Effects of the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Stress Management on Executive Function Components

This study aims to determine whether it is possible to modify executive function in stressed individuals by means of cognitive-behavioral therapy for stress management. Thirty-one people with high levels of perceived stress were recruited into the study (treatment group = 18; wait-list group = 13). The treatment group received 14 weeks of stress management program. Psychological and executive function variables were evaluated in both groups pre and post-intervention. The treatment group showed improved psychological variables of perceived stress (t = 5.492; p = .001), vulnerability to stress (t = 4.061; p = .001) and superstitious thinking (t = 2.961; p = .009). Likewise, the results showed statistically significant differences in personality variables related to executive function, positive urgency (t = 3.585; p = .002) and sensitivity to reward (t = –2.201; p = .042), which improved after the therapy. These variables showed a moderate to high effect size (oscillates between 1.30 for perceived stress and .566 for sensitivity to reward). The cognitive-behavioral therapy for stress management may be an appropriate strategy for improving personality construct components related to executive function, however effects of the therapy are not showed on performance on the tests of executive function applied, as presented studies previous

Aplicación de la terapia de afrontamiento del estrés en dos poblaciones con alto estrés: pacientes crónicos y personas sanas

El objetivo de este estudio ha sido valorar la eficacia de la terapia cognitivo-conductual en el manejo del estrés para comprobar si disminuye la percepción de los síntomas somáticos autoinformados, tanto en personas sanas como en personas con lupus.This study has a double objective: on the one hand, to corroborate, once again, the efficacy of cognitive-behavioural stress management therapy in the control of certain psychological processes and, on the other hand, to take one more step by testing whether there is a reduction in the perception of self-reported somatic symptoms both in healthy people and in those with a chronic disease.Este estudio ha sido financiado por el Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, Proyecto I+D SEJ2007-61857/PSIC

Psychometric properties of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) in the Spanish population

Although the number of studies in the literature on the psychometric properties of the CD-RISC measures is remarkably high, there is still a great lack of consensus about its internal structure among the general population. Therefore, the aim of this study has been threefold: to analyze the psychometric properties, explore the factorial structure and calculate percentiles of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) for a sample of the Spanish population. For this purpose, the study sample consisted of 1119 participants consisting of 324 males and 795 females and they completed the following scales: CD-RISC, Perceived Stress Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Stress Vulnerability Inventory, Personality Hardiness Questionnaire and the anxiety and depression subscales of the SCL-90-R. In terms of reliability, an adequate Cronbach's coefficient alpha value of .86 was obtained. The evidence for the validity of the internal structure supports the unidimensionality of the CD-RISC measurements, as well as confirming the expec-ted theoretical relationships and correlating with the described measures in the expected direction. Satisfactory results are obtained in the present study that reinforce the usefulness and precision of this scale for its application using the Spanish population, presenting percentiles that can provide guidance in the interpretation and use of the scores with respect to its application in both research and clinical practiceAunque el número de estudios sobre las propiedades psicométricas de la CD-RISC es notablemente amplio, aún hay gran falta de consenso sobre su estructura interna en población general. Por ello, el objetivo de este estudio ha sido triple, verificar sus propiedades psicométricas, ex-plorar la estructura factorial y calcular baremos de la escala de resiliencia CD-RISC para una muestra de población española. Para ello participaron 1119 personas, 324 hombres y 795 mujeres, cumplimentando las siguientes escalas: CD-RISC, Escala de Estrés Percibido, Escala de Apoyo Social Percibido, Escala de Autoeficacia, Escala de Vulnerabilidad al Estrés, Cuestionario de Personalidad Resistente y subescalas de ansiedad y depresión del SCL-90. Las evidencias de validez confirmaron las relaciones teóricas esperadas correlacionándose con las medidas descritas. El análisis factorial encontró un apoyo razonable a la hipótesis de unidimensionalidad. En cuanto a la fiabilidad se obtuvieron valores aceptables con un alfa de .86 y una omega de .86. Se obtienen resultados satisfactorios que refuerzan la utilidad y precisión de esta escala para su uso en población española, apoyando la hipótesis de unidimensionalidad y aportando baremos que permiten interpretar las puntuaciones para su aplicación tanto en investigación como en la práctica clínica

Propiedades psicométricas de la Escala de Resiliencia de Connor y Davidson (CD-RISC) en población española.

