Efficacy of Neurofeedback on the Increase of Mindfulness-Related Capacities in Healthy Individuals: a Controlled Trial

Electroencephalogram (EEG) studies of mindfulness have shown it can lead to increases in alpha power, which are similar to those obtained by alpha-based neurofeedback (NF) interventions. It has been hypothesized there may be relationships between mindfulness and NF in terms of the neural pathways through which they induce salutary outcomes. The aim of the study was to evaluate possible changes in mindfulness and cognitive functioning following an alpha-based NF intervention, and the role of alpha power as a mediator of improvements. A controlled, non-randomized, trial with 50 healthy participants was conducted with two experimental conditions: a six-session NF intervention and a waiting-list control group. Both groups were administered mindfulness questionnaires (Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ)) and cognitive measures (Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT)), at pre- and post-test. The NF intervention focused on the up-regulation of upper alpha power. Differences among groups were estimated using ANCOVAs, and mediation assessment through path analyses. Compared to controls, the NF group showed enhanced task-related upper alpha power (effect size (ES) = 1.16, p < 0.001), mindfulness outcomes (MAAS: ES = 0.94, p = 0.004; FFMQ: ES = 1.38, p < 0.001), and a trend of cognitive functioning (PASAT time: ES = 0.59, p = 0.062). Upper alpha power had a mediating effect for cognitive functioning (PASAT errors: indirect effect = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.21–1.85), but not for mindfulness. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of NF for increasing mindfulness in healthy individuals with no previous experience in mindfulness or neurofeedback training, suggesting that NF may be an acceptable method of augmenting mindfulness-related capacities in the general population

Adicción al ejercicio medida a través del Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI) y salud en deportistas habituales. Una revisión sistemática y meta-análisis

Cada vez es más frecuente la investigación sobre adicción al ejercicio debido a la importancia del exceso de actividad física en la salud general. Diferentes estudios han investigado la prevalencia del riesgo de adicción al ejercicio (RAE) y sus consecuencias, existiendo contradicciones con respecto a la asociación entre el RAE y las variables asociadas al entrenamiento. Uno de los objetivos de esta revisión sistemática fue analizar los estudios que han usado el Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI) para valorar el RAE, así como realizar un meta-análisis para observar las posibles diferencias entre grupos con y sin RAE respecto a la prevalencia, edad, variables de salud (calidad de vida física y mental, desórdenes alimentarios) o de entrenamiento físico (horas/semana). Las búsquedas de estudios se realizaron en bases de datos electrónicas como Pubmed, SPORTDiscus o Scopus, y se hicieron utilizando términos de indexación y palabras clave relacionados con materias médicas o ciencias del deporte. Los criterios de inclusión fueron: participantes evaluados con el EAI; resultados reportados de prevalencia de RAE y/o puntuación en dicho cuestionario; diseño observacional. Veinte estudios cumplieron los criterios de elegibilidad para la revisión sistemática y 17 fueron incluidos en el meta-análisis. Los resultados mostraron peores valores en calidad de vida mental y trastornos de alimentación en el grupo con RAE comparado con el grupo sin RAE. Además, el grupo con RAE era más joven y realizaba más horas de entrenamiento semanal. No obstante, es necesaria más investigación. Research on physical exercise addiction is becoming more frequent due to the importance of excessive physical activity on health in general. Different studies have investigated the prevalence of risk of exercise addiction (REA) and its consequences. Furthermore, there exist a series of contradictions regarding the relationship between REA and other variables associated with physical training. One goal of this systematic review and meta-analysis consists of analysing possible differences in prevalence, age, general health (mental and physical quality of life, eating disorders) and physical training (hours/week) between groups with REA and non-addicted groups. The Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI) was used to undertake this research. Research was carried out in electronic databases such as Pubmed, SPORTDiscus or Scopus. Inclusion criteria: Studies were eligible as long as participants were measured with EAI, results showed prevalence of REA and/or EAI score, and the study was observational. Twenty studies met the established eligibility criteria for inclusion in the systematic review, whereas seventeen studies were included in the meta-analysis. Regarding mental quality of life, results showed lower values for the exercise addiction risk group, compared with the nonaddicted group. The exercise addiction group was younger than the non-addicted group and dedicated more weekly hours to physical training. Subjects with REA have a lower health profile than those with non-REA. However, more research is required, given the lack of consensus on how to measure exercise addiction and the scarce number of studies to date

A factor confirmation and convergent validity of the " areas of worklife scale" (AWS) to Spanish translation

