CAS-4 items are more informative at average and high levels of COVID-19 dysfunctional anxiety than at lower levels. According to the results, the CAS-4 is an instrument with strong cross-cultural validity and is suitable for cross-cultural comparisons of COVID-19 dysfunctional anxiety symptoms in the general population of the twelve Latin American countries evaluated. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-021-02563-0.

Selective block of grey communicantes in upper thoracic sympathectomy. A feasibility study on human cadaveric specimens.

Background: Sympathetic chain interruption is the gold standard treatment for essential hyperhidrosis. Postoperative compensatory hyperhidrosis, the main reason for patients' dissatisfaction, is reduced by selectively lesioning white and grey rami communicantes (ramicotomy).Objective: To develop an endoscopic surgical technique that interrupts only T3 and T4 grey rami communicantes to minimize compensatory hyperhidrosis.Material and Methods: T3 and T4 grey rami communicantes ramicotomy in fifteen cold-preserved cadavers through a uniportal axillary endoscopic approach. The sympathetic chain, its ganglia, and white rami communicantes were left intact. On opening the chest, the sympathetic chain, rami communicantes and ganglia were dissected, photographed, measured and excised for histological examination.Results: Dissecting the grey rami communicantes is feasible as they consistently lie between the intercostal nerve and the homonymous sympathetic ganglion. At some levels, Kuntz nerves, as well as more than one grey ramus communicans, can be found. White rami communicantes are more medial, therefore damaging them can be avoided. Intercostal veins can be obstructive, but these can be controlled via coagulation or clipping if necessary.Conclusion: Uniportal endoscopic selective excision of the T3 and T4 grey rami communicantes is feasible without damaging the white rami communicantes, the sympathetic chain or its ganglia. Clipping the grey rami communicantes is technically possible but not reliable due to their thin diameter. This study confirms that T3 and T4 grey rami sympathetic block is technically feasible. Its application might reduce compensatory hyperhidrosis, but clinical studies are needed.

Transdiscal C6-C7 contralateral C7 nerve root transfer in the surgical repair of brachial plexus avulsion injuries.

BACKGROUND: Repair of complete brachial plexus avulsion injuries may require contralateral C7 nerve root transfer. The available techniques might allow direct neuroraphy in about 50 % of cases but the others require interposing nerve grafts or humeral shaft shortening. We aimed to see if transdiscal C6-C7 contralateral C7 nerve root transfer is technically feasible and if it allows direct coaptation with the contralateral nerve roots in 100 % of cases. METHODS: In ten fresh-frozen adult cadavers, the C7 nerve root was sectioned just before it connects with other brachial plexus branches and re-routed though the C6-C7 disc space to the contralateral side. A complete C6-C7 discectomy was performed and the disc space kept open with the aid of an autologous iliac crest bone graft. RESULTS: Transdiscal C6-C7 contralateral C7 nerve root transfer is technically feasible. In our cadavers, it provided 5.3 ± 1.2 SDcm of extra length that allowed direct coaptation with the contralateral nerve roots, mainly C8 and T1. CONCLUSIONS: Transdiscal C6-C7 contralateral C7 nerve root transfer is technically feasible. In our dissections it lengthens the available C7 nerve root stump by 5.3 ± 1.2SDcm. The increase was 4 cm versus the retropharyngeal route making direct coaptation with the contralateral C8 and T1 nerve roots possible.

A Review of the Risk Factors and Management of Refractory Hypertension: The Role of Carotid Sinus Stimulation and Renal Nerve Denervation.

Hypertension (HTN) is a significant health concern, with a recent increase in HTN-related cardiovascular deaths in the United States. Refractory hypertension, a form of treatment-resistant HTN, poses a challenge for physicians and patients due to its association with increased morbidity and mortality. Risk factors for refractory HTN include African ancestry, female gender, younger age, diabetes mellitus, obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, chronic kidney disease, end-stage renal disease, and smoking. While the exact pathophysiology of refractory HTN is not fully understood, sympathetic overdrive appears to be a significant contributing factor. Arterial stiffness, chronic kidney disease, obstructive sleep apnea, obesity, and diabetes mellitus are comorbid conditions associated with increased sympathetic activity and refractory HTN. The knowledge behind carotid sinus stimulation suggested promising outcomes due to the known physiology. However, the introduction of devices, surgical complications, and the development of new antihypertensive soon took over the innovation of these devices. The authors aim to highlight three important aspects related to refractory hypertension: the risk factors for the development of refractory hypertension, the role of surgery in managing hypertension, and the referral systems available for the management of refractory hypertension.

Mapping of the network connection between sleep quality symptoms, depression, generalized anxiety, and burnout in the general population of Peru and El Salvador.

