Cognitive impairment is central to psychosis and strongly linked to functional outcomes. The Brief Assessment of Cognition (BAC) app is a tablet-based, automated tool for assessing key cognitive domains but has not been validated in Spanish-speaking populations or across illness stages.

A total of 402 participants (117 with first-episode psychosis [FEP], 125 with schizophrenia, and 160 controls) completed the BAC app along with clinical and functional assessments. We evaluated internal consistency, group differences, convergent and discriminant validity, and the effects of sex, age, and education. Normative percentiles were derived from controls.

The BAC app showed good internal consistency across groups (α = 0.76–0.87) and effectively differentiated individuals with psychosis from controls (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.862), with performance declining from controls to FEP to schizophrenia. Discrimination between FEP and schizophrenia was limited (AUC = 0.649). BAC App correlated positively with estimated intelligence quotient and functional capacity, and negatively with symptom severity, particularly in FEP. Performance varied by age, sex, and education, supporting the need for stratified normative data.

The BAC app showed strong reliability and validity for cognitive assessment in Spanish-speaking individuals with psychosis. Its brevity, automated scoring, and normative data support its clinical and research applications for cognitive screening, monitoring, and treatment evaluation.

The objectives of this study were to study the psychometric properties of the Implementation Drivers Scale (IDS), for the mhGAP programme, both clinical and community; to test its structural validity, and to propose an instrument to accompany the implementation of the mhGAP in similar contexts. For this purpose, a cross-sectional quantitative methodology study was conducted.

Mental health programmes proposed in low- and middle-income countries to address gaps in care have implementation problems.

A cross-sectional quantitative methodology study was conducted. During 2022 and 2023, the instrument was administered to 204 individuals, including primary care professionals (50%), national administrative leaders (19.11%), and community strategy leaders. Three departments of Colombia participated, two with low levels of implementation in mental health programmes and one with high levels of implementation of programmes and services.

The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin factor analysis resulted in 0.861, which indicated the suitability of the data for a factor analysis. Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity had a value of 2480.907 (153 degrees of freedom, p <.001). The exploratory factor analysis explained variance of 66.781%. The four factors proposed in the AIF model (System enablers for implementation, Accessibility of the strategy, Adaptability and acceptability, and Strategy training and supervision) were confirmed, with all items with loadings greater than 0.4. For the entire instrument, a Cronbach’s alpha was 0.907. The IDS could contribute to the monitoring of some components of mhGAP implementation, both clinical and community-based, in low- and middle-income settings through appropriate validation processes.

This study aimed to adapt and validate the NOVA 27 ultra-processed food (UPF) Screener for use in Ecuador by identifying commonly consumed foods, classifying them using the NOVA system and testing the screener’s validity in an urban sample and a national food survey.

A cross-sectional study was conducted in two phases: screener validation with a convenience sample of 327 adults in Quito through an online questionnaire (2021) and assessment of its applicability using data from the 2012 Ecuadorian National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT-Ecu). The method, adapted from a similar study in Brazil, compared NOVA UPF scores to the 24 h-Recall (24-HR) automated multiple-pass method, used as the gold standard.

The study included Quito’s urban population for validation and secondary data from ENSANUT-Ecu.

Three hundred and twenty-seven adults aged 18–64 from Quito were included in the validation phase, and 3510 adults from the ENSANUT-Ecu dataset were analysed in the secondary analysis.

The screener adaptation identified twenty-seven subgroups of commonly consumed UPF, summarising 90 % of UPF energy intake. Validation results indicated significant agreement between the NOVA-UPF score and UPF intake, with PABAK indices above 0·8 for most socio-demographic groups. Higher NOVA-UPF scores corresponded to increased UPF dietary shares, mirroring patterns observed in the ENSANUT-Ecu dataset.

The adapted NOVA 27 UPF Screener is a valid tool for assessing UPF intake in Ecuador, offering a practical resource for future dietary surveys to monitor and address UPF intake among Ecuadorian adults.

To describe the design and psychometric assessment of the Adolescent Home Food Environment Questionnaire (Acronym in Portuguese: QAAD).

