Mental disorders of pregnancy or postpartum correspond to all the psychopathological states linked to the period of the pregnancy-puerperium. They are the subject of prevention and screening and are currently a public health priority

Describe the socio-demographic characteristics of the patients who presented mental disorders during pregnancy and/or postpartum. Identify the various risk factors predisposing to these disorders

We carried out a retrospective descriptive analytical study including patients who presented mental disorders during their pregnancy or postpartum and who were hospitalized during the period from January to October 2020.We collected 20 patients.

The average age was 39.84 years. Mental disorders were present in 73.7% during the postpartum period. The patients had a personality disorder in 47.7%. They were smokers in 57% of cases. Pregnancy was desired in 73.7% with regular follow-up in 84.2%. Pregnancy was complicated by toxemia in 22% of cases and gestational diabetes in 27% of cases. Delivery was by caesarean section in 68.4% with primiparity in 50%. According to the DSM5, the psychic disorder most often found during pregnancy was the characterized depressive disorder 43%, and during the postpartum we found the brief psychotic episode 42.1%. The treatment was in half of the cases association between antidepressants and antipsychotics. Mental disorders were significantly correlated with the presence of stressful life events during pregnancy (p =0.02)

Mental disorders during pregnancy and postpartum are frequent and important to detect. Early diagnosis and adequate care are the two essential elements that should allow these women to fully experience their motherhood

Violence in intimate relationships is a prevalent worldwide health problem and it is underreported, underrecognized and underadressed by health care professionals.This problem affects women more commonly than men and occurs in heterosexual and same-sex relationships. Violence can include physical, emotional, sexual and financial abuse, as well as control over contraception or pregnancy and medical care and it tends to be repetitive, with an escalation in frequency and severity over time. Abused patients exhibit chronic physical and emotional symptoms and injuries resulting from physical and sexual violence.

We conducted a review on violence in intimate relationships and the impact on mental health of the victims.

Comprehensive search of literature in the medical databases MEDLINE, PsycINFO, SciELO using the keywords: women, violence, intimate relationship violence, mental health, self injury.

Research has established a relationship between violence and mental health outcomes among women and girls. Violence or inter-personal trauma render women vulnerable to a range of psychiatric symptoms - depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), suicide, and substance use are most common. Women reporting bidirectional violence had higher rates of depression and PTSD. When examining differences in rates of psychiatric disorders by the type of violence, it was found that all types of violence were strongly associated with all types of psychiatric disorders. Severity of psychiatric symptoms increased stepwise with increasing severity of violence.

Caring for patients in abusive relationships can be challeging - continuous supportive care improves patient outcomes. Physicians shoul be able to recognize and manage this situations in order prevent its negative outcomes.

The Childbirth Expectations Questionnaire (CEQ; Gupton, A., Beaton, J., Sloan, J. & Bramadat, I.; 1991) evaluates the women childbirth expectation’s with 34 items organized in four dimensions: Pain and coping; Significant others; Nursing support and Interventions.

To analyze the psychometric properties (construct validity using Confirmatory Factor Analysis, discriminant validity and reliability) of the Brazilian preliminary version of CEQ.

350 women (Mean age: 30.01±5.452) in the second trimester of pregnancy (Mean weeks of gestation=25.17±6.55), with uncomplicated pregnancies, completed the CEQ. To analyze discriminant validity, thirty of these women participated in a workshop (12 hours, integrated in the GentleBirth, a specific perinatal education intervention program) and fill in the CEQ again after approximately 8 weeks.

After deleting seven items (1-3-20-24-33-34-35) and some errors were correlated the four-dimensional second-order model of CEQ presented good fit (χ2=2.496; RMSEA=.071; CFI=.845, TLI=.828). The CEQ Cronbach’s alpha for the total was α=.90; all factors presented good reliability: Pain coping (α=.87); Significant others (α=.66), Nursing support (α=.84), and Interventions (α=.76). The CEQ mean scores (total, Pain coping and Nursing support) were significantly higher after the workshop, indicating more positive expectations for childbirth (p<.05).

