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Study aim: This study aimed to investigate the impact of physical activity on the mental health characteristics of a sample of university students from Paraguay, assessing their daily physical activity and the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress.

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Background: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials has suggested a bidirectional relationship between sleep problems and mental health issues. Despite these findings, there is limited conclusive evidence on the relationship between sleep quality, depression, anxiety, and burnout., Objective: The current study aimed to evaluate the relationships between sleep quality symptoms, anxiety, depression, and burnout in samples of adult individuals from two Latin American countries, Peru and El Salvador, through network analysis and to identify key symptoms that reinforce the correlation and intensify the syndromes., Methods: A total of 1012 individuals from El Salvador and Peru participated, with an average age of 26.5 years (SD = 9.1). Symptom networks were constructed for both countries based on data from the Jenkins Sleep Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-2, General Anxiety Disorder-2, and a single burnout item., Results: The results indicated that Depressed Mood, Difficulty Falling Asleep, and Nervousness were the most central symptoms in a network in the participating countries. The strongest conditional associations were found between symptoms belonging to the same construct, which were similar in both countries. Thus, there is a relationship between Nervousness and Uncontrollable Worry, Anhedonia and Depressed Mood, and Nighttime Awakenings and Difficulty in Staying Asleep. It was observed that burnout is a bridge symptom between both countries and presents stronger conditional associations with Tiredness on Awakening, Depressed Mood, and Uncontrollable Worry. Other bridge symptoms include a Depressed Mood and Nervousness. The network structure did not differ between the participants from Peru and El Salvador., Conclusion: The networks formed by sleep quality, anxiety, depression, and burnout symptoms play a prominent role in the comorbidity of mental health problems among the general populations of Peru and El Salvador. The symptom-based analytical approach highlights the different diagnostic weights of these symptoms. Treatments or interventions should focus on identifying central and bridge symptoms., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Depression and anxiety are two of the most prevalent and disabling mental disorders worldwide, both in the general population and in outpatient clinical settings., Objective: This study aimed to analyze the psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) based on network analysis metrics., Methods: A total of 911 Paraguayans (23.71% women and 76.29% men; mean age 31.25 years, SD = 10.63), selected by non-probabilistic convenience sampling, participated in the study. Network analysis was used to evaluate the internal structure, reliability, and measurement invariance between men and women., Results: The results revealed that the PHQ-4 is a unidimensional measure through Exploratory Graph Analysis (EGA). Reliability, through structural consistency, identified that 100% of the time, only a single dimension was obtained, and all items remained stable, as they were always replicated within the empirical dimension. The unidimensional structure has shown evidence of configural invariance; therefore, the network structure functioned equally among the different sex groups., Conclusion: The PHQ-4 presented optimal preliminary evidence of validity based on its internal structure, reliability, and invariance between sexes. Therefore, it may be useful as an accurate and brief measure of anxiety and depressive symptoms in the Paraguayan context., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Although evidence of mistreatment toward university students in the academic field has been reported for several years, its study in the context of the development of undergraduate research is still emerging. For this reason, it is necessary to have valid and reliable measurement instruments that allow assessing the magnitude of this problem. The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Thesis Advisor Abuse Scale (EMAT, for its acronym in Spanish) in Peruvian university students. A total of 753 university students (women = 57.4%) from the 3 regions of Peru participated. The internal structure was analyzed under an analytical-factorial approach, and the discrimination and difficulty characteristics of the items were evaluated from the perspective of item response theory (IRT). The findings showed evidence supporting the original three-dimensional structure. Furthermore, all the items on the EMAT have good discriminatory power. Additionally, the EMAT proved to be strictly invariant according to sex, and the reliability coefficients reached high magnitudes. It is concluded that the EMAT is an instrument that has adequate psychometric properties to be used as a measure of mistreatment by advisors in the thesis preparation processes in Peruvian university students., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interestsOscar Mamani-Benito reports article publishing charges was provided by University of the Lord of Sipan. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify predictors of intention to be vaccinated against Monkeypox (Mpox) in a sample of Peruvian citizens.  METHODS: A set of sociodemographic and psychological predictors were used, such as sex, sexual orientation, educational level, previous diagnosis of COVID-19, marital status, complete vaccination against COVID-19, employment status, living with vulnerable people, presence of chronic disease, area of residence, perceived usefulness of COVID-19 vaccines, fear of Mpox, conspiracy beliefs about Mpox, among others. A total of 472 Peruvian adults participated, selected by non-probabilistic snowball convenience sampling. A sociodemographic survey, the Mpox Fear Scale, was used. Conspiracy Beliefs about Mpox was assessed using three questions created specifically for this study. For inferential purposes, simple ordinal regressions ("crude models") were performed between each factor and the outcome.  RESULTS: Regarding their intention to be vaccinated against Mpox, more than 60% expressed clear approval. Being non-heterosexual, having greater emotional fear of Mpox, and perceiving some potential for this disease to become the next pandemic were related to greater intention to vaccinate. On the other hand, being older, having low perceived usefulness of COVID-19 vaccines, and having higher conspiracy beliefs about Mpox were associated with lower intention to vaccinate.  CONCLUSION: The study provides initial information for future research seeking to better analyze Mpox vaccination intention. In addition, cross-sectional data are provided that can be used to develop public health policies that target subgroups with low prevalence of intention to vaccinate against Mpox., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

