Ana Carolina Peuker

Cognition and functioning in bipolar depression

Objectives: Depressive symptoms are associated with worse outcomes in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). However, scarce data are available regarding neurocognitive profiles across different areas of functioning among BD patients with moderate and severe depression. Our objective was to assess cognition and global functioning in a group of patients with bipolar depression. Methods: Data were available for 100 patients with bipolar depression (78% female) and 70 controls (64% female) paired by age and education level. Cognitive function was assessed with a neuropsychological test battery. Functioning was assessed with the Functioning Assessment Short Test. Results: In patients, severe depression was associated with poorer cognitive performance on measures of executive function. Patients with severe depression showed worse global functioning than those with moderate depression (z = 2.54, p = 0.011). In patients with severe depression, lower global functioning was associated with lower scores in working memory (r = -0.200, p = 0.010), and executive function (r = -0.210, p = 0.007; and r = 0.293, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our findings suggest cognitive impairment and global functioning impairment are associated with the severity of depressive symptoms in bipolar depression. Intensive treatment of depressive symptoms in patients with BD is crucial to improve cognitive functioning and, consequently, functional outcomes.

Illness Perception, Knowledge and Self-Care about Cervical Cancer

Prevention plays a central role in early detection of cervical cancer. Common Sense Model proposes that the nature and organization of illness representations can guide actions related to health and how self-care is exercised. The aim of this study was to describe and compare illness perception, knowledge and self-care in women with and without cancer precursor lesions. Participants were 92 women (aged 18-59) from primary care unity divided into two groups: women with and without premalignant lesion. Measures for illness perception, knowledge and self-care were used. There was no statistically significant difference (t test e chi-square test) between groups in the variables analyzed. Despite the risk for cervical cancer, women with precursor lesions do not adjust their illness perceptions, knowledge and self-care to the situation. These data show the need to warn women against the cervical cancer risks, because their distorted perceptions and lack of knowledge about the disease may hamper the screening and control of cervical cancer.

Breast cancer prevention: what women think about the illness, its risks and self-care

Background: Early detection of breast cancer (BC) is important to reduce mortality rates. To prevent BC, women should adopt self-care behaviors. This study aimed at examining risk and illness perception and self-care of healthy women regarding breast cancer. Methods: Participants were 211 women (M = 59.11 years, SD = 8.54) and with no personal history of the illness, selected by convenience. Measures were a sociodemographic, clinical and health behavior questionnaire, illness perception and risk perception questionnaires. Nonparametric statistics (Spearman) was employed to analyze the relationship between illness perception, risk perception and sociodemographic variables. The open answers to the causes of the illness were classified according to the content analysis. Results: We found a relationship between risk and illness perception and self-care in healthy women regarding BC. It was identified that women had reasonable illness coherence (M = 3.18) and considered the illness more timeline chronic than timeline acute (M = 3.22), reasonable timeline cyclical (M = 3.56), with severe consequences for health (M = 4.22), and reasonably threatening (M = 3.15). Conclusions: BC and risk perception and self-care are interrelated variables among healthy women.

Brief intervention for stress management and change in illness perception among hypertensive and normotensive workers: pilot study and protocol

The objective of this study was to describe and evaluate the effects of a pilot intervention on perceived stress, knowledge about hypertension, and illness perception among hypertensive and normotensive workers. The intervention consisted of two group sessions performed in the workplace aiming to reduce stress, increase knowledge about hypertension, and explore the effect on illness perception. The sessions included clinical aspects of systemic arterial hypertension, illness perception and health behavior, and strategies for stress management. Workers from a petrochemical industry (19 hypertensive and 14 normotensive) participated in the study by answering a biosociodemographic questionnaire, the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale, and a quiz with questions about hypertension. The measurements were collected at an initial meeting to gather the participants and 90xa0days after the intervention. There was a significant reduction in the perceived stress levels of both groups, in addition to an increase in the perception of personal control and illness coherence. Normotensive workers also increased their knowledge about hypertension, while hypertensive patients increased the perception that treatment could control the illness. In conclusion, the pilot intervention generated positive effects and can be considered a strategy of illness prevention for normotensive workers and control for hypertensive patients.

Modelo de Autorregulação em Saúde e câncer de mama: uma revisão sistemática de literatura

As percepcoes ou crencas que o individuo tem sobre determinada doenca, seja ele doente ou saudavel, estao relacionadas com suas condutas para a manutencao ou restabelecimento de sua saude, autorregulando seu comportamento diante desta situacao. O objetivo deste artigo foi investigar as contribuicoes do Modelo de Autorregulacao do Senso Comum (MSC) em pesquisas cientificas sobre o câncer de mama, verificar se o MSC e integrado a outros constructos teoricos nos estudos identificados e discutir os aspectos metodologicos dos estudos incluidos nessa revisao. Foram selecionados estudos empiricos sobre percepcao do câncer de mama no periodo de agosto de 2004 a junho de 2015 nas bases de dados Medline, Pubmed e/ou PsycInfo . Doze artigos foram incluidos na analise. Os estudos revelaram que uma percepcao inadequada da doenca pode ocasionar alteracoes psicologicas tais como: ansiedade, depressao, e distress. Os estudos acessaram os participantes majoritariamente atraves de clinicas e hospitais com amostras de mulheres com a doenca.

Preditores de autocuidado de mulheres sadias frente ao câncer de colo de útero

O autocuidado para a prevencao do câncer de colo de utero esta diretamente relacionado ao comportamento ativo da mulher para a realizacao dos exames preventivos que detectam precocemente a doenca. Objetivo: testar um modelo preditivo do autocuidado, considerando percepcao da doenca e variaveis de comportamento sexual. Participaram 122 mulheres (M=40,80 anos; DP= 12), usuarias de servico publico de saude, do sul do Brasil. Instrumentos: ficha de dados sociodemograficos e clinicos, questionario de percepcao da doenca e questionario de autocuidado. Resultados: Analise de regressao revelou que o Controle do tratamento e a Idade da primeira relacao sexual foram preditores de autocuidado (10,4% e 4,2% respectivamente). O modelo explicou 13,1% da variância do autocuidado. Conclusao: Mulheres que iniciaram a vida sexual mais tarde e com alta percepcao de controle do tratamento apresentavam melhor autocuidado. Observa-se que aspectos psicologicos e comportamentais devem ser considerados no delineamento de acoes orientadas para o controle da doenca.