This additional validation study emphasizes that CEQ is an adequate measure of expectations of labour. It will be very useful to understand the correlates of childbirth expectations and also to access the efficacy of childbirth preparation programs.

The Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale was translated and validated for European Portuguese (PASS-29; Pereira et al. 2019), from the original PASS (composed of 31 items; Somerville et al. 2014) to allow epidemiological and correlational research and early detection, which is an health policy imperative. This need also applies to Brazil, where a specific instrument to measure perinatal anxiety is not available.

To study the psychometric properties of the PASS Brazilian version factor structure using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), internal consistency and pattern of correlations with mood states.

350 women (Mean age: 30.01±5.452) in the second trimester of pregnancy (Mean weeks =25.17±±6.55) completed the PASS and the Brazilian version of Profile of Mood States (POMS-25; Barros et al. 2021). SPSS and AMOS software were used.

After deleting two items (1 and 2) and some errors correlated, CFA indicated a good fit for the second-order model (X2/df=2.987; CFI=.903; TLI=.889; GFI=.797, RMSEA=.075; p[rmsea≤0.01]<0.001). The Cronbach alpha was α=.937, and for the four dimensions (general anxiety and specific fear, perfectionism and control, social anxiety and adjustment disorder, acute anxiety and trauma.), were all α>.800. PASS total and dimensional scores significantly (p<.01) and moderately correlated with Profile of Mood States dimensions: negative affect (.471), Depression (.294), Anxiety (.548), Fatigue (.438) and Vigour (-.288).

Similarly, to what has been found for Portuguese version, the Brazilian PASS resulted in a 29-items-and-four-factors version, with good construct and convergent validity and reliability. In the near future we will determine the PASS cut-offs to screen for anxiety disorders in pregnancy and postpartum.

Screening programs for perinatal depression are systematicly implemented in developed countries. To circumvent the most commonly pointed limitation by the primary healthcare professionals (the questionnaires length), we have developed shorter forms of the Beck and Gable Postpartum Depression Screening Scale-35. The shortest version consists of seven items, each one representing a dimension evaluated by the PDSS. This PDSS-7 demonstrated equal levels of reliability and validity as the 35-item PDSS with the advantage of being completed in as little as 1-2 minutes(Pereira et al. 2013).

To analyze the construct validity of the PDSS-7 using Confirmatory Factor Analysis, to use both in Portugal and in Brazil.

The Portuguese sample was composed of 616 women (Mean age: 32.29±4.466; Mean gestation weeks=17.13±4.929). These participants were not the same who participated in the psychometric study that led to the selection of the seven items. The Brazilian sample was composed of 350 women (Mean age: 30.01±5.452; Mean gestation weeks=25.17±6.55). They all had uncomplicated pregnancies and completed the European/Brazilian Portuguese versions of PDSS-24 (Pereira et al. 2013/ Barros et al. 2021), which was composed of the same items and included the seven items that compose the PDSS-7.

The unidimensional model of PDSS-7 presented a good fit in both samples (Portuguese/Brazilian: χ2/d.f.=3.439/2.653; RMSEA=.066/.069, CFI=.974/.981, TLI=.947/.957, GFI=.939/.957; p<.001). The PDSS-7 Cronbach’s alphas were .82/.83 and all the items contribute to the internal consistency.

The PDSS-7 is a valid and precise, economic, fast and easy screening instrument for perinatal depression, a major public health problem, both in Portugal and in Brazil.

Threatened preterm labor (TPL) is a traumatic event during pregnancy that involves a threat to the physical integrity of the upcoming baby. Despite biomarkers would be the strongest delivery date predictors, an assessment of chronic and acute stress response to TPL diagnosis may improve this prediction.

The objective is to predict delivery date in women with TPL based on their response to this diagnosis and chronic stressors, along with relevant obstetric variables.

