Towards a better understanding of real-world home-visiting programs: a large-scale effectiveness study of parenting mechanisms in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: The scale-up of parenting programmes to support early childhood development (ECD) is poorly understood. Little is known about how and when early interventions are most effective. Sustainability of ECD programming requires a better understanding of the mechanisms of real-world interventions. We examined the effects on caregiving practices of Primeira Infância Melhor (PIM), a state-wide home-visiting programme in Brazil. METHODS: This propensity score matched, longitudinal, quasiexperimental study uses data from the 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort. We matched children who received PIM at any age with other cohort children on 25 key covariates. Sensitivity, guidance and responsiveness were assessed using video-recorded play tasks. Coerciveness and the parent-child relationship were assessed using the Parenting and Family Adjustment Scales. All parenting outcomes were examined at age 4 years. Separate moderation analyses were conducted for each effect modifier: family income, child age and duration of participation. RESULTS: Out of 4275 children in the cohort, 797 were enrolled in PIM up to age 4 years. 3018 children (70.6%) were included in the analytic sample, of whom 587 received PIM and 2431 were potential controls. We found a positive effect of PIM on responsiveness (ß=0.08, 95% CIs 0.002 to 0.16) and sensitivity (ß=0.10, 95% CIs 0.02 to 0.19). No effect was found for any secondary outcomes. Moderation analyses revealed a stronger positive effect on sensitivity for low-income parents (ß=0.18, 95% CIs 0.03 to 0.34). CONCLUSION: A state-wide, home-visiting programme in Brazil improved aspects of responsive caregiving. Effects were more pronounced for low-income families, suggesting benefits of purposeful targeting.

Intimate partner violence victimisation and its association with maternal parenting (the 2015 Pelotas [Brazil] Birth Cohort): a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is highly prevalent in low-income and middle-income countries and has been a major obstacle towards reaching global health targets for women and children. We aimed to investigate cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between IPV victimisation and maternal parenting practices of young children in a population-based birth cohort study in Brazil. METHODS: The 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort is an ongoing, prospective cohort, including all hospital births occurring between Jan 1 and Dec 31, 2015, in the city of Pelotas, Brazil. When children were aged 4 years, mothers reported on emotional, physical, and sexual IPV victimisation in the past 12 months. Parenting outcomes were assessed through filming the mother and child in interactive tasks at age 4 years and maternal interviews at ages 4 years and 6-7 years. Interactive tasks were filmed at the Centre for Epidemiological Research facilities. Directly observed outcomes included negative (eg, coercive) and positive (eg, sensitivity and reciprocity) parenting interactions independently coded by a team of psychologists. Self-reported parenting was measured using the subscales on quality of parent-child relationship, positive encouragement, parental consistency, and coercive behaviour of the Parenting and Family Adjustment Scales questionnaire. Unadjusted and adjusted linear regression analyses were performed to assess the associations. FINDINGS: Of the 4275 livebirths enrolled in the cohort, 3730 mother-child dyads were included in our analytical sample at age 4 years and 3292 at age 6-7 years. After adjusting for all potential confounders, emotional IPV and physical or sexual IPV were associated with the following self-reported parenting outcomes: poor parent-child relationship quality (emotional IPV: p=0·011), lower parental consistency (emotional IPV: p<0·001, physical or sexual IPV: p=0·0053), and more coercive behaviour (emotional IPV: p<0·001, physical or sexual IPV: p=0·0071) at age 4 years. Associations were not observed for self-reported positive encouragement and filmed parenting outcomes in fully adjusted models. Longitudinally, IPV at age 4 years predicted similar outcomes when children were aged 6-7 years. INTERPRETATION: In this large cohort study, maternal IPV victimisation was consistently associated with poorer parent-child relationship, decreased parental consistency, and increased harsh parenting reported by mothers of young children. As well as initiatives to prevent IPV, parenting interventions focused on supporting the capacity of caregivers to provide nurturing care delivered at key stages early in the life course are crucial. FUNDING: Wellcome Trust. TRANSLATION: For the Portuguese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Postpartum depression: evidences of the predictive power of social support and marital relationship / Depressão pós-parto: evidências do poder preditivo do apoio social e relacionamento conjugal / Depresión posparto: evidencias del poder predictivo del apoyo social y la relación conyugal

This study aimed to evaluate social support and marital relationships in women with and without postpartum depression (PND), investigating the relationship between these constructs and the positive and negative impacts of each of them for the PND. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 67 women (32 with depression and 35 without depression) with children aged between 51 and 77 days. The results indicated that women with PND (assessed through the EPDS) had lower scores in perception of social support and identified their marital relationships as more conflicting. In the hierarchical model, demographic variables (baby's age and maternal education) and marital relationship explained part of the variance of symptoms of PND. Social support did not prove to be a significant predictor in the model. Among the factors evaluated, the quality of the marital relationship was the most important to minimize the risk of developing PND, being an aspect subject to interventions by health professionals. (AU)

