Lourdes Bolla

Subjective psychological wellbeing in medical students: a pilot study from Paraguay

ABSTRACT Psychological wellbeing is associated with variables of living among all human beings and has important implications for college students. Their coping strategies will vary as will their responses, depending upon their self-esteem and self-efficacy, personality patterns, mental health, financial development and lifestyle. There is little research on subjective psychological wellbeing among college students. This study describes 560 self-report completed questionnaires from 10 medical students. Subjective psychological wellbeing was analyzed employing the questionnaire Versión Adaptada del Método de Muestreo de Experiencia (Adapted Version of the Experience Sampling Method). The assessed conditions were ‘flow’ (perceived skills and challenges are higher and balanced), ‘boredom’ (perceived skills higher than challenges), ‘anxiety’ (perceived challenges higher than skills) and ‘apathy’ (perceived skills and challenges both lower and balanced). We found that the mean score of the perceived challenges was 4.23±2.42, whereas the mean score of perceived skills was higher, at 5.73±2.08. The fact that the ‘perceived skills’ score was higher than ‘perceived challenges’ score meets criteria for a ‘boredom’ condition. It is known that boredom may be associated to drug abuse, delinquency and academic failure among young subjects. Further studies are needed in order to establish strategies to improve motivation and spirit of challenge.

Ictiosis hystrix (nevus epidérmico diseminado) asociado a hiperqueratosis epidermolítica

Resumen La Ictiosis Hystrix es una anomalia del desarrollo epidermico frecuentemente desfigurante, que consiste en una erupcion diseminada y bilateral, que afecta el tronco y las extremidades. Si bien esta entidad no es infrecuente, la presencia de hiperqueratosis epidermolitica en la biopsia cutanea es un hallazgo relativamente poco comun, como lo demuestra la literatura. Presentamos el caso de un nino con nevus epidermico diseminado asociado al hallazgo histologico de hiperqueratosis epidermolitica. El tratamiento es desalentador.