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This was a cross-sectional study that aimed to evaluate the association between breastfeeding and motor development of infants at 3-4 months of age in the city of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul. The outcome, infant motor development, was evaluated through the Bayley Scale of Infant Development (Bayley III). The prevalence of infants that stopped breastfeeding before reaching 3-4 months of age was 16.6%. The most prevalent reason for early weaning was 'insufficient milk flow' (50.4%). The general mean of motor development was 104.9 (±13.2) points, and the lowest means were attributed to babies who never breastfed (101.5; SD ±14.6), followed by those stopped breastfeeding (102.5; SD ±14.1). The results revealed that infants who never breastfed and those who had stopped at 3-4 months of age presented -1.9 (CI 95% -3.8;-0.2) points in the motor development scale means when compared with infants who were still breastfeeding.

This study aimed to verify the course of maternal anxiety disorders and its impact on child development of toddlers. This is a cohort study that followed 497 pregnant adolescents who received antenatal care in the public health service in a southern city in Brazil. We assessed maternal anxiety disorders during gestation, postpartum, and when children were 2-3 years old and we evaluated child development in toddlerhood. We performed a structured modelling approach to compare the effect of three different hypothesized life course models (accumulation, critical period, and mobility) of maternal anxiety on child development. The course of maternal anxiety manifests in different ways in each dimension of child development. However, only child cognitive development was directly impacted by maternal anxiety disorders (B -4.05; 95%CI -7.16; -0.93). Research on the impact of life course models of anxiety disorders is needed to help the implementation of interventions to prevent future negative outcomes.

The revised Helping Alliance Questionnaire (HAq‐II) is among the most used instruments that measure therapeutic alliance. Despite its use in research, this instrument is not validated for the Brazilian population. The aim of this study was to explore the evidence of validity of the HAq‐II based on the internal structure in a sample of Brazilian psychiatric patients. An ambulatory convenience sample of 204 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 81 patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) was randomized between two different types of treatment. The HAq‐II was completed by patients (patient version) and by 33 therapists who performed the interventions (therapist version) between the second and third sessions. We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to investigate two models: (1) a one‐dimensional therapeutic alliance model and (2) a two‐dimensional model considering the factors 'positive alliance' and 'negative alliance'. The internal consistency of the HAq‐II was measured by Cronbach's alpha. To investigate discriminant validity, we used the t‐test for independent samples, ANOVA and Pearson's correlation coefficient. The analysis showed that the best model of the instrument was one‐dimensional. Cronbach's alpha for both versions displayed values above 0.89. The Brazilian version of the HAq‐II presented properties similar to those found in the original version. However, studies related to the one‐dimensional model with other samples are necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Family members tend to modify their routine by assisting or participating in the patient's rituals. These behaviors have been identified as family accommodation (FA). Aims: The aim of this study was to describe the relationship between family accommodation of relatives of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) patients and their perceptions about the obsessions and compulsions of the patient. Method: This was a cross-sectional study with family members of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in a Southern Brazilian city. The family perception of the OCD symptoms and their accommodation were assessed through the Family Accommodation Scale for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder – Interviewer-Rated (FAS-IR). Results: The level of family accommodation was higher in those family members who lived with the patient when compared to those who did not live with them (p =.011). The obsessions associated with higher levels of family accommodation were: contamination (p <.001), hoarding/saving (p =.001), symmetry/exactness (p =.001), religious (p =.019), and diverse (p =.003). Regarding compulsions, the perception of all symptoms was associated with higher levels of family accommodation (p <.05). Conclusion: The family accommodation is present in family members of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder patients, regardless of the type of obsessive/compulsive symptom perceived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The parental bonding is influenced by two dimensions: care and control or protection over the child of both parents. The lack of care during childhood may make the individual more susceptible to the onset of psychiatric disorders when adult. These psychiatric disorders when present during pregnancy may have a negative impact on the health of pregnant women and children. The aim of this study was to assess the association between generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in