O objetivo foi avaliar o apoio social e o relacionamento conjugal em mulheres com e sem depressão pós-parto (DPP), investigando a relação entre esses construtos e os impactos positivos e negativos de cada um deles para a DPP. Conduziu-se um estudo transversal com 67 mulheres (32 com depressão e 35 sem depressão) com filhos com idade entre 51 e 77 dias. Os resultados indicaram que mulheres com DPP (avaliadas por meio da EPDS) relataram menor percepção de apoio social e identificaram seus relacionamentos conjugais como mais conflituosos. No modelo hierárquico, variáveis demográficas (idade do bebê e escolaridade materna) e relacionamento conjugal explicaram em parte a variância dos sintomas de DPP. O apoio social não se revelou um preditor significativo no modelo. Entre os avaliados, a qualidade do relacionamento conjugal foi o mais importante para minimizar o risco de desenvolvimento de DPP, sendo um aspecto passível de intervenções por profissionais da saúde. (AU)

El objetivo fue evaluar el apoyo social y las relaciones maritales en mujeres con y sin depresión posparto (DPP), investigando la relación entre estos constructos y los impactos positivos y negativos de cada uno de ellos a la DPP. Se realizó un estudio transversal con 67 mujeres (32 con depresión y 35 sin depresión) con hijos de entre 51 y 77 días. Los resultados indicaron que las mujeres con DPP (evaluadas a través de la EPDS) presentaron una menor percepción de apoyo social e identificaron sus relaciones maritales como más conflictivas. En el modelo jerárquico, las variables demográficas (edad del bebé y educación materna) y la relación conyugal explicaron una parte de la varianza de los síntomas de la DPP. El apoyo social no resultó ser un predictor significativo en el modelo. Entre los factores evaluados, la calidad de la relación conyugal fue el más importante para minimizar el riesgo de desarrollar DPP, siendo un aspecto sujeto a intervenciones por parte de los profesionales de la salud. (AU)

Prevalence and Psychosocial Risk Factors associated with mental disorders during pregnancy / Prevalência e Fatores de Risco Psicossociais associados a transtornos mentais durante a gestação

Objective Studies evidence a high prevalence of mental disorders in pregnant women, which interfere in women's health, interpersonal relationships, baby care and, consequently, in child development. The research sought to identify risk and protective psychosocial factors of mental disorders during pregnancy. Method A total of 153 third trimester pregnant women participated in a quasi-experimental, quantitative and cross-sectional study. The instruments used were questionnaires and interviews. Frequency, descriptive and regression analysis were performed. Results The most significant risk factors for mental disorders during pregnancy were lack of confidence, childhood trauma, stressful life events, and previous depression. Protective factors included good marital relationship. The most prevalent mental disorders were depression and anxiety. Conclusion Preventive actions and interventions that cover the psychosocial factors involved in the development of mental disorders in pregnant women are important.

Objetivo Estudos mostram alta prevalência de transtornos mentais em gestantes, os quais interferem na saúde da mulher, nas relações interpessoais, nos cuidados com o bebê e, consequentemente, no desenvolvimento infantil. A pesquisa buscou identificar os fatores de risco e proteção psicossociais no desenvolvimento de transtornos mentais na gestação. Método Participaram do estudo 153 mulheres no terceiro trimestre de gestação, sendo uma pesquisa quase-experimental, quantitativa e transversal. Os instrumentos utilizados foram questionários e entrevistas, e análises de frequência, descritivas e de regressão foram realizadas. Resultados Os fatores de risco mais significativos para transtornos mentais na gestação foram falta de confiança, trauma na infância, eventos de vida produtores de estresse e depressão anterior. Entre os fatores de proteção, tem-se o bom ajustamento conjugal. Os transtornos mentais mais prevalentes foram depressão e ansiedade. Conclusão Cita-se a importância das ações preventivas e de intervenções que abarquem os fatores psicossociais envolvidos no desenvolvimento de transtornos mentais em gestantes.

Será possível ensinar crianças para reconhecer melhor expressões faciais emocionais? A experiência da intervenção caçadores de emoções / Can we teach children to recognize emotional facial expressions? The experience of the emotion hunters intervention / ¿Será posible capacitar a los niños para que reconozcan mejor las expresiones faciales emocionales? La experiencia de la intervención buscadores de emociones

Treinar o reconhecimento de expressões faciais emocionais (REFE) pode auxiliar no incremento de outras habilidades socioemocionais, como teoria da mente (ToM). O objetivo foi desenvolver um treinamento de REFE para crianças e avaliar seus efeitos na acurácia desta habilidade e ToM. Participaram 61 crianças de 8 a 12 anos, alocadas aleatoriamente entre grupo intervenção (n = 32) e controle (n = 29), realizando tarefas pré e pós-intervenção de REFE e ToM (RMET-I). O grupo intervenção realizou o treinamento de REFE denominado Caçadores de Emoção. Todos os participantes aumentaram acurácia do reconhecimento de medo e nojo e reduziram da tristeza. Houve melhora em ambos os grupos na avaliação da ToM. Especificidades das tarefas utilizadas e do treinamento são apresentadas na discussão.

