Inteligencia Emocional durante el envejecimiento

Marco teórico: En la actualidad nos enfrentamos al reto de mejorar la vida de los adultos mayores que cada vez tienen una mayor esperanza de vida. La literatura científica ha mostrado que el desarrollo de constructos psicológicos positivos, tales como la inteligencia emocional (IE), suponen herramientas salutogénicas que pueden actuar como factores protectores ante distintos trastornos afectivos. Los adultos mayores se tornan especialmente vulnerables a ellos, debido especialmente a la gran cantidad de pérdidas que experimentan. Por ello, este trabajo abarca tres objetivos dirigidos a potenciar el estudio de variables positivas que doten a dicha población de recursos adaptativos que contribuyan a su salud psicológica. Objetivos: 1) validar un instrumento de evaluación de IE en adultos mayores; 2) poner a prueba un modelo de predicción de IE con respecto a los estilos de afrontamiento y el estado de ánimo; y 3) reducir el estado de ánimo negativo mediante la aplicación de una intervención en IE. Método: La muestra para los objetivos 1 y 2 estuvo compuesta por 418 adultos mayores de entre 60 y 89 años. La muestra para el objetivo 3 estuvo compuesta por 125 sujetos de entre 60 y 84 años, distribuidos en grupos tratamiento (N=57) y control (N=68). Como instrumentos de evaluación se aplicó el TMMS-24, CAE, CES-D y BHS. Los análisis estadísticos para dar respuesta a los objetivos fueron realizados mediante SPSS 21 y Mplus 7. Resultados: El AF confirmatorio del TMMS-24 mostró resultados adecuados. El modelo estructural mostró que la IE actuaba como predictor positivo del afrontamiento orientado al problema, que a su vez predecía negativamente el estado de ánimo. La intervención en IE centralizó las puntuaciones en atención y aumentó las puntuaciones en claridad y regulación en el grupo tratamiento, se redujeron las puntuaciones en estrategias orientadas a la emoción y se aumentaron en las estrategias orientadas al problema. La intervención redujo además las puntuaciones en la BHS y la CES-D. Discusión: El TMMS-24 es un instrumento válido para la evaluación de la IE en adultos mayores, confirmándose en esta población la estructura factorial propuesta por sus autores. La IE actúa como predictor del estado de ánimo negativo mediada por el afrontamiento orientado al problema. De este modo, el afrontamiento adaptativo podría ser entendido como la IE en acción, actuando como protector ante estados de ánimo negativos. Los adultos mayores pueden beneficiarse de intervenciones en IE basadas en los factores descritos por los modelos de habilidad, mejorando las estrategias de afrontamiento y reduciendo el estado de ánimo negativo. De este modo, la IE supondría un recurso potencial para contribuir a un envejecimiento libre de desórdenes del estado de ánimo negativo

Is acceptance and commitment therapy helpful in reducing anxiety symptomatology in people aged 65 or over? A systematic review

Anxiety-related mental health problems constitute a health challenge, especially in the elderly population. At present, there are few psychological treatments to reduce anxiety adapted to this group. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature to determine the therapeutic effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on anxiety in older adults, using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol. Two blinded reviewers participated in the search, selection and methodological quality assessment processes; reaching satisfactory levels of agreement between reviewers (κ > 0.70). The search was performed in PubMed, Proquest Central, Scopus and Web of Science; making use of standardized terms for the construction of the algorithm. In the general search 348 studies were found. After applying the eligibility criteria and excluding duplicates, seven articles were extracted for qualitative analysis. The total number of subjects was 633, with an average age of 68.89 years (68.94% women). The analysis of methodological rigor showed moderate indices on average. The publications focused primarily on samples with a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder, proposing a variety of assessment tests for related dependent variables, especially depressive symptoms and psychological flexibility. Critical analysis of the findings provides evidence for the efficacy of ACT in reducing anxious and depressive symptoms in older adults. This study proposes the use of this procedure as a non-pharmacological alternative for a group usually underrepresented in the scientific literature on this topic

Análisis de predictores de síntomas ansiosos, depresivos y del estrés: Inteligencia emocional y afrontamiento