In the current diagnostic systems, the International Classification of Diseases-11th rev. (ICD-11) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5th ed. (DSM-5), the evaluation and diagnosis of personality disorder (PD) aim at dimensional examination of the severity of its dysfunction and the stylistic features that accompany it. Since their implementation, or even before, several measures have been developed to assess PD severity and traits in both models. Thus, convergent validity metrics have been reported with various PD measures; however, the convergence of the same constructs included in the measures of these two models remains undefined. The objective of the present review was to examine whether there is a sufficient relationship between PD measures of the ICD-11 and DSM-5 AMPD in the general population. For this meta-analytic review, systematic searches were conducted in Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. We included studies that reported Pearson's r correlations without restrictions on language, age, sex, setting, type of sample, or informant of the measures. We excluded associations with anankastia, psychoticism or the borderline pattern because they were not comparable between one dimensional model and the other. We examined the quality of the evidence with the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Analytical Cross Sectional Studies, and performed the random effects meta-analysis with the 'meta' package of the RStudio software. Of the 5,629 results returned by the search, 16 studies were eligible; and showed moderate quality. The risk of bias was manifested by not specifying the details of the sample, the recruitment environment, and the identification and control of confounding factors. Thirteen studies provided two or more correlations resulting in a total of 54 studies for meta-analysis. The overall effect size estimate (correlation) was moderate for the overall model ( r  = 0.62, 95% CI [0.57, 0.67], p  < 0.0001, I 2  = 97.6%). For the subgroup of associations, ICD-11 severity model and DSM-5 AMPD severity model, the correlation was also moderate ( k  = 10, r  = 0.57, 95% CI [0.48; 0.66]; I 2  = 92.9%); as for the subgroup of associations, ICD-11 traits model and DSM-5 AMPD traits model ( k  = 44, r  = 0.63, 95% CI [0.57; 0.69], I 2  = 97.9%). The convergent validity between measures of PD severity and traits between one diagnostic system and another has been demonstrated in this review and they can probably be used interchangeably because they also measure the same constructs. Future research can address the limitations of this study and review the evidence for the discriminant validity of these measures., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Hualparuca-Olivera, Caycho-Rodríguez, Torales and Ramos-Campos.)

