The Infertility-Related Stress Scale: Validation of a Brazilian–Portuguese Version and Measurement Invariance Across Brazil and Italy

Infertility constitutes an essential source of stress in the individual and couple’s life. The Infertility-Related Stress Scale (IRSS) is of clinical interest for exploring infertility-related stress affecting the intrapersonal and interpersonal domains of infertile individuals’ lives. In the present study, the IRSS was translated into Brazilian–Portuguese, and its factor structure, reliability, and relations to sociodemographic and infertility-related characteristics and depression were examined. A sample of 553 Brazilian infertile individuals (54.2% female, mean aged 36 ± 6 years) completed the Brazilian–Portuguese IRSS (IRSS-BP), and a subsample of 222 participants also completed the BDI-II. A sample of 526 Italian infertile individuals (54.2% female, mean aged 38 ± 6 years) was used to test for the IRSS measurement invariance across Brazil and Italy. Results of exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) indicated that a bifactor solution best represented the structure underlying the IRSS-BP. Both the general and the two specific intrapersonal and interpersonal IRSS-BP factors showed satisfactory levels of composite reliability. The bifactor ESEM solution replicated well across countries. As evidence of relations to other variables, female gender, a longer duration of infertility, and higher depression were associated with higher scores in global and domain-specific infertility-related stress. The findings offer initial evidence of validity and reliability of the IRSS-BP, which could be used by fertility clinic staff to rapidly identify patients who need support to deal with the stressful impact of infertility in the intrapersonal and interpersonal life domains, as recommended by international guidelines for routine psychosocial care in infertility settings.

The Temporal Aspect of Bodily Experiences of Emotions: Where do You Feel The First Sensation?

Recently, body maps have increasingly been used to identify patterns in respect of the location of the physical sensations elicited by emotions. However, in addition to understanding how emotions are topographically manifest in the body, it is important to add a temporal aspect to deepen the interoceptive study of emotions. Therefore, the present study sought to explore the first perceived sensation. The study sample comprised a group of mindfulness practitioners (n=34) and a group of non-practitioners (n=64) to analyze if there was any difference in their perceptions of emotion. Participants were instructed to evoke five basic emotions (fear, disgust, anger, sadness, joy), and as soon as they became aware of where they felt the emotions start to emerge, were instructed to interrupt the observation and to indicate the region in a diagram of a human figure. Overall, the groups did not differ in the body regions identified for each emotion. Cochran's Q-test showed that the main regions mentioned were the head and the chest. In the case of disgust, the neck, rather than the chest, along with the lower part of the head were the most cited. The most cited regions corresponded to those identified in other studies of body topography as perceived with the greatest increase in activity in response to emotional stimuli. Regarding interoceptive awareness, the independent t-test verified that the mindfulness group scored significantly higher in all subscales of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the 37-item Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness questionnaire compared to the non-mindfulness group.

The Temporal Aspect of Bodily Experiences of Emotions: Where do You Feel The First Sensation?

Recently, body maps have increasingly been used to identify patterns in respect of the location of the physical sensations elicited by emotions. However, in addition to understanding how emotions are topographically manifest in the body, it is important to add a temporal aspect to deepen the interoceptive study of emotions. Therefore, the present study sought to explore the first perceived sensation. The study sample comprised a group of mindfulness practitioners (n=34) and a group of non-practitioners (n=64) to analyze if there was any difference in their perceptions of emotion. Participants were instructed to evoke five basic emotions (fear, disgust, anger, sadness, joy), and as soon as they became aware of where they felt the emotions start to emerge, were instructed to interrupt the observation and to indicate the region in a diagram of a human figure. Overall, the groups did not differ in the body regions identified for each emotion. Cochran's Q-test showed that the main regions mentioned were the head and the chest. In the case of disgust, the neck, rather than the chest, along with the lower part of the head were the most cited. The most cited regions corresponded to those identified in other studies of body topography as perceived with the greatest increase in activity in response to emotional stimuli. Regarding interoceptive awareness, the independent t-test verified that the mindfulness group scored significantly higher in all subscales of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the 37-item Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness questionnaire compared to the non-mindfulness group.

Cumprimento das medidas de precauções-padrão por profissionais de saúde: comparação entre dois hospitais