Training emotional facial expression recognition (EFER) can enhance other socio-emotional skills, such as the theory of mind (ToM). This study aimed develop an intervention for EFER for children and assess its effects on the accuracy of EFER and ToM. 61children aged eight to 12 years, randomly allocated between intervention (n = 32) and control group (n = 29), performed pre- and post-intervention tasks of EFER and ToM (RMET-I). The intervention group performed the REFE training named Hunters of Emotion. All participants increased the accuracy of recognizing the faces of fear and disgust and reduced of sadness. Finally, there was an improvement in both groups in the ToM assessment. Specificities of the tasks used and the training are presented in the discussion.

Entrenar el reconocimiento de expresiones faciales emocionales (REFE) puede ayudar a aumentar otras habilidades socioemocionales, como la teoría de la mente (ToM). El objetivo era desarrollar un entrenamiento REFE para niños y evaluar sus efectos sobre la precisión de REFE y ToM. Participaron 61 niños de 8 a 12 años, asignados aleatoriamente a un grupo de intervención (n = 32) y de control (n = 29), realizaron tareas de REFE y ToM (RMET-I) pré y posterior a la intervención. El grupo de intervención realizó el entrenamiento REFE denominado Buscadores de Emociones. Todos los participantes aumentaron la precisión para reconocer el miedo y el disgusto y redujeron la tristeza. Hubo una mejora en ambos grupos en la evaluación de ToM. Los detalles de las tareas utilizadas y el entrenamiento se presentan en la discusión.

Maternal Communication with Preschool Children about Morality: A Coding Scheme for a Book-Sharing Task.

Background: Preventing interpersonal violence requires understanding the moral development and determinants of child aggression. Communication about moral values and concerns by parents is theoretically important in this process. We aimed to develop a coding system to measure mothers' communication about morality with young children and test its psychometric properties. Method: The cross-sectional study included a subsample (n = 200) of mothers and their four-year-old children in a population-based Brazilian birth cohort. Mothers and children were filmed while looking at a picture book together, containing events of aggression, taking away without asking, and several prosocial behaviours. Films were transcribed and a coding system, including 17 items, was developed to measure the maternal moral judgements and the explanations communicated to their children. Inter-rater reliability was estimated, and exploratory factor analysis performed. Results: Mothers judged acts of physical aggression as wrong more frequently than taking away material goods without asking; most mothers communicated about the emotional consequences of wrong behaviour with their child. Two latent factors of moral communication were identified, interpersonal moral concern and the expression of material moral concern. There was excellent inter-rater reliability between the two coders. Conclusions: Parent-child book-sharing provides a means to measure maternal communication about morality with their children. The coding system of this study measures both communication about interpersonal moral concern and material moral concern. Further studies with larger samples are suggested to investigate the importance of these dimensions of caregiver moral communication for children's moral development.

Challenges in developmental psychology research during the COVID-19 pandemic / Desafios da pesquisa em psicologia do desenvolvimento durante a pandemia da COVID-19 / Desafíos de la investigación en psicología del desarrollo durante la pandemia de COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic brought a series of restructurings necessary for research in Developmental Psychology. The aim of the manuscript is to discuss adaptations we made in our research in this context during the COVID-19 pandemic and to present strategies to adequate research protocols originally designed to occur in person. Although some contexts do not allow the continuity of studies, research at this time can bring essential contributions in this extreme period. This article explores the strategies for adapting recruitment procedures, suggesting dissemination platforms, and using social networks for this purpose. Guidelines are suggested for conducting non-face-to-face interviews with caregivers, ways of assessing the interaction of the mother-child pairs, and problematizing ethical issues. The procedures for returning the results, an ethical researcher commitment, may be improved by resources such as automatic reports. Besides, strategies for better dissemination of the results for the participants are suggested. (AU)

A pandemia COVID-19 trouxe uma série de reestruturações necessárias à pesquisa em Psicologia do Desenvolvimento. O objetivo deste artigo é discutir as adaptações que realizamos em pesquisas neste contexto durante a pandemia de COVID-19 e apresentar estratégias para adequação de protocolos de pesquisa originalmente planejados para ocorrer de forma presencial. Embora alguns contextos não permitam a continuidade dos estudos, pesquisas nesse momento podem trazer importantes contribuições sobre este período ímpar. No presente artigo são exploradas estratégias de adaptação dos procedimentos de recrutamento, sugeridas plataformas de divulgação e como melhor usar as redes sociais para esse fim. Também são descritos procedimentos para realização de entrevistas não presenciais com responsáveis, formas de avaliação da interação das duplas mãe-criança e problematizadas questões éticas. Os procedimentos de devolução dos resultados, um compromisso ético dos pesquisadores, podem ser facilitados por recursos como relatórios automáticos. Além disso, sugerimos estratégias para melhor divulgação dos resultados ao público participante. (AU)

