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Background: Chronic back pain is a frequent and disabling health problem. There is evidence that ignorance and erroneous beliefs about chronic low back pain among health professionals interfere in the treatment of people who suffer from it. The Health Care Providers' Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale (HC-PAIRS) has been one of the most used scale to assess these misbeliefs, but no studies have been reported in Latin America. Method: We studied the factorial structure of the HC-PAIRS in health personnel and health sciences university students in two Latin American countries: Colombia (n = 930) and Chile (n = 190). Spain's data was taken of the original study of the Spanish version of the HC-PAIRS (171 Physiotherapy students). Additionally, the measurement invariance of this scale among Chile, Colombia and Spain was evaluated by calculating three nested models: configural, metric and scalar. We used a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) in both Latin American samples, with Maximum Likelihood Robust (MLR) estimation to estimate the parameters. For the final model in each sample, reliability was assessed with the Composite Reliability (CR) index, and to obtain the proportion of variance explained by the scale the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) was calculated. Results: The one-factor solution shows an acceptable fit in both countries after deleting items 1, 6, and 14. For the resulting scale, the CR value is adequate, but the AVE is low. There is scalar invariance between Chile and Colombia, but not between these two countries and Spain. Conclusions: HC-PAIRS is useful for detecting misconceptions about the relationship between chronic low back pain that would cause health personnel to give wrong recommendations to patients. However, it has psychometric weaknesses, and it is advisable to obtain other evidence of validity.

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In times of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been detected that some students are unable to dedicate enough time to their education. They present signs of frustration and even apathy towards dropping out of school. In addition, feelings of fear, anxiety, desperation, and depression are now present because society has not yet been able to adapt to the new way of living. Therefore, this article analyzes the feelings that university students of the Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Misantla present when using long distance education tools during COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico. The results suggest that isolation, because of the pandemic situation, generated high levels of anxiety and depression. Moreover, there are connections between feelings generated by lockdown and school performance while using e-learning platforms. The findings of this research reflect the students' feelings, useful information that could lead to the development and implementation of pedagogical strategies that allow improving the students' academic performance results.

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AIM: to estimate the level of metallic chemical elements in the population living in the Steel company vicinity in Santa Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and estimate the association between exposure to the Steel company and the blood metals concentrations patterns. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 463 individuals aged 18+ years old residing 1+ years in the Steel company vicinity. Mg, Be, Co, Ba, Ni, Cd, Al, and Pb were assessed in blood by DRC-ICP-MS. Metallic chemical element concentration patterns were obtained by exploratory factor analysis in the studied population. Exposure was set as the distance (Km) from each participant's residence to the Steel company in Santa Cruz, georeferenced by GPS. The outcome was set as the positive factor loadings in the factor analysis, including Mg and Be (Factor-1), Co, Ba, and Ni (Factor-2), Cd, Al, and Pb (Factor-4). Crude and adjusted OR, and their respective 95 %CI, were estimated to explore associations between independent variables and the exposures to metallic elements positively associated with the factors using polychotomous logistic regression. RESULTS: A reduction of 19 % was found between each km distance from the residence and the Steel company and P50 concentration of Cd, Al, and Pb (ORP50=0.81; 95 %CI:0.67-0.97), after adjusting by age, sex, and smoking. No statistically significant associations were observed for the distance from residences and the Steel company, after adjusting for age, gender, having a domestic vegetable garden and chewing gum for Mg and Be concentrations (Factor-1) (ORP50=0.84; 95 %CI:0.70-1.01; ORP75=1.10; 95 %CI:0.91-1.34); nor for Co, Ba and Ni (Factor-2) blood concentrations(ORP50=1.10; 95 %CI:0.91-1.33; ORP75=1.03; 95 %CI:0.84-1.26), in the adjusted analysis. CONCLUSIONS: For each Km distance from residences to the Steel company, a 19 % reduction in the risk of Cd, Al, and Pb blood concentration was observed in the population living in Santa Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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INTRODUCTION: The study aimed to assess the psychometric quality of the Peer Mental Health Stigmatization Scale - Revised (PMHSS-R), by examining its factorial structure among young adults in Ireland and Argentina. METHOD: A total of 429 participants aged between 18 and 25 years old were recruited (n = 187 Ireland, n = 242 Argentina). The PMHSS-R was completed by Irish participants and was translated, pilot-studied, and subsequently completed by Argentinian participants. RESULTS: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis demonstrated optimal factor loadings for an eight-item solution and acceptable internal consistency for both scale dimensions in the Argentinian sample. Satisfactory levels of partial scalar invariance were achieved between countries, indicating that the scale measures mental health stigma consistently across cultures. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the PMHSS-R as a cross-culturally valid and reliable psychometric instrument to evaluate interventions targeting stigma. In conclusion, the PMHSS-R can be used in cross-cultural research to compare levels of mental health stigma and investigate the interplay between stigma and other psychologically relevant constructs between different countries and cultural contexts.

