Revisiting delusion subtypes in schizophrenia based on their underlying structures.

A clear understanding of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and related spectrum disorders has been limited by clinical heterogeneity. We investigated whether relative severity and predominance of one or more delusion subtypes might yield clinically differentiable patient profiles. Patients (N = 286) with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) completed the 21-item Peters et al. Delusions Inventory (PDI-21). We performed factor analysis followed by k-means clustering to identify delusion factors and patient subtypes. Patients were further assessed via the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Brief Negative Symptom Scale, Digit Symbol and Digit Substitution tasks, use of cannabis and tobacco, and stressful life events. The overall patient sample clustered into subtypes corresponding to Low-Delusion, Grandiose-Predominant, Paranoid-Predominant, and Pan-Delusion patients. Paranoid-Predominant and Pan-Delusion patients showed significantly higher burden of positive symptoms, while Low-Delusion patients showed the highest burden of negative symptoms. The Paranoia delusion factor score showed a positive association with Digit Symbol and Digit Substitution tasks in the overall sample, and the Paranoid-Predominant subtype exhibited the best performance on both tasks. Grandiose-Predominant patients showed significantly higher tobacco smoking severity than other subtypes, while Paranoid-Predominant patients were significantly more likely to have a lifetime diagnosis of Cannabis Use Disorder. We suggest that delusion self-report inventories such as the PDI-21 may be of utility in identifying sub-syndromes in SSD. From the current study, a Paranoid-Predominant form may be most distinctive, with features including less cognitive impairment and a stronger association with cannabis use.

Extension, translation and preliminary validation of the Northoff Scale for Subjective Experience in Catatonia (NSSC).

BACKGROUND: In the last two decades, much neuroscientific research has been done on the pathomechanisms of catatonia. However, catatonic symptoms have mainly been assessed with clinical rating scales based on observer ratings. Although catatonia is often associated with strong affective reactions, the subjective domain of catatonia has simply been neglected in scientific research. METHODS: The main objective of this study was to modify, extend and translate the original German version of the Northoff Scale for Subjective Experience in Catatonia (NSSC) and to examine its preliminary validity and reliability. Data were collected from 28 patients diagnosed with catatonia associated with another mental disorder (6A40) according to ICD-11. Descriptive statistics, correlation coefficients, internal consistency and principal component analysis were employed to address preliminary validity and reliability of the NSSC. RESULTS: NSSC showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92). NSSC total scores were significantly associated with Northoff Catatonia Rating Scale (r = 0.50, p < .01) and Bush Francis Catatonia Rating Scale (r = 0.41, p < .05) thus supporting its concurrent validity. There was no significant association between NSSC total score and Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale total (r = 0.26, p = .09), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (r = 0.29, p = .07) and GAF (r = 0.03, p = .43) scores. CONCLUSION: The extended version of the NSSC consists of 26 items and was developed to assess the subjective experience of catatonia patients. Preliminary validation of the NSSC revealed good psychometric properties. NSSC is a useful tool for everyday clinical work to assess the subjective experience of catatonia patients.

Time will tell: Associations between unbalanced time perspectives and symptom severity in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) experience disrupted temporality on the immediate timescale. However, insufficient information is available for longer time frames, and the interaction of temporal perspectives with the clinical manifestations of SSD is unknown. We explored the association between unbalanced time perspectives and symptom severity. Thirty-seven Italian mental health services participating in the DiAPAson project recruited 620 patients with DSM-5 SSD (68 % males, mean age = 41.3 ± 9.5 years). Time perspective biases were measured using the Deviation from the Balanced Time Perspective-revisited (DBTP-r) indicator, based on Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI) scores. Psychiatric symptoms were assessed using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and Brief Negative Symptoms Scale (BNSS). Preliminary analyses examined the associations between ZTPI/DBTP-r and BPRS/BNSS total scores. In secondary analyses, we first tested the associations between the ZTPI/DBTP-r and BPRS/BNSS subscales and then compared ZTPI differences between patients with and without hallucinations, delusions, and conceptual disorganisation. Statistical significance was set at Holm-Bonferroni corrected p < 0.05. Low-to-moderate positive correlations were found between the DBTP-r and BPRS/BNSS total scores (r = 0.29/0.22). The strongest associations were between DBTP-r/ZTPI_Past-Negative and anxiety/depression (r = 0.34/0.36), followed by DBTP-r/ZTPI_Present-Fatalistic with thought disturbances (r = 0.22/0.20). DBTP-r was associated with BNSS anhedonia and avolition (r = 0.21/0.24). DBTP-r was higher in patients with hallucinations (ES = 0.391) and conceptual disorganisation (ES = 0.397) than in those without these symptoms. Unbalanced time perspective was positively associated with the severity of primary and secondary SSD features. These findings provide a rationale for empirical tests focused on balancing time perspectives in patients with SSD.

