ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed a health crisis around the world. Health professionals are frequently exposed to stressors that put them at high risk for the development or progression of disabling mental disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To understand how pandemic stressors have affected the mental health of healthcare workers, our group conducted a longitudinal and nationwide survey. We investigated the occurrence of traumatic events related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the association between exposure to these events and PTSD symptomatology. Importantly, we also investigated factors that might increase or decrease the risk for PTSD. Depression symptoms were also investigated. The results of the first wave of the project were published in a series of three articles, each focused on different risk or protective factors. The results showed that female sex, young age, a lack of adequate personal protective equipment, social isolation and a previous history of mental illness were consistent predictors of PTSD symptoms. Healthcare workers who reported high levels of peritraumatic tonic immobility, a defensive response that is involuntary, reflexive, and evoked by an intense and inescapable threat, also exhibited an increase in the probability of being diagnosed with PTSD. On the other hand, professional recognition had a negative relationship with PTSD and depression symptoms, emerging as a significant protective factor for psychological health. The identification of protective and risk factors in these situations is crucial to guide the adoption of long-term measures in work environments that will enhance the psychological health of these professionals.

RESUMO A pandemia de COVID-19 impôs uma crise de saúde no mundo. Profissionais de saúde foram frequentemente expostos a estressores que os colocam em alto risco para o desenvolvimento ou progressão de transtornos mentais incapacitantes, incluindo o transtorno de estresse pós-traumático (TEPT). Para entender como esses estressores afetaram a saúde mental desses profissionais, nosso grupo realizou um estudo longitudinal nacional. Investigamos a ocorrência de eventos traumáticos especificamente relacionados à pandemia e a associação entre a exposição a esses eventos traumáticos e a sintomatologia do TEPT. É importante ressaltar que também investigamos fatores que podem aumentar ou diminuir o risco de TEPT. Sintomas de depressão também foram investigados. Os resultados da primeira onda do projeto foram publicados em uma série de três artigos, cada um focado em diferentes fatores de risco ou proteção. Os resultados mostraram que sexo feminino, idade jovem, falta de equipamento de proteção individual adequado, isolamento social e história prévia de doença mental foram preditores consistentes de sintomas de TEPT. Os profissionais de saúde que relataram altos níveis de imobilidade tônica, uma resposta peritraumática involuntária e reflexa evocada em situações de ameaça intensa e inescapável, exibiram aumento na probabilidade de um provável diagnóstico de TEPT. Por outro lado, reconhecimento profissional teve relação negativa com sintomas de TEPT e depressão, emergindo como importante fator de proteção para a saúde mental. Identificar fatores protetores ou de risco nessas situações é fundamental para orientar a adoção de medidas de longo prazo nos ambientes de trabalho que melhorem a saúde mental desses profissionais.

Abstract Despite the progress observed in recent years, women are still underrepresented in science worldwide, especially at top positions. Many factors contribute to women progressively leaving academia at different stages of their career, including motherhood, harassment and conscious and unconscious discrimination. Implicit bias plays a major negative role in recognition, promotions and career advancement of female scientists. Recently, a rank of the most influential scientists in the world was created based on several metrics, including the number of published papers and citations. Here, we analyzed the representation of Brazilian scientists in this rank, focusing on gender. Female Brazilian scientists are greatly underrepresented in the rank (11% in the Top 100,000; 18% in the Top 2%). Possible reasons for this observed scenario are related to the metrics used to rank scientists, which reproduce and amplify the well-known implicit bias in peer-review and citations. Male scientists have more self-citation than female scientists and positions in the rank varied when self-citations were included, suggesting that self-citation by male scientists increases their visibility. Discussions on the repercussions of such ranks are pivotal to avoid deepening the gender gap in science.