Background: The study explores the associations among Relationship Maintenance, Satisfaction, Jealousy, and Violence in young Peruvian couples, particularly in a post-pandemic context, using a network analysis., Methods: Eight hundred thirty-two participants aged 18-30 (M = 20.94, SD = 2.29), with 645 females (77.50%) and 187 males (22.50%), were involved. The study aimed to discern relationships among network nodes, emphasizing the link between Relationship Maintenance dimensions and Jealousy and Violence. The research also sought the central node in the network and examined gender-specific node connections, using the SMOTE algorithm for gender data balance., Results: Findings revealed a direct connection between Complementarity and Jealousy, implying intense shared interests can lead to unhealthy dependence. An inverse relationship was seen between Companionship and Violence. Satisfaction was pivotal, showcasing its importance in romantic relationship success. Additionally, the study shows men prioritize Companionship and Sharing, possibly due to cultural norms, while women focus on the Companionship-Complementarity bond, indicating mutual support., Conclusions: The research emphasizes the critical role of maintenance variables in determining Satisfaction, Jealousy, and Violence in relationships. The pandemic's influence on romantic dynamics is evident, emphasizing the importance of Satisfaction. Future studies should focus on gender equity and further explore these relationships., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the measurement invariance of a general measure of the perception of governmental responses to COVID-|19 (COVID-SCORE-10) in the general population of 13 Latin American countries., Methods: A total of 5780 individuals from 13 Latin American and Caribbean countries selected by non-probabilistic snowball sampling participated. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed and the alignment method was used to evaluate invariance. Additionally, a graded response model was used for the assessment of item characteristics., Results: The results indicate that there is approximate measurement invariance of the COVID-SCORE-10 among the participating countries. Furthermore, IRT results suggest that the COVID-SCORE-10 measures with good psychometric ability a broad spectrum of the construct assessed, especially around average levels. Comparison of COVID-SCORE-10 scores indicated that participants from Cuba, Uruguay and El Salvador had the most positive perceptions of government actions to address the pandemic. Thus, the underlying construct of perception of government actions was equivalent in all countries., Conclusion: The results show the importance of initially establishing the fundamental measurement properties and MI before inferring the cross-cultural universality of the construct to be measured., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Research on life satisfaction in indigenous populations is limited due to language barriers. Therefore, this paper aimed to translate and validate the Life Satisfaction Scale into the original Quechua language (collao variant) of southern Peru. The research was classified as instrumental and transversal and was conducted with the voluntary participation of 242 Quechua adults speaking the collao variant. The instrument that was translated was the 5-item SWLS, previously adapted to Peruvian Spanish. The internal structure was analyzed under an analytical-factorial approach, and the discrimination and difficulty of the items were evaluated from the item response theory (IRT). Expert judgment was favorable for all items (V > 0.70), confirming the 1-dimensional structure of the scale (χ2 = 8.972, df = 5, p = .000; CFI = 0.985; TLI = 0.970 and RMSEA = 0.057), with acceptable reliability (ω = 0.65). All the items of the scale presented adequate discrimination indices; in addition, the results of the evaluation of factorial invariance as a function of gender demonstrated configurational equivalence but an absence of metric invariance. In conclusion, the SWLS translated into Collao Quechua (collao variant) has a stable factorial structure and adequate internal consistency, although it was not possible to completely demonstrate the invariance by gender, it can be used for initial investigations to measure satisfaction with life of the Quechua-speaking indigenous population of southern Peru., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Background: Paraguay has recently experienced an exponential increase in chikungunya cases, leading to psychological distress, particularly anxiety., Aim: To develop and validate the Chikungunya Anxiety Scale (CHIKAS)., Materials and Methods: An initial scale of 18 items was used, which was subjected to validation by expert judgment to obtain 14 items. To determine construct validity, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) have been employed, and internal and convergent validity were determined. Demographic, socioeconomic, and health status data were also collected., Results: The study included 974 participants. The final scale consisted of 12 items with evidence of a two-factor model (psychological and physical). The internal validity was good (McDonald's omega = 0.882). The CFA showed good adjustment indices. Regarding participant characteristics, a relationship was found between anxiety due to chikungunya and gender, employment, mental diagnosis, medication use, and chikungunya infection., Conclusion: The final 12-item CHIKAS had strong psychometric properties and was a two-factor model., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 Industrial Psychiatry Journal.)

Background: The CAPE Vulnerability Index serves as a worldwide foreign policy indicator that implies which countries should get assistance first. It provides an evidence-based, well-structured, and well-reasoned strategy for employing aid in bilateral arrangements with mental health as a basis., Objective: The second edition of the CAPE VI has been developed to identify which nations should get priority foreign aid., Materials and Methods: We considered various indices or measures at the country level reflecting the average national health status or factors influencing public health. To make our choice, we used 26 internationally accessible and verified indicators. For the study, we have scored the countries according to these indices and prioritized those with the worst scores., Results: The CAPE Vulnerability Index is based on the number of times a country is ranked among the low-scoring nations. It is based on nine parameters and is an independent measure even though there may be a correlation with similar indices such as life expectancy, disability-adjusted life years(DALYs), physician numbers, and gross domestic product(GDP)., Conclusion: We concluded that low-scoring countries were fragile or failed states, such as nations where governments lack complete oversight or power, are often oppressive and corrupt, have allegations of violations of human rights, or are marked by political turmoil in different forms, drawbacks from severe environmental damage, severe impoverishment, inequalities, cultural and racial divisions, cannot supply fundamental amenities, are victims of terrorism, and so on. To address these essential problems impacting fragile nations, administrations, aid donors, local organizations, mental health specialists, and associations should collaborate., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 Industrial Psychiatry Journal.)

With the implementation of new dimensional models of personality disorder (PD) in the DSM-5 and ICD-11, several investigators have developed and evaluated the psychometric properties of measures of severity. The diagnostic accuracy of these measures, an important cross-cultural metric that falls between validity and clinical utility, remains unclear. This study aimed to analyze and synthesize the diagnostic performance of the measures designed for both models. For this purpose, searches were carried out using three databases: Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science. Studies that presented sensitivity and specificity parameters for cut-off points were selected. There were no restrictions on the age and gender of the participants nor on the reference standard used or the settings. Study quality and synthesis were assessed using QUADAS-2 and MetaDTA software, respectively. Twelve studies were eligible covering self-reported and clinician-rated measures based on the ICD-11 and DSM-5 PD severity models. A total of 66.7% of the studies showed a risk of bias in more than 2 domains. The 10th and 12th studies provided additional metrics, resulting in a total of 21 studies for evidence synthesis. Adequate overall sensitivity and specificity (Se = 0.84, Sp = 0.69) of these measures were obtained; however, the cross-cultural performance of specific cut-off points could not be assessed due to the paucity of studies on the same measure. Evidence suggests that patient selection processes should mainly be improved (avoid case-control design), use adequate reference standards, and avoid only reporting metrics for the optimal cut-off point., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Hualparuca-Olivera and Caycho-Rodríguez.)