Case control study: G-allele of rs4244165 in JAK1 gene correlated with high-level brief psychiatric rating scale in bipolar patients.

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic and clinically complex disease, characterized by pathological disturbances in mood and energy. Cytokines can access the brain and their signaling pathways affect brain functions, such as neurotransmitter metabolism, neuroendocrine function, neural/synaptic plasticity, and mood neural circuitry. JAK 1 is the most common phosphorylation protein combined with the tyrosine kinase cytokine receptors; therefore, we investigated the association between the Janus family kinase 1 (JAK1) gene polymorphisms (rs2780895, rs4244165, and rs17127024) and susceptibility to BD. The case study population included 93 patients diagnosed with BD and 112 healthy controls, selected from the central coastal region of Tunisia. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to investigate these 3 JAK1 polymorphisms. We compared the sociodemographic and clinical parameters of 3 genotypes of this single nucleotide polymorphisms rs2780895, rs4244165, and rs17127024 of the JAK1 gene. The frequencies of the 3 genotypes were similar in the patient and control groups. One-way analysis of variance revealed a significant variation in rs4244165. After hospitalization, the average of the brief psychiatric rating scale score was significantly higher for the wild-type GG genotype than that for the double-mutation TT genotype (31.23% vs 22.85%, P = .043). The least significant difference post hoc test also showed a significant difference between the GG and TT genotypes at both hospital admission (P = .001) and after hospitalization (P = .012), with the GG genotype being associated with a higher brief psychiatric rating scale score. Haplotypic analysis revealed that the wild-type haplotype with the highest frequency (46.62%) was CTG. Our results showed no association between the 3 studied positions and bipolar disorder. However, the G-allele of rs4244165 in JAK1 is associated with the highest level of the brief psychiatric rating scale in patients with bipolar disorder. The JAK/signal transducer and activator of transcription pathway is an interesting therapeutic route that requires further investigations. Studying their regulatory regions can provide a clearer picture of all the interactions involved in the regulation of genetic expression in response to treatment.

Potential role between inflammatory cytokines and Tie-2 receptor levels and clinical symptoms in patients with first-episode schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia (SCZ) is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation, which may be involved in the underlying pathological mechanism of the disease and may influence patient prognosis. We evaluated the differences in serum cytokine and Tie-2 receptor levels between patients with first-episode SCZ and healthy controls and explored the correlation thereof with clinical symptoms. METHODS: Seventy-six participants were recruited for the present study, including 40 patients with first-episode SCZ and 36 healthy controls. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) scores, demographic data, and blood samples were collected at baseline. A hypersensitive Meso Scale Discovery (MSD) electrochemiluminescence assay system was used to measure cytokine and Tie-2 receptor levels. Spearman's correlation and stepwise linear regression were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Serum interleukin-1ß and -4 levels were significantly increased, and Tie-2 levels were significantly decreased, in first-episode SCZ patients as compared to healthy controls. IL-1ß levels were positively correlated with total BPRS scores, resistance subscores, and PANSS positive subscores. Furthermore, IL-1ß levels were negatively correlated with Tie-2 receptor expression levels. Stepwise linear regression analysis demonstrated that IL-1ß levels correlated positively with PANSS positive subscores and BPRS total scores. PANSS negative subscores, general psychopathology subscores, and PANSS total scores had positive effects on the Tie-2 receptor. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that IL-1ß and Tie-2 were highly sensitive and specific for predicting first-episode SCZ symptoms and achieving an area under the ROC curve of 0.8361 and 0.6462, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that patients with first-episode SCZ have low-grade inflammation. IL-1ß and Tie-2 receptors may be important mediators between inflammation and vascular dysfunction in patients with SCZ and may underlie the increased cardiovascular disease in this population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The clinical trial registration date was 06/11/2018, registration number was chiCTR1800019343.