This was a cross-sectional study. Data were collected between August 2021 and January 2022 through self-administered questionnaires via a survey management application accessible by computer or smartphone. The instrument was subjected to analysis by a panel of experts and to a pretest that enabled the adjustment of the language and the reformulation of the questions. The psychometric evaluation included the assessment of test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient), internal consistency (composite reliability), structural validity (exploratory structural equation modelling and confirmatory factor analysis) and construct validity (Mann‒Whitney test; P< 0·05). The following food environment aspects were evaluated: family eating practices, food availability and accessibility, cooking equipment availability and parental feeding style. Moreover, the weekly frequency of fruit, bean and added sugar beverage consumption was assessed.

A public high school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

14-to-19-year-old students (n 34 in the test‒retest reliability study; n 501 in the validation analysis).

The final version of the QAAD included thirty-two questions allowing the assessment of seven dimensions of the home food environment. The QAAD demonstrated satisfactory reliability (ICC ranging from 0·44 to 0·78), adequate internal consistency (composite reliability > 0·70) and satisfactory structural and construct validity.

The careful QAAD design provided a valid, reliable and consistent instrument for characterising adolescents’ home food environments, which may provide information for tailoring and targeting healthy eating promotion actions aimed at adolescents.

To develop and evaluate the validity and reliability of the Street Food and Beverage Tool (SFBT).

This methodological study contains two phases: (a) tool development, which involves conducting a systematic review followed by expert evaluation of the items, the creation of a nutritional healthfulness index (NH), and pilot testing; and (b) evaluation of the Tool’s Validity and Reliability. Content validity was judged by an external technical group, which evaluated the adequacy and pertinence of each tool item. Construct validity was evaluated around schools by testing the hypothesis: In high-income areas, there will be greater availability of healthy food and beverages at street food outlets (SFO), as measured by the NH index. Inter-rater and test–retest reliabilities were assessed outside subway stations. Pearson’s correlation, Cohen’s kappa and Content validity Indexes were used for reliability and validation. A multinomial regression model was used to estimate construct validity.

Mexico City, Mexico.

80 SFO at subway station exits and 1066 around schools from diverse income areas.

The SFBT content validity index was satisfactory. The construct validity of the NH index indicated higher values in higher-Social Development Index areas. The NH index showed a positive linear correlation between raters and across the first and second evaluations. The majority of item availability (>60 %) showed moderate to strong kappa values for inter-rater and test–retest reliability.

The SFBT is a reliable and valid tool for assessing the availability of foods and beverages. Compared to other tools, it can measure the nutritional quality of SFO expressed as an NH index.

The aim of this study is to propose and validate a value assessment framework for Health Technology Assessment (HTA) for rare diseases drugs in Brazil.

A scoping review was performed to identify criteria used by HTA agencies in countries with public healthcare systems when evaluating orphan drugs. Based on the findings, a criteria framework for rare disease drugs was proposed for Brazil. Content validity was conducted over three rounds using Delphi technique and content validity ratio (CVR) approach was employed to evaluate the ratings from the eighteen stakeholders (experts and patients).

Twenty-nine HTA criteria for rare disease drugs were identified to compose the Brazilian framework. After three Delphi rounds, the final value framework comprised fifteen criteria categorized into four domains: disease-related factors, treatment-related factors, social and political factors, and economic factors. Among the most well-rated criteria by the CVR, considering the relevance attribute, were “relevance of outcomes for a rare disease,” “impact on patient’s quality of life,” “price negotiation,” and “adjusted cost-effectiveness threshold.” On the other hand, “budget impact threshold,” “innovative nature of treatment,” and “willingness to accept greater uncertainty in clinical evidence” received negative evaluations and were excluded from the final framework.

A value assessment framework validated by key stakeholders of rare diseases in Brazil could contribute to improve HTA transparency, decision making, and efficiency of the healthcare system, and inspire the development of a local guidance for rare-disease HTA.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Perceived Nutrition Environment Measures Survey (NEMS-P) translated and adapted for use in Brazil.

Validation of the NEMS-P questionnaire. The questionnaires were applied to assess validity and reliability, based on exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach’s α coefficient and intra-class correlation, with a significance level of 95 %.

Brazil.

Adults over 20 years of age diagnosed with hypertension were included in the internal validity and reliability test (n 176) and intra-rater reliability (subsample n 35).

Factor analysis obtained satisfactory results. Internal consistency was acceptable for most items, with Cronbach’s α ranging from 0·6 to 0·9. The intra-rater reliability of the subsample was also valid, with intra-class correlation coefficient values ranging from 0·5 to 0·9.