La pandemia del COVID-19 trajo una serie de reestructuraciones necesarias para la investigación en Psicología del Desarrollo. El objetivo de este artículo es discutir las adaptaciones realizadas en las investigaciones en este contexto durante la pandemia de COVID-19 y presentar algunas estrategias para la adaptación de los protocolos de investigación originalmente planeados para ser presenciales. Si bien algunos contextos no permitan la continuidad de los estudios, la investigación en este momento puede aportar importantes avances sobre estos tiempos de crisis. Este artículo explora las estrategias para adaptar los procedimientos de contratación, sugiriendo algunas plataformas de difusión y la mejor manera de utilizar las redes sociales para este fin. También se describen los procedimientos para la realización de entrevistas no presenciales con padres o tutores legales, las formas de evaluar la interacción madre-hijo y las cuestiones éticas. Los procedimientos para la devolución de los resultados, un compromiso ético de los investigadores, pueden verse facilitados por funciones como informes automáticos. Además, se recomienda estrategias para una mejor difusión de los resultados al público participante. (AU)

Emotional face expressions recognition in childhood: developmental markers, age and sex effect.

Recognizing emotional face expressions in others is a valuable non-verbal communication and particularly relevant throughout childhood given that children's language skills are not yet fully developed, but the first interactions with peers have just started. This study aims to investigate developmental markers of emotional facial expression in children and the effect of age and sex on it. A total of 90 children split into three age groups: 6-7 years old (n = 30); 8-9 years old (n = 30); 10-11 years old (n = 30) took part in the study. Participants were exposed to 38 photos in two exposure times (500 ms and 1000 ms) of children expressing happiness, sadness, anger, disgust, fear and surprise on three intensities, plus images of neutral faces. Happiness was the easiest expression to be recognized, followed by disgust and surprise. As expected, 10-11-year-old group showed the highest accuracy means, whereas 6-7-year-old group had the lowest means of accuracy. Data support the non-existence of female advantage.

Escola de pais do Brasil: prevenção e promoção de práticas parentais positivas / Parents school of Brazil: prevention and promotion of positive parenting practices / Escuela de padres en Brasil: prevención y promoción de prácticas de crianza positivas

RESUMO A Escola de Pais do Brasil (EPB) realiza o Círculo de Debates, trabalho preventivo realizado com pais e cuidadores, em parceria com prefeituras e escolas das regiões dos municípios em que possuem seccionais. Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo descrever e analisar o Círculo de Debates através de um estudo observacional, com observação participante e registro em diário de campo, que resultou em análise temática e criação de três categorias mutuamente excludentes: prevenção, cotidiano dos pais/mães e valores e limites na educação. Apresenta ainda uma categoria transversal: a psicoeducação. Pela análise, o trabalho do Círculo de Debates da EPB foi considerado psicoeducativo, de prevenção e promoção de práticas parentais positivas.

ABSTRACT The Parent's School of Brazil (EPB) conducts the Debate Circle, preventive work with parents, mothers, and caregivers, in partnership with city halls and schools in the regions of the counties in which they have sections. This study sought to describe and analyze the Debate Circles through an observational study, with participant observation and the use of a field diary. Analyses were conducted via thematic analysis and three mutually exclusive categories were generated: prevention, parents' daily life and values, and limits in education. It also presents a transversal category: psychoeducation. According to the analysis, the work of the EPB Debate Circle was considered psychoeducative for the prevention and promotion of positive parenting practices.

RESUMEN La Escuela de Padres de Brasil (EPB) realiza el Círculo de Debate, trabajo preventivo con padres, madres y cuidadores, en alianza con ayuntamientos y escuelas de las regiones de los municipios en los que tiene secciones. Este estudio buscó describir y analizar los Círculos de Debate a través de un estudio observacional, con observación participante y el uso de diario de campo, que da como resultado el análisis temático y la creación de tres categorías mutuamente excluyentes: prevención, vida cotidiana de los padres y valores y límites en la educación. También presenta una categoría transversal: psicoeducación. Según el análisis, el trabajo del Círculo de Debate EPB se consideró psicoeducativo, para la prevención y promoción de prácticas parentales positivas.

Intervenção para mães com depressão pós-parto: protocolos de psicoeducação e treino para reconhecimento de emoção / Intervention for mothers with postpartum depression: psychoeducation and training for emotion recognition protocols / Intervención para madres con depresión posparto: protocolos de psicoeducación y capacitación para el reconocimiento de la emoción

A Depressão Pós-Parto Materna (DPP) é uma condição clínica que acarreta efeitos negativos na saúde da mãe, do bebê, e na relação entre ambos. Intervenções neste contexto devem ser adaptadas à realidade, a fim de diminuir os impactos no desenvolvimento infantil e na saúde materna. O objetivo deste estudo foi a construção de um protocolo de psicoeducação e a elaboração de um treinamento de reconhecimento de emoções. O método se constituiu de quatro etapas: revisão da literatura, proposta preliminar, análise de especialistas e estudo piloto. A psicoeducação foi guiada por sete cartilhas com temáticas típicas do desenvolvimento, e o treinamento de reconhecimento de emoções foi composto por um protocolo de atendimento para mães com DPP e seus bebês, com o objetivo de trabalhar questões relativas ao processamento de faces materno e viés atencional. Os resultados demonstraram que as duas propostas de protocolo de intervenção se mostraram de fácil compreensão para os sujeitos avaliados.