Marco teórico: La Inteligencia Emocional (IE), las estrategias de afrontamiento y la edad parecen jugar un papel importante en la aparición de sintomatología ansiosa, depresiva y de estrés, siendo todos ellos síntomas con una gran prevalencia y repercusión en España. Es por ello que estas variables se convierten en aspectos clave a considerar en relación a la salud mental. Por ello, el objetivo de este trabajo pretende comprobar si las habilidades de IE, el afrontamiento y la edad resultan predictores significativos de la psicopatología. Método: Participaron 256 españoles, evaluados en sintomatología ansiosa, depresiva y estrés (DASS-21), IE (TMMS-24) y afrontamiento (CAE). Se llevaron a cabo correlaciones de Pearson y modelos de regresiones jerárquicas (MRJ). Resultados: Los MRJ evidenciaron que una menor edad, menos claridad y altos niveles en atención, expresión emocional y autofocalización negativa predicen la ansiedad y el estrés, mientras que la depresión estuvo predicha por una alta atención y autofocalización y una baja claridad. Conclusiones: Señalamos la relevancia de la IE y el afrontamiento orientado a las emociones en la predicción de la psicopatología.Introduction: Emotional Intelligence (EI), coping strategies and age seem to play an important role in the appearance of anxious, depressive and stress symptoms, all of which are symptoms with a high prevalence and repercussion in Spain. This is why these variables become key aspects to consider in relation to mental health. Therefore, the aim of this study is to test whether EI skills, coping and age are significant predictors of psychopathology. Methods: 256 Spaniards aged 18 to 83 years old (M = 39,37; SD = 12,37), from which 74.60% were women participated in the study and were assessed on anxious, depressive and stress symptoms (DASS-21), EI (TMMS-24) and coping (CAE). Pearson correlations and hierarchical regression models (HRM) were carried out. Results: The younger participants, who presented higher levels of attention and emotional expression, lower levels of clarity and negative autofocalization presented a higher probability of having symptoms of anxiety and stress. Meanwhile, high scores in emotional attention and in autofocalization, and low scores in clarity increased the probability of depression. Conclusions: We point to the relevance of EI and emotion-oriented coping in relation to psychopathology, which results to be a valious data when it comes to designing interventions to prevent or reduce mental health problems

Psicopatología, apego y apoyo social en familiares de personas afectadas por COVID-19

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe emotional impact on those who have suffered from the disease, but also on their families. Secure attachment and social support can cushion or prevent these negative effects. The aim of the present study was to assess risk and protective factors in relatives of people affected by COVID-19. Method: After signing informed consent, we assessed participants (n=50) on psychopathology (SCL-90-R), attachment (CAA) and social support (MOS-SSS). Results: Family members who participated presented with emotional distress, insecure attachment bonds and moderate social support. Males and people with previous mental or physical health problems were more affected. Greater psychopathology was associated with insecure attachments and less social support. Discussion: The family is an active part of the illness and can be severely affected when one of their members get a coronavirus infection. Intervention programmes should be aimed at strengthening emotional and social support bond

Malestar emocional y percepción de amenaza en familiares de personas afectadas por COVID-19

Relatives of people affected by COVID-19 were able to experience greater emotional impact during confinement, even more so if they had a very threatening image of COVID-19. The aim was to analyse the relationship between psychopathology and the perception of threat in relatives of people affected by COVID-19. Fifty relatives of people affected by COVID-19 (84% women), aged between 20 and 63 years (M=36.88; SD=12.73) participated. Psycho- pathology (SCL-90-R; Derogatis et al., 1973) and perceived threat of COVID (BIP-Q5; Pérez-Fuentes et al., 2020) were assessed. We observed moderate emotional distress and threat perception. Those with physical and psychological illnesses showed less threat perception but more psychopathology. Higher threat perception was associated with higher psychopathology. We conclude that the family is an active part of the disease process and may suffer a great emotional impact that needs to be addressed

Psychological Dimensions That Explain Integrity in Older Adults: Examination of a Structural Model

Objectives: The aim of this research was to confirm whether internal coping strengths, depressive symptomatology and gratitude disposition are significant predictors of integrity in older adults. Methods: Participated 394 Ecuadorian older adults with ages between 60 and 91 years old. Selfreport were applied to assess the different variables under study. Specifically, integrity, coping, resilience, self-efficacy, mood and gratitude were assessed. Results: A confirmatory model was estimated to predict ego-integrity. A personal adjustment factor composed of problem-focused coping strategies, resilience and self-efficacy, and gratitude showed positive and significant relationships with ego-integrity, whereas negative mood negatively predicted integrity. Conclusions: Integrity is a key variable to strengthen a coherent view of one's life history and highly relevant during ageing. Having personal strengths and dispositions that facilitate adaptation to ageing and maintaining a positive mood predicts the attainment of integrity. Clinical implications: Integrity is an adjustment factor that facilitates adaptation to the stressors of ageing and to major life changes and loss of control indifferent areas of life

Gender differences in the predictive effect of perceive emotional intelligence on depressive symptomatology in older adults