Although the number of studies in the literature on the psychometric properties of the CD-RISC measures is remarkably high, there is still a great lack of consensus about its internal structure among the general population. Therefore, the aim of this study has been threefold: to analyze the psychometric properties, explore the factorial structure and calculate percentiles of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) for a sample of the Spanish population. For this purpose, the study sample consisted of 1119 participants consisting of 324 males and 795 females and they completed the following scales: CD-RISC, Perceived Stress Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Stress Vulnerability Inventory, Personality Hardiness Questionnaire and the anxiety and depression subscales of the SCL-90-R. In terms of reliability, an adequate Cronbach's coefficient alpha value of .86 was obtained. The evidence for the validity of the internal structure supports the unidimensionality of the CD-RISC measurements, as well as confirming the expected theoretical relationships and correlating with the described measures in the expected direction. Satisfactory results are obtained in the present study that reinforce the usefulness and precision of this scale for its application using the Spanish population, presenting percentiles that can provide guidance in the interpretation and use of the scores with respect to its application in both research and clinical practice.Aunque el número de estudios sobre las propiedades psicométricas de la CD-RISC es notablemente amplio, aún hay gran falta de consenso sobre su estructura interna en población general. Por ello, el objetivo de este estudio ha sido triple, verificar sus  propiedades psicométricas, explorar la estructura factorial y calcular baremos de la escala de resiliencia CD-RISC para una muestra de población española. Para ello participaron 1119 personas, 324 hombres y 795 mujeres, cumplimentando las siguientes escalas: CD-RISC, Escala de Estrés Percibido, Escala de Apoyo Social Percibido, Escala de Autoeficacia, Escala de Vulnerabilidad al Estrés, Cuestionario de Personalidad Resistente y subescalas de ansiedad y depresión del SCL-90. Las evidencias de validez confirmaron las relaciones teóricas esperadas correlacionándose con las medidas descritas. El análisis factorial encontró un apoyo razonable a la hipótesis de unidimensionalidad. En cuanto a la fiabilidad se obtuvieron valores aceptables con un alfa de 0.866 y una omega de 0.862. Se obtienen resultados satisfactorios que refuerzan la utilidad y precisión de esta escala para su uso en población española, apoyando la hipótesis de unidimensionalidad y aportando baremos que permiten interpretar las puntuaciones para su aplicación tanto en investigación como en la práctica clínica. &nbsp

Moderating Effect of Changes in Perceived Social Support during Pregnancy on the Emotional Health of Mothers and Fathers and on Baby’s Anthropometric Parameters at Birth

(1) Background: this study is based on a model of how changes in protective factors may affect the emotional health of mothers and fathers and thus influence the development of the baby. Our research goal is to determine whether variations in perceived social support moderate levels of stress and depression during pregnancy and/or the effect of parents’ emotional health on the baby’s anthropometric parameters. (2) Methods: to achieve these aims, a longitudinal study was made of 132 couples and babies, who were evaluated at weeks 12 and 32 of gestation and at birth. Separate analyses were performed for the mothers and fathers, focused on the role of social support in moderating their levels of depression and stress during pregnancy, and the consequent impact on the baby. (3) Results: the results obtained show the moderating effects of changes in social support on maternal and paternal stress and depression. Reduced social support during pregnancy is associated with higher levels of stress and depression in both parents and with a high cephalisation index in their babies. (4) Conclusions: special attention should be paid to social support, which can have a strong impact on the evolution of emotional health during pregnancy and concomitantly on the development of the baby.University of Granada (Spain)Andalusian Public Foundation for Biosanitary Research Eastern Andalusia (Spain)Regional Ministry of Health within Junta de Andalucia (Spain) PC-0526-2016-052

Coocurrencia de trastornos de personalidad en pacientes con trastornos de ansiedad

