Neural correlates of individual differences in multimodal emotion recognition ability.

Studies have reported substantial variability in emotion recognition ability (ERA) - an important social skill - but possible neural underpinnings for such individual differences are not well understood. This functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study investigated neural responses during emotion recognition in young adults (N = 49) who were selected for inclusion based on their performance (high or low) during previous testing of ERA. Participants were asked to judge brief video recordings in a forced-choice emotion recognition task, wherein stimuli were presented in visual, auditory and multimodal (audiovisual) blocks. Emotion recognition rates during brain scanning confirmed that individuals with high (vs low) ERA received higher accuracy for all presentation blocks. fMRI-analyses focused on key regions of interest (ROIs) involved in the processing of multimodal emotion expressions, based on previous meta-analyses. In neural response to emotional stimuli contrasted with neutral stimuli, individuals with high (vs low) ERA showed higher activation in the following ROIs during the multimodal condition: right middle superior temporal gyrus (mSTG), right posterior superior temporal sulcus (PSTS), and right inferior frontal cortex (IFC). Overall, results suggest that individual variability in ERA may be reflected across several stages of decisional processing, including extraction (mSTG), integration (PSTS) and evaluation (IFC) of emotional information.

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.

Age-dependent effects of oxytocin in brain regions enriched with oxytocin receptors.

Although intranasal oxytocin administration to tap into central functions is the most commonly used non-invasive means for exploring oxytocin's role in human cognition and behavior, the way by which intranasal oxytocin acts on the brain is not yet fully understood. Recent research suggests that brain regions densely populated with oxytocin receptors may play a central role in intranasal oxytocin's action mechanisms in the brain. In particular, intranasal oxytocin may act directly on (subcortical) regions rich in oxytocin receptors via binding to these receptors while only indirectly affecting other (cortical) regions via their neural connections to oxytocin receptor-enriched regions. Aligned with this notion, the current study adopted a novel approach to test 1) whether the connections between oxytocin receptor-enriched regions (i.e., the thalamus, pallidum, caudate nucleus, putamen, and olfactory bulbs) and other regions in the brain were responsive to intranasal oxytocin administration, and 2) whether oxytocin-induced effects varied as a function of age. Forty-six young (24.96 ± 3.06 years) and 44 older (69.89 ± 2.99 years) participants were randomized, in a double-blind procedure, to self-administer either intranasal oxytocin or placebo before resting-state fMRI. Results supported age-dependency in the effects of intranasal oxytocin administration on connectivity between oxytocin receptor-enriched regions and other regions in the brain. Specifically, compared to placebo, oxytocin decreased both connectivity density and connectivity strength of the thalamus for young participants while it increased connectivity density and connectivity strength of the caudate for older participants. These findings inform the mechanisms underlying the effects of exogenous oxytocin on brain function and highlight the importance of age in these processes.

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.

Thyroid axis participates in high-temperature-induced male sex reversal through its activation by the stress response.

Environmental changes alter the sex fate in about 15% of vertebrate orders, mainly in ectotherms such as fish and reptiles. However, the effects of temperature changes on the endocrine and molecular processes controlling gonadal sex determination are not fully understood. Here, we provide evidence that thyroid hormones (THs) act as co-players in heat-induced masculinization through interactions with the stress axis to promote testicular development. We first demonstrated that the thyroid axis (through thyroid-related genes and T3 levels) is highly active in males during the gonadal development in medaka (Oryzias latipes). Similarly, T3 treatments promoted female-to-male sex reversal in XX embryos. Subsequently, embryonic exposure to temperature-induced stress up-regulated the genes related to the thyroid and stress axes with a final increase in T3 levels. In this context, we show that blocking the stress axis response by the loss of function of the corticotropin-releasing hormone receptors suppresses thyroid-stimulating hormone expression, therefore, heat-induced activation of the thyroid axis. Thus, our data showed that early activation of the stress axis and, in consequence, the TH axis, too, leaves us with that both being important endocrine players in inducing female-to-male reversal, which can help predict possible upcoming physiological impacts of global warming on fish populations.

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.

Cefalea rinogénica causada por mucopiocele en concha bullosa, un origen infrecuente. Reporte de caso / Rhinogenic headache caused by concha bullosa mucopyocele, an unusual origin. Case Report

Introducción: la cefalea rinogénica es secundaria al contacto permanente de la mucosa nasal y puede ser secundario a concha bullosa, si se infecta puede ser mucocele o mucopiocele. Caso clínico: paciente de 34 años con cefalea hemicraneal izquierda, dolor periocular ipsilateral, congestión y rinorrea hialina con cambios en consistencia y coloración del moco. En la tomografía computarizada (TAC) de senos paranasales (SPN) desviación septal derecha por concha bullosa izquierda, ocupación de líquido. Se sospecho mucocele y cefalea rinogénica secundaria, prueba de lidocaína positiva. Se detecto por cultivo, Eikenella corrodens. Manejo con antibiótico y posterior resolución de patología. Conclusiones: debe incluirse en el diagnóstico diferencial de cefalea y concha bullosa, realizarse endoscopia nasal y TAC de SPN. El manejo quirúrgico ha demostrado reducir la intensidad y la frecuencia de la cefalea a corto y largo plazo, y es exitoso si hay test de lidocaína positivo.

