This diploma thesis deals with the rating scales, which are widely used in the attitude measurement, namely with the impact of their length (number of scale points) on measurement, both in terms of cognitive processes in the minds of respondents and impact on the data. Hypotheses, formulated on the basis of the literature and tested using data obtained from a split ballot experiment and cognitive interviews, are related to the comparability of results, distribution of responses and task demands. The Net Promoter Score from the environment of market research, expressing respondent's willingness to recommend a service or company used, is used as an application example. It originally uses 0 to 10 eleven-point scale which is here compared to five-point scale from 1 to 5 using various recoding and rescaling techniques. Analysis shows that rating on eleven-point and five-point scales means two different cognitive tasks for respondents (eleven-point scale is a bit more demanding but more accurate in respondents perception) and that the data differ from each other in terms of distribution of responses - on short range scale, midpoint and extreme positive category are selected more often, while on eleven-point scale, milder positive points are used more often.

BACKGROUND: Of the 22 known measures of nicotine dependence (ND), none capture the overall disease severity of physical dependence alone. Instead, they capture constructs related to dependence, such as perceived risk, psychological addiction, smoker motivations, or smoking related behaviors, but none of the measures include only physical withdrawal symptoms to capture physical dependence on nicotine. AIM: To develop a range of nicotine dependence measures that capture physical dependence on nicotine. METHODS: The final measures were developed in a cross-sectional study conducted in three phases: 1) candidate item development through literature review and cognitive interviews, 2) developing and pre-testing the survey, and 3) survey administration and psychometric evaluation to validate three distinct measures. The final survey was conducted at four health clinics and three high schools. Psychometric tests used to select the final measure items included inter-item correlations, sensitivity analyses done by subgroup, item-total correlations, convergent validity tests, and confirmatory factor analysis. The final measures were evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), internal reliability, total score distributions, and convergent validity correlations. Relative validity analyses were also conducted using a ratio of F-Statistics to compare the ability of each new measure to differentiate dependent smokers as compared previous measures. RESULTS: The final sample included 275 smokers ranging from 14 to 76 years old (mean=30.9, SD=16.2), who smoked an average of 11.5 cigarettes per day (range=0-50, SD=9.4). The sample was 86.5% white and 57.5% male. The three new measures developed included: 1) the 4-item Withdrawal-Induced Craving Scale (WICS) used to capture severity of craving, the most common physical withdrawal symptom; 2) the 12- item Nicotine Withdrawal Symptom Checklist (NWSC), which measures both overall disease severity and the severity of a comprehensive list of individual physical withdrawal symptoms including withdrawal-induced craving, anger, anxiety, depression, headache, insomnia, loss of focus, restlessness, and stress; and 3) the 6-item brief NWSC (NWSC-b), a short measure which only captures overall disease severity. All of the new measures exhibited a unidimensional factor structure loading highly on a single factor (thought to be physical dependence). They also correlated highly (over 0.6) and significantly (p<0.001) to a battery of convergent validity indices including four widely used nicotine dependence measures: Hooked on Nicotine Checklist (HONC), the Autonomy Over Tobacco Scale (AUTOS), the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), and self-rated addiction. CONCLUSION: The WICS, NWSC, and NWSC-b provide three distinct validated tools that can be used by researchers, clinicians, and educators to track the progression of physical dependence on nicotine across a range of smoking behaviors and histories.

No description available.