Objective: To assess compliance with standard precautions by health professionals in two hospitals.Method: This is a descriptive study, with a quantitative approach, conducted in two hospitals in the State of Rio de Janeiro. The sample is composed of health professionals who work in health care. Study developed in the period between February 2019 and February 2020. In order to collect data, the we used: 1- Individual and professional information form; 2- Brazilian Portuguese version of the Compliance with Standard Precautions Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and hypothesis tests.Results: The study was attended by 366 (100.0%) health professionals. The overall score of compliance with standard precautions was 13.4 (66.8%), ranging from 4 to 20. As for the average of the scores between the institutions, the professionals from hospital 1 had an average of 12.6 and those from hospital 2 showed a compliance of 13.6.Conclusions: Compliance with standard precautions among health professionals did not happen in its entirety Objetivo: Evaluar el cumplimiento de las precauciones estándar por parte de los profesionales de la salud en dos hospitales.Método: Se trata de un estudio descriptivo, con abordaje cuantitativo, realizado en dos hospitales del Estado de Rio de Janeiro. La muestra está compuesta por profesionales de la salud que trabajan en la asistencia. Estudio desarrollado en el período comprendido entre febrero de 2019 y febrero de 2020. Para la recolección de datos se utilizó lo siguiente: 1- Formulario de información individual y profesional; 2- Versión en portugués brasileño de la Escala de Cumplimiento de Precauciones Estándar. Los datos se analizaron mediante estadística descriptiva y pruebas de hipótesis.Resultados: El estudio incluyó a 366 (100,0%) profesionales de la salud. La puntuación global de cumplimiento de las precauciones estándar fue de 13,4 (66,8%), con un rango de 4 a 20. En cuanto a la media de las puntuaciones entre las instituciones, los profesionales del hospital 1 tuvieron una media de 12,6 y el hospital 2 mostró un cumplimiento de 13,6.Conclusiones: El cumplimiento de las precauciones estándar entre los profesionales de la salud no se produjo en su totalidad. Objetivo: Avaliar o cumprimento às precauções-padrão por profissionais de saúde de dois hospitais. Método: Trata-se de um estudo descritivo, de abordagem quantitativa, realizado em dois hospitais do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. A amostra é composta por profissionais de saúde que atuam na assistência. Estudo desenvolvido no período entre fevereiro de 2019 até fevereiro de 2020. Para a coleta de dados foram utilizados: 1- Formulário de informações individuais e profissionais; 2- Versão para o Português do Brasil da Compliance with Standard Precautions Scale. Os dados foram analisados utilizando estatística descritiva e testes de hipótese. Resultados: Participaram do estudo 366 (100,0%) profissionais de saúde. O escore geral de cumprimento das precauções-padrão foi de 13,4 (66,8%) variando entre 4 e 20. Quanto a média dos escores entre as instituições, os profissionais do hospital 1 obtiveram uma média de 12,6 e o hospital 2 apresentou 13,6 de cumprimento.Conclusões: O cumprimento às precauções-padrão entre profissionais de saúde não aconteceu em sua totalidade.

Evaluating the psychometric properties of the eHealth Literacy Scale in Brazilian adults

ABSTRACT Objective: To translate and adapt the eHealth Literacy Scale for the cultural reality of Brazil and to evaluate the psychometric properties of its Brazilian Portuguese version. Methods: The instrument was translated and adapted to Brazilian Portuguese and applied to a sample of 502 individuals from 18 to 80 years old who lived in the surrounding areas of six Family Health Units of a city in the countryside of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The data was evaluated using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, item response theory, and instrument reliability measures (Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega). Results: The eHealth Literacy Scale - Brazilian version (eHEALS-Br) presented an excellent internal consistency (α = 0.95 e ω = 0.95), with only one dimension and an explained variation of 81.79%. Conclusions: The Brazilian version of the instrument showed excellent psychometric properties to measure the levels of digital health literacy in adults from the country.

“Queda Livre”: Conceitos de Cidadania em Episódio da Série Black Mirror

As inovações tecnológicas otimizaram novas possibilidades de interações pessoais no ambiente virtual, causando, no entanto, significativas mudanças comportamentais em certas ocasiões. O objetivo deste artigo é identificar as correlações das novas tecnologias com a realidade contemporânea, tendo o episódio intitulado “Nosedive” (em portuguêsbrasileiro,“Queda Livre”) da terceira temporada da série “Black Mirror” (Brooker, 2016) como contexto representativo de uma sociedade cada vez mais conectada em ambientes virtuais, exibindo comportamentos que por vezes geram dissonâncias cognitivas nos conceitos de cidadania. Após a análise com metodologia dialética, aproximando o episódio em análise com o que a sociedade tecnológica está exibindo, a conclusão é que o episódio “Queda Livre” está potencializando a cultura do impressionar, que retrata o desespero de indivíduos por serem notados e aceitos em uma sociedade, incluindo a síndrome de FOMO (Fear of Missing Out/medo de ficar de fora), patologia cada vez mais presente, que questiona conceitos de cidadania em redes sociais e ambientes virtuais. O referencial teórico para a análise inclui conceitos de Zygmunt Bauman, Massimo Di Felice, Pierre Lévy, Andrew Keen e SherryTurkle.“Nosedive”: Citizenship Concepts in Episode of the Series Black MirrorAbstractThe technological innovations have optimized new possibilities for personal interactions in the virtual environment, causing, however, significant behavioral changes on occasion. The aim of this article is to identify the correlations of new technologies with contemporary reality, with the episode entitled “Nosedive” (in Brazilian-Portuguese, “Free Fall”) from the third season of the series “Black Mirror” (Brooker, 2016) as context representative of a society increasingly connected in virtual environments, exhibiting behaviors that sometimes generate cognitive dissonance in the concepts of citizenship. After analyzing with dialectical methodology, bringing the episode under analysis closer to what the technological society is exhibiting, the conclusion is that the episode "Free Fall" is enhancing the culture of impressing, which portrays the despair of individuals for being noticed and accepted in a society, including the syndrome of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out/fear of being left out), an increasingly present pathology that questions concepts of citizenship in social networks and virtual environments. The theoretical framework for the analysis includes concepts by Zygmunt Bauman, Massimo Di Felice, Pierre Lévy, Andrew Keen and SherryTurkle.Keywords: Behavior; communication; social nets; virtual scenery; citizenship.