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El estudio examina las características psicométricas de una escala que mide la percepción sobre el teletrabajo femenino en la población chilena en situación de confinamiento familiar, construida durante la pandemia por COVID-19. El cuestionario explora la interacción entre los ámbitos del trabajo y la familia, centrándose específicamente en la salud mental, las actitudes hacia el teletrabajo femenino, las dinámicas familiares relacionadas con el teletrabajo femenino y las dinámicas laborales en el contexto del teletrabajo femenino durante la pandemia. Los resultados indican una fuerte coherencia interna tanto para la escala global como para sus cuatro dimensiones diferenciadas: Salud Mental, ámbito laboral, teletrabajo femenino y ámbito familiar. El análisis factorial exploratorio (AFE) revela índices de ajuste favorables gl = 17; p<0.183; x 2 /gl = 22.211; CFI = 0.995; NNFI = 0.983; RMSEA = 0.052 para los 12 ítems en las cuatro dimensiones, alineándose bien con la estructura teórica respaldando los fundamentos del constructo balance trabajo/familia.

The study examines the psychometric characteristics of a scale that measures the perception of female teleworking in the Chilean population in a situation of family confinement, built during the COVID-19 pandemic. The questionnaire explores the interaction between the spheres of work and family, specifically focusing on mental health, attitudes towards female teleworking, family dynamics related to female teleworking, and work dynamics in the context of female teleworking during the pandemic. The results indicate strong internal coherence both for the global scale and for its four differentiated dimensions: Mental Health, work environment, female teleworking and family environment. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) reveals favorable adjustment indices df = 17; p<0.183; χ 2 /df = 22.211; CFI = 0.995; NNFI = 0.983; RMSEA = 0.052 for the 12 items in the four dimensions, aligning well with the theoretical structure supporting the foundations of the work/family balance construct.

O estudo examina as características psicométricas de uma escala que mede as percepções do teletrabalho feminino na população chilena em confinamento familiar, construída durante a pandemia da COVID-19. O questionário explora a interação entre os domínios do trabalho e da família, concentrando-se especificamente na saúde mental, nas atitudes em relação ao teletrabalho feminino, na dinâmica familiar relacionada ao teletrabalho feminino e na dinâmica do trabalho no contexto do teletrabalho feminino durante a pandemia. Os resultados indicam uma forte consistência interna tanto para a escala geral quanto para suas quatro dimensões distintas: saúde mental, ambiente de trabalho, teletrabalho feminino e ambiente familiar. A análise fatorial exploratória (AFE) revela índices de ajuste favoráveis gl = 17; p<0,183; χ 2 /gl = 22,211; CFI = 0,995; NNFI = 0,983; RMSEA = 0,052 para os 12 itens nas quatro dimensões, alinhando-se bem com a estrutura teórica que sustenta os fundamentos do conceito de equilíbrio entre trabalho e família.

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Culture is a well-known driver of food choices, and therefore, it could also impact food pairing preferences. Food pairing has been studied from different approaches; however, little cross-cultural research has been done. This work explored food and beverage pairing using projective mapping (PM) to create maps of food-beverage combinations. Four countries (Mexico, Argentina, France, and Norway), thirty foods, and six beverages were selected. PM was carried out through an online study in each country. Participants were asked to map foods together with beverages following the instruction that foods and beverages closer together represented a good combination. The coordinates of each product were analyzed through Multiple Factorial Analyses (MFA) by countries. The first four factors of each MFA were used to perform RV coefficients to test similarities in food-beverage pairings between the countries. Finally, a k-means clustering was performed on the beverage coordinates of each MFA. PM provided maps representing food and beverage pairings for each country in which the proximity between food-beverages represented a good combination according to consumers. RV coefficients between countries were low, showing that food-beverage pairings were not similar across countries, evidencing the cultural effect in food-drink combinations. Results from the k-means clustering showed some similarities and differences between countries. In general, the food-beverage pairing was effectively explored with PM, from which several differences and similarities were found within cultures.