This work reveals the usefulness of the instrument to assess the perceived food environment in the Brazilian context, being able to measure what is proposed according to its theoretical model, and reproduces the values when applied to a sample different from its original validation. However, refinement of some questions is suggested. Finally, it demonstrates the possibility of using the entire instrument or each section independently, according to the food environments to be investigated.

Educational strategies are necessary for the care of patients with fibromyalgia. The objective was to develop and validate an e-book to promote the health of individuals with fibromyalgia.

Methodological research in which, initially, through a bibliographic survey, the available publications on the subject were analyzed. Then, this knowledge was used to build the theoretical content addressed, and the art and layout of the e-book were elaborated. In the third phase, validation of the constructed material, content specialists (n = 23), technicians (n =  23) and design specialists (n = 23), and individuals with fibromyalgia (n = 45) evaluated the e-book through the Delphi technique. For data collection, different questionnaires were used, according to the evaluation focus of each participant group, analyzed for reliability using Cronbach’s Alpha (αC) and agreement using the Content Validity Index (CVI).

In the global assessment of agreement from all groups of judges, the CVI presented a considerable minimum: content (0.79), technical (0.89), design (0.92), and target audience (0.97). Regarding reliability, all groups also had a αC within the acceptable range: content (0.960), technical (0.963), design (0.977), and target audience (1.08).

The e-book was developed and validated in terms of content and relevance and can be used to promote the health of individuals with fibromyalgia.

Mitigation actions during the COVID-19 pandemic may impact mental health and suicide in general populations. We aimed to analyse the evolution in suicide deaths from 2020 to March 2022 in France.

Using free-text medical causes in death certificates, we built an algorithm, which aimed to identify suicide deaths. We measured its retrospective performances by comparing suicide deaths identified using the algorithm with deaths which had either a Tenth revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) code for ‘intentional self-harm’ or for ‘external cause of undetermined intent’ as the underlying cause. The number of suicide deaths from January 2020 to March 2022 was then compared with the expected number estimated using a generalized additive model. The difference and the ratio between the observed and expected number of suicide deaths were calculated on the three lockdown periods and for periods between lockdowns and after the third one. The analysis was stratified by age group and gender.

The free-text algorithm demonstrated high performances. From January 2020 to mid-2021, suicide mortality declined during France’s three lockdowns, particularly in men. During the periods between and after the two first lockdowns, suicide mortality remained comparable to the expected values, except for men over 85 years old and in 65–84 year-old age group, where a small number of excess deaths was observed in the weeks following the end of first lockdown, and for men aged 45–64 years old, where the decline continued after the second lockdown ended. After the third lockdown until March 2022, an increase in suicide mortality was observed in 18–24 year-old age group for both genders and in men aged 65–84 years old, while a decrease was observed in the 25–44 year-old age group.

This study highlighted the absence of an increase in suicide mortality during France’s COVID-19 pandemic and a substantial decline during lockdown periods, something already observed in other countries. The increase in suicide mortality observed in 18–24 year-old age group and in men aged 65–84 years old from mid-2021 to March 2022 suggests a prolonged impact of COVID-19 on mental health, also described on self-harm hospitalizations and emergency department’s attendances in France. Further studies are required to explain the factors for this change. Reactive monitoring of suicide mortality needs to be continued since mental health consequences and the increase in suicide mortality may be continued in the future with the international context.

To determine the reliability of teleneuropsychological (TNP) compared to in-person assessments (IPA) in people with HIV (PWH) and without HIV (HIV−).

Participants included 80 PWH (Mage = 58.7, SDage = 11.0) and 23 HIV− (Mage = 61.9, SDage = 16.7). Participants completed two comprehensive neuropsychological IPA before one TNP during the COVID-19 pandemic (March–December 2020). The neuropsychological tests included: Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R Total and Delayed Recall), Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT; FAS-English or PMR-Spanish), Animal Fluency, Action (Verb) Fluency, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale 3rd Edition (WAIS-III) Symbol Search and Letter Number Sequencing, Stroop Color and Word Test, Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (Channel 1), and Boston Naming Test. Total raw scores and sub-scores were used in analyses. In the total sample and by HIV status, test-retest reliability and performance-level differences were evaluated between the two consecutive IPA (i.e., IPA1 and IPA2), and mean in-person scores (IPA-M), and TNP.