Introduction: rhinogenic headache is secondary to permanent contact with the nasal mucosa and may be secondary to concha bullosa, if infected it may be mucocele or mucopiocele. Clinical case: 34-year-old patient with left hemicranial headache, ipsilateral periocular pain, congestion, and hyaline rhinorrhea with changes in consistency and coloration of the mucus. In the computed tomography (CT) of the paranasal sinuses (SPN) right septal deviation due to left concha bullosa, fluid occupation. Mucocele and secondary rhinogenic headache were suspected, lidocaine test positive. Eikenella corrodens was detected by culture. Management with antibiotics and subsequent resolution of pathology. Conclusions: nasal endoscopy and SPN CT should be included in the differential diagnosis of headache and concha bullosa. Surgical management has been shown to reduce headache intensity and frequency in the short and long term, and is successful if there is a positive lidocaine test.

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.

Poor quality of sleep in Mexican patients with type 2 diabetes and its association with lack of glycemic control.

AIMS: To determine the association between sleep quality and lack of glycemic control in a Mexican population of type 2 diabetes patients. METHODS: Cross-sectional study. Two hundred two patients between 20 and 60 years old with a previous diagnosis of diabetes were included. Sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and lack of glycemic control as a glycated hemoglobin A1c level ≥ 7 %. Univariate and multivariate analyses using logistic regression were performed. RESULTS: The study population showed poor sleep quality and a lack of glycemic control of 70.3 % and 69.8 %, respectively. The prevalence of patients with both conditions was 52.5 %. In multivariate analysis, poor sleep quality was significantly associated with a lack of glycemic control (OR = 2.3, p = 0.030). Other associated variables were napping (p = 0.015), diabetes duration (p = 0.011), insulin use (p = 0.024), and diastolic blood pressure ≥ 85 mmHg (p = 0.029). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of lack of glycemic control in the study population is high. Poor sleep quality significantly doubles the risk of lack of glycemic control, even in the presence of other risk factors.

The Clinical Impact of Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair in the Management of Thoracic Aortic Diseases.

PURPOSE: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has been described to be superior to an open surgical approach, and previous studies have found superiority in TEVAR by reducing overall morbidity and mortality rates. This study aimed to describe the outcomes of TEVAR for patients with thoracic aortic disease at a high complexity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Descriptive study, developed by a retrospective review of a prospectively collected database. Patients aged above 18 years who underwent TEVAR between 2012 and 2022 were included. Patient demographics, perioperative data, surgical outcomes, morbidity, and mortality were described. Statistical and multivariate analyses were made. Statistical significance was reached when p values were <0.05. RESULTS: A total of 66 patients were included. Male patients were 60.61% and the mean age was 69.24 years. Associated aortic diseases were aneurysms (68.18%), ulcer-related (4.55%), intramural-related hematoma (7.58%), trauma-related pathology (1.52%), and aortic dissection (30.30%). The mean hospital stay was 18.10 days, and intensive care unit was required for 98.48%. At 30 days, the mortality rate was 10.61% and the reintervention rate was 21.21%. Increased intraoperative blood loss (p=0.001) and male sex (p=0.04) showed statistical relationship with mortality. Underweight patients have 6.7 and 11.4 times more risk of complications and endoleak compared with higher body mass index values (p=0.04, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.82-7.21) and (p=0.02, 95% CI=1.31-12.57), respectively. CONCLUSION: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair seems to be a feasible option for patients with thoracic aortic pathologies, with adequate rates of mortality and morbidity. Underweight patients seem to have an increased risk of overall morbidity and increased risk for endoleak. Further prospective studies are needed to prove our results. CLINICAL IMPACT: Obesity and BMI are widely studied in the surgical literature. According to our study, there is a paradox regarding the outcomes of patients treated with TEVAR in terms of postoperative complications and mortality related to the body mass index. And shouldn't be considered as a high-risk feature in terms of postoperative morbidity and mortality in this procedure.

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.

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.