BACKGROUND: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials has suggested a bidirectional relationship between sleep problems and mental health issues. Despite these findings, there is limited conclusive evidence on the relationship between sleep quality, depression, anxiety, and burnout. OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to evaluate the relationships between sleep quality symptoms, anxiety, depression, and burnout in samples of adult individuals from two Latin American countries, Peru and El Salvador, through network analysis and to identify key symptoms that reinforce the correlation and intensify the syndromes. METHODS: A total of 1012 individuals from El Salvador and Peru participated, with an average age of 26.5 years (SD = 9.1). Symptom networks were constructed for both countries based on data from the Jenkins Sleep Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-2, General Anxiety Disorder-2, and a single burnout item. RESULTS: The results indicated that Depressed Mood, Difficulty Falling Asleep, and Nervousness were the most central symptoms in a network in the participating countries. The strongest conditional associations were found between symptoms belonging to the same construct, which were similar in both countries. Thus, there is a relationship between Nervousness and Uncontrollable Worry, Anhedonia and Depressed Mood, and Nighttime Awakenings and Difficulty in Staying Asleep. It was observed that burnout is a bridge symptom between both countries and presents stronger conditional associations with Tiredness on Awakening, Depressed Mood, and Uncontrollable Worry. Other bridge symptoms include a Depressed Mood and Nervousness. The network structure did not differ between the participants from Peru and El Salvador. CONCLUSION: The networks formed by sleep quality, anxiety, depression, and burnout symptoms play a prominent role in the comorbidity of mental health problems among the general populations of Peru and El Salvador. The symptom-based analytical approach highlights the different diagnostic weights of these symptoms. Treatments or interventions should focus on identifying central and bridge symptoms.

Cross-cultural validation of the Jenkins Sleep Scale in Spanish-speaking countries.

The study aimed to validate the Jenkins Sleep Scale (JSS-4) in six Spanish-Speaking countries. A total of 1726 people participated and were distributed between men (32.4%) and women (67.6%). Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the unidimensional structure and high reliability of the JSS-4 overall (α = 0.85, ω = 0.81) and within each country. The invariance analysis revealed that JSS-4 exhibited complete invariance across countries, thus establishing a robust foundation for inter-group comparisons. Interestingly, a comparative analysis revealed significant differences in the average levels of sleep difficulties, with particularly high rates in Spain and Chile. Item Response Theory (IRT) showed sufficient discrimination parameters for all items, and a correlation of 0.998 between Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and IRT highlighted the robustness and reliability of the results obtained. In summary, JSS-4 exhibits strong evidence of validity and consistency in measurement invariance across the six countries.

Sex differences in entrapment in a multinational sample: a network analysis perspective.

Background: The concept of entrapment has been highlighted as a transdiagnostic element that manifests itself in disorders such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Although research has been conducted in different contexts independently, a comprehensive multi-country study to assess gender differences in entrapment through network analysis has not yet been carried out. The objective of this study was to evaluate the entrapment network in men and women at the multinational level. Methods: A sample of 2,949 participants, ranging in age from 18 to 73 years from six countries (Germany, Iran, Spain, Slovakia, El Salvador, and Peru), was considered. They completed the entrapment scale. A network analysis was performed for both men and women to identify the connectivity between indicators and the formation of clusters and domains, in addition to the centrality assessment in both sex groups. Results: The study findings revealed the presence of a third domain focused on external interpersonal entrapment in the network of men and women. However, in relation to the interconnectivity between domains, variations were evidenced in both networks, as well as in centrality, it was reported that men present a greater generalized entrapment in various aspects of life, while women tend to experience a more focused entrapment in expressions of intense emotional charge. Conclusion: The multinational study identified variations in the structure of entrapment between genders, with three domains (internal, external, and external-interpersonal) and differences in the interaction of indicators and groupings, as well as discrepancies in centrality.

Pandemic Grief and Suicidal Ideation in Latin American Countries: A Network Analysis.

This study aimed to characterize the network structure of pandemic grief symptoms and suicidal ideation in 2174 people from eight Latin American countries. Pandemic grief and suicidal ideation were measured using the Pandemic Grief Scale and a single item, respectively. Network analysis provides an in-depth characterization of symptom-symptom interactions within mental disorders. The results indicated that, "desire to die," "apathy" and "absence of sense of life" are the most central symptoms in a pandemic grief symptom network; therefore, these symptoms could be focal elements for preventive and treatment efforts. Suicidal ideation, the wish to die, and the absence of meaning in life had the strongest relationship. In general, the network structure did not differ among the participating countries. It identifies specific symptoms within the network that may increase the likelihood of their co-occurrence and is useful at the therapeutic level.