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OBJECTIVE: The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale III (FACES III) is a self-report instrument that enables the assessment of the dimensions of adaptability and cohesion within a family, establishing whether or not that family is functional and classifying it according to categories within those dimensions. The objective of this research was to determine the psychometric properties of this instrument using a sample of dental students from 5 Latin American countries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The FACES III was administered to a sample of 2888 university dental students from Colombia (35.3%), Chile (34.6%), the Dominican Republic (19%), Argentina (6%), and El Salvador (5.1%). Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the factorial structure of the scale, comparing 3 models proposed in the Latin American literature, establishing a multigroup analysis to examine invariance among countries. RESULTS: The results revealed a structure composed of 2 dimensions: cohesion and adaptability. These dimensions showed adequate structure and internal consistency. The invariance of the measurement model in the participating countries was confirmed. CONCLUSION: In general, this study offers evidence of the adequacy of the psychometric properties of FACES III in Colombian, Chilean, Dominican, Argentine, and Salvadoran dental students.

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BACKGROUND: Considering that beliefs may be assessed and changed, inventories measuring employability and career beliefs may be of utmost importance for career interventions. OBJECTIVE: This study introduces the psychometric properties of a brief version of the Employability and Career Beliefs Inventory (ECBI) in a sample of unemployed persons. METHODS AND RESULTS: Altogether, 2023 unemployed persons aged from 18 to 66 years old and living in Southern Portugal participated in an online survey. The ECBI's original internal structure was tested and did not fit the data. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were implemented, and a three-factor solution was retained. The three factors discriminate three types of beliefs named growth, pessimism, and flexibility. Measurement invariance models identified scalar equivalence across gender and educational degree, and metric invariance across age. All items fit the graded response model's parameters. The growth and flexibility subscales were less effective in the assessment of low latent trait levels, whereas the opposite was observed with the pessimism subscale. Internal consistency is good yet discrimination between factors is questionable. Correlations to career decision-making self-efficacy evidence validity based on the relations to other constructs. CONCLUSION: Despite the limitations, the brief version of the ECBI proposed in this study is ready for further use and development among unemployed persons.

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BACKGROUND: The psychopathology of personality is currently undergoing a paradigm shift from a categorical to a dimensional approach. This work aimed to study the underlying structure of pathological personality traits of the DSM-5 Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD). For this purpose, the internal structure of a version of the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 (PID-5) was examined by a confirmatory factor analysis. This version assesses the five higher-order pathological personality domains (negative affectivity, detachment, antagonism, disinhibition, and psychoticism) and the 25 lower-order pathological personality facets through a reduced number of items. Four alternative models were compared: five-factor oblique; second-order (five first-order factors and one second-order factor); bifactor (five specific factors and a general factor), and one-factor. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: We worked with an Argentinean sample of N = 525 subjects from the general population who answered the Argentine version of the PID-5. RESULTS: The five-factor model was slightly superior to the second order model, and the bifactor model presented the best fit. CONCLUSIONS: These findings, while preliminary, suggest that the PID-5 facets could reflect five specific pathological personality traits (which correspond to AMPD domains) but also a general factor (which would reflect a general propensity for psychopathology).

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BACKGROUND: Clinical empathy is an essential part of healthcare, and patient-centered care models require clinical empathy to be established. Despite this, little is known about its measurement in the neonatal scenario. RESEARCH AIM: To measure clinical empathy in health professionals who work with medium and high-risk neonates and build a construct of this empathy. RESEARCH DESIGN: Single-center survey study. PARTICIPANTS AND RESEARCH CONTEXT: The Jefferson Scale of Empathy for Health Professionals questionnaire was applied to health professionals who work in an intensive care unit and a medium-risk unit, in Brazil. Analysis was done using descriptive statistics and a factor analysis model, to build the construct of empathy. Overall empathy was calculated, and the domains' punctuations were analyzed and compared to the maximum punctuation possible. The study followed the STROBE checklist. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the institution. All participants signed the informed consent form. Participants' confidentiality and anonymity were protected. FINDINGS: Median empathy was 117 (IQR 113-124). The domain of Walking in the Patient's Shoes had lower scores and represented 77.6% of the maximum punctuation possible. The factor analysis included three factors named Understanding, Experiences, and Treatment, and Emotional Relationships, explaining 64.3% of the overall variance. The domain Walking in the Patient's Shoes was not included in the model. CONCLUSIONS: In this scenario, clinical empathy should improve. There is a need to improve the domain of Walking in the Patient's Shoes, in this case, the neonate, and provide more empathic care to them.