A prospective cohort study was conducted with a sample was formed by 157 pregnant women with TPL diagnosis between 24 and 31 weeks. Determination of salivary cortisol, α-amylase levels, along with anxiety and depression symptoms were measured to estimate stress response to TPL. Cumulative life stressors as traumas, social and familiar functioning were also registered. To examine the effect of the possible predictor variables of delivery date, linear regression models were used.

A correlation was found between the variables of response to chronic stress and between the variables of psychological response to stress. The main predictors of preterm delivery were low family adaptation, higher BMI, higher cortisol levels, and the week of diagnosis of TPL (<29 weeks of gestation).

The best predictor of delivery date was the combination of the stress response to the diagnosis of TPL measured by cortisol in saliva, cumulative life stressors (mainly family adaptation) and obstetric factors (week TPL and BMI). Through psychosocial therapeutic intervention programs, it is possible to influence this modifiable predictive factors of preterm birth in symptomatic women.

Prejudice, stigmatization and discrimination behaviors causes social stress and lead vulnerability to mental and physical health problems in Transgender and Gender Nonconforming (TGNC) individuals. The prevalence of mental disorders that can be associated with “minority group stress”, especially major depression and anxiety disorders, are known to be higher in the TGNC group in comparison to general population.

The aim of this study was to reveal the impact of minority stress on TGNC individuals’ mental health. Resilience factors like gender identity pride, social support, community connectedness expected to diminish the negative impact of stigmatization and discrimination.

The study sample consisted of 48 volunteered participants who consulted to Psychiatry Department for gender transition process. After semi-structured interview, applicants were given Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Scale-Turkish Form (GMSR-Tr), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS).

Analysis revealed a negative correlation between the stress subscales of GMSR-Tr scale and BDI (p< .001; rs= .727), BAI (p< .001; rs= .649), PSS (p< .001; rs= .671). For psychological resilience, the strongest positive relationship was found with the community connectedness subscale (p< .001; rs= .864); the strongest negative relationship was observed with the internalized transphobia subscale (p< .001; rs= .750).

Our study presented the importance of internalized transphobia and protective effect of resilience factors for mental health outcomes of TGNC individuals exposed to minority stress. The depression, anxiety and stress scores decreases with increasing psychological resilience.

The impact of listening to music on the stress response system has received increased attention lately.

An update of the relative research.

Literature review.

Listening to music seems to reduce stress by influencing both the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the autonomous nervous system. Most studies, mainly conducted in healthy adults, show a decrease both in cortisol levels (a well-known stress-biomarker) and in sympathetic activity (reduction in heart rate frequency and blood pressure). Compositional elements of music such as melody, rhythm, tonality and frequency seem to influence individual relaxation responses. Most studies used classical music, nonetheless, the abovementioned effects were noticed irrespective of music genre. High-frequency music seems to have a greater role in stress-relief: 528 Hz frequency music apparently lowers cortisol and increases oxytocin (a modulator of stress response and social bonding) levels. A decrease in perceived anxiety and the induction of a positive mood state -particularly when relaxation was affirmed as the purpose of music listening- has been noticed using appropriate scales. Regarding particular settings, perioperative music may attenuate the neuroendocrine stress response caused by the surgery procedure. Music interventions in obstetric patients as well as in cardiovascular and cancer patients have led to similar findings. Finally, music appears to beneficially affect stress among patients with PSTD, fibromyalgia and depression.

The stress-relieving effect of music listening seems promising in clinical settings. The heterogeneity of the studies’ sample and the “administration” of different music intervention “schemes” are among the main limitations of the current research.

No significant relationships.

In cognitive behavioral treatment of anxiety disorders, registration of emotions and behavior is an important part of the intervention. Normally, paper and pencil is used but registrations on a mobile application such as MONARCA may be a useful alternative.

This study investigates the usability of MONARCA during the first 18 months of commissioning in practice.