Postpartum Maternal Depression (PPD) is a clinical condition that has negative effects on the health of the mother, the baby and the relationship between both. Interventions in this context must be adapted to reality in order to reduce the impacts on child development and maternal health. The aim of this study was to build a psychoeducational protocol and to develop an emotion recognition training. The method consisted of four stages: literature review, preliminary proposal, expert analysis and pilot study. Psychoeducation was guided by seven booklets with themes typical of development, and the emotion recognition training consisted of a care protocol for mothers with PPD and their babies, with the objective of working on issues related to the processing of maternal faces and attentional bias. The results showed that the two intervention protocol proposals proved to be easy to understand for the evaluated subjects.

La depresión materna posparto (DPP) es una condición clínica que tiene efectos negativos en la salud de la madre, el bebé y la relación entre ambos. Las intervenciones en este contexto deben adaptarse a la realidad para reducir los impactos sobre el desarrollo infantil y la salud materna. El objetivo de este estudio fue construir un protocolo psicoeducativo y desarrollar un entrenamiento de reconocimiento de emociones. El método consistió en cuatro etapas: revisión de la literatura, propuesta preliminar, análisis de expertos y estudio piloto. La psicoeducación se guió por siete cartillas con temas típicos del desarrollo, y el entrenamiento de reconocimiento de emociones consistió en un protocolo de atención para madres con DPP y sus bebés, con el objetivo de trabajar en temas relacionados con el procesamiento de rostros maternos y sesgos atencionales. Los resultados mostraron que las dos propuestas de protocolo de intervención demostraron ser de fácil comprensión para los sujetos evaluados.

Escola de pais do Brasil: Análise de perfil e impacto no apoio social, práticas parentais, capacidades e dificuldades dos filhos e estresse parental / Parents' school of Brazil: Analysis of profile and impact on social support, parental practices, perceptions of capacities and grades of children and parental stress

Escola de Pais do Brasil (EPB) é uma associação voluntária, sem fins lucrativos, filantrópica e educacional. Círculo de Debates, sua principal ação, consiste em uma ação parental de caráter preventivo, realizado em encontros que discutem temas educativos sugeridos pela EPB. A pesquisa pretendeu traçar um perfil dos pais/mães que participaram dos Círculos de Debates no primeiro semestre de 2018 em diferentes cidades gaúchas, e avaliar o impacto dessa participação na rede de apoio, nas práticas parentais, na percepção das capacidades e dificuldades dos/as filhos/as e nos níveis de estresse parental. Realizou-se um estudo quasi-experimental que aplicou um questionário sociodemográfico e instrumentos para investigar as variáveis em participantes dos Círculos de cinco municípios, tomados como população da amostra. Foram feitas análises descritivas e análises de medidas repetidas. A maioria dos participantes foi composta de mulheres, de escolaridade superior, com um filho entre 7 e 12 anos. Concluída a ação, verificou-se que aumentou significativamente a participação comunitária e o envolvimento em questões relacionadas à disciplina. Também diminuíram a percepção de sintomas emocionais, problemas de comportamento e hiperatividade. As análises possibilitaram inferir que o trabalho do Círculo de Debates tem um impacto positivo no exercício da parentalidade.

Escola de Pais do Brasil (EPB) is a voluntary, non-profit, philanthropic, and educational association. Círculo de Debates, its main action, consists of parental action of a preventive nature, held in meetings that discuss educational topics suggested by the EPB. This research aims to draw a profile of parents who participated in these Círculo de Debates in the first semester of 2018 in different cities in Rio Grande do Sul, and to evaluate the impact of this participation on the support network, parental practices, perception of abilities and difficulties of children, and levels of parental stress. A quasi-experimental study was conducted that applied a sociodemographic questionnaire and instruments to investigate the variables in Circle participants from five municipalities, taken as the sample population. Descriptive analyses and repeated measures analyses were performed. The majority of participants were women, with higher education, and with one child between 7 and 12 years old. At the conclusion of the action, it was found that community participation and involvement in discipline-related issues increased significantly. They also decreased the perception of emotional symptoms, behavior problems, and hyperactivity. The analysis made it possible to infer that the work of the Debate Circle has a positive impact on the exercise of parenting.

Eficácia do treinamento em psicoeducação e reconhecimento de emoções em mulheres com depressão pós-parto / Effectiveness of psychoeducation and emotion recognition training in women with postpartum depression