Longitudinal Factor Structure of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale Among Incident Cases of Schizophrenia Attending a Nigerian Hospital.

Background: Schizophrenia, from its early conceptualization, has been described in distinct clinical subtypes. However, these categories were found not to be stable phenotypes over time, hence the dimensional option, whereas at cross-sectional level, the dimensions of psychopathology have been replicated across studies; there is dearth of data on the longitudinal stability of the factor structure of the symptoms of schizophrenia in African populations. Aim: This study examined the longitudinal stability of the factor structure of the 18-item Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) across intervals of 16-week naturalistic treatment follow-up. Patients and Methods: Consecutive incident cases that fulfilled the criteria for schizophrenia were recruited into the study. After a baseline assessment, 160 incident cases of schizophrenia were followed up 4 weekly for indicators of symptomatic outcome for 16 weeks. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) assessments were conducted in clinical interviews and with the Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS). Five BPRS assessments were made across the monthly intervals of follow-up. Exploratory factor analyses (EFA) using maximum likelihood extraction and varimax rotation with Kaiser normalization was used to extract the factors. Results: A four-factor structure was found at baseline, namely negative, positive, depressive/anxiety, and manic symptom dimensions. From week 4, the manic and anxiety/depression dimensions remained invariant over time, while negative and positive symptoms merged into a psychosis dimension that was invariant. Conclusion: The persistence of the mood dimensions supports the DSM-5 recommendation to include these dimensions in the assessment of schizophrenia psychopathology. The longitudinal emergence and invariance of the psychosis factor echo the idea of unitary psychosis and, along with the prominence of mood dimensions over time, reflect recent molecular genetic findings about the sharing of genes by schizophrenia and mood disorders.

Correlation between elevated serum interleukin-1ß, interleukin-16 levels and psychiatric symptoms in patients with schizophrenia at different stages.

BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence that immune dysfunction plays an important role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Meso Scale Discovery (MSD) is bioanalytical method, which can detect serum inflammatory factors in patients. MSD has higher sensitivities, capturing a narrower range of proteins compared to other methods typically used in similar studies. The present study was aimed to explore the correlation between the levels of serum inflammatory factors and psychiatric symptoms in patients with schizophrenia at different stages and investigate a wide panel of inflammatory factors as independent factors for the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. METHODS: We recruited 116 participants, including patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FEG, n = 40), recurrence patients (REG, n = 40) with relapse-episode schizophrenia, and a control group (healthy people, HP, n = 36). Patients are diagnosed according to the DSM -V. The plasma levels of IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-1ß, IL-2, IL-6, TNF-α, CRP, VEGF, IL-15, and IL-16 were tested by the MSD technique. Patient-related data was collected, including sociodemographic data, positive and negative symptom scale (PANSS), and brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS) and subscale scores. The independent sample T test, χ2 test, Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), the least significant difference method (LSD), Spearman's correlation test, binary logistic regression analysis and ROC curve analysis were used in this study. RESULTS: There were significant differences in serum IL-1ß (F = 2.37, P = 0.014) and IL-16 (F = 4.40, P < 0.001) levels among the three groups. The level of serum IL-1ß in the first-episode group was significantly higher than in the recurrence group (F = 0.87, P = 0.021) and control group (F = 2.03, P = 0.013), but there was no significant difference between the recurrence group and control group (F = 1.65, P = 0.806). The serum IL-16 levels in the first-episode group (F = 1.18, P < 0.001) and the recurrence group (F = 0.83, P < 0.001) were significantly higher than in the control group, and there was no significant difference between the first-episode group and the recurrence group (F = 1.65, P = 0.61). Serum IL-1ß was negatively correlated with the general psychopathological score (GPS) of PANSS (R=-0.353, P = 0.026). In the recurrence group, serum IL-16 was positively correlated with the negative score (NEG) of the PANSS scale (R = 0.335, P = 0.035) and negatively correlated with the composite score (COM) (R=-0.329, P = 0.038). In the study, IL-16 levels were an independent variable of the onset of schizophrenia both in the first-episode (OR = 1.034, P = 0.002) and recurrence groups (OR = 1.049, P = 0.003). ROC curve analysis showed that the areas under IL-16(FEG) and IL-16(REG) curves were 0.883 (95%CI:0.794-0.942) and 0.887 (95%CI:0.801-0.950). CONCLUSIONS: Serum IL-1ß and IL-16 levels were different between patients with schizophrenia and healthy people. Serum IL-1ß levels in first-episode schizophrenia and serum IL-16 levels in relapsing schizophrenia were correlated with the parts of psychiatric symptoms. The IL-16 level may be an independent factor associating with the onset of schizophrenia.