Due to an educational system that tends to prioritize receptive reading and listening skills and a concomitant lack of opportunities to engage in meaningful spoken production in the target language outside of the class, many English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners in Japan struggle to develop their English speaking abilities even after many years of study. For many of these learners, post-secondary coursework presents a first opportunity to engage in consistent active oral production of the language in interactive communicative situations, but how language abilities develop in this context over time is not well understood. This longitudinal, mixed methods research study explores the development of interactive second language (L2) speaking proficiency of Japanese university students throughout their first year of post-secondary study. The participants were 92 female students from five sections of a required oral communication course of which I was the instructor: 34 from two mid-proficiency sections and 58 from three low-proficiency sections. In addition to the standard curriculum for this course, these participants also completed a series of ten 10-minute discussion tasks in groups of three to four participants on personal information topics of general interest over the course of two 15-week semesters that comprise the academic year. All of the group discussion tasks were video-recorded and carried out under the same procedures: without any pre-task planning time but with a post-task transcription and reflection assignment. The first group discussion task was administered for training and instructional purposes and excluded from the data analyses leaving seven tasks conducted roughly one month apart throughout the academic year as well as one additional repeated task with the same group assignments completed at the end of each semester. In total, nine discussion tasks were carried out for analysis in this study. A number of quantitative measures were collected for this study at various points throughout the academic year. First, all of the group discussion performances were rated using an adapted rating scale consisting of criteria dedicated to complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) as well as interactional engagement and overall communicative effectiveness. Additional measures consisting of participant ratings assigned to topic difficulty and group member familiarity were collected via questionnaire after each discussion task. Furthermore, measures of extraversion and English-speaking self-efficacy were collected along with the three repeated tasks that spanned the entire year. Finally, initial and end-of-year scores on the TOEIC-IP test consisting only of listening and reading sections were used as measures of general English proficiency. To provide a richer understanding of the participants’ perceptions of their development as well the social and individual difference factors considered most directly relevant to the research questions, an embedded qualitative component consisting of two focus groups and one individual interview was also carried out. The results indicated that the participants in this study made small but significant improvements in their mean interactive English speaking abilities across both the three repeated tasks and between the most temporally distant earliest and latest new tasks administered in the first and second terms, accounting for relatively large amounts of the variance in the measures. Furthermore, the social and individual difference factors investigated were found to jointly predict 56% of the variance seen in the interactive English speaking measures for the three repeated tasks. Of these factors, the participants’ initial general proficiency scores, English speaking self-efficacy ratings, and averaged group member initial proficiency scores were found to be much stronger predictors than their topic difficulty, group member familiarity, and extraversion ratings. When the ratings given along the five rating scale dimensions were inspected, strong relationships were revealed among all of them, though particularly among the CAF rating measures. Tracking these relationships over time revealed that they tended to strengthen from one task to the next with the most readily identifiable changes found among the relationships between accuracy, interactional engagement, and overall communicative effectiveness. Finally, the qualitative component of this study revealed that the participants interviewed perceived changes in their conscious attention during the group discussion tasks shifting from accuracy concerns to speaking fluently/effectively, a general lack of concern for and attention to complexity throughout, and improvement in their interactional engagement over the course of the academic year. Furthermore, the interviewees were found to generally ascribe a high degree of influence on their resulting group discussion task speaking performances to both the topic prompts assigned and their group members’ personalities as well as to the complex interplay between group member proficiency and familiarity among other factors. Although a number of limitations should be taken into account, it is believed that the results of this study provide new, important insights into the longitudinal development of interactive English speaking proficiency in an EFL university context where learners have little engagement with target language beyond limited classroom contact hours. / Teaching & Learning