Background: Perceived incongruity between the individual and the job on work-life areas such as workload, control, reward, fairness, community and values have implications for the dimensions of burnout syndrome. The “Areas of Work-life Scale” (AWS) is a practical instrument to measure employees´ perceptions of their work environments. AIMS: Validate a Spanish translation of the AWS, and it relationship with Masclach Burnout Inventory dimensions. Methods: The study was conducted in three medium-sized hospitals and seven rural and urban Primary Care centres (N = 871) in Spain. The “Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey” (MBI-GS) and AWS were applied. We developed a complete psychometric analysis of its reliability, and validity. Results: Data on the reliability supported a good internal consistency (Cronbach a between .71, and .85). Construct validity was confirmed by a six factor model of the AWS as a good measure of work environments (¿2 (352) = 806.21, p < 0.001; ¿2/df = 2.29; CFI = 0.935, RMSEA = 0.039); concurrent validity was analysed for its relationship with other measures (opposing dimensions to burnout, and MBI), and each correlation between dimensions and subdimensions were statistically significant; as well, predictive validity, by a series of Multiple Regression Analysis examined the resulting patterns of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) confirms the relationship between the work-life areas and burnout dimensions. Conclusions: Leiter and Maslach’s AWS has been an important instrument in exploring several work-life factors that contribute to burnout. This scale can now be used to assess the quality of work-life in order to design and assess the need for intervention programs in Spanish-speaking countries

Effects of mindfulness-based interventions on biomarkers in healthy and cancer populations: A systematic review

Background: Only a small number of articles have investigated the relationship between mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) and biomarkers. The aim of this systematic review was to study the effect of MBIs on specific biomarkers (cytokines, neuropeptides and C-reactive protein (CRP)) in both healthy subjects and cancer patients. Methods: A search was conducted using PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO and the Cochrane library between 1980 and September 2016. Results: A total of 13 studies with 1110 participants were included. In the healthy population, MBIs had no effect on cytokines, but were found to increase the levels of the neuropeptide insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). With respect to neuropeptide Y, despite the absence of post-intervention differences, MBIs may enhance recovery from stress. With regard to CRP, MBIs could be effective in lower Body Mass Index (BMI) individuals. In cancer patients, MBIs seem to have some effect on cytokine levels, although it was not possible to determine which specific cytokines were affected. One possibility is that MBIs might aid recovery of the immune system, increasing the production of interleukin (IL)-4 and decreasing interferon gamma (IFN-¿). Conclusions: MBIs may be involved in changes from a depressive/carcinogenic profile to a more normalized one. However, given the complexity and different contexts of the immune system, and the fact that this investigation is still in its preliminary stage, additional randomized controlled trials are needed to further establish the impact of MBI programmes on biomarkers in both clinical and non-clinical populations

Blooming plant species diversity patterns in two adjacent Costa Rican highland ecosystems

The Costa Rican Paramo is a unique ecosystem with high levels of endemism that is geographically isolated from the Andean Paramos. Paramo ecosystems occur above Montane Forests, below the permanent snow level, and their vegetation notably differs from that of adjacent Montane Forests. We compared the composition and beta diversity of blooming plant species using phenological data from functional plant groups (i.e., insect-visited, bird-visited and insect+bird-visited plants) between a Paramo and a Montane Forest site in Costa Rica and analyzed seasonal changes in blooming plant diversity between the rainy and dry seasons. Species richness was higher in the Montane Forest for all plant categories, except for insect- 32 visited plants, which was higher in the Paramo. Beta diversity and blooming plant composition differed between both ecosystems and seasons. Differences in species richness and beta diversity between Paramo and the adjacent Montane Forest are likely the result of dispersal events that occurred during the last glacial period and subsequent isolation, as climate turned to tropical conditions after the Pleistocene, and to stressful abiotic conditions in the Paramo ecosystem that limits species establishment. Differences in blooming plant composition between both ecosystems and seasons are likely attributed to differential effects of climatic cues triggering the flowering events in each ecosystem, but phylogenetic conservatism cannot be discarded. Analyzes of species composition and richness based on flowering phenology data are useful to evaluate potential floral resources for floral visitors (insects and birds) and how these resources change spatially and temporarily in endangered ecosystems such as the Paramo.Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología/[FI-040B-19]/MICIT-CONICYT/Costa RicaUCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Ciencias Básicas::Facultad de Ciencias::Escuela de BiologíaUCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Básicas::Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Ecología Tropical (CIBET