"Feeling shattered and ephemeral": How do positive and negative symptoms affect self-concept clarity among individuals experiencing psychosis?

PURPOSE: Incoherence in sense of self in schizophrenia may mask individuals' ability to perceive reality accurately, and cause them to feel alienated from themselves and others. This descriptive correlational study investigates the relationship between positive and negative symptoms in relation to self-concept clarity (SCC) in schizophrenia. METHOD: A sample of 200 inpatients with schizophrenia were recruited to complete the Self-Concept Clarity Scale and were rated on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS-version 4.0). RESULTS: A strong inverse correlation between positive and negative symptoms in relation to SCC (r = 0.242, P < 0.001, and r = 0.225, P = 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: The overall BPRS scores were identified as independent precursors of low SCC.

BPRS domains, items and subgroups analyses, and CGI-I ratings in pooled data from non-interventional studies of aripiprazole once-monthly in schizophrenia (REACT study).

BACKGROUND: Patients with schizophrenia may benefit from treatment with long-acting injectable (LAI) formulations of antipsychotics. Aripiprazole once-monthly (AOM) is an LAI that was tested in two non-interventional studies in Germany and Canada. METHODS: Here, we report on analyses of pooled data from the two non-interventional studies. Patients were treated with AOM under real-life conditions. Data were analyzed for a timeframe of 6 months. We analyzed data on Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) domains and items, BPRS total scores in various patient subgroups (male vs. female patients, patients with disease duration ≤ 5 years and > 5 years, patients with different levels of disease severity at baseline), Clinical Global Impression - Improvement (CGI-I) ratings for the total population and subgroups, and comorbidities for the total population. RESULTS: Data from 409 patients were included. 65.5% of the patients had comorbidities. Improvements were found in all BPRS domains and items. Furthermore, improvements were similar for male and female patients, patients with disease duration ≤ 5 years and > 5 years, and across different levels of disease severity at baseline. Numerically, more favorable results were found for younger patients, female patients, and those with shorter disease duration. CONCLUSIONS: AOM can be an effective treatment in the broad range of patients, across sexes, regardless of patient age and duration of disease, independently of disease severity, and across symptoms. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02131415 (May 6, 2014), vfa non-interventional studies registry 15960N.

Time perspective affects daily time use and daily functioning in individuals with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: Results from the multicentric DiAPAson study.

Time perspective (TP) influences various aspects of human life. We aimed to explore the associations between TP, daily time use, and levels of functioning among 620 patients (313 residential patients and 307 outpatients) with a diagnosis of Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders (SSD) recruited from 37 different centres in Italy. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and the Specific Levels of Functioning (SLOF) were used to assess psychiatric symptoms severity and levels of functioning. Daily time use was assessed using an ad hoc paper and pencil Time Use Survey. The Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI) was used to assess TP. Deviation from Balanced Time Perspective (DBTP-r) was used as an indicator of temporal imbalance. Results showed that the amount of time spent on non-productive activities (NPA) was positively predicted by DBTP-r (Exp(ß): 1.36; p .003), and negatively predicted by the Past-Positive (Exp(ß): 0.80; p .022), Present-Hedonistic (Exp(ß): 0.77; p .008), and Future (Exp(ß): 0.78; p .012) subscales. DBTP-r significantly negatively predicted SLOF outcomes (p .002), and daily time use, in particular the amount of time spent in NPA and Productive Activities (PA), mediated their association. Results suggested that rehabilitative programs for individuals with SSD should consider fostering a balanced time perspective to reduce inactivity, increase physical activity, and promote healthy daily functioning and autonomy.

Hope and resilience among patients affected by unipolar and bipolar depression.