Wiskunde as taal van die wetenskap en tegnologie is een van die weinige vakke wat spesifiek as voorvereiste vir die bestudering van sekere studierigtings gestel word. Leerlinge met Wiskunde-angs word verhoed om hul ware potensiaal in Wiskunde te verwesenlik en word sodoende gediskwalifiseer om hul regmatige plek in die beroepswereld in te neem. Die doel van hierdie studie was om te bepaal of hipnoterapie aangewend kan word om Wiskunde-angs tot werkbare vlakke te beperk sodat leerlinge optimaal in Wiskunde kan presteer. Die aard, oorsake, aanvang, herkenning, verklaring, gevolge, voorkoms en meting van Wiskunde-angs, die verband daarvan met Wiskundeprestasie en die hulp wat onderwysers en hulpprogramme kan lewer, is nagegaan. Daarna is hipnose en hipnoterapie beskou om te bepaal of dit as terapeutiese hulpmiddel pedagogies verantwoordbaar is. 'n Hipnoterapieprogram is in werking gestel en daar is bevind dat die proefpersone almal tot 'n mindere of meerdere mate daarby gebaat het. / Mathematics as the language of science and technology is one of few subjects used as entrance requirement to certain fields of study. Mathematics anxiety prohibits certain pupils to reach their full potential in Mathematics and thus to obtain their rightful place in the world of work. The aim of this study was to determine whether hypnotherapy can be used to lower Mathematics anxiety levels to such an extend that pupils can optimally achieve in Mathematics. The nature, causes, extent, recognition, explanation, consequences, incidence and measurement of Mathematics anxiety, its relationship to achievement in Mathematics, as well as the help that can be rendered by teachers and treatment programmes were studied. Hypnotherapy was then examined to determine whether its use was pedagogically justifiable. A hypnotherapy treatment programme was introduced which was found to be to some extent beneficial to all the subjects used. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Voorligting)

Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Antecedentes: Segundo as projeções da Organização Mundial de Saúde para o século XXI, as doenças não comunicáveis (DNT) serão responsáveis pelas maiores cargas das doenças no globo. As doenças cardiovasculares e os transtornos neuropsiquiátricos destacam-se como os dois principais grupos de agravos de saúde entre as DNT. O sobrepeso e a obesidade são considerados precursores e fatores agravantes de doenças cardiovasculares, cuja prevalência tem crescido ao redor do mundo, demandando esforços públicos para deter o seu crescimento e minimizar os seus efeitos deletérios. Os transtornos mentais, por sua vez, representam quase um terço das cargas da incapacitação resultante entre todas as DNT. O objetivo do presente trabalho é estimar a frequência de transtornos mentais numa amostra de indivíduos obesos que procuraram um hospital universitário com o intuito de se submeter à cirurgia bariátrica para controlar ou reduzir o excesso do peso corporal. Objetivo: Estimar, por meio de entrevista padronizada, a frequência de transtornos mentais e fatores correlacionados entre os pacientes obesos que procuram a cirurgia bariátrica. Métodos: Participaram do estudo 393 pacientes obesos grau III, candidatos à cirurgia bariátrica. Foram recrutados a partir de um centro universitário de cirurgia bariátrica. Clínicos treinados avaliaram os participantes por meio da Entrevista Clínica Estruturada para o DSM-IV Axis I Diagnóstico (SCID-I/P) e as seguintes escalas de avaliação: HCL (Manic Symptoms Checklist), MDQ (Mood Disorders Questionnarie), MADRS (Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale), M-A QoLII (Moorehead-Ardelt Quality of Life Questionnaire II). A amostra foi composta por 79,1% de mulheres; média de idade 43 anos e média de IMC: 47,8 kg/m². Resultados: A frequência de alguns transtornos mentais ao longo da vida foi 80,9% (81,7% homens e 80,7% mulheres). A taxa de frequência de transtornos mentais no momento da entrevista foi 57,8% (57,6% homens e 58,5% mulheres). Os transtornos afetivos foram os mais frequentes (64,9%), sendo os transtornos bipolares e os transtornos depressivos os mais comuns (35,6% e 29,3%). Entre os entrevistados que apresentaram quaisquer transtornos mentais ao longo da vida, cerca de metade da amostra apresentou três ou mais transtornos simultâneos. Os transtornos de ansiedade foram os diagnósticos mais frequentes (46,3%) entre os participantes com transtorno atual. Idade e nível educacional foram associados com a probabilidade de apresentar transtornos mentais no momento da entrevista. As escalas apresentaram boa consistência interna: sendo o alfa de Cronbach da HCL-32 de 0,9, MDQ 0,8, MADRS 0,9 e M-A QoLII 0,7. A HCL-32 e o MDQ demonstraram uma boa capacidade discriminativa para classificar corretamente os casos de transtorno bipolar. A HCL-32 apresentou área sob a curva (AUC) de 0,7 (IC 95% 0,7-0,8), quando comparado com os diagnósticos da SCID-I/P, com sensibilidade de 0,7 e especificidade 0,7. O melhor