There were statistically significant test-retest correlations between IPA1 and IPA2 (r or ρ = .603–.883, ps < .001), and between IPA-M and TNP (r or ρ = .622–.958, ps < .001). In the total sample, significantly lower test-retest scores were found between IPA-M and TNP on the COWAT (PMR), Stroop Color and Word Test, WAIS-III Letter Number Sequencing, and HVLT-R Total Recall (ps < .05). Results were similar in PWH only.

This study demonstrates reliability of TNP in PWH and HIV−. TNP assessments are a promising way to improve access to traditional neuropsychological services and maintain ongoing clinical research studies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is associated with emotional distress and mental disorders. In clinical samples NSSI is reported by 21% to 60% of all psychiatric patients. Developed NSSI instruments are not suitable for clinical settings because they are too time-consuming or lack validation across psychiatric diagnoses.

The Transdiagnostic Self-Injury Interview (TSI) is semi-structured interview that accesses onset, frequency, methods, and severity of NSSI. It is transdiagnostic and developed for clinical settings.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the feasibility of a TSI validation study. The study will also provide preliminary validation of the instrument.

The feasibility study will recruit participants at in- and outpatient units from a university hospital. Participants can be included in the study if they are 18 years old and admitted to a psychiatric in- or outpatient unit.

Instruments: The Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory will be used to test concurrent validity. Convergent validity will be tested with the Columbia Suicidality Severity Rating Scale, the Personal and Social Performance scale, the Affective Lability Scale-short, and the Brief Trauma Questionnaire. Interrater reliability will be evaluated in groups of medical doctors, psychologist, and other clinical professionals.

Feasibility are measured by inclusion of participants per week, the time each participant takes to complete the study instruments, and number of dropouts.

Recruitment of participants will start in the fall of 2021. We aim to recruit 50 participants.

When TSI has been validated, it can be used to assess prevalence and severity of NSSI and clarify the need for treatment and supervision.

No significant relationships.

Monitoring population salt intake is operationally and economically challenging. We explored whether a questionnaire assessment and a prediction of Na intake from spot-urine could replace or complement the recommended measurement of Na in 24-h urine (24-h U).

Compare the agreement of a Na-specific food record checklist (FRCL) and a late-afternoon spot-urine measurement (PM-spot) with 24-h U measurement in estimating Na intake at group level. Each participant’s use of these methods extended over 3 d. Agreement was assessed using mean (95 % CI) differences, linear regression models and Bland–Altman plots.

The validation study was part of a 1-year workplace intervention trial to lower salt intake in Switzerland.

Seventy women and 71 men, aged 21–61 years, completed three FRCL, and acceptable PM-spot and 24-h U samples at baseline (April–October 2015).

Mean Na intake estimates varied slightly across methods (3·5–3·9 g/d). Mean Na intake differences from 24-h U were 0·2 (95 % CI (0, 0·5)) g/d for FRCL and 0·4 (95 % CI (0·2, 0·6)) g/d for PM-spot. Linear regression models and Bland–Altmann plots more clearly depicted differences by sex and discretionary salt use.

Although 24-h U remains the best reference method for monitoring Na intake at the population level, PM-spot and FRCL might be more practical instruments for frequent, periodic Na intake assessments. Population-specific prediction models to estimate 24-h U could be developed and evaluated.

This study is aimed to perform the translation and cultural adaptation of the Neonatal Palliative Care Attitude Scale (NiPCAS) and evaluation of its psychometric properties with Portuguese neonatal nurses.

The research started with a scoping review that allowed the identification of the NiPCAS. It was a methodological study with a quantitative approach. The semantic equivalence of the items was adjusted with the participation of 20 neonatal nurse experts. They performed facial and quantitative content validation. Psychometric validation of the NiPCAS was performed on a nonprobability nurses sample (n = 283) in 13 level 3 neonatal units between July 2021 and February 2022. Confirmatory factor analysis using the polychoric correlation matrix was performed to estimate factor validity using the “lavaan” package for R statistical software. Internal consistency was estimated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and item sensitivity was assessed using the asymmetry and kurtosis coefficients. Empirical indices were considered: chi-square over degrees of freedom; comparative fit index; normed fit index; Tucker–Lewis index, and root mean square error of approximation; average extracted variance and composite reliability were used to assess convergent validity.