BACKGROUND: Mood disorders, including unipolar and bipolar depression, are disabling mental conditions and patients' full-functional recovery may be challenging. Hope and Resilience are relevant factors in the framework of personal recovery and it is of interest to explore their association with the severity of depressive illness and other variables, including suicidality. METHODS: in this cross-sectional study, 69 patients affected by unipolar (n = 31) and bipolar depression (n = 38) have been recruited and information about their sociodemographics, clinical characteristics were collected as well as the following assessment has been performed: BPRS (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale); HAMD ( Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression); MADRS (Montgomery Asberg Depression rating scale); HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale); SSI (Scale for Suicide Ideation); Synder (The Adult Hope Scale); CD-Risk (The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale). RESULTS: patients affected by bipolar depression reported significantly higher level of psychopathological issues (BPRS) as well as higher scores of depressive and anxious symptoms (MADRS and HADS), suicidality (SSI). Also, bipolar depression patients reported lower levels of hope (Synder) and resilience (CD-Risk), with hope and resilience levels positively correlated each other, and inversely correlated to psychopathology and psychopathology, depressive and suicidal symptoms, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: these findings suggested that bipolar depression is characterized by higher clinical severity and lower levels of hope and resilience. Specific psycho-educational and psychotherapeutic interventions should be promoted to increase levels of hope and resilience in mood disorders, especially in bipolar depression.

The Course of Psychiatric Symptoms During Remand Imprisonment.

Imprisonment may pose a risk for unintended effects such as deterioration of psychiatric symptoms. Therefore, it is pivotal to understand the relation between imprisonment and the course of psychiatric symptoms, but previous studies are inconclusive. The current study followed up the psychiatric symptoms of newly admitted remand prisoners to one Dutch remand prison using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and also studied possible related pre-existing variables. On average we found an overall slight-yet clinically marginal-improvement of psychiatric, in particular affective symptoms. One in three prisoners deteriorated and prisoners with psychotic disorders less often deteriorated. Other variables were not related. Overall, psychiatric symptoms remain stable over time during early remand imprisonment independent of most psychiatric disorders. The context in the Dutch prison studied appears to be adequately organized in terms of handling psychiatric stability, but we notice that prison contexts may vary to a large extend.

Brief Solution Focused Therapy on schizophrenia: A preliminary study of family characteristics and psychopathology.

Family therapy for schizophrenia has been demonstrated to be effective and is recommended by international clinical guidelines. Reviews of family therapy research conclude that interventions may prevent relapse of the disease, when symptoms are already reduced under psychotropic medication, by reducing family factors associated with relapse. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of Brief Solution Focused therapy (BSFT) in patients with schizophrenia focusing on the impact of change in family characteristics such as cohesion, conflict, organization and control on patients' psychopathology measured with BPRS. Thirty patients diagnosed with schizophrenia were randomly assigned to the control or intervention group. The intervention group received treatment according to the BSFT model, whereas the control group received the standard care for schizophrenia. The BSFT is a future-oriented psychotherapy model which encourages clients to focus on ''change-talking'' instead of ''problem-talking'' and on instances where a successful solution has been achieved. The intervention was consisted of 5 sessions delivered in 3 months. Main outcomes were patient-rated family characteristics measured by the Family Environment Scale (FES), and psychiatrist-rated symptom severity measured with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). The two groups did not differ in terms of age, sex, number of relapses, previous hospital admissions, and BPRS score at baseline. At the end of treatment compared to baseline there was a reduction of the BPRS score in the intervention group (p<0.001) whereas no statistically significant changes were noticed in the control group after 3 months. Also, following treatment, patients in the intervention group displayed reduced scores on the Conflict FES scale (p=0.001) accompanied by increased scores on the Cohesion (p=0.004), Expressiveness (p=0.004), and Active Recreational subscales (p=0.001) according to patient's perspective. These preliminary findings suggest that BSFT in patients with schizophrenia, appears to be effective in altering the global properties of the whole family system, specifically cohesion, conflict, organization and control which, in turn, have an impact on reducing patient psychopathology.