To explore the usability, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven patients and three therapists, combined with data from a survey questionnaire where 10 patients and 12 therapists rated the usability of the app on the System Usability Scale. Participants were recruited from an outpatient clinic for affective disorders in The Mental Health Services in the Region of Southern Denmark.

Technical performance, time allocation, therapist effort, commitment, enthusiasm, and increased knowledge are imperative factors. Therapists and patients found that the benefits of registering emotions and behaviors on a mobile application were that it was easy for patients to remember to register daily, it was easy to gain an overview over symptom progress, and access to the registrations improved therapist’s ability to prepare sessions.

Overall, the results from the interviews and survey indicated that both patients and therapists found MONARCA useful, but several improvement opportunities regarding application features and use in the treatment course were found.

No significant relationships.

Simulation is a deliberate counterfeiting of physical or psychological symptoms in order to obtain a secondary gain or external incentive, like evading from military service, scape from work, obtain economic compensations or avoid criminal responsibility. It is estimated that prevalence is roughly 1% in mental health patients, with higher prevalence in young males and middle aged. Male with 52 years attends to emergency service. Erratic tracking in Mental Health Service from two years ago with unfavorable progress. He goes to emergency service referring aggravation of discomforted state of mind even with readjustment a week ago. Addiction to benzodiazepines and clinophilia. Currently with temporary inability to work of large data.

To set a differential diagnose between depression, factitious disorder and malingering.

Examination shows moderated sad mood with despair, reactive to disability and progression of his illness. Sparing in words speech, focused on life or work problems. Autolytic verbalizations and self-control inability.

Mmpi2 that shows: Gough’s F-K. Dissimulation index, 34. Cut-off point to consider simulation/ pretending being ill varies among authors. A conservative cut-off point is 15, showing a severe exaggeration of its discomfort and dissimulation.

It is important to make an appropriate anamnesis and psychopathological exploration, as well as observation to reach a correct diagnose. In this case, clearly secondary gain was founded, therefore diagnose was malingering.

No significant relationships.

There are many authors that follow and develop Pinel-hypotheses about unitary psychosis, joining recent discoveries in neuropathology and neurochemistry, supporting the vision of mental illness as neurodevelop disorders. The classification they suggest, distinguishes early, late neurodevelop disorders, and those related to traumatic factors, what determine an evolutive vision of this pathology. In terms of anxiety symptoms/disorders, they have been usually associated with categorical pathology, and treated focus on symptoms,unfortunately relapses are very frequent.

Proving that the evolutive vision may ease a change on the intervention of anxiety disorders, that would propound different therapeutic alternatives.

A bibliographic search was performed from different databases, showing throw aspects related to main etiopathogenic theories about anxiety disorders from an evolutive vision.

Evolutive-Psychology raises that anxiety is a concomitant process to development, that grows progressively and is necessary to induce changes in it. However a high level of anxiety might block that process or causes alterations. In that sense, anxiety-disorders may be related to an excess of anxiety that provoke a fault in present handling mechanisms. According to classic dynamic-theories, these mechanisms are associated with defence concept, but now we can link them to neurobiological development. From this point, there exists an asymmetric neurological maturation through childhood-adolescence that translates different manifestations of anxiety along development, initially more related with external contemption and relationship with caregiver, but later with hormonal pulses, physical changes and separation from family.

The evolutive vision allows to understand development fluctuation of anxiety symptoms along the growth process, more accurately than categorical classic tendency.

No significant relationships.

Concomitant presence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms(OCS)is relatively frequent in psychotic patients and there are different hypotheses trying to explain the origin of them as pathology evolution,comorbid disorder,defence mechanism,or even a medication side-effect,but it is difficult to make a precise evaluation of these symptoms and the mechanisms involved.SometimesOCS are the first manifestation toappear without any other areas affected,and psychotic disorder comes later with initial symptoms in that domain.

Evaluate the association between OCS and psychosis to document pathogenia of both entities.

