Alessandra Lucchetti - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Alessandra Lucchetti

Background: With the aging of the population comes a greater need for geriatric and gerontology t... more Background: With the aging of the population comes a greater need for geriatric and gerontology teaching. However, there is currently a dearth of investigations on the impact of different educational methodologies for teaching in this area early in medical courses. The present study aims to determine the impact of two educational strategies on the topic " Geriatrics and Gerontology " (" experiencing aging " and " myths of aging ") as compared to a control group (no intervention) on the attitudes, empathy and knowledge of first year medical students.

Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry, 2015

The present study aims to describe the characteristics of the complementary religious treatment c... more The present study aims to describe the characteristics of the complementary religious treatment conducted by Spiritist centers in the city of São Paulo (Brazil), to understand how physical and mental health problems are addressed and how the directors of these centers differentiate between persons with spiritual experiences from those with psychiatric disorders. From 365 Spiritist centers, which received the questionnaire, 55 (15.1 %) were included in the final analysis. There were on average 261 people per week attending spiritual sessions in each center, totalizing approximately 15,000 attendees per week in all 55 centers. The most common treatment performed in these centers was disobsession (Spirit release therapy) (92.7 %); the least common was the &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;spiritual surgery&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;, present in only 5.5 %. The most frequent health problems reported by attendees were depression (45.1 %), cancer (43.1 %) and diseases in general (33.3 %). Concerning the directors&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; awareness to differentiate between spiritual experiences and psychiatric disorders, we found some remarkable divergent opinions. In conclusion, the Spiritist centers are an important health related support system for the city of São Paulo, responsible for a significant share of the city&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s total health consultations. The most common conditions the patients suffer from were depression and cancer.

EXPLORE: The Journal of Science and Healing, 2015

Spiritism has been strongly connected with mental health in Brazil. However, there is a lack of d... more Spiritism has been strongly connected with mental health in Brazil. However, there is a lack of descriptions of spiritual treatment provided by thousands of Brazilian Spiritist centers. The present study aims to describe the spiritual care for depression provided by one large Spiritist center in São Paulo, Brazil. This is a descriptive study carried out in 2012 at &amp;amp;amp;quot;São Paulo Spiritist Federation.&amp;amp;amp;quot; Authors visited the &amp;amp;amp;quot;spiritual intervention sections,&amp;amp;amp;quot; observed the therapies provided, listened to the &amp;amp;amp;quot;spirits&amp;amp;amp;#39; communication,&amp;amp;amp;quot; and interviewed two patients. The assistance consists on a 90-min &amp;amp;amp;quot;Spiritual healing&amp;amp;amp;quot; session which includes educational lectures, &amp;amp;amp;quot;disobsession&amp;amp;amp;quot; (spirit release therapy), &amp;amp;amp;quot;passe&amp;amp;amp;quot; (laying on of hands) and person advice. Both patients had remitted depression when they were interviewed. Further studies would be necessary to report other religious/spiritual treatments in order to improve our understanding of the available practices used by patients and optimize the integration of conventional care with spiritual treatments.

Neuro endocrinology letters, 2013

Significance has been attached to the pineal gland in numerous different cultures and beliefs. On... more Significance has been attached to the pineal gland in numerous different cultures and beliefs. One religion that has advanced the role of the pineal gland is Spiritism. The objective of the present study was to compile information on the pineal gland drawing on the books of Francisco Cândido Xavier written through psychography and to carry out a critical analysis of their scientific bases by comparing against evidence in the current scientific literature. A systematic search using the terms "pineal gland" and "epiphysis" was conducted of 12 works allegedly dictated by the spirit "André Luiz". All information on the pineal having potential correlation with the field of medicine and current studies was included. Specialists in the area were recruited to compile the information and draw parallels with the scientific literature. The themes related to the pineal gland were: mental health, reproductive function, endocrinology, relationship with physical activ...

