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.

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.

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

Abstract 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 symptombased analytical approach highlights the different diagnostic weights of these symptoms. Treatments or interventions should focus on identifying central and bridge symptoms.

Medical Research Trends in Undergraduate Psychological Theses: A report from a South American country

Introduction: Psychological research can be developed by researchers and also by undergraduate or postgraduate students. In an undergraduate level, psychological research is specially challenging due to the limited ability of students to develop coherent and logical research problems and methodological approaches. Objective: The objective of this study is to identify the main research trends in undergraduate psychological theses from Peruvian universities. As a specific objective, quantitative and qualitative research design trends were distinguished. Methods: A descriptive and retrospective systematic review of psychological research thesis of Peruvian undergraduate students was conducted, starting the data extraction process starting with RENATI database for an initial screening phase. Data analysis was conducted in two phases. Results: First, data was organized in relation to its frequency of the categories of authors' sex, the universities were catalogued as universities 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 according to their ranking, the categories of years of publication, number of authors, designs, type of methodology, and area of publication were obtained. Descriptive frequency statistics were established based on these categories. In the next phase, lexicometric and statistical textual analysis were used to identify research trending topics. Discussion: The main results show that different topics are predominantly framed within the clinical and health psychology line of research, mainly those related to coping styles, psychological stress and wellbeing.

Introducción: La investigación psicológica puede ser desarrollada por investigadores y también por estudiantes de pregrado o posgrado. En un nivel de pregrado, la investigación psicológica es especialmente desafiante debido a la capacidad limitada de los estudiantes para desarrollar problemas de investigación y enfoques metodológicos coherentes y lógicos. Objetivo: El objetivo de este estudio es identificar las principales tendencias de investigación en las tesis de grado en psicología de las universidades peruanas. Como objetivo específico, se distinguieron las tendencias de diseño de investigación cuantitativa y cualitativa. Metodología: Se realizó una revisión sistemática descriptiva y retrospectiva de tesis de investigación en psicología de estudiantes universitarios peruanos, iniciando el proceso de extracción de datos a partir de la base de datos RENATI para una fase inicial de selección. El análisis de datos se realizó en dos fases. Resultados: Primero se organizaron los datos en relación a su frecuencia de las categorías de sexo de los autores, las universidades se catalogaron como universidades 1, 2, 3, 4 y 5 según su ranking, las categorías de años de publicación, número de autores Se obtuvieron diseños, tipo de metodología y área de publicación. A partir de estas categorías se establecieron estadísticos descriptivos de frecuencia. En la siguiente fase, se utilizaron análisis textuales lexicométricos y estadísticos para identificar los temas de tendencia de investigación. Discusión: Los principales resultados muestran que diferentes temas se enmarcan predominantemente dentro de la línea de investigación de la psicología clínica y de la salud, principalmente los relacionados con los estilos de afrontamiento, el estrés psicológico y el bienestar.

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.

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.

Reasons for the use of masks in open areas after the Peruvian government announced that it will no longer be mandatory in the context of COVID-19 in 2022

Introduction: In Peru, a high proportion of fully immunized people against COVID-19 has been achieved, which has mitigated the severity of the disease. Thus, under the recommendation of experts, the Peruvian government issued Supreme Decree 118-2022-PCM, which indicated that the use of masks is optional in open and ventilated enclosed spaces as of October 1, 2022. Objective: The aim of the present study was to find out the reasons why people continued to wear masks even though it was not mandatory in outdoor environments. Methods: A total of 335 people participated, with an average age of 26.11 years (73.1% women). A data collection form was prepared where sociodemographic and health information was requested; in addition, the question "Why do you continue to wear mask despite it being optional in open and closed ventilated spaces?" was included. The data obtained from the last open question of the instrument was analyzed by means of a discursive textual analysis (DTA) and an exploratory analysis through IRAMUTEQ. Results: Results indicate that people continue to wear masks, despite the lifting of the restrictions, to avoid contagion of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases. In addition, the prevention of possible infection and transmission of the virus also focused on the family and vulnerable people. Discussion: It is concluded that the practice of wearing masks may be influenced by individual perceptions of risk and interpretations of responsibility and solidarity towards others.

Introducción: En el Perú, se logró una alta proporción de personas completamente inmunizados contra COVID-19 que ha mitigado la severidad de la enfermedad. Es así que, bajo la recomendación de expertos el gobierno peruano emitió el Decreto Supremo 118-2022-PCM, donde se indicó que el uso de la mascarilla es opcional en espacios abiertos y espacios cerrados ventilados a partir del 1 de octubre del 2022. Objetivo: El presente estudio fue conocer las razones por las cuales las personas continuaron usando mascarilla a pesar de que no era obligatorio en ambientes exteriores. Metodología: Participaron un total de 335 personas con un promedio de edad de 26.11 años (73.1% mujeres). Se elaboró una ficha de recolección de datos donde se solicitó información sociodemográfica y de salud; además, se incluyó la pregunta "¿por qué sigue utilizando la mascarilla a pesar de que es opcional en espacios abiertos y cerrados ventilados?" Los datos obtenidos de la última pregunta abierta del instrumento se analizaron mediante un análisis textual discursivo (ATD) y un análisis exploratorio a través de IRAMUTEQ. Resultados: Los resultados indicaron que, las personas seguían utilizando mascarillas, a pesar de estar levantadas las restricciones, para evitar contagios de la COVID-19 y de otras enfermedades respiratorias. Además, esta prevención de una posible infección y transmisión del virus es enfocada también a la propia familia y personas vulnerables. Discusión: Se concluye que, la práctica de usar mascarillas puede estar influenciada por las percepciones individuales del riesgo y las interpretaciones de responsabilidad y solidaridad frente a los demás.

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.

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

Abstract 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.