A bibliographic search was performed about this topic.We present two cases of patients that have been referred to our unit: A34year old man, a usual consumer of cannabis,who shows checking and organizing compulsions that interfere significantly with their life.Consumptions grew progressively until they became daily,trying to decrease partly this behaviour. He comes to an addiction unit where he achieves abstinence,but immediately shows an important functional-impairment, adding to the previous compulsions new ones,and also thought blocking,social retraction and personality change. He starts taking antidepressant and benzodiazepines to reduceOCS, and weeks later begins a manic episode with delusions as a bipolar-disorder debut. A29year old man, with a history of familiar obsessive personality,that begins to worry about physical appearance and starts compulsive behaviour focused on exercise preventing him from daily activities.No response to antidepressants, he started antipsychotics and develop referential-symptoms.

Both are atypical presentations of bipolar and schizophreniform disorders withOCS,where the beginning of treatment causes psychosis-symptoms not previously developed.

Frequent doubts are what factors determine the eclosion.The triggers are not clear and neither the related-pathology.

No significant relationships.

The main feature of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is impairing preoccupation with a physical defect that appears slight or non-existent to others.

To draw an overview of BDD through a clinical case of a patient with BDD and autolytic ideation, which improved after an adequate diagnosis and an early pharmacological and psychotherapeutic approach.

Bibliographic review of the treatment and diagnosis of BDD, from articles published in the last 5 years in Pubmed.

18-year-old woman diagnosed with depression and obsessive ideation, which started at the age of 11, after a comment at school. The patient believes that she has intenseunder-eye bags or dark circles, this has caused her to abandon all activity and self-isolate at home. Symptoms included recurring obsessive and intruding thoughts related to the supposed defect, ritualized behaviors of hours of duration aiming toit through makeup, and autolytic ideation. Therapeutic approach combined psychopharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments, obtaining gradual improvement of symptomatology and disappearance of the autolytic ideation.

The disorder is severe, which is reflected in high rates of suicide attempts. Differential diagnosis between obsessive and delirious dysmorphophobia is essential for improving outcomes; the egodystonic nature of the symptom, awareness of illness and obsessive personality traits facilitate the diagnosis. A multidisciplinary approach involving psychiatrists and clinical psychologists is necessary for a correct diagnosis and early treatment of this pathology, as well as recognition by dermatologists, surgeons and medical aesthetic professionals, where these patients go with the aim of finding solutions to their problem.

No significant relationships.

The curious effect of an increase of the placebo effect across year of publication has been shown for depression, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, as well as for some medical conditions like hypertension and pain.

We aimed to observe how randomised clinical trials with a placebo control behave at this respect in panic disorder trials.

We searched the PubMed database using the strategy: (panic disorder OR panic attack disorder) AND placebo, which on 3 November 2020 produced 779 records. Inclusion criteria were the above stated, excluded were all studies focusing on the same patients as others and those not providing intelligible data. In our selection we used the PRISMA statement and reached agreement with Delphi rounds.

We identified through other sources further 3 studies. The finally eligible studies were 82, excluded were 700 studies, mainly consisting of reviews (176), challenge studies (173), not dealing with panic disorder (67), studies with unsuitable designs to detect placebo effect (53), studies using same populations as others (36), those with misfocused outcomes (57), those lumping diagnoses and not allowing to separate data for panic disorder (22), and those not using placebo at all (21). Mean response to placebo in included panic disorder studies was 36.01±19.812, ranging from 0 to 76.19%; the correlation with year of publication was positive and significant (Pearson’s r= 0.246; p=0.026).

The effect of placebo in randomised control trials has increased across the years, but this field of research appears to be idle in recent years.

No significant relationships.

Psychodermatologic disorders are conditions involving an interaction between the mind and the skin. Dermatitis artefacta (DA), also known as factitial dermatitis, is a frequently unrecognized psychocutaneous illness, in which the patient creates skin lesions to satisfy the unconscious need to presume a sick role. It is more common in women and in patients with a diagnosis of psychiatric illness. This is an exclusion diagnosis and organic causes should be ruled out. Treatment of DA can be challenging and it needs to involve a multidisciplinary approach consisting of dermatologists and mental health professionals.