Asymmetry and kurtosis were <|3| and <|7|, respectively, suggesting psychometric sensitivity. The convergent validity of the factors was: F1, FCF1 = 0.90 and for F2, FCF2 = 0.80, and a lower value for F3, FCF3 = 0.40. According to the squared correlation criterion average variance extracted (AVE) between the factors, there was no discriminant validity for F1 and F2, but there was discriminant validity for F1, F3, F2, and F3.

This instrument has implications for providing end-of-life care to newborns and their families. The use of this instrument reveals several barriers and facilitating elements inherent in the organization and culture of the facility and nursing education.

To assess the factorial validity and internal reliability of the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) among a treatment-seeking sample of survivors of sexual violence in Ireland. In addition, to assess the diagnostic rate of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) among the samples.

Participants were adult survivors of sexual violence (N = 114) in receipt of therapeutic support at the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. The ITQ was utilised to measure PTSD and CPTSD symptoms and confirmatory factor analysis was employed to assess the factorial validity of the ITQ. Composite reliability was employed to assess the internal reliability of the ITQ scale scores.

The confirmatory factor analysis results indicated that a six-factor correlated model and a two-factor higher model were good representations of the latent structure of the ITQ, both models are consistent with the conceptualisation of CPTSD. All ITQ subscales possessed satisfactory internal reliability except for the affective dysregulation subscale. Of the sample, 56.1% met the criteria for CPTSD and 20.2% met the criteria for PTSD.

The ITQ captured a distinction between PTSD and CPTSD symptoms and produced reliable scores within the sample, but replication with a larger sample size is required. In addition, the study findings demonstrated that CPTSD was relatively common among those seeking psychological support following sexual violence.

The aim of this study is to culturally adapt and validate the Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying Scale Form B (FATCOD-B) in Spanish health professionals.

A cultural adaptation and scale validation was carried out to evaluate the validity of appearance, content and construct, reliability and feasibility. The psychometric validation of the FATCOD-B was carried out on a sample of 2,446 Spanish physicians, nurses, psychologists, and social workers and students of these disciplines, between January 2017 and December 2018. This sample was selected by intentional sampling. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample. An exploratory multi-group factor analysis was performed, internal consistency was evaluated by calculating Cronbach's α and stability by test–retest.

A total of 2,446 people participated in the study, 1,134 students and 1,312 professionals. The exploratory multi-group factor analysis revealed a two-dimensional factor structure, with a total of 17 items retained in the model from the 30 of the original scale. The results showed that this version has adequate reliability (α = 0.79) and for each subscale, and stability (ICC = 0.843, p < 0.001).

FATCOD has been used with physicians and nurses from different countries. However, no reports have been found in the literature of its use with psychologists and social workers. It is important to have an instrument that allows us to know the attitudes of these professionals since they are all directly involved in the care of patients at the end of their lives and their families. The Spanish version of FATCOD-B has proven to be a reliable and valid instrument for its use in Spanish health professionals while allowing comparisons between disciplines.

The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) is a generic measure of functional impairment and disability but to date no studies have reported its applicability in a population of Syrian refugees.

The aim of this study was to explore the psychometric properties and factor structure of the Arabic version of the WHODAS 2.0 among a population of Syrian refugees in a Jordanian refugee camp setting. The tool was used as part of a screening procedure for a randomised controlled trial assessing the effectiveness of a low-intensity psychological intervention.

A representative sample of Syrian refugees (n = 650) were screened to assess levels of functional impairment and psychological distress. The screening results were used to explore the internal consistency and dimensionality of the WHODAS 2.0. We assessed level of convergence with the validated Kessler 10-item Psychological Distress Scale (K10), which assesses psychological distress. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to explore the construct validity and factor structure of the WHODAS 2.0.

The mean baseline WHODAS 2.0 score was 20.5 (s.d. = 7.6). The internal consistency was acceptable (Cronbach's alpha 0.74), with all 12-items appearing to be related to the same construct. The WHODAS 2.0 was positively correlated with the K10 (r = 0.57, P < 0.001). The results of the EFA identified a three-factor solution accounting for 51% of variation, corresponding with factors related to self-activities, external activities and self-care. CFA results indicated good fit of the three-factor solution.

The results indicated that the WHODAS 2.0 has a three-factor solution and is an acceptable screening tool for use among Syrian refugees.