The aim of the present study was to translate into Spanish and evaluate the psychometric evidence of the Impact on Quality of Life (COV19-QoL) applied to a sample of Peruvian older adults (N = 298; 58.1% women, 41.9% men, mean age 65.34 years [SD = 11.33]). The study used techniques from the Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT). The findings confirmed the single factor structure of the COV19-QoL, high internal consistency reliability, measurement invariance by gender, and all items demonstrated adequate discrimination and difficulty indices. In this sense, the items allow adequate discrimination between low, medium and high levels of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on quality of life. In addition, a greater perceived impact of the pandemic on quality of life is necessary to answer the higher response options of the COV19-QoL. In conclusion, the COV19-QoL is a valid measurement scale of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of life of Peruvian older adults., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: There is an urgent need to assess changes in well-being on a multinational scale during the COVID-19 pandemic, thus culturally valid scales must be available., Methods: With this in mind, this study examined the invariance of the WHO well-being index (WHO-5) among a sample of 5183 people from 12 Latin Americans countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay)., Results: The results of the present study indicate that the WHO-5 is strictly invariant across samples from different Latin American countries. Furthermore, the results of the IRT analysis indicate that all items of the WHO-5 were highly discriminative and that the difficulty required to respond to each of the five items is ascending. Additionally, the results indicated the presence of moderate and small size differences in subjective well-being among most countries., Conclusion: The WHO-5 is useful for assessing subjective well-being in 12 Latin American countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, since the differences between scores can be attributed to differences in well-being and not in other characteristics of the scale., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Thousands of people have died of COVID-19 in El Salvador. However, little is known about the mental health of those who are mourning the loss of a loved one to COVID-19. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the dysfunctional grief associated with COVID-19 death among Salvadoran adults. A sample of 435 Salvadorans (M = 29 years; SD = 8.75) who lost a family member or loved one to COVID-19 completed a digital survey using the Google Forms platform, during April 2 and 28, 2022. The results revealed that 35.1% reported clinically elevated symptoms of dysfunctional grief and among those mourners, and 25.1% also exhibited clinical levels of coronavirus anxiety. A binary logistic regression revealed that predictor variables such as COVID-19 anxiety (p = .003), depression (p = .021), and COVID-19 obsession (p = .032) were significant (χ 2  = 84.31; Nagelkerke R 2  = .242) and predict a 24.2% chance of dysfunctional bereavement., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a heavy impact on daily life, leading to physical and psychosocial consequences. Nowadays, clinicians and health researchers are particularly interested in describing and facing the long-term effects of COVID-19, also known as "long-COVID syndrome". Pandemic fatigue has been defined as a cluster of demotivation, tiredness, and psychological effects that emerge gradually over time after the infection or through the adoption of the recommended measures to combat it. In this study, we report the findings of a large survey conducted in South America involving 1448 participants (mean age: 33.9 ± 11.2 years old) from Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, Peru, and Paraguay. An online survey was launched through the common social media based on a specific assessment aimed to detect the prevalence of pandemic fatigue and associated factors. Socio-demographic characteristics, medical, and personal information were collected; the Pandemic Fatigue Scale (PFS) and the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) were also administered. We found mid-levels of pandemic fatigue among respondents (21.7 ± 7.95 score at PFS) as well as significant anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic (1.56 ± 2.76 score at CAS). In addition, pandemic fatigue was significantly associated with the experience of the loss of a relative/friend due to COVID-19, anxiety related to the infection, and reliance on social media as a primary source of information on the pandemic. Vaccination significantly reduced the levels of fatigue among respondents. Our findings may add to the international debate regarding the long-term health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and strategies to manage them in the general population of South America.