Os efeitos negativos da depressão pós-parto (DPP) são encontrados na saúde da mãe e do bebê, assim como na relação entre a díade. Os fatores negativos na relação mãe-bebê parecem ser importantes mediadores das consequências da DPP no desenvolvimento infantil. Assim, para que uma intervenção seja considerada eficaz, deve trazer benefícios à saúde da mãe e à qualidade do relacionamento da díade. Objetivo: Verificar a efetividade do treinamento em psicoeducação e reconhecimento de emoções na qualidade da interação mãe-bebê em mães com DPP. A psicoeducação visa abordar questões típicas do desenvolvimento, enquanto o treinamento enfatiza o processamento das faces maternas. Método: 14 mães com DPP participaram de um estudo caso-controle com três grupos de comparação: psicoeducação, treinamento para reconhecimento de emoções e lista de espera. Avaliações pré e pós-intervenção foram realizadas. Resultados: Foram encontrados efeitos positivos de um aumento na precisão no reconhecimento de rostos felizes de adultos em mães que participaram de todos os grupos, com uma diminuição na precisão de raiva e rostos tristes. A participação no grupo psicoeducação apresentou efeito positivo nas dimensões maternas de proximidade e relaxamento avaliadas na relação mãe-bebê. Conclusões: A psicoeducação melhorou a qualidade da relação mãe-bebê quando comparada aos demais grupos. Mais estudos com amostras maiores são necessários para confirmar os efeitos encontrados.(AU)

The negative effects of Postpartum Depression (PD) are found in the health of the mother and the infant, as well as in the relationship between the dyad. The negative factors in the mother-infant relationship seem to be important mediators of the consequences of PD in child development. Thus, for an intervention to be considered effective, it should bring benefits to both the mother's health and to the quality of the dyad relationship. Objective: To verify the effectiveness of psychoeducation and emotion recognition training in the quality of mother-infant interaction in mothers with PD. Psychoeducation aims to address typical developmental issues, while training emphasizes the processing of maternal faces. Method: 14 mothers with PD participated in a case-control study with three comparison groups: psychoeducation, speech emotion training, and a waiting list. Pre and post-intervention evaluations were performed. Results: Positive effects of an increase in accuracy in the recognition of adult happy faces in mothers who participated in all groups were found, with a decrease in accuracy of anger and sad faces. Participation in the Psychoeducation group presented a positive effect on the maternal dimensions of proximity and relaxation evaluated in the mother-infant relationship. Conclusions: psychoeducation had an improvement in the quality of the mother-infant relationship when compared to the other groups. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed in order to confirm the effects found.(AU)

Hair cortisol levels and mental health problems in children and adolescents exposed to victimization.

Youths who experience multiple forms of victimization are at a heightened risk for psychopathology across the lifespan. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is a key target for the investigation of neurobiological changes induced by chronic stress and violence exposure. The measurement of hair cortisol concentration allows the investigation of long-term HPA activity and its association with victimization. The present study investigated the impact of exposure to polyvictimization in Latin-American children and adolescents on hair cortisol levels. We investigated association among cortisol, mental health problems and victimization. The study included 83 youths (mean age 10.84 years-old) from southern Brazil. We assessed self-reported victimization scores (Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire - JVQ-R2), mental health problems (Child Behavior Checklist - CBCL/6-18), and hair cortisol concentrations for the previous 30 days. The results showed an association between exposure to multiple forms of victimization and higher concentrations of hair cortisol; the results also showed that cortisol levels and mental health problems were associated with the severity of polyvictimization. These findings suggest that preadolescent victimization is associated with hyperactivation of HPA axis and with increased risk of mental health issues.

Validation of the Core Beliefs Inventory (CBI) in Brazilian Portuguese / Validação do Core Beliefs Inventory (CBI) em português do Brasil

Abstract Introduction Experiencing trauma may entail psychopathological consequences, but also changes considered to be positive (i.e., posttraumatic growth). For positive change to occur, an impact on the beliefs of individuals is required, which may be measured through the Core Beliefs Inventory (CBI). The objective of this study was to validate the Brazilian Portuguese version of the CBI. Methods A total of 248 university students (65.7% female) answered the following assessment instruments: sociodemographic data sheet, Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Posttraumatic Symptoms Checklist - Clinician Version (PCL-5) and the CBI. Psychometric properties of the CBI were assessed by conducting an exploratory factor analysis through a principal component analysis with varimax rotation. Internal consistency (Cronbach's α) and convergent validity (Pearson correlation between instruments) were also investigated. Results The total scale showed adequate internal consistency (α = 0.83). A single factor solution explained 42.63% of the variance of the CBI. Significant correlations were found between CBI and PTGI, and between CBI and PCL-5. Conclusion The psychometric properties indicated adequate internal consistency and construct validity of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the CBI.

Resumo Introdução Experimentar um trauma pode levar a consequências psicopatológicas, mas também a alterações consideradas positivas (ou seja, crescimento pós-traumático). Para que mudanças positivas ocorram é necessário um impacto nas crenças dos indivíduos, o que pode ser medido através do Core Beliefs Inventory (CBI). O objetivo deste estudo foi validar a versão em português do Brasil do CBI. Métodos Um total de 248 universitários (65,7% mulheres) responderam aos seguintes instrumentos de avaliação: ficha sociodemográfica, Inventário de Crescimento Pós-Traumático (Posttraumatic Growth Inventory - PTGI), Lista de Verificação de Sintomas Pós-Traumáticos - Versão Clínica (Posttraumatic Symptoms Checklist - Clinician Version - PCL-5) e CBI. As propriedades psicométricas do CBI foram avaliadas a partir de análise fatorial exploratória através de análise de componentes principais com rotação varimax. A consistência interna (α de Cronbach) e a validade convergente (correlação de Pearson entre os instrumentos) também foram investigadas. Resultados A escala total apresentou consistência interna adequada (α = 0,83). Uma solução de fator único explicou 42,63% da variação do CBI. Correlações significativas foram encontradas entre CBI e PTGI e entre CBI e PCL-5. Conclusão As propriedades psicométricas indicaram consistência interna adequada e validade de construto da versão em português do Brasil do CBI.