ponto de corte foi 16/17 para detectar transtorno bipolar II. Em relação à estrutura fatorial do HCL-32, a variabilidade dos dados foi melhor explicada por dois fatores relevantes: elação do humor e irritação/ativação. O MDQ apresentou sensibilidade de 0,8 e especificidade 0,6. O melhor ponto de corte foi 4/5 para detectar transtorno bipolar I, com AUC de 0,8 (IC 95% 0,7-0,9). A MADRS de 5 itens apresentou sensibilidade de 0,8 e especificidade 0,9. O melhor ponto de corte foi 10/11 para detectar sintomas depressivos e AUC de 0,9. De acordo com o M-A QoL II, cerca de 50% da amostra relatou estar satisfeita com sua qualidade de vida. Há uma correlação significativa entre as escalas utilizadas que variaram de 0,6 a -0,6. Conclusões: Os transtornos mentais são condições frequentes entre os pacientes obesos antes da cirurgia bariátrica. As altas taxas de transtornos mentais sugerem que ambas as condições podem apresentar relações causais de mutualidade ou compartilham fatores etiológicos comuns. Este estudo contribuiu para compreender a relação entre transtornos mentais e obesidade mórbida. Recomenda-se conduzir avaliação sistemática de pacientes obesos com instrumentos psicométricos padronizados no período pré-cirúrgico para detectar transtornos psiquiátricos, que podem interferir na recuperação e estabilização da qualidade de vida dos pacientes no período pósoperatório. Futuros estudos de seguimento serão necessários para verificar os possíveis fatores preditivos de prognóstico nesta população / Background: According to the World Health Organization\'s projections for the 21st. century, non-communicable diseases (NCD) will account for the largest burden of diseases in the world. Cardiovascular diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders stand out as the two main groups of health problems among the NCD. Overweight and obesity are considered precursors and aggravating factors of cardiovascular disease, whose prevalence has grown around the world, claiming for public efforts to stop its growth and minimize its harmful effects. Mental disorders, in turn, account for nearly one-third of the burden of disability resulting from all NCD. The aim of the present investigation is to estimate the frequency of mental disorders in a sample of obese individuals who sought a university hospital in order to undergo bariatric surgery to control or reduce the excess of body weight. Objective: To estimate, through a standardized interview, the frequency of mental disorders and correlated factors among obese patients seeking bariatric surgery. Methods: The sample was composed of 393 treatment-seeking obese patients (79.1% women; mean age 43.0 years, mean BMI: 47.8 kg/m2), who were recruited from a university-based bariatric center. Trained clinicians assessed the participants through the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Diagnosis (SCID-I/P). HCL (Manic Symptoms Cheklist), MDQ (Mood Disorders Questionnarie), MADRS (Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale), M-A QoLII (Moorehead-Ardelt Quality of Life Questionnaire II). Results: The lifetime rate of any mental disorders was 80.9% (81.7% men vs. 80.7% women). Lifetime affective disorders were the most frequent diagnosis (total 64.9%, bipolar disorders 35.6%, and depressive disorders 29.3%). Among those respondents presenting any lifetime mental disorders, about half of the sample presented 3 or more concurrent disorders. The rate of current frequency of any mental disorders was 57.8% (57.6% men vs. 58.5% women). Anxiety disorders were the most frequent diagnosis (46.3%) among those participants with a current disorder. Age and educational level were associated with the likelihood of presenting current mental disorders. The scales showed good internal consistency: the HCL - 32, Cronbach\'s alpha 0.9; MDQ 0.8, MADRS 0.9 and M-A QoL II 0.7. The HCL -32 and MDQ demonstrated good capacity discriminant to correctly classify cases of bipolar disorder. HCL -32 the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.7 (95 % CI 0.7-0.80, when compared to the diagnosis of SCID-I/P, with a sensitivity of 0.7 and specificity 0.7 . The best cutoff point was 16/17 to detect bipolar disorder II. In the factorial structure of the HCL -32, data variability was best explained by two important factors: elation of mood and irritation / activation. MDQ sensitivity was 0.80 and specificity 0.60. The best cutoff value of 4/ 5 for detecting bipolar disorder I, with AUC of 0.8 (95 % CI 0.7 to 0.9).The MADRS of 5 items had a sensitivity of 0.8 and specificity 0.9. The best cutoff point was 10/11 to detect depressive symptoms and AUC of 0.9. According to the MA QoL II, about 50% of the sample reported being satisfied with their quality of life. There is a significant correlation among the scales used, ranging from 0.6 to -0.6. Conclusions: Mental disorders are frequent conditions among obese patients before bariatric surgery. High rates of mental disorders suggest that both disorders might exert mutual causal relationships or share common etiological factors. This study may help to understand the relationship between mental disorders and obesity. Systematic evaluation of obese patients with standardized psychometric instruments in the pre-surgery period may clarify the existence of psychiatric disorders before the bariatric surgery. Often, some psychiatric disorders are detected only after the surgery, interfering with the recovery and stabilization of quality of life of patients in the post-operative period. Future follow-up studies are needed to verify the possible predictors of prognosis in this population