Cephalalgia, 2014

The use of religious behaviors to alleviate the consequences of stressful life circumstances is a... more The use of religious behaviors to alleviate the consequences of stressful life circumstances is a frequent strategy employed by pain sufferers. Specifically in the field of headache research, to date, few studies have assessed spiritual and religious beliefs. The objective of this article is to investigate the relation between religiousness (organizational, non-organizational and intrinsic) and headache disorders in a representative sample of adults living in a low-income community. This was a cross-sectional, population-based study. In 2005, we conducted door-to-door interviews with 439 people, aged more than 18 years, randomly selected from a low-income community in Brazil. Four regression models were created to explain the relationships between religious involvement and headache, controlling for demographics, depression/anxiety and alcohol use and smoking. Of the 439 households contacted, at least one member from 383 (87.2%) households participated. We interviewed more women (74.4%) and more subjects aged 18-39 years. The mean age was 41.7 (SD 8.5) years. Bivariate analysis shows that high religious attendance, non-organizational religiousness and intrinsic religiousness were associated with presence of headache and presence of migraine. After the logistic regression models, only high non-organizational religiousness remained associated with presence of headache (odds ratio (OR): 1.22 (1.01-1.49)). All other religious variables were unrelated to the presence of headache and its types. There is a modest relationship between high non-organizational religiousness and presence of headache. Headache sufferers may use coping strategies such as private religious behaviors to try to overcome suffering.

The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 2014

Although several studies have examined the contribution of specific countries, journals, and auth... more Although several studies have examined the contribution of specific countries, journals, and authors in different scientific disciplines, little is known about the contribution of different world countries, journals, and authors to scientific research in the field of &amp;amp;amp;quot;Spirituality, religion, and health&amp;amp;amp;quot; (S/R). The present study aims to analyze the last 15 years of research in the field of spirituality and religiousness (S/R) through a bibliometric analysis. Using the Pubmed database, we retrieved all articles related to S/R field for the period 1999-2013. We then estimated the total number of publications, number of articles published per year, articles published per country, journals with most publications in S/R field, most productive authors, and most used keywords. We found a growth of publications in the last years, most from the United States and the United Kingdom and published in the English language. Noteworthy, some developing countries such as India, Brazil, Israel, and Iran are at higher positions in this list. The S/R articles were published in journals embracing all fields of research, including high impact journals. In the present study, we took a closer look at the field of &amp;amp;amp;quot;Spirituality, religion, and health,&amp;amp;amp;quot; showing that this field of research has been constantly growing and consolidating in the scientific community.

Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 2013

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between generalized anxiety disorder... more The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between generalized anxiety disorder, subthreshold anxiety (SubAnx) and anxiety symptoms in the prevalence of primary headache. This cross-sectional study evaluated 383 people from a Brazilian low-income community. One-year prevalence rates of migraine, chronic migraine and tension-type headache were calculated. Anxiety symptoms were then separated into the following groups (based on DSM-IV criteria): no anxiety criteria; one anxiety criterion; two anxiety criteria; and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The control group (no headaches) was compared with headache sufferers for each anxiety group using an adjusted model controlled for confounding factors. GAD was present in 37.0% of participants and SubAnx in 16.6%. Those with SubAnx had a 2.28-fold increased chance of having migraine; 3.83-fold increased chance of having chronic migraine, a 5.94-fold increased chance of having tension-type headache and a 3.27-fold increased chance of having overall headache. Some anxiety criteria (irritability, difficulty with sleep, concentration problems, muscle tension and fatigue) had similar prevalence to International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-II) headache criteria such as unilateral pain and nausea for migraine and chronic migraine. Headache sufferers seem to have a high prevalence of anxiety symptoms and SubAnx. In addition, the presence of two or more anxiety criteria (not necessarily fulfilling all the criteria for GAD) was associated with having a headache disorder.

The Clinical Teacher, 2011

... Letters to the editor. Spirituality in medical education: new initiatives in Brazil. Giancarl... more ... Letters to the editor. Spirituality in medical education: new initiatives in Brazil. Giancarlo Lucchetti,; Leandro Romani de Oliveira,; Alessandra Lamas Granero Lucchetti,; José Roberto Leite. Article first published online: 18 AUG 2011. DOI: 10.1111/j.1743-498X.2011.00466.x. ...