Fifteen years controlling unwanted thoughts: A systematic review of the thought control ability questionnaire (TCAQ)

Thought control ability is a vulnerability factor implicated in the etiology and maintenance of emotional disorders. This manuscript aims to systematically review the use and psychometric performance of the Thought Control Ability Questionnaire (TCAQ), designed to assess people's ability to control unwanted thoughts. Three electronic databases were searched for papers administering the TCAQ published in indexed peer-reviewed journals. Data (participants characteristics, country, study design, etc.) were extracted from the results for qualitative synthesis. The TCAQ's content validity, dimensionality, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent/divergent validity, floor/ceiling effects, and interpretability were summarized. Two reviewers independently screened articles and assessed quality taking COSMIN criteria into account. Finally, the review included 17 papers. The TCAQ has been administered to healthy individuals, students, and adult patients, in six languages from nine countries. We found that the TCAQ, and its shorter versions, demonstrate robust reliability and adequate content validity. Of interest is the TCAQ's capacity to predict performance in diverse experimental tasks focused on thought control. The TCAQ unidimensionality has been supported in exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Regarding construct validity, the TCAQ is significantly related to a wide range of psychopathological measures of anxiety, worry, depression, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, etc. However, as only a few of the included studies had a longitudinal design, we are unable to draw firm conclusions about the measure's temporal stability. Moreover, psychometric aspects such as factorial invariance across different samples have not been analyzed. Despite these limitations, based on available psychometric evidence we can recommend using the TCAQ for measuring perceived control of unwanted thoughts

Psychometric properties of the engaged living scale (ELS) Spanish version in a large sample of Spanish pilgrims

Engaged Living (values clarity and committed action) is a main process of psychological flexibility as defined by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. The Engaged Living Scale (ELS) was designed to measure it. The purpose of this study was to translate the ELS to Spanish and to examine the reliability and validity of its scores in a heterogeneous sample of 752 Spanish pilgrims of the Way of Saint James (pre-post analysis: n = 285). Confirmatory factor analyses were computed to study the structural validity of the ELS scores. In addition, network analyses were computed to examine convergent and discriminant validity. The included variables were engaged living, mindfulness facets, satisfaction with life, subjective happiness, affect, depression, anxiety, and perceived stress. Results showed that the Spanish version of the ELS is two-factorial (valued living [VL] and life fulfillment [LF]). The ELS scores showed good reliability. In addition, it was able to detect VL and LF changes after the Way underscoring its sensitivity to change. The network analyses indicated adequate convergent and discriminant validity of the ELS. Changes in satisfaction with life, life fulfillment, happiness, and valued living scores were most strongly associated with changes in perceived stress, affect, mindfulness facets, depression, and anxiety. In short, the Spanish version of the ELS appeared to be a reliable and valid instrument to assess the engaged response style in the current samples

A newer and broader definition of burnout: Validation of the "Burnout Clinical Subtype Questionnaire (BCSQ-36)"

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Burnout syndrome has been clinically characterised by a series of three subtypes: frenetic, underchallenged and worn-out, with reference to coping strategies for stress and frustration at work with different degrees of dedication. The aims of the study are to present an operating definition of these subtypes in order to assess their reliability and convergent validity with respect to a standard burnout criterion and to examine differences with regard to sex and the temporary nature of work contracts.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>An exploratory factor analysis was performed by the main component method on a range of items devised by experts. The sample was composed of 409 employees of the University of Zaragoza, Spain. The reliability of the scales was assessed with Cronbach's α, convergent validity in relation to the Maslach Burnout Inventory with Pearson's <it>r</it>, and differences with Student's t-test and the Mann-Whitney U test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The factorial validity and reliability of the scales were good. The subtypes presented relations of differing degrees with the criterion dimensions, which were greater when dedication to work was lower. The frenetic profile presented fewer relations with the criterion dimensions while the worn-out profile presented relations of the greatest magnitude. Sex was not influential in establishing differences. However, the temporary nature of work contracts was found to have an effect: temporary employees exhibited higher scores in the frenetic profile (<it>p </it>< 0.001), while permanent employees did so in the underchallenged (<it>p </it>= 0.018) and worn-out (<it>p </it>< 0.001) profiles.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The classical Maslach description of burnout does not include the frenetic profile; therefore, these patients are not recognised. The developed questionnaire may be a useful tool for the design and appraisal of specific preventive and treatment approaches based on the type of burnout experienced.</p