Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) and disorder (OCD) among adolescents and to describe OCD characteristics according to gender. Methods: Participants were selected by cluster sampling at seven high-schools in southern Brazil. In the first stage, 2,323 students were screened for OCS; in the second stage, adolescents scoring ≥ 21 on the OCI-R scale were individually interviewed. OCD diagnosis was established using a semi-structured interview (Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Aged Children: Present and Lifetime Version - K-SADS-PL). Results: The past-month estimated prevalence of OCS was 18.3%, and the point estimated prevalence of OCD, 3.3%. Girls showed higher scores (OCS: 24.8 vs. 14.4%; OCD: 4.9 vs. 1.4%; p < 0.001). Only 9.3% of OCD adolescents had been diagnosed and 6.7% received treatment. The most frequent/severe DY-BOCS dimensions were miscellaneous (86.7%; mean score 6.3±3.8) and symmetry (85.3%; 5.9±3.8). Female OCD adolescents predominantly showed depression (p = 0.032), and male adolescents, tic disorders (p = 0.006). Conclusions: OCD is underdiagnosed in adolescents, and few are treated. Future studies should investigate the relationship between OCS and the onset of OCD.

Objective: To compare adolescents with and without obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with regard to quality of life and to investigate the association between quality of life and clinical characteristics. Methods: Participants were recruited from an epidemiological study conducted at high schools in the city of Porto Alegre, southern Brazil. The sample comprised 75 adolescents with OCD and 150 without the disorder, aged between 14 and 18 years. Participants were assessed using the following instruments: Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Aged Children - Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL), Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment - Abbreviated Version (WHOQOL-BREF), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Beck Depressive Inventory - II (BDI-II). Results: The two groups showed significant differences in relation to depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and quality of life (all domains), with a poorer performance among adolescents with OCD when compared to those without the disorder. Stepwise regression analysis revealed a significant association between BDI-II scores and quality of life, in all domains. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that adolescents with OCD, especially those with depression symptoms, have a poorer quality of life when compared with adolescents without OCD.

O objetivo deste estudo é verificar as estratégias de enfrentamento utilizadas pelos idosos em face das dificuldades funcionais e a existência de associação entre o uso das estratégias e variáveis como sintomas depressivos, sexo, escolaridade, idade, estado civil e percepção da saúde. Participaram do estudo 103 idosos institucionalizados, que apresentavam necessidade de assistência em no mínimo uma atividade de vida diária. O delineamento foi transversal, com a utilização dos seguintes instrumentos: Ficha de Dados Pessoais, Escala de Atividades da Vida Diária, Breve Entrevista Internacional de Neuropsiquiatria Modificada, Mini-Exame do Estado Mental, Inventário de Estratégias de Coping e Escala de Depressão Geriátrica. As estratégias de enfrentamento mais utilizadas pela amostra foram a de autocontrole e resolução de problemas. Encontraram-se associações significativas entre as variáveis escolaridade e depressão. Os resultados da pesquisa sugerem que a avaliação das estratégias utilizadas em face de eventos estressores pode auxiliar na análise da situação e na adequação das estratégias escolhidas, ajudando também em processos de mudança no contexto clínico.

The aim of this study was to analyze the strategies used by elderly people to cope with functional difficulties, and to investigate a possible association between such strategies and variables like depressive symptoms, gender, schooling, marital status, and self-perceived health. 103 institutionalized elderly individuals participated in the study. They required assistance for at least one activity of daily living. The study was cross-sectional and used the following indicators: Personal Data Chart, Activities of Daily Living Scale, Modified Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, Mini-Mental Examination, Coping Strategies Inventory, and Geriatric Depression Scale. The most widely used coping strategies in the sample were self-control and problem solving. Significant associations were found between schooling and depression. The findings suggest that assessing coping strategies for stressful events can assist analysis of the situation and appropriate adaptation of the chosen strategies, so as to foster changes within the medical context.

O objetivo deste estudo é verificar as estratégias de enfrentamento utilizadas pelos idosos em face das dificuldades funcionais e a existência de associação entre o uso das estratégias e variáveis como sintomas depressivos, sexo, escolaridade, idade, estado civil e percepção da saúde. Participaram do estudo 103 idosos institucionalizados, que apresentavam necessidade de assistência em no mínimo uma atividade de vida diária. O delineamento foi transversal, com a utilização dos seguintes instrumentos: Ficha de Dados Pessoais, Escala de Atividades da Vida Diária, Breve Entrevista Internacional de Neuropsiquiatria Modificada, Mini-Exame do Estado Mental, Inventário de Estratégias de Coping e Escala de Depressão Geriátrica. As estratégias de enfrentamento mais utilizadas pela amostra foram a de autocontrole e resolução de problemas. Encontraram-se associações significativas entre as variáveis escolaridade e depressão. Os resultados da pesquisa sugerem que a avaliação das estratégias utilizadas em face de eventos estressores pode auxiliar na análise da situação e na adequação das estratégias escolhidas, ajudando também em processos de mudança no contexto clínico.

The aim of this study was to analyze the strategies used by elderly people to cope with functional difficulties, and to investigate a possible association between such strategies and variables like depressive symptoms, gender, schooling, marital status, and self-perceived health. 103 institutionalized elderly individuals participated in the study. They required assistance for at least one activity of daily living. The study was cross-sectional and used the following indicators: Personal Data Chart, Activities of Daily Living Scale, Modified Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, Mini-Mental Examination, Coping Strategies Inventory, and Geriatric Depression Scale. The most widely used coping strategies in the sample were self-control and problem solving. Significant associations were found between schooling and depression. The findings suggest that assessing coping strategies for stressful events can assist analysis of the situation and appropriate adaptation of the chosen strategies, so as to foster changes within the medical context.