Background: Positive relationships are one of the most important components within the PERMA model since they facilitate the development of the other components. However, in the scientific literature, few instruments have been identified with solid psychometric properties that measure positive relationships in university students and adequately represent the construct. Therefore, the study aims to develop and study the psychometric properties of the PRI + 19 positive relationships scale through Confirmatory Factor Analysis, factorial invariance, and relationship-based validity with other variables., Method: A pilot sample of 201 university students (43.8% men and 56.2 women) between the ages of 18 and 34 (M = 20.9; SD = 2.74) was collected. The confirmatory sample consisted of 450 university students of both sexes (30.2% men and 69.8 women) between the ages of 18 and 35 years (M = 21.9; SD = 3.15). Along with the PRI + scale, other instruments were applied to measure satisfaction with life and psychological well-being., Results: In the pilot study, the Exploratory Factor Analysis showed the presence of three factors that could explain 54.5% of the items. In the confirmatory study, the Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed that the model of three dimensions related to 19 items presents the best adjustment indexes compared to other models (χ2 = 541.61; df = 149; CFI = 0.97; TLI = 0.97; RMSEA = 0.077 [IC90% 0.070 ‒ 0.084]). The scale also showed evidence of being strictly invariant for the groups of men and women. Finally, it was shown that the development of the positive bonds dimension positively predicts psychological well-being (0.35) and life satisfaction (0.20). The positive relationship management dimension positively predicts psychological well-being (0.28) and life satisfaction (0.29). Similarly, the integration dimension positively predicts psychological well-being (0.48) and life satisfaction (0.52)., Conclusion: This study suggests that the PRIM + 19 scale is a useful tool from which valid and reliable interpretations of positive relationships in Peruvian university students can be obtained., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Fear is one of the basic emotions generated during periods of infectious diseases. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and validate a scale that assesses monkeypox fear, the Monkeypox Fear Scale (MFS)., Methods: A total of 451 Peruvians participated (61% women and 39% men), with a mean age of 28.31 years (SD = 9.72). based on procedures from classical test theory (CTT) and item response theory (IRT). Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT) procedures were used., Results: The results showed that MFS has a two-factor structure related to emotional and physiological fear factors (χ2 = 41.87; df = 12; p < .001; CFI = .99; TLI = .99; RMSEA = .074 [IC90% .051-.100]). In addition, the physiological and emotional factors showed good reliability. Measurement invariance analysis showed that the factor structure of the MFS is strictly invariant between male and female groups. Finally, the discrimination and difficulty parameters of the items show adequacy. In addition, the scale seems to be more accurate in measuring high levels of fear of monkeypox., Conclusion: The MFS has adequate psychometric evidence to assess fear of monkeypox in the Peruvian population. These findings may guide future studies related to the consequences of monkeypox on mental health., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between depression, emotional exhaustion, self-esteem, satisfaction with studies, academic self-efficacy, and the use of virtual media in Peruvian university students during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A total of 569 college students (61.9% female), with a mean age of 21.73 years (standard deviation = 4.95), responded to the following questionnaires: Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, Single Item Self-Esteem Scale, Brief Scale of Satisfaction with Studies, Scale of Use of Virtual Media, Patient Health Questionnarie-2, and Single Item of Academic Emotional Exhaustion. Correlation statistics, regression models, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used for data analysis. The results demonstrated a direct and significant correlation between virtual media use, academic self-efficacy, self-esteem, depression, and emotional exhaustion ( p < .01). In addition, satisfaction with studies (β = -0.13), academic self-efficacy (β = -0.19), self-esteem (β = -0.14), and emotional exhaustion (β = 0.19) predicted depression significantly, whereas virtual media use (β = 0.17), study satisfaction (β = 0.09), and depression (β = 0.20) predicted emotional exhaustion associated with academics. The SEM model indicated that self-esteem, satisfaction with studies, and academic self-efficacy negatively predict depression, whereas academic self-efficacy positively predicts virtual media use. Finally, both virtual media use and depression positively predict emotional exhaustion. This model presents optimal goodness-of-fit indices (X 2 = 8.926, df = 6, p = .178; comparative fit = .991, Tucker-Lewis = .979, root mean square error of approximation = .029 [confidence interval 90% = .000-.067], standardized root mean square residual = .022). Thus, academic self-efficacy, self-esteem, satisfaction with studies, and virtual media use predict depression and emotional exhaustion among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Introduction: Cognitive reserve is the ability to better tolerate brain damage through pre-existing and compensatory cognitive resources. One assessment method is the Rami CRQ-Cognitive Reserve Questionnaire. The objective was to carry out an analysis of the informative quality of the CRQ from the item response theory (IRT), in order to provide more precise data on the reliability of internal consistency. Convergent validity was also tested with measures of attention, working memory, and fluency., Subjects and Methods: 210 Argentines from the general population (mean age, 66.8 years) participated. The CRQ was administered together with the digits test and three fluency tasks. A graded response model was fitted from IRT with estimation of discrimination parameters (a) and difficulty (b), and a CRQ information curve was created. Bivariate and partial correlations were made., Results: The IRT indicated high discrimination for the CRQ items 'Education' and 'Occupation level' (both for the 8-item version and the 6-item version). In the CRQ of 8 items, low discrimination was obtained for 'Musical training' and 'Intellectual games'. In both versions of the CRQ, the curve indicates greater informational value at a low level of the construct. There was a correlation with the digits test and with fluency tasks, even when controlling for age., Conclusions: This study is the first analysis of CRQ from IRT, concluding that the instrument is more reliable when applied to subjects with less reserve. The CRQ has acceptable convergent validity.