From a case report the authors intend to present a literature review of dermatitis artefacta.

Observation the patient and review the clinical file. Consultation published and referenced scientific articles on PubMed.

60 year old man, diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, was admitted for manic decompensation of his pathology. During physical examination he had sparse erythematous lesions, more exuberant in the neck, scalp, belly and upper limbs. The diagnosis of artifact dermatitis was made after excluding other possible causes.

Treatment of DA can be challenging and it needs to involve a multidisciplinary approach. Dermatitis artefacta is a long-term disorder, and patients need regular follow up with a dermatologist and a psychiatrist because relapses are common. These doctors must be aware of this possible pathology in order to make a correct diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders that sometimes coexist with skin lesions. The prognosis for most patients is poor leading to self-injury, scarring and poor cosmesis.

No significant relationships.

Excessive daytime sleepiness, hypnagogic-hypnopompic hallucinations, sleep paralysis, and cataplexy are symptoms associated with narcolepsy. It is not uncommon to occur co-morbidly between narcolepsy and psychiatric disorders. This association is poorly understood. Recent findings indicate that anxiety disorders also are associated with typical symptoms of narcolepsy.

Study of the comorbidity between narcolepsy and psychiatric disorders, like anxiety, through a clinical case.

A 21-year-old female patient with no psychiatric history who consulted due to anxiety and panic attacks related to poor narcolepsy control. Debut of the neurological disease during adolescence with frequent cataplexy attacks that condition their daily activity and generate avoidance behaviors and agoraphobia.

The patient complained of poor quality of sleep and reported a large number of different types of situations (eg, surprise, embarrassment) associated with cataplectic events. Treatment with SSRIs first and bupropion with pregabalin later was partially effective. Recent studies suggest efficacy of vagus nerve stimulation.

Anxiety disorders, especially panic attacks and social phobias, often affect patients with narcolepsy. Anxiety and mood symptoms could be secondary complications of the chronic symptoms of narcolepsy. Recent studies have shown that narcolepsy is caused by defective hypocretin signaling. As hypocretin neurotransmission is also involved in stress regulation and addiction, this raises the possibility that mood and anxiety symptoms are primary disease phenomena in narcolepsy. Recent studies suggest that vagus nerve stimulation could be potentially useful in the treatment of resistant depressive and anxiety disorder and it is not a contraindication in patients with narcolepsy.

No significant relationships.

Autism-spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by deficits in social domains, associated with abnormal socioemotional perception. Although olfaction provides access to socioemotional cues, little is known about the perception of emotional odors considering their social meaning in ASD.

To investigate the subjective responses to emotional body odors (BOs) versus non-social, common odors (COs) in ASD.

Eleven ASD and 49 typically developed (TD) adults were asked to smell negative, positive, and neutral BOs (axillary sweat from healthy individuals exposed to fearful, happy, and neutral film-clips) and COs, and to rate each odor on perceived pleasantness, intensity, familiarity and arousal. Odors were presented for 5 sec. Analyses were performed with linear mixed-effect models with fixed factors (group × odor type × valence) and covariates (e.g., age; intensity for arousal/familiarity; familiarity for pleasantness). Post-hoc comparisons were Bonferroni-corrected.

Odors were perceived as significantly more intense (p=.044) and pleasant (p<.001) in ASD than TD. Distinct response patterns were found in ASD and TD. First, positive BOs and COs were similarly arousing and pleasant in ASD (p>.05), but not in TD (p<.001). Second, positive and neutral COs were equally arousing, familiar and pleasant in ASD (p>.05), but not in TD (p<.001). No differences were observed between BOs in ASD and TD (p>.05).

ASD is associated with abnormal subjective responses to emotional odors, which could contribute to the social communication difficulties characterizing ASD. Since emotional BOs elicit psychological responses in others, analyses on subjective and automatic responses will allow a better understanding of the role of olfaction in ASD.