pregnant adolescents and the perception of parental bonding. Methods This is a cross-sectional study with 871 pregnant women under the age of 19, receiving prenatal care in 47 Basic Health Units in the one city, Brazil. The generalized anxiety disorder was measured using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and the perception of parental bonding in childhood using the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). Results The prevalence of GAD was 8.5%. Among all the parental bonding dimensions, only a perceived lack of maternal care under 16 years was associated with GAD. Conclusions The results showed that only the perception of maternal bonding was associated with later GAD. It suggests that an adequate maternal bond is an essential component of psychological health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objectives: To describe the prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) during pregnancy in teenage mothers and to assess its association with socio-demographic characteristics, obstetric history and psychosocial variables. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of pregnant teenagers enrolled in the national public health system in the urban area of Pelotas, southern Brazil. MDD was assessed with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, the Abuse Assessment Screen was used to identify physical abuse within the last 12 months and during pregnancy, and social support was assessed with the Medical Outcomes Survey Social Support Scale. Results: Forty-three (4.94%) potential subjects refused to participate, resulting in 828 total participants. The prevalence of MDD was 17.8%, 9.2% reported they had been subjected to violence within the last 12 months, while 5.8% had suffered violence during pregnancy, and the mean (SD) overall social support score was 87.40 (11.75). After adjustment, we found the highest incidence of MDD in adolescents with less than 8 years of education, followed by those with previous episodes of MDD and those with lower overall social support. Conclusions: MDD is a relatively common condition in pregnant teenagers and appears to be more prevalent in young mothers who are both socioeconomically and psychosocially underprivileged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pregnancy is accompanied by hormonal fluctuation, including increased cortisol and oxytocin (OT). Although the implications of these hormones during pregnancy are extensively studied, their normative variability is not well established. Therefore, we evaluated how serum cortisol and OT levels behave throughout pregnancy. This longitudinal study is part of a population-based cohort of pregnant women living in a city in Southern Brazil. Pregnant women up to 24 gestational weeks were evaluated at the time of identification (1st wave, N=983) and 60 days after the initial interview (2nd wave, N=840). At both times, blood samples were collected for hormonal dosage. We investigated the trajectory of these hormones throughout pregnancy using growth curve modeling. The best-fitting model was the exponential growth model, in which the variance explains approximately 79.1 % of the outcome. Thus, the cortisol level was, on average, at 44.2 μg/dl (95 %CI: 29.2;59.1, p<0.001) in the first gestational week, with an increase of approximately 2.0 % (95 %CI: 1.01;1.02, p<0.001) each week. OT showed no significant changes. While cortisol appears to follow a trajectory of exponential increase, possibly in response to the demands of fetal development, the variation in OT levels throughout pregnancy still remains constant subject to further investigation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest Conflict of interest On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that no conflicts of interest exist., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Approximately 6 to 13% of women suffer from antenatal depression (AD) around the world. AD can lead to several health problems for mother-baby. Vitamin D is a molecule that appears to have great preventive/therapeutic potential against neuropsychiatric disorders. The present study aimed to analyze the association between deficiency of vitamin D and AD in pregnant women in a city in the south of Brazil (Pelotas, RS). We hypothesize that pregnant women with a positive AD diagnosis have deficient levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D)., Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a cohort study (CEP/UCPEL 47807915.4.0000.5339). From this cohort, 180 pregnant women at up to 24 weeks gestation were selected (130 non-depressed and 50 depressed), and the diagnosis of depression was made using the MINI-Plus. Blood was collected and stored for the later analysis of vitamin D (25(OH)D) by chemiluminescence method. The SPSS program was used for data analysis, and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: In our study, we showed a significant association between Major Depressive Episode current in the antenatal period and vitamin D deficiency (OR: 0.9; CI 95%: 0.9;1.0, p=0.003)., Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that vitamin D deficiency may be involved in major depressive disorder in the antenatal period, in this way it advised a follow-up of vitamin D levels in the pregnancy-puerperal cycle to minimize mental health problems in women and prevent developmental deficits in children., Competing Interests: No conflicts of interest declared concerning the publication of this article.