O inventário de envolvimento paterno revisado: inclusão de pais com filhos pré-escolares / The inventory of father involvement revised: inclusion of fathers with preschool children / El inventario de envolvimiento paterno revisado: inclusión de padres de preescolares

Apesar da importância do envolvimento paterno, sua avaliação persiste desafiadora. No Brasil, o Inventário de Envolvimento Paterno (IFI-BR) vem se mostrando adequado para uso com pais de crianças de 5 a 10 anos. Entretanto, do ponto de vista do desenvolvimento infantil e de intervenções preventivas, seria importante avaliar o envolvimento paterno quando as crianças são mais novas. Assim, este trabalho teve como objetivos: identificar limitações do IFI-BR, quando usado com pais de crianças entre 2 e 10 anos, e avaliar itens para o IFI-BR-revisado. No Estudo 1, 434 pais com filhos no Ensino Infantil ou Fundamental 1 responderam a um questionário sociodemográfico e ao IFI-BR. Com base em análises de dados omissos, estrutura interna e precisão, modificações foram sugeridas, visando à manutenção da estrutura interna original do instrumento. No Estudo 2, 572 pais com filhos na mesma faixa etária responderam a um questionário sociodemográfico e à versão modificada do IFI-BR. Foram comparadas as frequências de dados omissos e estimativas de precisão para os itens originais e modificados, selecionando aqueles que melhor representavam essa amostra de pais para compor a versão revisada do IFI-BR. Esses resultados indicaram evidências adequadas de validade, com base no conteúdo da versão revisada do IFI-BR, quando utilizada para avaliar a qualidade do envolvimento paterno de pais brasileiros com filhos do Ensino Infantil ao Fundamental 1. Após verificadas evidências de validade adicionais, essa versão revisada do IFI-BR poderá ser utilizada, por exemplo, em estudos longitudinais e na avaliação de intervenções precoces com pais.(AU)

Despite the importance assigned to father involvement, evaluating this construct remains a challenge. In Brazil, the Inventário de Envolvimento Paterno (IFI-BR) has showed satisfactory evidence of validity for fathers of children between 5 and 10 years old. From the perspective of child development and preventive interventions, however, evaluating father involvement with younger children is essential. Hence, this study sought to: identify limitations of the IFI-BR for fathers of children between 2 and 10 years old, and evaluate items for a revised IFI-BR. In Study 1, 434 fathers of children in early childhood and primary school settings answered a sociodemographic questionnaire and the IFI-BR. Based on analyses of missing data, internal structure, and reliability, modifications were suggested to maintain the original internal structure. In Study 2, 572 fathers of children in the same age range answered a sociodemographic questionnaire and the modified IFI-BR. After comparison between values for missing data and reliability of the original and modified items, the items that best represented the broader sample of fathers were selected to compose the revised IFI-BR. Results indicated adequate evidence of content validity for the revised IFI-BR when used to assess the involvement of Brazilian fathers with children in early childhood education and primary school settings. After additional evidence has been verified, this revised IFI-BR can be used, for example, in longitudinal studies and to evaluate early interventions with fathers.(AU)

La participación paterna es importante, pero su evaluación sigue siendo desafiadora. En Brasil, el Inventário de Envolvimento Paterno (IFI-BR) demuestra ser adecuado para aplicar a padres de niños de 5 a 10 años de edad. No obstante, desde la perspectiva del desarrollo infantil y de las intervenciones preventivas, sería importante evaluar la participación de los padres de niños más jóvenes. Este estudio tuvo como objetivos: identificar limitaciones del IFI-BR cuando se aplica a padres de niños entre los 2 y 10 años y evaluar ítems para el IFI-BR-revisado. En Estudio 1, 434 padres con hijos en el jardín de infantes o escuela primaria respondieron un cuestionario sociodemográfico y el IFI-BR. Con base en el análisis de datos faltantes, estructura interna y exactitud, se sugirieron modificaciones para mantener la estructura interna original del instrumento. En Estudio 2, 572 padres respondieron un cuestionario sociodemográfico y la versión modificada del IFI-BR. Se compararon las frecuencias de datos faltantes y estimaciones de exactitud para los ítems originales y modificados, seleccionando aquellos que representaban mejor a esta muestra de padres para la versión revisada del IFI-BR. Estos resultados indicaron evidencia adecuada de validez, basada en el contenido de la versión revisada del IFI-BR, cuando se utilizó para evaluar la calidad de la participación de padres brasileños con niños en el jardín de infantes y en la escuela primaria. Después de verificada la evidencia adicional de validez, la versión revisada del IFI-BR se puede utilizar, por ejemplo, en estudios longitudinales y en la evaluación de intervenciones precoz con los padres.(AU)

Sistema de avaliação de testes psicológicos: histórias contadas e não contadas / Psychological test evaluation system: stories told and untold / Sistema de evaluación de tests psicológicos: historias contadas y no contadas

