Ecuador has been one of the most affected countries by the Corona Virus Disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, by April 2020 this country presented the highest rates of mortality in Latin America. The purpose of the present study was to identify behaviors during confinement and sociodemographic variables associated with the mental health status of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients who were part of the epidemiological surveillance program in Ecuador that included mandatory confinement and self-isolation. A cross-sectional study was performed from March 22 th to April 18 th , 2020 using an online survey. The survey collected socio-demographic information and severity of depressive symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and anxiety symptoms through the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7. A total of 759 patients completed the questionnaire, 20.3% presented moderate to severe symptoms of depression and 22.5% moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety. Being a woman and from the Coastal region were risk factors. Exercising, maintaining daily routines, and keeping informed about the COVID-19 but limiting to an hour was associated with better mental health. Regression analysis indicated that the mentioned behaviors explained approximately 17% of the variance for depression sum scores and 11.8% of the variance for anxiety sum scores while controlling for gender and region. Understanding the association between sociodemographic variables and psychological states in patients with COVID-19 is relevant to tackle future public mental health problems and to implement health policies that are intended to palliate further psychiatric complications. Promotion of modifiable behaviors such as exercising, maintaining daily routines, and keeping informed about the COVID-19 but limiting to less than an hour is recommended.

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Background: The Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) is a pan-theoretical and pan-diagnostic measure of mental health designed to cover issues that people wish to change in psychotherapy. The objective of this study was to explore the psychometric properties of the Spanish translation of the CORE-OM, in a country, Ecuador for which there is not a single measure suitable for this purpose with empirically demonstrated local acceptability and psychometric properties. Methods: In total, 886 adults not currently receiving psychotherapy treatment or taking psychotropic medication were included in the analysis. The analyses broadly followed and compared with results from previous studies. These analyses consisted of assessment of acceptability, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, influences of demographic variables, correlations between domain scores, and convergent validity with Spanish versions of the Outcome Questionnaire 45.2 and Schwartz Outcome Scale-10. Results: The questionnaire showed good acceptability (overall omission rate of 0.56%), good reliability (α = .93 [.92, .94], test-retest correlations ranged from .59 to .85), and good convergent validity with the Outcome Questionnaire 45.2 (r = .84) and the Schwartz Outcome Scale-10 (r = −.73). Statistically significant gender differences were found in two domains: females scored higher on Well-being (M = 1.23) than males (M = 1.01), though effect size was small (g = 0.31); and males (M = 0.31) scored higher than females on Risk (M = 0.25), with even smaller effect size (g = 0.06). Age was negatively correlated with psychological distress in all domains and coefficients ranged from −.14 for Risk to −.29 for Functioning. Conclusions: The results support the use of the CORE-OM as a valid and reliable instrument in a non-clinical Ecuadorean population. Exploration of the psychometric properties in a clinical population is recommended to assure its use in clinical settings.

<b><i>Objective:</i></b> Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a public health problem worldwide. Information regarding TBI from low- and middle-income countries is scarce. The objectives of this study are to determine the incidence, mortality and geodemographic distribution of TBI in Ecuador. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A population-based analytical study from 2004 to 2016 was conducted in Ecuador. Men and women with a diagnosis of TBI from all ages (0–110 years) were included. Data was obtained from official hospital-discharges records and retrieved from the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) Database. We analyzed data by region, province and canton with a monthly resolution. The incidence, mortality, case fatality rates and the risk of developing TBI within the population were calculated based on the last 13 years of available data. <b><i>Results:</i></b> A total of 124,576 hospital admissions and 5,264 deaths due to TBI were registered in Ecuador from 2004 to 2016. The overall TBI-related hospital admission rate was 70.68 per 100,000. The sex- and age-specific rate was 90.1 per 100,000 for men and 64.1 per 100,000 for women. Mestizos’ population has the highest adjusted incidence rate of 195.6 per 100,000, followed by the indigenous with 61.4 per 100,000 and Afro-Americans with 14.2 per 100,000. The overall annual mortality rate during the study ranged from 2.11 to 3.35 per 100,000. Case fatality rates were significantly higher in older populations, becoming fatal in up to 27% of men &#x3e;90 years/old and in 15% of women older than 90 years/old. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> This is the first recorded epidemiological study of the socio-demographic distribution of TBI in Ecuador to date. The study found that young men were almost 4 times more likely to be hospitalized due to TBI than women of this age. Fatalities due to TBI were less likely to occur among younger age groups, increasing significantly among the elderly population. The national incidence rate of TBI has been decreasing since 2011, which coincides with the introduction of stricter alcohol regulation, suggesting that this measure might have played a role in this reduction.