O número de mulheres com problemas relacionados ao jogo vem experimentando grande crescimento nos últimos anos, a exemplo do que ocorre na dependência de álcool e de outras drogas Esse aumento, de acordo com estudos anteriores, pode ser creditado a variados fatores: a universalização de jogos mais acessíveis para as mulheres (que geram menor preconceito social), como o bingo eletrônico; o fato de mulheres utilizarem o jogo como válvula de escape para as tensões cotidianas e para eventuais crises depressivas; uma progressão média mais rápida (telescoping effect - T.E.) do jogar social ao jogar patológico para mulheres do que para homens. Embora identificado em vários estudos, o T.E. existente em mulheres não foi devidamente analisado em suas possíveis origens. Com vistas a elucidar essa questão, esta tese busca possíveis diferenças entre os gêneros que expliquem o T.E. e que possam ser relevantes para o manejo e tratamento do JP. Comparamos 78 mulheres e 78 homens jogadores patológicos quanto a características sócio-demográficas e clínicas, existência de comorbidades psiquiátricas, preferência por tipo de jogo, personalidade, e perfil de comportamentos de risco. Os instrumentos utilizados no estudo foram: para diagnóstico, a SOGS (South Oaks Gambling Screen) e os critérios diagnósticos do DSM-IV para Jogo Patológico (JP); para investigação de comorbidade, o SCAN (Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry); para estudo de personalidade, o Inventário de Temperamento e Caráter e a Barratt Impulsiveness Scale. Constata-se que há uma maior proporção de solteiros entre as jogadoras do que entre os jogadores, e que jogadoras começam a jogar e têm problemas com jogo com mais idade do que os jogadores. Uma maior proporção de jogadoras do que jogadores preferem jogos eletrônicos e mais jogadoras do que jogadores jogam por escapismo. Mais jogadores têm diagnóstico de abuso/dependência de álcool, ao passo que mais jogadoras têm diagnóstico de depressão. Para um curso acelerado de JP contribuem significativamente, além do gênero, o fato se iniciar com mais idade na atividade de jogar e a preferência por jogos eletrônicos características que, como já se mencionou, estão mais associadas a jogadoras que a jogadores. As diferenças clínicas observadas entre os gêneros levam à necessária conclusão de que essa variável tem que ser considerada para a elaboração de estratégias de prevenção e tratamento de JP, pois são justamente as jogadoras (que apresentam uma progressão mais rápida para dependência, com menor intervalo para uma possível ação preventiva), o grupo que mais resiste a procurar ajuda junto a profissionais de saúde ou a grupos de Jogadores Anônimos (J.A.). / Over the last years, more women are having gambling problems, similar to what has happened in alcohol and drug addiction. This phenomenon, according to previous studies, can be related to different variables: the growth of new gambling venues with increased access for women, such as electronic bingo venues, the fact that women gamble to escape from problems and to minimize depression, and a faster progression (telescoping effect- T.E.) of social gambling to pathological gambling (PG) in women. Even though the T.E. has been identified in different studies, little has been done to investigate its causes. As an effort to clarify this matter, this thesis investigates possible gender differences that might explain T.E. and that might be important for prevention and treatment strategies of PG. We compare 78 male and 78 female gamblers regarding: sociodemographic characteristics, clinical features, psychiatric comorbidities, personality and game preferences; and risk-taking behaviors. Pathological gamblers were assessed for diagnosis through the SOGS (South Oaks Gambling Screen) and the DSM-IV criteria for PG; the SCAN (Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry) was used to investigate psychiatric comorbidity; and the TCI (Temperament and Character Inventory), and the BIS (Barratt Impulsiveness Scale version 11) were used to investigate personality features. More females are single; females start gambling and have gambling problems later in life than males. More females prefer electronic games and gamble to escape from problems. Males have more diagnosis of alcohol abuse/dependence, while females have more diagnosis of depression. Besides gender, starting to gamble later in life and preference for electronic games both features associated to female gamblers, are responsible for T.E. in PG. The clinical differences observed between genders lead to the conclusion that this variable should be considered in prevention and treatment strategies for PG. It must be remembered that female gamblers, who effectively have a faster progression to PG - which reduces the window for prevention - , are the ones who resist to seek professional treatment for PG or Gamblers Anonymous (G.A.) groups.