O Sistema de Avaliação de Testes Psicológicos (SATEPSI) recebeu notoriedade entre brasileiros e estrangeiros por oferecer um complexo sistema de qualificação dos testes psicológicos, pouco visto em âmbito mundial. Sua elaboração dependeu de uma autarquia, que o financiou, normatizou e o mantém, mas também de pesquisadores docentes de avaliação psicológica, que trouxeram a expertise da área para que houvesse o pleno estabelecimento de seus parâmetros. Passadas duas décadas de seu lançamento, o SATEPSI foi tema de artigos, capítulos, lives e diálogos digitais, nos quais foram destaque, de modo geral, as Resoluções do Conselho Federal de Psicologia, que o normatiza, e seus impactos para a área de avaliação psicológica - como, por exemplo, o aumento do número de pesquisas e de testes brasileiros qualificados. O que se pretende neste artigo é mencionar sua construção, à luz dos autores que vivenciaram o SATEPSI em funções e tempos distintos. Atenção especial será dada aos Métodos Projetivos, cuja história ainda é pouco revelada.(AU)

The system to evaluate psychological tests (Satepsi) received notoriety among Brazilians and foreigners for offering a complex system of qualification of psychological tests, which is rarely seen worldwide. Its development depended on an autarchy (which financed, standardized, and maintains it) and on researchers teaching psychological assessment, who brought their expertise to the area so its parameters could be fully established. After two decades of its launch, Satepsi was the subject of articles, chapters, lives, and digital dialogues, which usually highlighted the Resolutions of the Federal Council of Psychology that normatize psychological evaluation and their impacts, such as the increase in the number of qualified Brazilian tests. This study aims to mention its construction in the light of the authors who experienced Satepsi in different functions and times, giving special attention to Projective Methods, whose history remains to be shown.(AU)

El Sistema de Evaluación de Tests Psicológicos (SATEPSI) ganó notoriedad entre los brasileños y los extranjeros por ofrecer un complejo sistema de calificación de los tests psicológicos, poco frecuente a nivel mundial. Su elaboración dependió de una autarquía, que lo financió, lo estandarizó y lo mantiene, pero también de investigadores docentes de evaluación psicológica, que trajeron la experiencia del área para que hubiera el pleno establecimiento de sus parámetros. Tras dos décadas de su lanzamiento, SATEPSI fue tema de artículos, capítulos, en directo y diálogos digitales, en los cuales destacaron, de modo general, las Resoluciones del Consejo Federal de Psicología que lo normatiza y sus impactos para el área de evaluación psicológica, como el aumento del número de investigaciones y de pruebas brasileñas calificadas. Lo que se pretende en este artículo es mencionar su construcción, a la luz de los autores que vivieron el SATEPSI en funciones y tiempos distintos. Se prestará especial atención a los métodos proyectivos cuya historia aún no se ha revelado.(AU)

Electroconvulsive therapy improves psychotic symptoms in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy and safety of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for psychotic symptoms of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and also to determine its use as an adaptive criterion. METHODS: Eight patients aged 66-83 years old (mean 75.4 ± 5.9 years) diagnosed with probable DLB based on the criteria for DLB and who received ECT between September 2013 and December 2019 at Aichi Medical University were enrolled. The efficacy and safety of ECT were retrospectively examined. Psychotic symptoms were evaluated using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), while parkinsonism was evaluated based on Hoehn-Yahr (HY) stage, with both scores analyzed and compared statistically between before and after ECT. Additionally, a follow-up survey after undergoing ECT was performed. RESULTS: Two incidents occurred during ECT sessions, arrhythmia in one patient and respiratory arrest in another, both of whom quickly recovered. Following ECT, a significant improvement in BPRS score was noted (p < 0.018, Wilcoxon signed rank test), whereas no significant difference was seen in regard to HY stage (p = 0.059). Follow-up survey findings obtained after ECT (mean observation period 15.9 ± 16.7 months), showed that all eight patients were alive and none had a relapse of psychotic symptoms. CONCLUSION: The present results suggest that ECT for patients with mild to moderate DLB and drug therapy-resistant psychotic symptoms is safe, well tolerated and effective. We consider it worth considering as a DLB therapeutic option.

Real-world effectiveness of aripiprazole once-monthly REACT study: Pooled analysis of two noninterventional studies.