The effects of two early parenting interventions on child aggression and risk for violence in Brazil (The PIÁ Trial): protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Children in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are at high risk for exposure to violence and later violent behaviour. The World Health Organization has declared an urgent need for the evaluation and implementation of low-cost parenting interventions in LMICs to prevent violence. Two areas of significant early risk are harsh parenting and poor child cognitive and socio-emotional development. Parenting interventions suitable for LMIC contexts have been developed targeting these risk factors and have been shown to have promising effects. However, their impact on child aggression, a key precursor of violence, has yet to be determined. The Pelotas Trial of Parenting Interventions for Aggression (PIÁ) has been designed to address this issue. METHODS: We are conducting a randomised controlled trial to evaluate two early parenting interventions for mothers of children aged between 30 and 42 months in a Brazilian city. The first of these, dialogic book-sharing (DBS), aims to promote child cognitive and socio-emotional development; and the second, the ACT Raising Safe Kids Program (ACT), is designed to reduce harsh parenting. These interventions are being compared with a control group receiving neither intervention. Three hundred and sixty-nine families in a birth cohort are being randomly allocated to one of the three groups (DBS, ACT, Control). Facilitators deliver the interventions to groups of five to 10 mothers at weekly sessions for 8 weeks in DBS and 9 weeks in ACT. Independent assessments of parenting and child development are being made before the interventions, shortly afterwards, and at follow-up 6 months later. The primary outcome is child aggression, and the two main secondary outcomes are: (1) child cognitive and socio-emotional development and (2) harsh parenting. Longer-term outcomes will be investigated as the birth cohort is followed into late childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. DISCUSSION: The Pelotas Trial of Parenting Interventions for Aggression (PIÁ) aims to evaluate the impact of two early parenting interventions on child aggression and several other key risk factors for the development of violence, including aspects of parenting and child cognition and socio-emotional functioning. The study is being carried out in a LMIC context where violence constitutes a major social and health burden. Since the two interventions are brief and, with modest levels of training, readily deliverable in LMIC settings, a demonstration that they benefit parenting and reduce risk factors for violence would be of major significance. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Brazilian Ministry of Health Register of Clinical Trials, ID: RBR-2kwfsk . Registered on 6 June 2018.

Effects of male postpartum depression on father-infant interaction: The mediating role of face processing.

It is estimated that postpartum depression affects up to 25% of men. Despite such high prevalence, the majority of studies on postpartum depression are focused on mothers, and the role of paternal depression and its effects on infant development have been overlooked by researchers and clinicians. The present study aimed to fill this gap by investigating the effect of paternal postpartum depression on father-infant interactions. In addition, we examined whether differences in face recognition mediated the effects of paternal postpartum depression on father-infant interactions. A total of 61 father-infant dyads (17 postpartum depression, 44 controls) took part in the study. Results revealed that compared to controls, fathers with postpartum depression had a worse pattern of interaction with their infants on measures of responsiveness, mood, and sensitivity; they also had greater difficulty in recognizing happy adult faces, but greater facility in recognizing sad adult faces. Depressed fathers attributed greater intensities to sad adult and infant faces. The tendency to attribute greater intensity to sad adult faces was confirmed as a partial mediator of the effect of paternal postpartum depression on measures of father responsiveness and as a full mediator of the effects of paternal depression on father sensitivity. Clinical implications and suggestions for further studies are discussed.

Se estima que la depresión posterior al parto afecta hasta un 25% de los hombres. A pesar de tan alta prevalencia, la mayoría de los estudios sobre la depresión posterior al parto se enfocan en las madres, y los investigadores y clínicos han pasado por alto el papel de la depresión paterna y sus efectos en el desarrollo del infante. El presente estudio se propuso llenar ese vacío investigando el efecto que la depresión paterna posterior al parto tiene en las interacciones papá-infante. Adicionalmente, examinamos si las diferencias en reconocer las caras mediaron los efectos que la depresión paterna posterior al parto tiene en las interacciones papá-infante. Sesenta y una díadas papá-infante (17 en el grupo de depresión posterior al parto, 44 en el grupo de control) participaron en el estudio. Los resultados revelaron que, comparados con el grupo de control, los papás con depresión posterior al parto presentaban un peor patrón de interacción con sus infantes en medidas de capacidad de respuesta, estado de ánimo y sensibilidad; ellos también tuvieron mayores dificultades en reconocer caras adultas felices, pero con mayor facilidad reconocieron caras adultas tristes. Los padres deprimidos atribuyeron una mayor intensidad a las caras tristes de adultos e infantes. Se confirmó la tendencia de atribuir una mayor intensidad a las caras adultas tristes como un mediador parcial del efecto que la depresión paterna posterior al parto tiene sobre la calidad de respuesta del papá y como un completo mediador de los efectos que la depresión paterna tiene sobre la sensibilidad del papá. Se discuten las implicaciones y sugerencias clínicas para futuros estudios.