Exploring Volatile Organic Compounds in Rhizomes and Leaves of Kaempferia parviflora Wall. Ex Baker Using HS-SPME and GC-TOF/MS Combined with Multivariate Analysis.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play an important role in the biological activities of the medicinal Zingiberaceae species. In commercial preparations of VOCs from Kaempferia parviflora rhizomes, its leaves are wasted as by-products. The foliage could be an alternative source to rhizome, but its VOCs composition has not been explored previously. In this study, the VOCs in the leaves and rhizomes of K. parviflora plants grown in a growth room and in the field were analyzed using the headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) method coupled with gas chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS). The results showed a total of 75 and 78 VOCs identified from the leaves and rhizomes, respectively, of plants grown in the growth room. In the field samples, 96 VOCs were detected from the leaves and 98 from the rhizomes. These numbers are higher compared to the previous reports, which can be attributed to the analytical techniques used. It was also observed that monoterpenes were dominant in leaves, whereas sesquiterpenes were more abundant in rhizomes. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed significantly higher abundance and diversity of VOCs in plants grown in the field than in the growth room. A high level of similarity of identified VOCs between the two tissues was also observed, as they shared 68 and 94 VOCs in the growth room and field samples, respectively. The difference lies in the relative abundance of VOCs, as most of them are abundant in rhizomes. Overall, the current study showed that the leaves of K. parviflora, grown in any growth conditions, can be further utilized as an alternative source of VOCs for rhizomes.

Pandemic grief in El Salvador: factors that predict dysfunctional grief due to a COVID-19 death among Salvadoran adults.

Thousands of people have died of COVID-19 in El Salvador. However, little is known about the mental health of those who are mourning the loss of a loved one to COVID-19. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the dysfunctional grief associated with COVID-19 death among Salvadoran adults. A sample of 435 Salvadorans (M = 29 years; SD = 8.75) who lost a family member or loved one to COVID-19 completed a digital survey using the Google Forms platform, during April 2 and 28, 2022. The results revealed that 35.1% reported clinically elevated symptoms of dysfunctional grief and among those mourners, and 25.1% also exhibited clinical levels of coronavirus anxiety. A binary logistic regression revealed that predictor variables such as COVID-19 anxiety (p = .003), depression (p = .021), and COVID-19 obsession (p = .032) were significant (χ2 = 84.31; Nagelkerke R2 = .242) and predict a 24.2% chance of dysfunctional bereavement.

Is the meaning of subjective well-being similar in Latin American countries? A cross-cultural measurement invariance study of the WHO-5 well-being index during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: There is an urgent need to assess changes in well-being on a multinational scale during the COVID-19 pandemic, thus culturally valid scales must be available. METHODS: With this in mind, this study examined the invariance of the WHO well-being index (WHO-5) among a sample of 5183 people from 12 Latin Americans countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay). RESULTS: The results of the present study indicate that the WHO-5 is strictly invariant across samples from different Latin American countries. Furthermore, the results of the IRT analysis indicate that all items of the WHO-5 were highly discriminative and that the difficulty required to respond to each of the five items is ascending. Additionally, the results indicated the presence of moderate and small size differences in subjective well-being among most countries. CONCLUSION: The WHO-5 is useful for assessing subjective well-being in 12 Latin American countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, since the differences between scores can be attributed to differences in well-being and not in other characteristics of the scale.

Cross-cultural invariance of the Spanish version of the COVID-19 Assessment Scorecard to measure the perception of government actions against COVID-19 in Latin America.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to evaluate the measurement invariance of a general measure of the perception of governmental responses to COVID-|19 (COVID-SCORE-10) in the general population of 13 Latin American countries. METHODS: A total of 5780 individuals from 13 Latin American and Caribbean countries selected by non-probabilistic snowball sampling participated. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed and the alignment method was used to evaluate invariance. Additionally, a graded response model was used for the assessment of item characteristics. RESULTS: The results indicate that there is approximate measurement invariance of the COVID-SCORE-10 among the participating countries. Furthermore, IRT results suggest that the COVID-SCORE-10 measures with good psychometric ability a broad spectrum of the construct assessed, especially around average levels. Comparison of COVID-SCORE-10 scores indicated that participants from Cuba, Uruguay and El Salvador had the most positive perceptions of government actions to address the pandemic. Thus, the underlying construct of perception of government actions was equivalent in all countries. CONCLUSION: The results show the importance of initially establishing the fundamental measurement properties and MI before inferring the cross-cultural universality of the construct to be measured.

Relationship Between Fear of COVID-19, Conspiracy Beliefs About Vaccines and Intention to Vaccinate Against COVID-19: A Cross-National Indirect Effect Model in 13 Latin American Countries.

The present study explored the predictive capacity of fear of COVID-19 on the intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and the influence in this relationship of conspiracy beliefs as a possible mediating psychological variable, in 13 Latin American countries. A total of 5779 people recruited through non-probabilistic convenience sampling participated. To collect information, we used the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Vaccine conspiracy beliefs Scale-COVID-19 and a single item of intention to vaccinate. A full a priori Structural Equation Model was used; whereas, cross-country invariance was performed from increasingly restricted structural models. The results indicated that, fear of COVID-19 positively predicts intention to vaccinate and the presence of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines. The latter negatively predicted intention to vaccinate against COVID-19. Besides, conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines had an indirect effect on the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 in the 13 countries assessed. Finally, the cross-national similarities of the mediational model among the 13 participating countries are strongly supported. The study is the first to test a cross-national mediational model across variables in a large number of Latin American countries. However, further studies with other countries in other regions of the world are needed.