No significant relationships.

ADHD is associated with impairments in different inhibitory functions, including suppression of an already initiated response and inhibition of distracting information. This work used a protocol that combines the Stroop-matched and stop-signal tasks to examine the association between the frequency of ADHD symptoms and different inhibitory abilities in a young adult.

To investigate how the symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity / impulsivity are associated with three forms of inhibition evaluated by the Stroop-matched / stop-signal task: inhibiting an automatic response, controlling interference and canceling a response.

38 participants (33 women; mean age = 23.3; SD = 5.17) completed Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) assessing ADHD symptoms before performing the task. Reaction times, accuracy and stop-signal reaction time (SSRT; the latency of the inhibitory process of response cancellation) were calculated for each task condition.

There was a significant correlation of ADHD symptoms and SSRT in the condition with the higher perceptual load (i.e., a greater number of colors presented in the same test). This correlation was negative (r = - .36, p <.05), which indicates that participants with higher ADHD symptoms frequency had more efficient inhibitory processes in this condition.

(1) the perceptual load of the task influences the cancellation of responses; (2) individuals with higher frequency of ADHD symptoms may have a better inhibitory capacity when the perceptual load is high, possibly reflecting a lower availability of attentional resources to process distracting information.

No significant relationships.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have been associated with decreased spontaneous attention to social stimuli. Several studies further suggest that a higher expression of autism traits (AT) in the neurotypical population (NTP) may also be related to decreased social attention, although the evidence is still scarce, especially when considering faces as task-irrelevant distractors.

This study aimed to explore the relationship between the expression of AT in the NTP and exogenous attention to social stimuli.

Fifty-one adult participants were recruited and asked to complete the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), to measure AT, and to perform an attentional capture task. In the latter, they were instructed to detect a target letter in the middle of perceptually similar (high perceptual load) or dissimilar (low perceptual load) distractor letters. In 25% of the trials, task-irrelevant distractors, consisting of images of faces (social) or houses (non-social), were shown flanking the letter stimuli.

Response times were found to be affected by distractor-response compatibility, increasing for contralateral distractors, but decreasing for ipsilateral distractors, in relation to trials with no distractors (baseline). Importantly, these trends were magnified for distractor faces in the group with less AT, considering the social skills dimension of AQ, while the same tendency was observed in the group with higher AT, but for distractor houses.

Our results support an altered attentional performance in the subclinical phenotype of the autism spectrum. Furthermore, they also add to existing literature documenting similar attentional abnormalities in both the clinical and subclinical extremes of the spectrum, hinting possible shared mechanisms.

No significant relationships.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD), is a population that does not usually receive specific treatment.

The main objective of the present study is to evaluate whether specific interventions within the TAVA program (transition program to adult life for patients with ADS), produce significant improvements in the quality of life of young adults with ASD.

This is a prospective randomized clinical study of patients with ASD (according to DSM-5 criteria) seen in outpatient of the Parc Tauli University Hospital in Sabadell (Barcelona) since September 2017. We compared the quality of life, functionality, caregiver burden, and comorbidity of patients in TAVA program (beneficiaries of group therapy and specific medical and psychosocial interventions), with that of control patients (treatment as usual), after 2 years of intervention.

Our sample is composed of 12 patients with ASD. The average age is 18.4 years. 83% of the sample are men (n = 10). 5 of the patients belonged to TAVA and the other 7 were controls. Overall, TAVA patients presented improvement in the ZARIT and BAI scales compared to control patients. The control patients evolved less favorably in the AAA, SRS and RAAS levels compared to TAVA.

Specific interventions in adults with ASD, improve the caregiver’s feeling of overload and the patients anxiety, compared to the usual interventions. The lack of regulated interventions produces an unfavorable evolution of the core symptoms of autism. More studies are needed to specify efficient interventions to improve the quality of life of adults with ASD.

No significant relationships.