Objective: To determine differences in life satisfaction at 1-year post-TBI among Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, and Asian individuals with TBI, after adjusting for covariates that significantly differ between ethnic groups and/or affect the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) at one year post-injury. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Longitudinal dataset of the TBI Model Systems National Database. Participants: 3,368 individuals with moderate to severe TBI (2478 Caucasian, 629 African American, 180 Hispanic, and 81 Asian/Pacific Islander) hospitalized between 1989 and 2005. Main Outcome Measures: Satisfaction with Life Total score at 1 year post injury.Results: African Americans had 3.21 units lower SWLS scores one year post-injury than Asian/Pacific Islanders (95% CI = 0.61-5.81) and 1.99 units lower SWLS scores than Caucasians (95% CI = 0.97-3.00) after controlling for marital status, employment at admission, cause of injury, FIM at discharge, and LOS in acute care. Conclusions: African Americans have poorer self-reported life satisfaction than Caucasians and Asians one year after TBI. This effect is not due to pre-injury marital or employment status, cause of injury, nor injury severity or functional status. Further research on the factors which might explain these differences is warranted, so that targeted rehabilitation programs can be designed and implemented that enhance quality of life for all individuals who have suffered a TBI.

Empathy plays a fundamental role in health related occupations. In this study, we analysed empathy levels in professionals (117) and students (170) from various healthcare fields in Ecuador during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Interpersonal Reactivity Index was used in an online survey. The results show high levels of empathy in both groups, influenced by age and gender. The students presented higher levels of personal distress, and their age was negatively correlated to empathy. Additionally, professionals working in physical health scored higher levels of personal distress compared to those in the field of emotional health. COVID-19 has placed social health systems in great stress. Despite this, the personal capacities for empathy of both students and health professionals have not been diminished.

Previous studies that used objective measures of community integration found that in the first year after injury, minority groups with traumatic brain injury (TBI) exhibit lower levels of community integration than White participants. The objective of this study was to determine if this discrepancy persists beyond one year post injury, and if assessing subjective components of community integration helps understand these differences. Participants were 360 community dwelling adults with TBI including 29% from minority backgrounds. Mean time post injury was 8.66 years (SD = 9.94). Main outcome measure utilized was the Participation Objective Participation Subjective (POPS). Multiple regression indicated that minority status predicted levels of transportation use (p < 0.01), with white participants reporting less use, after controlling for demographic and injury variables. When looking at subjective indicators, minority status predicted levels of dissatisfaction with community, civic, life and leisure participation (p < 0.01), and total levels of participation (p < 0.0125), with White participants reporting significantly less dissatisfaction. Findings indicate that differences between minorities and white participants in objective aspects of community integration after one year post-injury are only evident in levels of transportation use. However, when looking at subjective indicators differences between groups are present in other areas. These findings underscore the importance of considering the consumer's subjective experience when providing services to minorities in a rehabilitation setting.

Objective: To conduct a scoping review of measure utilization in Latin America. We relate the findings to the needs of the region and give recommendations for measure usage in LA. Methods: Six electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsychInfo, SCOPUS, and SCIELO) were searched to identify peer-reviewed literature. In total, 207 studies using change and/or outcome measures were identified based on a priori inclusion criteria. Results: Production by country varied markedly; more than three quarters of the studies took place in just three of the 20 Latin American countries: Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. The most frequently used measures were the Outcome Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Hamilton Rating Scale, and Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale. The most common diagnosis was depression (n = 54). Conclusions: Outcome and change research in Latin America is growing rapidly but future efforts should focus more tightly on the needs of the region, as well as on forging collaborations with researchers from other regions. The use of change measures for serial assessment throughout interventions is recommended in view of its adaptability to highly diverse Latin American social realities. Dissemination of research findings and promotion of outcome and change measure use through implementation of public policy is recommended.