On estime que la dépression postpartum affect jusqu'à 25% des hommes. En dépit d'une telle prévalence élevée la majorité des études sur la dépression postpartum porte sur les mères et le rôle de la dépression paternelle et de ses effets sur le développement du nourrisson a été négligé par les chercheurs et les cliniciens. Cette étude s'est donné pour but de remplir ce fossé en recherchant l'effet de la dépression postpartum sur les interactions père-nourrisson. De plus, nous avons examiné si les différences dans la reconnaissance faciale ont assuré la médiation des effets de la dépression paternelle postpartum sur les interactions père-nourrisson. 61 dyades père-bébé (17 dépression postpartum, 44 contrôles) ont pris part à l'étude. Les résultats ont révélé que, comparés aux contrôles, les pères avec la dépression postpartum faisaient état d'un pattern d'interaction avec leur bébé pire sur les mesures de réactivité, d'humeur et de sensibilité. Ils avaient aussi plus de difficulté à reconnaître les visages adultes heureux mais une plus grande facilité à reconnaître les visages adultes tristes. Les pères déprimés ont attribué de plus grandes intensités aux visages tristes de l'adulte et du bébé. La tendance à attribuer une plus grande intensité aux visages tristes de l'adulte a été confirmée comme un médiateur partiel de l'effet de la dépression paternelle postpartum sur la réaction du père et comme un médiateur total sur les effets de la dépression paternelle sur la sensibilité du père. Les implications cliniques et des suggestions de recherche sont discutées.

Validation of the Core Beliefs Inventory (CBI) in Brazilian Portuguese.

INTRODUCTION: Experiencing trauma may entail psychopathological consequences, but also changes considered to be positive (i.e., posttraumatic growth). For positive change to occur, an impact on the beliefs of individuals is required, which may be measured through the Core Beliefs Inventory (CBI). The objective of this study was to validate the Brazilian Portuguese version of the CBI. METHODS: A total of 248 university students (65.7% female) answered the following assessment instruments: sociodemographic data sheet, Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Posttraumatic Symptoms Checklist - Clinician Version (PCL-5) and the CBI. Psychometric properties of the CBI were assessed by conducting an exploratory factor analysis through a principal component analysis with varimax rotation. Internal consistency (Cronbach's α) and convergent validity (Pearson correlation between instruments) were also investigated. RESULTS: The total scale showed adequate internal consistency (α = 0.83). A single factor solution explained 42.63% of the variance of the CBI. Significant correlations were found between CBI and PTGI, and between CBI and PCL-5. CONCLUSION: The psychometric properties indicated adequate internal consistency and construct validity of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the CBI.

Development of the Youth Emotion Picture Set.

Several facial expression image sets have been developed. Nevertheless, there is a lack of facial expression sets comprising adolescents' images depicting all basic emotions. This study aimed to fill this gap through the development of an image database of youth facial expressions, containing pictures of six basic emotions plus neutral. Posed and spontaneous expressions were collected from 31 youths, 12 to 20 years old; 2,279 frames were obtained, and an initial screening was conducted through the exclusion of similar frames, low intensity images, and ambiguous or blended expressions; 256 frames met criteria and were rechecked by two expert judges. Images were retained if they depicted all the prototypical features of the designated expression. A final selection was conducted to assure an image set that covered all age ranges, both sexes and an even number of images by expression, resulting in 42 frames (21 male, six of each emotion). Expert judges, independent adults, independent teenagers, and a software validation were used to assure database validity. Agreement across raters was high, and no differences were observed for posed and spontaneous images. The data set developed in this study can be a valid tool in studies of facial expressions, in particular, with adolescents' samples.

Psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire.

INTRODUCTION: The Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) was developed to measure nine cognitive strategies referring to what someone thinks after the experience of threatening or stressful events. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity of the Brazilian version of the CERQ. METHODS: The adaptation process included translation, backtranslation, expert committee evaluation, and test on 30 participants from the target population. A sample of 445 university students completed the Portuguese version of the CERQ, a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Life Events Checklist (LEC-5), and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) on an on-line research platform. Validity was assessed through confirmatory factor analysis of two models - a nine-factor model and a second-order model. Internal consistency was assessed through Cronbach's alpha analysis and correlations with affective variables measured by the PANAS. RESULTS: The analyses showed that the nine-factor model of the CERQ has good factorial validity and high reliability, with Cronbach's alpha values ranging between 0.71 and 0.88. The second-order model did not have a good fit to the data. CONCLUSION: The results obtained in this study are similar to the ones found previously, indicating that the Brazilian version of the CERQ is a valid and reliable tool for assessing cognitive emotion regulation strategies, but that grouping them according to their adaptability is not recommended.