Journal of Religion and Health, 2012

The purpose of the current study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Portuguese ver... more The purpose of the current study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Duke Religion Index (PDUREL) in a community setting. PDUREL was translated and adapted for administration to 383 individuals from a population-based study of low-income community-dwelling adults. The PDUREL intrinsic subscale and total scores demonstrated high internal consistency (alphas ranging from 0.733 for the total scale score to 0.758 for the intrinsic subscale). Correlations among the DUREL subscales were also examined for evidence of discriminant validity. Correlations were ranging from 0.36 to 0.46, indicating significant overlap between the scales without marked redundancy. PDUREL is a reliable and valid scale. The availability of a comprehensive, but brief measure of religiousness can help to study the role of religiousness in health by researchers from countries that speak the Portuguese language.

EXPLORE: The Journal of Science and Healing, 2011

Scientists have been interested in the influence of religion on mortality for at least 130 years.... more Scientists have been interested in the influence of religion on mortality for at least 130 years. Since this time, many debates have been held by researchers who believe or do not believe in this association. The objective of this study is to compare the impact of spirituality and religiosity (S/R) with other health interventions on mortality. The authors selected 25 well-known health interventions. Then, a search of online medical databases was performed. Meta-analyses between 1994 and 2009 involving mortality were chosen. The same was done for religiosity and spirituality. The combined hazard ratio was obtained directly by the systematic reviews and the mortality reductions by S/R and other health interventions were compared. Twenty-eight metaanalyses with mortality outcomes were selected (25 health inter-ventions and three dealing with S/R). From these three metaanalyses, considering those with the most conservative results, persons with higher S/R had an 18% reduction in mortality. This result is stronger than 60.0% of the 25 systematic reviews analyzed (similar to consumption of fruits and vegetables for cardiovascular events and stronger than statin therapy). These results suggest that S/R plays a considerable role in mortality rate reductions, comparable to fruit and vegetable consumption and statin therapy.

BMC Medical Education, 2012

According to recent surveys, 59% of British medical schools and 90% of US medical schools have co... more According to recent surveys, 59% of British medical schools and 90% of US medical schools have courses or content on spirituality and health (S/H). There is little research, however, on the teaching of S/H in medical schools in other countries, such as those in Latin America, Asia, Australia and Africa. The present study seeks to investigate the current status of teaching on S/H in Brazilian medical schools. All medical schools in Brazil (private and public) were selected for evaluation, were contacted by email and phone, and were administered a questionnaire. The questionnaire, sent by e-mail, asked medical school directors/deans about any S/H courses that were taught, details about those courses, S/H lectures or seminars, importance of teaching this subject for medical school directors, and medical schools characteristics. A total of 86 out of 180 (47.7%) medical schools responded. Results indicated that 10.4% of Brazilian Medical Schools have a dedicated S/H courses and 40.5% have courses or content on spirituality and health. Only two medical schools have S/H courses that involve hands-on training and three schools have S/H courses that teach how to conduct a spiritual history. The majority of medical directors (54%) believe that S/H is important to teach in their schools. Few Brazilian medical schools have courses dealing specifically with S/H and less than half provide some form of teaching on the subject. Unfortunately, there is no standard curriculum on S/H. Nevertheless, the majority of medical directors believe this issue is an important subject that should be taught.

BMC Medical Education, 2013

Background: To evaluate the relationship between spirituality/religiosity (S/R) and the attitudes... more Background: To evaluate the relationship between spirituality/religiosity (S/R) and the attitudes, beliefs and experiences of medical students in Brazil with respect to S/R in their undergraduate training and clinical practice.

International journal of behavioral medicine, Jan 30, 2015

One of the biggest challenges in the spirituality, religiosity, and health field is to understand... more One of the biggest challenges in the spirituality, religiosity, and health field is to understand how patients and physicians from different cultures deal with spiritual and religious issues in clinical practice. The present study aims to compare physicians' perspectives on the influence of spirituality and religion (S/R) on health between Brazil, India, and Indonesia. This is a cross-sectional, cross-cultural, multi-center study carried out from 2010 to 2012, examining physicians' attitudes from two continents. Participants completed a self-rated questionnaire that collected information on sociodemographic characteristics, S/R involvement, and perspectives concerning religion, spirituality, and health. Differences between physicians' responses in each country were examined using chi-squared, ANOVA, and MANCOVA. A total of 611 physicians (194 from Brazil, 295 from India, and 122 from Indonesia) completed the survey. Indonesian physicians were more religious and more like...