The co-occurrence between personality disorders and anxiety disorders may have important implications. Multiple diagnoses can give us an idea of the severity of the disorder, functioning impairment and prognosis. The aim of this study was two-fold, to analyze the co-occurrence between personality disorders and anxiety disorders, and to identify personality disorder profiles in different anxiety disorders. A total of 31 patients with anxiety disorders participated in the study. They were divided into four groups: specific phobia, social phobia, generalized anxiety and panic with or without the presence of agoraphobia. The assessment instruments used were The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory II and the Anxiety Disorders Interview according to the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The specific phobia group presented lower scores on the different scales and lower frequency of personality disorders. On the contrary, the generalized anxiety group had a higher rate of multiple diagnoses of personality disorders. Higher scores were observed in the schizoid, dependent, self-defeating, avoidant and compulsive scales. Each anxiety disorder presented a profile of personality disorders. Co-occurrence between disorders may help to understand the success or failure of a treatment, so the systematic evaluation of pathological personality in the clinical setting is recommended.    La coocurrencia entre los trastornos de personalidad y los trastornos de ansiedad puede tener implicaciones importantes. Los diagnósticos múltiples nos pueden dar idea de la gravedad de la alteración, el deterioro del funcionamiento y el pronóstico. El objetivo de este estudio fue doble, analizar la coocurrencia entre trastornos de personalidad y trastornos de ansiedad, e identificar perfiles de trastornos de personalidad en los diferentes trastornos de ansiedad. En este estudio participaron 31 pacientes con trastornos de ansiedad, distribuidos en cuatro grupos: fobia específica, fobia social, ansiedad generalizada y pánico, con y sin presencia de agorafobia. Los instrumentos de evaluación utilizados fueron El Inventario Clínico Multiaxial de Millon II y la Entrevista para los Trastornos de Ansiedad según el Manual diagnóstico y estadístico de los trastornos mentales IV. El grupo de fobia específica presenta puntuaciones más bajas en las distintas escalas y menor frecuencia de trastornos de personalidad. Por el contrario, el grupo de ansiedad generalizada presenta mayor tasa de diagnósticos múltiples de trastornos de personalidad. Las puntuaciones más altas se observan en las escalas esquizoide, dependiente, autodestructiva, evitativa y compulsiva. Cada trastorno de ansiedad presenta un perfil de trastornos de personalidad. Tener en cuenta la coocurrencia entre trastornos puede ayudar a comprender el éxito o no de un tratamiento, por lo que la evaluación sistemática de la personalidad patológica en el ámbito clínico es recomendable.&nbsp

Psychological distress and resilience of mothers and fathers with respect to the neurobehavioral performance of small-forgestational- age newborns

The existence of psychological distress (PD) during pregnancy is well established. Nevertheless, few studies have analyzed the PD and resilience of mothers and fathers during high-risk pregnancy. This study analyzes the differences between parents’ PD and resilience and the relation between them and the neurobehavioral performance of their SGA newborns. Multivariate analysis of variance showed, in gender comparisons, that mothers obtained higher scores than fathers for psychological distress but lower ones for resilience. Similar differences were obtained in the comparison of parents’ distress to intrauterine growth by SGA vs. AGA newborns. Mothers of SGA newborns were more distressed than the other groups. However, there were no differences between the fathers of SGA vs. AGA newborns. Regarding neurobehavioral performance, the profiles of SGA newborns reflected a lower degree of maturity than those of AGA newborns. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that high stress and low resilience among mothers partially predict low neurobehavioral performance in SGA newborns. These findings indicate that mothers of SGA newborns may need psychological support to relieve stress and improve their resilience. Furthermore, attention should be paid to the neurobehavioral performance of their babies in case early attention is neededThis study was supported by University of Granada (Spain), Andalusian Public Foundation for Biosanitary Research Eastern Andalusia (Spain), and Ministry of Health, Junta de Andalucía (Spain) Award Number: PC-0526-2016-0526

Risk of suicide in households threatened with eviction: the role of banks and social support

Background: One of the greatest effects of the financial crisis in Spain has been the enormous increase in the number of evictions. Several studies have shown the association of evictions with different aspects of the physical and mental health. Furthermore, evictions have been associated with an increased risk of suicide. Our objective was to evaluate the risk of suicide among victims of eviction and investigate whether it is associated with specific characteristics of households and interviewees, the eviction process and social support, and health needs. Results: Almost half of the sample (46.7%) were at low (11.8%), moderate (16.9%), or high suicide risk (17.9%). Household and interviewee features had a limited association with suicide risk. On the contrary, the risk of suicide is greater with a longer exposure to the eviction process. In addition, threatening phone calls from banks increased significantly the risk of suicide, especially among men. Suicide risk was also associated with low social support, especially among women. Interviewees at risk of suicide received more help from nongovernmental organizations than those who were not at risk. In interviewees at risk, the main unmet needs were emotional and psychological help, especially in men. A high percentage of those at risk of suicide declare having large unmeet health needs. Finally, there was a tendency among the evicted at risk of suicide to visit emergency room and primary care more often than those not at risk, especially among women. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study showing that when banks adopt a threatening attitude, suicide risk increases among the evicted. As hypothesized, when the evicted felt socially supported, suicide risk decreased. Emotional help was the main mediator of suicide risk and the main unmet need, especially among me