Antecedentes: Segundo as projeções da Organização Mundial de Saúde para o século XXI, as doenças não comunicáveis (DNT) serão responsáveis pelas maiores cargas das doenças no globo. As doenças cardiovasculares e os transtornos neuropsiquiátricos destacam-se como os dois principais grupos de agravos de saúde entre as DNT. O sobrepeso e a obesidade são considerados precursores e fatores agravantes de doenças cardiovasculares, cuja prevalência tem crescido ao redor do mundo, demandando esforços públicos para deter o seu crescimento e minimizar os seus efeitos deletérios. Os transtornos mentais, por sua vez, representam quase um terço das cargas da incapacitação resultante entre todas as DNT. O objetivo do presente trabalho é estimar a frequência de transtornos mentais numa amostra de indivíduos obesos que procuraram um hospital universitário com o intuito de se submeter à cirurgia bariátrica para controlar ou reduzir o excesso do peso corporal. Objetivo: Estimar, por meio de entrevista padronizada, a frequência de transtornos mentais e fatores correlacionados entre os pacientes obesos que procuram a cirurgia bariátrica. Métodos: Participaram do estudo 393 pacientes obesos grau III, candidatos à cirurgia bariátrica. Foram recrutados a partir de um centro universitário de cirurgia bariátrica. Clínicos treinados avaliaram os participantes por meio da Entrevista Clínica Estruturada para o DSM-IV Axis I Diagnóstico (SCID-I/P) e as seguintes escalas de avaliação: HCL (Manic Symptoms Checklist), MDQ (Mood Disorders Questionnarie), MADRS (Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale), M-A QoLII (Moorehead-Ardelt Quality of Life Questionnaire II). A amostra foi composta por 79,1% de mulheres; média de idade 43 anos e média de IMC: 47,8 kg/m². Resultados: A frequência de alguns transtornos mentais ao longo da vida foi 80,9% (81,7% homens e 80,7% mulheres). A taxa de frequência de transtornos mentais no momento da entrevista foi 57,8% (57,6% homens e 58,5% mulheres). Os transtornos afetivos foram os mais frequentes (64,9%), sendo os transtornos bipolares e os transtornos depressivos os mais comuns (35,6% e 29,3%). Entre os entrevistados que apresentaram quaisquer transtornos mentais ao longo da vida, cerca de metade da amostra apresentou três ou mais transtornos simultâneos. Os transtornos de ansiedade foram os diagnósticos mais frequentes (46,3%) entre os participantes com transtorno atual. Idade e nível educacional foram associados com a probabilidade de apresentar transtornos mentais no momento da entrevista. As escalas apresentaram boa consistência interna: sendo o alfa de Cronbach da HCL-32 de 0,9, MDQ 0,8, MADRS 0,9 e M-A QoLII 0,7. A HCL-32 e o MDQ demonstraram uma boa capacidade discriminativa para classificar corretamente os casos de transtorno bipolar. A HCL-32 apresentou área sob a curva (AUC) de 0,7 (IC 95% 0,7-0,8), quando comparado com os diagnósticos da SCID-I/P, com sensibilidade de 0,7 e especificidade 0,7. O melhor ponto de corte foi 16/17 para detectar transtorno bipolar II. Em relação à estrutura fatorial do HCL-32, a variabilidade dos dados foi melhor explicada por dois fatores relevantes: elação do humor e irritação/ativação. O MDQ apresentou sensibilidade de 0,8 e especificidade 0,6. O melhor ponto de corte foi 4/5 para detectar transtorno bipolar I, com AUC de 0,8 (IC 95% 0,7-0,9). A MADRS de 5 itens apresentou sensibilidade de 0,8 e especificidade 0,9. O melhor ponto de corte foi 10/11 para detectar sintomas depressivos e AUC de 0,9. De acordo com o M-A QoL II, cerca de 50% da amostra relatou estar satisfeita com sua qualidade de vida. Há uma correlação significativa entre as escalas utilizadas que variaram de 0,6 a -0,6. Conclusões: Os transtornos mentais são condições frequentes entre os pacientes obesos antes da cirurgia bariátrica. As altas taxas de transtornos mentais sugerem que ambas as condições podem apresentar relações causais de mutualidade ou compartilham fatores etiológicos comuns. Este estudo contribuiu para compreender a relação entre transtornos mentais e obesidade mórbida. Recomenda-se conduzir avaliação sistemática de pacientes obesos com instrumentos psicométricos padronizados no período pré-cirúrgico para detectar transtornos psiquiátricos, que podem interferir na recuperação e estabilização da qualidade de vida dos pacientes no período pósoperatório. Futuros estudos de seguimento serão necessários para verificar os possíveis fatores preditivos de prognóstico nesta população / Background: According to the World Health Organization\'s projections for the 21st. century, non-communicable diseases (NCD) will account for the largest burden of diseases in the world. Cardiovascular diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders stand out as the two main groups of health problems among the NCD. Overweight and obesity are considered precursors and aggravating factors of cardiovascular disease, whose prevalence has grown