Effect of pesticides on cognitive and motor performance in habitants of rural areas of Tolima / Efecto de los pesticidas sobre el rendimiento cognitivo y motor en habitantes de zonas rurales del Tolima

Resumen. Los pesticidas organofosforados pueden generar deterioro cognitivo. No obstante, el agricultor emplea diferentes pesticidas en todas las fases de un mismo cultivo. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar el efecto de los pesticidas en serie en el rendimiento cognitivo y motor en una muestra de personas expuestas, expuestas indirectas y no expuestas. En el estudio de tipo exploratorio con diseño transversal, participaron en total 135 pequeños agricultores del sector informal. Se administró el Mini-Mental, el Trail Making Test, la Figura Compleja de Rey-Osterrieth, Retención de Dígitos, el Test de aprendizaje verbal de Hopkins y el Grooved Pegboard. Los resultados muestran que la mayor exposición en serie ocurre con el Glifosato, Lorsban, Furadan y Paraquat. El grupo con exposición directa a los pesticidas presentó menor rendimiento en memoria de trabajo, memoria explícita verbal, praxias constructivas y control motor fino mano derecha, que el grupo expuesto indirectamente y el no expuesto. En conclusión, la exposición directa y en serie a los pesticidas, genera deterioro neuropsicológico y motor en los agricultores del sector informal, se recomienda el desarrollo de políticas públicas que promuevan prácticas saludables y seguras, para minimizar los riesgos por el uso de estas sustancias.

Abstract. Organophosphate pesticides can cause cognitive impairment. However, the farmer uses different pesticides in all phases of the same crop. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of serial pesticides on cognitive and motor performance in samples of exposed, indirectly exposed, and unexposed people. In the exploratory study with a cross-sectional design, a total of 135 small farmers from the informal sector participated. Mini-Mental, Trail Making, Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure, Digit Retention, Hopkins Verbal Learning and the Grooved Pegboard tests were administered. The results show that the highest serial exposure occurs with Glyphosate, Lorsban, Furadan and Paraquat. The group with direct exposure to pesticides presented a lower performance in working memory, explicit verbal memory, constructive praxis and fine motor control of the right hand, than the indirectly exposed group and the unexposed group. In conclusion, direct and serial exposure to pesticides generates neuropsychological and motor impairment in informal sector farmers, it is recommended the development of public politics that promote healthy and safe practices, to minimize the risks due to the use of these substances.

A simulation approach for collaborative humanitarian aid distribution management: the case of Bogotá city.

Collaboration mechanisms in humanitarian supply chains increase efficiency levels in post-disaster relief operations. The scientific literature on the topic is mostly based on qualitative approaches to identify the barriers and benefits of collaborative relationships between stakeholders. Thus, this paper proposes the use of system dynamics simulation to evaluate the impact on the average response time of aid delivery resulting from implementing different collaborative strategies. In this sense, collaborative strategies are designed for humanitarian operations in the immediate response phase considering elements such as information exchange, shared resources, and infrastructure. To design and assess the impact of these collaborative strategies in a disaster scenario, we analyze the case of the city of Bogotá-Colombia and the surrounding cities, we have used public information for building and tuning the parameters of the simulation model. The simulation model results allow us to identify the main factors that reduce the average response times to serve the affected population. It can be concluded that the strategy which includes sharing resources and infrastructure, exchanging information, and the creation of joint knowledge has a greater improvement in response times becoming the best policy for disaster management given the results obtained in a collaborative planning environment.

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.

Design and Cross-Cultural Invariance of the COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (COVID-VCBS) in 13 Latin American Countries.

Aims: Over the past 2 years, the vaccine conspiracy beliefs construct has been used in a number of different studies. These publications have assessed the determinants and outcomes of vaccine conspiracy beliefs using, in some cases, pooled data from different countries, and compared the results across these contexts. However, studies often do not consider measurement invariance as a necessary requirement for comparative analyses. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the cross-cultural MI of the COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (COVID-VCBS) in 12 Latin American countries. Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis, item response theory analysis and alignment method were applied to test measurement invariance in a large number of groups. Results: The COVID-VCBS showed robust psychometric properties and measurement invariance for both factor loadings and crosstabs. Also, a higher level of acceptance of conspiracy beliefs about vaccines is necessary to respond to higher response categories. Similarly, greater acceptance of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines was related to a lower intention to be vaccinated. Conclusion: The results allow for improved understanding of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines in the countries assessed; furthermore, they provide researchers and practitioners with an invariant measure that they can use in cross-cultural studies in Latin America. However, further studies are needed to test invariance in other countries, with the goal of developing a truly international measure of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines.

What Is the Support for Conspiracy Beliefs About COVID-19 Vaccines in Latin America? A Prospective Exploratory Study in 13 Countries.