Co-occurrence of Personality Disorders in Patients with Anxiety Disorders

The co-occurrence between personality disorders and anxiety disorders may have important implications. Multiple diagnoses can give us an idea of the severity of the disorder, functioning impairment and prognosis. The aim of this study was two-fold, to analyze the co-occurrence between personality disorders and anxiety disorders, and to identify personality disorder profiles in different anxiety disorders. A total of 31 patients with anxiety disorders participated in the study. They were divided into four groups: specific phobia, social phobia, generalized anxiety and panic with or without the presence of agoraphobia. The assessment instruments used were The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory II and the Anxiety Disorders Interview according to the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The specific phobia group presented lower scores on the different scales and lower frequency of personality disorders. On the contrary, the generalized anxiety group had a higher rate of multiple diagnoses of personality disorders. Higher scores were observed in the schizoid, dependent, self-defeating, avoidant and compulsive scales. Each anxiety disorder presented a profile of personality disorders. Co-occurrence between disorders may help to understand the success or failure of a treatment, so the systematic evaluation of pathological personality in the clinical setting is recommended

Consumo de tabaco y alcohol en una muestra en proceso de desahucio

Introduction: In Spain, the current economic crisis has led to an unfortunate phenomenon little known until now: the eviction process. The aim was to eval­uate unhealthy habits such as consumption of tobacco and alcohol in a group of Granada as at risk of losing their residence. Methods: Participated 205 adult un­dergoing an eviction process from their homes (122 women and 83 men) who were given the items of health-related habits of the Andalusian Health Survey 2011. All participants were linked to the Platform Af­fected by Mortgage, Stop Desahucios of Granada. Results: Consumption of tobacco: observe higher percentage of daily smokers among men (54.22 %), people who live as a couple and workers. People who have entered the judicial process smoke more ciga­rettes per day (t = 1944, p = .055) and perceived an increase in the consumption of tobacco from the pro­cess of eviction. (c2 = 8.494, p = .037). Consumption of alcohol: find higher percentage in men (c2= 10.005, p = .019) and in people who do not live with a partner (c2= 8,553, p = .036); men perceive a greater increase in alcohol consumption due to the eviction process (c2 = 20,375, p = .000). Conclu­sions: The eviction process negatively affects health-related habits and should therefore be prioritized in Public Health policies as a population at riskResumenIntroducción: En España, la actual crisis económica nos ha llevado a un lamentable fenómeno poco conocido hasta ahora: el proceso del desahucio. Nuestro objetivo ha sido evaluar hábitos poco saludables como el consumo del tabaco y alcohol en un grupo de granadinos/as en riesgo de perder su vivienda habitual. Método: Han participado 205 personas adultas (122 mujeres y 83 hombres) a los que se les administró los ítems de hábitos relacionados con la salud de la Entrevista Andaluza de Salud 2011. Todos los participantes estaban vinculados a la Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca Stop Desahucios de Granada. Resultados: Consumo de tabaco: observamos mayor porcentaje de fumadores a diario en hombres (54.22 %), personas que no viven en pareja y trabajadores. Las personas que han entrado en el proceso judicial fuman más cigarrillos al día (t = -1.944, p = .055) y perciben un aumento en el consumo de tabaco debido al proceso de desahucio (c2 = 8.494, p = .037). Consumo de alcohol: encontramos mayor porcentaje en hombres c2 = 10.005, p = .019) y en personas que no viven en pareja c2 = 8.553, p = .036); los hombres perciben un mayor aumento en el consumo de alcohol debido al proceso de desahucio (c2 = 20.375, p = .000). Conclusiones: El proceso de desahucio afecta negativamente a los hábitos relacionados con la salud por lo que debería priorizarse en las políticas de Salud Pública como una población de riesgo. AbstractIntroduction: In Spain, the current economic crisis has led to an unfortunate phenomenon little known until now: the eviction process. The aim was to eval­uate unhealthy habits such as consumption of tobacco and alcohol in a group of Granada as at risk of losing their residence. Methods: Participated 205 adult un­dergoing an eviction process from their homes (122 women and 83 men) who were given the items of health-related habits of the Andalusian Health Survey 2011. All participants were linked to the Platform Af­fected by Mortgage, Stop Desahucios of Granada. Results: Consumption of tobacco: observe higher percentage of daily smokers among men (54.22 %), people who live as a couple and workers. People who have entered the judicial process smoke more ciga­rettes per day (t = 1944, p = .055) and perceived an increase in the consumption of tobacco from the pro­cess of eviction. (c2 = 8.494, p = .037). Consumption of alcohol: find higher percentage in men (c2= 10.005, p = .019) and in people who do not live with a partner (c2= 8,553, p = .036); men perceive a greater increase in alcohol consumption due to the eviction process (c2 = 20,375, p = .000). Conclu­sions: The eviction process negatively affects health-related habits and should therefore be prioritized in Public Health policies as a population at ris