The aim of this study was to analyze the associations between emotional intelligence, gender, and depressive symptomatology in older adults. To test whether there were differences between groups in the Trait Meta-Mood Scale dimension, univariate and multivariate analysis of variance were carried out, and t tests were performed to find the differences between groups in the variables that had shown differences in the univariate analysis. Participants were 853 Spanish cognitively healthy older adults between 60 and 95 years of age, with a mean age of 71.7 (SD = 7.4), of whom 64.9% were women. Self-reports were administered to assess the different variables under study. Specifically, the Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24 was used to assess emotional intelligence, and the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale to measure depressive symptomatology. The three dimensions of emotional intelligence showed differences as a function of gender and depression. Higher scores were found in the three dimensions of emotional intelligence in women. Moreover, people with higher levels of depressive symptomatology had higher scores on attention, and people with low depressive symptomatology had lower levels of clarity and repair. Women with depressive symptomatology showed high levels of attention, in contrast to men and women with low symptomatology. Considering the subjective perception of emotional intelligence, high attention to emotions and the female gender seem to be factors associated with depression in older adults, which allows us to outline a critical profile for depression that should receive special attention. Given the impact of depressive symptomatology in older adults, it is important to identify these profiles in order to detect possible risk factors for depression more effectively.Universidad Málaga/CBUA2.8 Q2 JCR 20221.001 Q1 SJR 2023No data IDR 2022UE

Ego-integrity and its relationship with sense of coherence, satisfaction, self-efficacy, and depression

Current research on older adults considers psychological and emotional aspects of successful aging. Erikson's epigenetic model of psychosocial development indicates that the Ego-Integrity vs. Despair stage is fundamental at this time of life. In this regard, the aim of this article is to validate an Ego-Integrity scale in an Ecuadorian context and analyze its relationship with other psychological variables. The sample consisted of 394 older adults who were tested collectively using: Northwestern Ego-integrity Scale, Centre for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Sense of Coherence, and Diener's Life Satisfaction Scale. A structural model was established with adequate measures on the Ego-Integrity and Despair Scale for older adults. The results showed that life satisfaction, general self-efficacy, and meaningfulness (sense of coherence scale) had significant and positive relationships with ego-integrity, whereas depression had a negative relationship. In addition, the comprehensibility and manageability of the sense of coherence had a significant and negative relationship with despair, whereas depression had a positive relationship. This information leads us to consider that, in order to help older people to achieve successful aging, it is important to promote the psychological variables that foster integrity and minimize depressive mood

Personality and emotional intelligence in older adults: A predictive model based on structural equations modeling

Recent research on emotions in aging points to emotional intelligence (EI) as a factor that plays an important role in this process, and different conceptualizations of EI show that this construct is closely linked to personality in the general population. The main purpose of this study was to find out whether findings obtained in the general population indicating a predictive relationship between personality and EI are also confirmed during the aging process. A sample of 233 healthy older subjects between 60 and 90 years old was used. Participants answered two self-report scales on EI and personality, respectively. Structural equation modelling was used to test the predictive role of personality in EI. Personality was found to be a predictor of EI in older people, and the weight of the prediction was significant in all the dimensions of the big five personality factors, except the dimension of neuroticism, which is known to vary greatly during the aging process. These results indicate that personality influences EI differently in the older adult population, compared to the general population. This is a relevant finding that should be examined further in order to better understand the influence of personality on positive emotional development in this population

Home-based transcranial direct current stimulation in mild neurocognitive disorder due to possible Alzheimer's disease. A randomized, single-blind, controlled-placebo study

Introduction: Mild neurocognitive disorder (mNCD), a pre-dementia stage close to Mild Cognitive Impairment, shows a progressive and constant decline in the memory domain. Of the non-pharmacological therapeutic interventions that may help to decelerate the neurodegenerative progress, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) shows beneficial effects on the learning curve, immediate recall, immediate verbal memory and executive functions. The purpose of this research was to study the effect of tDCS on general cognition, immediate and delayed memory and executive functions by comparing an active group with a placebo group of mNCD patients. Methods: Participants were 33 mNCD due to possible AD, randomly assigned to two groups: 17 active tDCS and 16 placebo tDCS. Ten sessions of tDCS were conducted over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Several neuropsychological scales were administered to assess the primary outcome measures of general cognitive function, immediate and delayed memory and learning ability, whereas the secondary outcome measures included executive function tests. All participants were evaluated at baseline and at the end of the intervention. Mixed ANOVAs were performed. Results: Significant effects were obtained on general cognitive function, immediate and delayed memory and learning ability, with increases in scores in the active tDCS group. However, there were no significant effects on executive function performance. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated the effectiveness of tDCS in an active tDCS group, compared to a placebo group, in improving general cognition and immediate and delayed memory, as previous studies found. Taken together, our data suggest that tDCS is a simple, painless, reproducible and easy technique that is useful for treating cognitive alterations found in neurodegenerative diseases