around the world, claiming for public efforts to stop its growth and minimize its harmful effects. Mental disorders, in turn, account for nearly one-third of the burden of disability resulting from all NCD. The aim of the present investigation is to estimate the frequency of mental disorders in a sample of obese individuals who sought a university hospital in order to undergo bariatric surgery to control or reduce the excess of body weight. Objective: To estimate, through a standardized interview, the frequency of mental disorders and correlated factors among obese patients seeking bariatric surgery. Methods: The sample was composed of 393 treatment-seeking obese patients (79.1% women; mean age 43.0 years, mean BMI: 47.8 kg/m2), who were recruited from a university-based bariatric center. Trained clinicians assessed the participants through the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Diagnosis (SCID-I/P). HCL (Manic Symptoms Cheklist), MDQ (Mood Disorders Questionnarie), MADRS (Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale), M-A QoLII (Moorehead-Ardelt Quality of Life Questionnaire II). Results: The lifetime rate of any mental disorders was 80.9% (81.7% men vs. 80.7% women). Lifetime affective disorders were the most frequent diagnosis (total 64.9%, bipolar disorders 35.6%, and depressive disorders 29.3%). Among those respondents presenting any lifetime mental disorders, about half of the sample presented 3 or more concurrent disorders. The rate of current frequency of any mental disorders was 57.8% (57.6% men vs. 58.5% women). Anxiety disorders were the most frequent diagnosis (46.3%) among those participants with a current disorder. Age and educational level were associated with the likelihood of presenting current mental disorders. The scales showed good internal consistency: the HCL - 32, Cronbach\'s alpha 0.9; MDQ 0.8, MADRS 0.9 and M-A QoL II 0.7. The HCL -32 and MDQ demonstrated good capacity discriminant to correctly classify cases of bipolar disorder. HCL -32 the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.7 (95 % CI 0.7-0.80, when compared to the diagnosis of SCID-I/P, with a sensitivity of 0.7 and specificity 0.7 . The best cutoff point was 16/17 to detect bipolar disorder II. In the factorial structure of the HCL -32, data variability was best explained by two important factors: elation of mood and irritation / activation. MDQ sensitivity was 0.80 and specificity 0.60. The best cutoff value of 4/ 5 for detecting bipolar disorder I, with AUC of 0.8 (95 % CI 0.7 to 0.9).The MADRS of 5 items had a sensitivity of 0.8 and specificity 0.9. The best cutoff point was 10/11 to detect depressive symptoms and AUC of 0.9. According to the MA QoL II, about 50% of the sample reported being satisfied with their quality of life. There is a significant correlation among the scales used, ranging from 0.6 to -0.6. Conclusions: Mental disorders are frequent conditions among obese patients before bariatric surgery. High rates of mental disorders suggest that both disorders might exert mutual causal relationships or share common etiological factors. This study may help to understand the relationship between mental disorders and obesity. Systematic evaluation of obese patients with standardized psychometric instruments in the pre-surgery period may clarify the existence of psychiatric disorders before the bariatric surgery. Often, some psychiatric disorders are detected only after the surgery, interfering with the recovery and stabilization of quality of life of patients in the post-operative period. Future follow-up studies are needed to verify the possible predictors of prognosis in this population

OBJECTIVES: Pain and its disruptive impact on daily life are common reasons that patients seek primary medical care. Pain contributes strongly to psychopathology, and pain and depressive symptoms are often comorbid in primary care patients. Not all those who experience pain develop depression, suggesting that the presence of individual-level characteristics, such as positive and negative affect, that may ameliorate or exacerbate this association. METHODS: We assessed the potential moderating role of positive and negative affect on the pain-depression linkage. In a sample of 101 rural, primary care patients, we administered the Brief Pain Inventory, NEO Personality Inventory-Revised positive and negative affect subclusters, and the Center for Epidemiology Scale for Depression. RESULTS: In moderation models, covarying age, sex, and ethnicity, we found that positive affect, but not negative affect, was a significant moderator of the relation between pain intensity and severity and depressive symptoms. DISCUSSION: The association between pain and depressive symptoms is attenuated when greater levels of positive affects are present. Therapeutic bolstering of positive affect in primary care patients experiencing pain may reduce the risk for depressive symptoms.