The Purpose in Life Test (PIL) is a measure of purpose in life widely used in many cultures and countries; however, cross-cultural assessments are scarce. The present study aimed to evaluate the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the PIL in the general population of seven Latin American countries (Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay). A total of 4306 people participated, selected by non-probabilistic convenience sampling, where Uruguay has the highest mean age ( M = 41.8; SD = 16.6 years); while Ecuador has the lowest mean age ( M = 24.6; SD = 7.8 years). Furthermore, in each country, there is a higher proportion of women (>60%) than men (<40%). Using Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis, the factorial structure does not show evidence of invariance among the included countries. However, based on the Multi-Group Factor Analysis Alignment, there is evidence that a three-dimensional structure of the PIL (Meaning of existence, Freedom to make meaning in daily life and Will to find meaning in the face of future challenges) is the same in the participating countries. Results based on item response theory indicate that most PIL items can significantly differentiate responses according to the level of life purpose. In addition, people with low life purpose will tend to choose the lower response alternatives on the PIL; while people with higher life purpose will choose higher response alternatives. The findings indicate that the PIL has the potential to increase knowledge about how people conceive and experience their purpose in life in different countries., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Caycho-Rodríguez, Vilca, Cervigni, Gallegos, Martino, Calandra, Rey Anacona, López-Calle, Moreta-Herrera, Chacón-Andrade, Lobos-Rivera, del Carpio, Quintero, Robles, Panza Lombardo, Gamarra Recalde, Buschiazzo Figares, White and Burgos-Videla.)

Background: The study of the meaning of life is essential since it plays a protective role in the mental health of university students. However, no studies have shown the adequate psychometric functioning of the MLQ in Latin American university students. For this reason, this research aims to evaluate the internal structure using CTT models, obtain evidence of validity based on the relationship with other variables, perform factorial invariance according to gender, and estimate the reliability of the MLQ., Methods: A sample of 581 Peruvian undergraduate students of both sexes (29.5% men and 70.5% women) between the ages of 18 and 35 (M = 22.6; SD = 3.3) was collected. Along with the MLQ, other instruments were applied to measure satisfaction with life (SWLS), subjective well-being (WBI), and depression (PHQ-9)., Results: In the present study was evidenced that the model of two related factors of nine items presents better adjustment indices (RMSEA = .075; SRMR = .059; CFI = .97; TLI = .96) compared to other models. Also, it was shown that the factorial structure of the MLQ is strictly invariant for the group of men and women. It was also shown that the presence of meaning was positively related to satisfaction with life (.63) and well-being (.60) and negatively to depression (- .56). In contrast, the search for meaning was not significantly related to life satisfaction (- .05) and well-being (- .07); but yes, to depression (.19)., Conclusion: It is concluded that the MLQ from the perspective of CTT has shown adequate evidence of reliability and validity. Therefore, it could be used in future studies and evaluation and intervention processes. In addition, the study provides the first evidence of the psychometric functioning of the scale in university students from Latin America., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Reliable and valid assessment instruments that can be applied briefly and easily in clinical and outpatient settings that provide information about the sources of reinforcement that the patient finds in his life are especially relevant in therapy. The study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Environmental Reward Observation Scale (EROS-R) in a sample of psychiatric patients. A sample of 228 psychiatric patients of both sexes (56.1% men and 43.9% women) aged between 18 and 70 years was selected. Along with the EROS-R, other instruments were administered to assess depression and anxiety. The results show that the scale fits a unidimensional model, presenting adequate fit indices (RMSEA = 0.077 (IC 90% 0.055−0.100); SRMR = 0.048; CFI = 0.98; TLI = 0.98). It was also shown that the degree of reward provided by the environment (EROS-R) correlates negatively with the level of depression (ρ = −0.54; p < 0.01) and anxiety (ρ = −0.34; p < 0.01). From the IRT perspective, all the items present adequate discrimination indices, where item 4 is the most precise indicator to measure the degree of environmental reward. All this leads us to conclude that the EROS-R is an instrument with robust psychometric guarantees from TCT and IRT’s perspectives, making it suitable for use in clinical contexts.