BACKGROUND: Noninterventional naturalistic studies are an important complement to randomized controlled trials. Aripiprazole once-monthly (AOM) is an atypical antipsychotic in a long-acting injectable formulation. METHODS: A pooled analysis of two noninterventional studies was undertaken to validate previous results on AOM effectiveness and safety in a larger population and improve statistical power for preplanned subgroup analyses. We analyzed data from 409 patients with schizophrenia who were treated with AOM and were enrolled in noninterventional studies in Germany (via noninterventional studies registry 15,960 N) and Canada (NCT02131415). Data collected at baseline, 3 and 6 months were analyzed. Among the endpoints were psychopathology (brief psychiatric rating scale [BPRS]) and disease severity (clinical global impression [CGI]). RESULTS: Mean patient age was 38.9 (SD 14.8) years, and 59.9% were male. BPRS decreased from 48.1 (SD 15.6) at baseline to 36.5 (SD 13.7) at month 6 (p < 0.001). CGI decreased from 4.47 (SD 0.90) at baseline to 3.64 (SD 1.16) at month 6 (p < 0.001). A total of 54.4% were responders (at least 20% reduction) on the BPRS, and 56.5% had a CGI-S-score that was at least 1 level better than baseline. A total of 43.4% were considered responders on both the BPRS and CGI scales. A total of 45.2% were considered in remission. Adverse events were rare and corresponded to the previously known safety profile of AOM. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with AOM for patients with schizophrenia appeared effective and safe under real-life conditions.

Utility and validity of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) as a transdiagnostic scale.

The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) was originally conceived to assess psychopathology in several psychiatric disorders, making it an appropriate candidate to be used as a transdiagnostic instrument. We analyzed the utility and validity of the BPRS in a diagnostically heterogeneous sample of 600 psychiatric inpatients. As a comparator, we chose the mini-ICF-APP, a scale used to measure functioning and impairment across the diagnostic spectrum. Both scales had good internal consistency. The BPRS and the mini-ICF-APP showed a moderate correlation, with good levels of agreement. We were able to identify general symptoms present across the diagnostic spectrum, influencing severity and a cluster of symptoms specific for each diagnosis. Our results show the utility and validity of the BPRS as a transdiagnostic assessment tool that could easily be introduced in routine clinical work.

Latent state-trait structure of BPRS subscales in clinical high-risk state and first episode psychosis.

To investigate the longitudinal latent state-trait structure of the different dimensions of psychosis symptoms in clinical high-risk state (CHRS) and first episode psychosis (FEP) individuals over a one year time-span. This paper examines if the symptom clusters Positive Symptoms, Negative Symptoms, Affectivity, Resistance, Activation, and Excitement according to the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) differ in their trait and state characters in 196 CHRS and 131 FEP individuals. Statistical analysis was performed using latent state-trait analysis. On average, trait differences accounted for 72.2% of Positive Symptoms, 81.1% of Negative Symptoms, 57.0% of Affectivity, and 69.2% of Activation, whereas 15.0% of the variance of Resistance and 13.2% of the variance of Excitement were explained by trait differences. Explorative analyses showed a trait components' increase of 0.408 in Positive Symptoms from baseline up to the 9th month and an increase of 0.521 in Affectivity from baseline up to the 6th month. Negative Symptoms had the highest trait component levels of all subscales between baseline and 6 months. The finding that an increasing proportion of psychosis symptoms is persisting over time underlines the importance of early intervention programs in individuals with psychotic disorders.

Jumping to conclusions correlates with negative symptoms, poor response inhibition, and impaired functioning in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: The jumping to conclusions (JTC) bias is the tendency to make immediate decisions based on little information. There are few studies that have investigated the relationship between JTC and frontal lobe function. We examined the association between JTC and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale in individuals with schizophrenia. METHODS: In total, 50 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and 50 healthy control individuals were administered the beads task. Individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia were assessed using the FAB, BPRS, and GAF. RESULTS: There was a significant negative correlation between JTC and the negative symptoms of the BPRS (rs=-.368, p = .008). There was a significant positive correlation between JTC and the Go/No-Go task of the FAB (rs=.319, p = .026), and the GAF (rs=.433, p = .002). CONCLUSION: JTC in individuals with schizophrenia may be categorized according to several causes, including negative symptoms and poor response inhibition.