As it is already known that depression can cause a demonstrable impact on cognition in elderly subjects, the objective of this study was to determine whether also the mourning process is associated with any cognitive impairment in this age range. A random and representative sample (a sample with 77 subjects/total county population of oldest-old with 219 subjects = 35%) aged 80 years or more was selected from the county of Veranópolis in the Brazilian rural southern region. Of this group, the cognitive function of subjects without grief and of subjects with the presence of grief were compared. Five neuropsychological tests (the Buschke-Fuld Selective Reminding Test, the word-list from the CERAD battery, the Verbal Fluency Test, and two subtests of the Wechsler memory scale), the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and two self-perceived memory impairment questionnaires were used. Presence of depressive symptomatology was identified by the Yesavage Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). The prevalence rates of some psychiatric diagnoses (syndromic general anxiety disorder, major and minor depression) were compared between the bereaved group and the control group. There was not a statistically significant difference between the scores of controls and subjects with grief in the GDS. The frequency of affective disorders in both groups did not differ. However, the recently bereaved elderly subjects presented a mild cognitive impairment when evaluated with the MMSE, with the digit span test and with Word-list neuropsychological memory test. Likewise these bereaved octogenarian subjects presented more frequently a diagnosis of 'aging-associated cognitive decline' when compared with non-bereaved oldest-old. These results suggest that the normal sadness and/or the chronic stress of the grieving process, even without the presence of an identifiable syndromal-level depression, are associated with memory and cognitive differences among the bereaved oldest-old. Cause-effect relationships, however, cannot be established from this cross-sectional correlational study: Grief may influence cognitive functioning in the elderly, but mildly cognitively compromised elderly persons may be more likely to experience strong grief reactions after loss.

Estudos de Psicologia I Campinas I 32(4) I 641-652 I outubro -dezembro 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0103-166X2015000400007 AbstractThe goal of this study was to evaluate family functioning in two groups of adolescents: adolescents with major depressive disorder (cases) and adolescents with no psychiatric disorders (controls). A total of 18 adolescents (13-18 years) and their first-degree relatives (N = 70) were evaluated. Cases and controls were matched for the adolescent's age, gender, level of education, number and age of siblings, parental marital status, and economic condition. A family therapist conducted the Structured Family Interview with each family to evaluate nine family functioning dimensions (communication, rules, roles, leadership, conflict, aggressiveness, affect, individuation, and integration). The interview transcripts were independently rated by two different family therapists blinded to case-control status, i.e., without knowing whether they were evaluating cases or controls. The raters scored all interview items using a standardized coding system (overall agreement = 83.5%), and when compared to the controls, the cases showed lower mean scores in seven dimensions, particularly affect (p = 0.0078). There was no difference between cases and controls regarding the dimensions rules and leadership. Difficulty in expressing affect in parent-child relationship was the main disturbance in the families of depressive adolescents evaluated. (comunicação, normas, papéis, liderança, conflito, agressividade, afeto, individualização, integração Family functioning is closely related to the physical and psychological well-being of family members and its impairment affects the family as a whole. High levels of parent-child conflict and disagreement have a negative impact on adolescents' mental health (Birmaher et al., 2004;Sheeber, Hops, & Davis, 2001). Moreover, psychopathology such as depression can appear whenever the basic needs for individual development are not provided for by the social and physical environment (Puissant, Gauthier, & Oirbeek;. The recognition that depressive disorders occur in an interpersonal context calls greater attention to the role of the family environment and its interaction processes as relevant factors to the development of depressive disorders during adolescence. Indeed, according to Sheeber et al. (2001;, family relations are important predictors of depression in adolescents. KeywordsWeich, Patterson, Shaw, and Stewart-Brown (2009) conducted a systematic review of large longitudinal studies of 10 or more years' duration with prospective data on relationships in the home during childhood (parent-parent or parent-child) and measures of common psychiatric disorders in adulthood. This review included 23 papers reporting data from 16 cohorts. The authors found that abusive relationships predicted depression, while maternal emotional unavailability in early life predicted suicide attempts in adolescence. These studies highlight the need to minimize harm associated with dysfun...

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The traumatic events experienced during the conflict caused long-term psychological sequelae in people who were disabled as a result of the war. Increased exposure to traumatic events, being married, physical disability, illiteracy and advanced age were identified as probable risk factors for mental disorders .

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