This study was aimed to develop and validate a short scale to measure satisfaction with virtual courses (SVC-S) in a sample of higher education students during the covid-19 pandemic; specifically, in the year 2021. A total of 3080 students between 16 and 56 years of age participated (Mean = 25.71; SD = 8.83); 1836 were female (59.60 %) and 1244 male (40.40 %). The participants were students from three cities in Peru (77.90% from Lima, 12.70% from Trujillo and 9.42% from Cajamarca). Qualitative and quantitative procedures were followed for the construction of the SVC-S. Item response theory (IRT) considering Samejima's two-parameter Graded Response Model (GRM) (2PL) and the test-item information function was used to establish accuracy/reliability, and the relationship of the SVC-S with a similar measure was examined to demonstrate convergence and discrimination. The results reveal that the data present an optimal fit (M2 (2) = 3.62; RMSEA = .016; CFI = 1.00). Reliability is excellent ( r xx = .93) and the information function suggests that the instrument is more accurate at low levels of the latent trait. Regarding convergence with an academic satisfaction scale, the SVC-S showed an appropriate correlation ( r = .70) whose average variance extracted (AVE) reported good discrimination of the constructs; despite being conceptually similar. SVC-S is concluded to be a valid and reliable measure that can be used in future studies in higher education., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2022 The Authors.)

The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was created by Marshal Folstein et al. in 1975 as an instrument for brief (5-10 min) assessment of mental status in hospitalized patients. It is considered the most widely used test for standardized cognitive assessment in the clinical setting, especially with the elderly population. It has countless translations in different languages, and according to the different international (PubMed) and regional (SciELO, Redalyc, and Dialnet) scientific databases, it has been widely used by the scientific community. This article describes the historical evolution of the MMSE, highlights its evaluative properties, and provides bibliometric data on its impact on scientific publications, with a special focus on Ibero-America., Competing Interests: Disclosure: The authors report no conflict of interest.

Aims: Over the past 2 years, the vaccine conspiracy beliefs construct has been used in a number of different studies. These publications have assessed the determinants and outcomes of vaccine conspiracy beliefs using, in some cases, pooled data from different countries, and compared the results across these contexts. However, studies often do not consider measurement invariance as a necessary requirement for comparative analyses. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the cross-cultural MI of the COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (COVID-VCBS) in 12 Latin American countries., Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis, item response theory analysis and alignment method were applied to test measurement invariance in a large number of groups., Results: The COVID-VCBS showed robust psychometric properties and measurement invariance for both factor loadings and crosstabs. Also, a higher level of acceptance of conspiracy beliefs about vaccines is necessary to respond to higher response categories. Similarly, greater acceptance of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines was related to a lower intention to be vaccinated., Conclusion: The results allow for improved understanding of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines in the countries assessed; furthermore, they provide researchers and practitioners with an invariant measure that they can use in cross-cultural studies in Latin America. However, further studies are needed to test invariance in other countries, with the goal of developing a truly international measure of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Caycho-Rodríguez, Valencia, Ventura-León, Vilca, Carbajal-León, Reyes-Bossio, White, Rojas-Jara, Polanco-Carrasco, Gallegos, Cervigni, Martino, Palacios, Moreta-Herrera, Samaniego-Pinho, Lobos-Rivera, Figares, Puerta-Cortés, Corrales-Reyes, Calderón, Tapia, Arias Gallegos and Petzold.)

The Spanish version of the 5-item Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS-5) is a brief measure of the general tendency to be attentive and aware of experiences in the present moment during daily life. The MAAS-5 has been used in different countries; however, an assessment of its cross-cultural measurement invariance (MI) has not been conducted. Therefore, the study aimed to evaluate the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the MAAS-5 in university students from two countries: Peru and Mexico. A total of 1144 university students from Peru (N = 822) and Mexico (N = 322) responded online to the Spanish version of the 5-item Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS-5). A multigroup confirmatory factor analysis was performed. Measurement invariance tests the hypothesis that the model behind a set of scores is comparable between groups. The results showed that the unidimensional structure of the MAAS-5 is the same between Peruvian and Mexican university students. Therefore, it is suggested that university students from both countries conceptualize the mindfulness in a similar way. As a result, the MAAS-5 can be used to compare differences between countries. No significant differences were observed in the MAAS-5 score between Peruvian and Mexican university students. The present study contributes to a better understanding of the psychometric properties of the MAAS-5 by presenting MI results in two Latin American countries. Implications of the findings are discussed, which will facilitate a more solid and reliable use of the MAAS-5 in future cross-cultural studies., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Conspiracy theories about COVID-19 began to emerge immediately after the first news about the disease and threaten to prolong the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by limiting people's willingness of receiving a life-saving vaccine. In this context, this study aimed to explore the variation of conspiracy beliefs regarding COVID-19 and the vaccine against it in 5779 people living in 13 Latin American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela) according to sociodemographic variables such as gender, age, educational level and source of information about COVID-19. The study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic between September 15 and October 25, 2021. The Spanish-language COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (ECCV-COVID) and a sociodemographic survey were used. The results indicate that, in most countries, women, people with a lower educational level and those who receive information about the vaccine and COVID-19 from family/friends are more supportive of conspiracy ideas regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. In the case of age, the results vary by country. The analysis of the responses to each of the questions of the ECCV-COVID reveals that, in general, the countries evaluated are mostly in some degree of disagreement or indecision regarding conspiratorial beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines. The findings could help open further study which could support prevention and treatment efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Caycho-Rodríguez, Ventura-León, Valencia, Vilca, Carbajal-León, Reyes-Bossio, White, Rojas-Jara, Polanco-Carrasco, Gallegos, Cervigni, Martino, Palacios, Moreta-Herrera, Samaniego-Pinho, Lobos Rivera, Buschiazzo Figares, Puerta-Cortés, Corrales-Reyes, Calderón, Pinto Tapia, Arias Gallegos and Petzold.)