Conspiracy theories about COVID-19 began to emerge immediately after the first news about the disease and threaten to prolong the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by limiting people's willingness of receiving a life-saving vaccine. In this context, this study aimed to explore the variation of conspiracy beliefs regarding COVID-19 and the vaccine against it in 5779 people living in 13 Latin American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela) according to sociodemographic variables such as gender, age, educational level and source of information about COVID-19. The study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic between September 15 and October 25, 2021. The Spanish-language COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (ECCV-COVID) and a sociodemographic survey were used. The results indicate that, in most countries, women, people with a lower educational level and those who receive information about the vaccine and COVID-19 from family/friends are more supportive of conspiracy ideas regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. In the case of age, the results vary by country. The analysis of the responses to each of the questions of the ECCV-COVID reveals that, in general, the countries evaluated are mostly in some degree of disagreement or indecision regarding conspiratorial beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines. The findings could help open further study which could support prevention and treatment efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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.

Government effectiveness and child development in low-middle income countries: COVID-19 pre-pandemic time / Efectividad del gobierno y desarrollo infantil en países de ingresos bajos-medianos: período previo a la pandemia COVID-19

ABSTRACT Introduction: The effect of the COVID- 19 pandemic on the development of children is still uncertain; therefore, it is essential to estimate their development status in the time before the pandemic. The sustainable development goals favor all the resources and strategies to stimulate early childhood development. Government effectiveness is the central axis of developing such actions, policies, and procedures. Methods: We used the early child development module and index from national health surveys (MICS) of 33 countries to calculate the children on track. We also use the World Bank Governance Index, specifically the effective governance score. In addition, we carry out analysis with ArcGIS and GeoDa software to evaluate geographic correlations between the variables studied and identify geographic patterns of child development levels and effective governance. Pearson and Spearman correlation tests were performed in Stata 15.1 software. Results: We studied children from 33 low and middle-income countries; from 7 world regions. Thailand (91.1%) and Turkmenistan (90.7%) have the highest percentages of child development and the lowest in Burundi (39.6%). The lowest value on GE estimate is in Burundi (-1.3), and the highest in the Democratic Republic of Korea (1.0). In the GE Rank, the highest values are again in Korea (82.1%), and the lowest in Haiti (0.9%). The correlation grade between ECDI and GE Estimate was moderate positive (0.522, P-0.001, Correlation Spearman test), similarly to (0.518, P-0001, Pearson correlation test). The general spatial pattern prevails that the African regions present low government effectiveness and early child development scores, positively correlated in this study. Conclusions: With the most up-to-date data reported by countries, it is possible to establish the level of child development before 2019, the year in which the COVID-2019 pandemic began. Studies must be carried out during and after the pandemic to develop the direct and indirect damage received by children in the dimensions of development, in which the government response is decisive.

Resumen Introducción: El efecto que tendrá la pandemia de COVID- 19 en el desarrollo de los niños aún es incierto, por lo que es importante estimar su estado en el tiempo anterior a la pandemia. Los objetivos de desarrollo sostenible exigen favorecer todos los recursos y estrategias para estimular el desarrollo de la primera infancia. La efectividad del gobierno es el eje central del desarrollo de tales acciones, políticas y estrategias en todos los países, especialmente en los países de ingresos bajos y medianos. Métodos: se usó El módulo de desarrollo infantil temprano y el índice de las encuestas nacionales de salud (MICS) de 33 países, para calcular los niños que van por buen camino en su desarrollo. También se utilizó el Índice de Gobernanza del Banco Mundial, específicamente el puntaje de Gobernanza Efectiva. Además, se realizaron análisis con el software ArcGIS y GeoDa para evaluar correlaciones geográficas entre las variables estudiadas e identificar patrones geográficos de niveles de desarrollo infantil y gobernabilidad efectiva. Las pruebas de correlación de Pearson y Spearman se realizaron en el software Stata 15.1. Resultados: Se estudiaron niños de 33 países de ingresos bajos y medios; de 7 regiones del mundo. Tailandia (91,1%) y Turkmenistán (90,7%) tienen los porcentajes más altos de desarrollo infantil y Burundi el más bajo (39,6%). Según la estimación de GE, el valor más bajo se encuentra en Burundi (-1,3) y el más alto en la República Democrática de Corea (1). En el GE Rank, los valores más altos se encuentran en Corea con 82,1% y los más bajos en Haití (0,9%). El grado de correlación entre el ECDI y la estimación de GE fue positivo moderado (0,522, P-0,001, prueba de correlación de Spearman), similar (0,518, P-0001, prueba de correlación de Pearson). El patrón espacial general que prevalece es que las regiones africanas presentan un puntaje bajo de efectividad del gobierno y desarrollo infantil temprano, que se correlacionan positivamente en este estudio. Conclusiones: Con los datos más actualizados reportados por los países sobre desarrollo infantil, se pudo establecer el nivel de desarrollo infantil antes de 2019, año en que comenzó la pandemia de COVID-2019. Es crucial que se realicen estudios durante y después de la pandemia con el objetivo de establecer los daños directos e indirectos que reciben los niños en las dimensiones del desarrollo, en las que la respuesta del gobierno es determinante.