Background: Emotion Regulation comprises a set of strategies (cognitive, emotional, and physiological) that allow individuals faced with internal or external stimuli to manage their emotional response, to adapt to the environment, and to achieve goals. The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) is used to assess Emotion Regulation. It has been translated into several languages (including Spanish) and has been adapted around the world, but its psychometric properties have not been tested in Ecuador., Objective: To confirm the bifactor structure of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and its reliability in a sample of Ecuadorian college students., Design: A quantitative and instrumental study using Confirmatory Factor Analysis with Robust Maximum Likelihood estimation. The sample consisted of 400 participants (62.5% women), aged 18 to 25 ( M = 21.1; SD = 1.95) from two universities in Ecuador and seven different undergraduate courses., Results: The bifactor model of the test is confirmed with an adequate adjustment ꭓ2 = 35.99; p > .001; ꭓ2/df = 1.43; CFI = .98; TLI = .96; SRMR = .034; and RMSE A = .033 CI 95% : [.033-.052]; ω H = .70; ω Hs1 = .23; ω Hs2 = .35. Reliability is high with ω = .86 CI 95% : [.81-.88]., Conclusion: The bifactor model of the ERQ is an adequate and reliable test to assess Emotion Regulation among Ecuadorian college students., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© Lomonosov Moscow State University, 2022© Russian Psychological Society, 2022.)

The objective of the study was to translate and validate the COVID Stress Scales (CSS-36) into Spanish in Peru. Around 1,424 people, selected through a non-probabilistic sampling, participated in the study. Factor analysis confirmed an initial six-dimensional factorial structure of the CSS-36. Reliability by internal consistency was good for the dimensions of fear of danger, socioeconomic consequences, xenophobia, fear of contamination, traumatic stress, and compulsive control. In addition, the factorial structure of scale has been shown be strictly invariant for both males and females. The Spanish version of the CSS-36 has evidence of validity, reliability, and invariance to measure COVID-19 stress in a Peruvian sample., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Noe-Grijalva, Polo-Ambrocio, Gómez-Bedia and Caycho-Rodríguez.)

This study aimed to examine the relationship between anxiety, depression, subjective well-being, and academic performance in Peruvian university health science students with COVID-19-infected relatives. Eight hundred two university students aged 17-54 years (Mean 21.83; SD = 5.31); 658 females (82%) and 144 males (18%); who completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-2, Coronavirus Anxiety Scale, Subjective Well-being Scale (SWB), and Self-reporting of Academic Performance participated. A partial unregularized network was estimated using the ggmModSelect function. Expected influence (EI) values were calculated to identify the central nodes and a two-tailed permutation test for the difference between the two groups (COVID-19 infected and uninfected). The results reveal that a depression and well-being node (PHQ1-SWB3) presents the highest relationship. The most central nodes belonged to COVID-19 anxiety, and there are no global differences between the comparison networks; but at the local level, there are connections in the network of COVID-19-infected students that are not in the group that did not present this diagnosis. It is concluded that anxious-depressive symptomatology and its relationship with well-being and evaluation of academic performance should be considered in order to understand the impact that COVID-19 had on health sciences students., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Ventura-León, Caycho-Rodríguez, Talledo-Sánchez and Casiano-Valdivieso.)

This work addresses the origin and development of post-COVID-19 syndrome, which consists of the persistence of different symptoms over time as a consequence of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Based on a narrative review of the scientific literature, a brief analysis of the new term is made, specifying the conceptual definition, characteristic symptoms, the various implications for people's health, and the responses to specific care measures that have been implemented. It concludes with a wake-up call to the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean in order for care and surveillance to be provided to this public health problem., (Copyright: © 2022 Permanyer.)