A comprehensive model of adjustment to pain in the co-occurrence of PTSD and chronic musculoskeletal pain: vulnerability and protective pathways

There are a significant comorbidity between PTSD and chronic pain. Thus, studies clarifying the vulnerability and protective variables and mechanisms associated with PTSD and chronic pain are needed. The aim of this study was to examine the association between trauma, resilience, PTSD symptoms, and the variables included in the fear-avoidance models (anxiety sensitivity, catastrophizing, fear-avoidance beliefs, fear of pain, pain hypervigilance) as well as pain acceptance and experiential avoidance in explaining adjustment to chronic pain (pain intensity, pain-related disability and emotional distress). Method: the sample consisted of 229 patients with chronic musculoskeletal back pain. Results: Structural Equation Modelling was used. Statistical tests indicated that the hypothesized model adequately fitted the data (RMSEA = .07; CFI = .99; NNFI = .98; TLI = .96). The χ2 test was significant (χ2 (8) = 19.25, χ2 /dl = 2.40, p = .014). The results provided support for the hypothesized model. All the standardized path coefficients were significant (p < .05). Conclusions: This study provides empirical support for the potential role of PTSD symptoms in fear-avoidance models of chronic pain, and may provide support for the diathesis-stress model of pain. It is the first comprehensive model of adjustment to pain to consider vulnerability and protective adaptation mechanisms in patients who have undergone a traumatic event. The study highlights the importance of a comprehensive framework of reference to understand the comorbidity of PTSD and chronic musculoskeletal pain, and the need to provide well-designed treatment programs for the simultaneous treatment of these conditions.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

The informal social support for autonomy and dependence in pain inventory Spanish version

Social support plays a crucial role in the quality of life of people with chronic pain. The Informal Social Support for Autonomy and Dependence in Pain Inventory assesses two functions of received social support: the promotion of autonomy and the promotion of dependence. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to adapt this instrument for its use in the Spanish population. The sample comprised 256 individuals with chronic pain. Participants were recruited through two local associations of people with fibromyalgia, a physiotherapy unit and a hospital pain unit. The data were collected in Spain between October 2018 and January 2020. The structure of the questionnaire was analysed using confirmatory factor analysis, average variance extracted, composite reliability and internal consistency indexes, and inter-correlations between the scales. The criterion-related validity of the instrument was analysed by investigating its relationship with pain intensity, positive and negative affect, daily functioning, activity impairment, wellbeing and satisfaction with life. The structure with the best fit had four related factors: emotional social support for the promotion of autonomy; instrumental social support for the promotion of autonomy; emotional social support for the promotion of dependence and instrumental social support for the promotion of dependence. The scales showed adequate internal consistency. An association was found between higher levels of instrumental social support for the promotion of dependence and higher levels of pain-related disability and decreased daily functioning. An association was also found between the promotion of autonomy and increased satisfaction with life. The Spanish version of the inventory shows appropriate psychometric properties. In the setting of disability prevention, this instrument is useful in assessing the support relationships between people with chronic pain and their relatives.This study was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2019-106086RB-I00) and the Regional Government of Andalusia (HUM-566). Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBUA

A structural model of the relationships between optimism and perceived emotional intelligence on bullying victimization and health.

Bullying is a relationship in which an individual, or a group of individuals, intentionally and repeatedly perpetrates aggressive behaviors towards someone unable to defend himself/herself. Traditional forms of bullying consist of physical, verbal and covert forms of aggressive behaviors. Recently, the new phenomenon of cyberbullying has emerged. This relatively new form of bullying is defined as a behavior displayed through electronic or digital media. Multiple variables have been related to bullying victimization including perceived emotional intelligence (PEI) and optimism. Both variables have implications on the manner in which people cope with stressful experiences as could be bullying, which in turn could affect the level of perceived health. However, there are no studies that have considered all these variables simultaneously. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to examine, via structural equation modelling, the independent contribution of EI and optimism on bullying victimization and perceived physical health in adolescents. A total of 650 secondary school students (317 boys and 333 girls, with ages ranged from 11 to 18) participated in the study. The participants completed measures of PIE (TMMS-24; Fernández-Berrocal et al., 2004), optimism (General Mood Subscale of the Emotional Quotient Inventory-Youth Version; Bar-On and Parker, 2000), bullying (School Victimization Scale; Cava et al., 2010), cyberbullying (Cyber-Victimization Scale; Buelga et al., 2012), and physical health (KIDSCREEN-10 Index; Raven-Sieberer et al., 2004). Results gave partial empirical support to the hypothesized model, and shows significant relationships between the variables: optimism on clarity and repair dimensions of IE (but not on the attention subscale), optimism and attention (but not clarity and repair dimensions) on bullying, and bullying on health. Together these findings shed light on those factors that should be considered when developing prophylactic strategies within adolescents to become more resilient to the adverse effects of bullying behavior.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Development of an Activity Patterns Scale (APS)

Six activity patterns were identified across various self-report measures in participants with chronic pain: Pain Avoidance, Activity Avoidance; Task Contingent Persistence; Excessive Persistence, Pain Contingent Persistence and Pacing (Kindermans et al., 2011). It was proposed that instruments assessing “pacing” should include items addressing one specific pacing behavior (breaking tasks into smaller pieces; taking frequent short rests and speeding up or slowing down) with a single goal (increasing activity level, conserve energy for valued activities and pain reduction) (Nielson et al., 2013). The aim of the present study was to develop an instrument to assess the activity patterns identified by Kindermans et al. (2011). The instrument also included three pacing scales one for each of the aforementioned goals. Methods A sample of 229 patients with fibromyalgia and 62 suffering other rheumatic diseases answered online the APS and the “Patterns of Activity Measure-Pain” (POAM-P) (Cane et al., 2007). Three alternative factor structures were tested by confirmatory factor analyses performed via structural equation modelling. . Results The structure with the best fit had 8 factors corresponding to the hypothesized scales: Pain Avoidance (α=.60), Activity Avoidance (α=.60); Task Contingent Persistence (α=.81); Excessive Persistence (α=.84), Pain Contingent Persistence (α=.70), Pacing for increasing activity (α=.76), Pacing for energy conservation (α=.72) and Pacing for pain reduction (α=.65). The correlations with the POAM-P scales were high and in the postulated direction. Conclusions The APS showed adequate reliability and structural validity. According to these results, Avoidance, Persistence and Pacing seem to be multidimensional constructs.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Evaluación formativa del TFG del Grado de Psicologia. Diseño de Rubricas para diferentes modalidades, fases y acciones

El Trabajo de Fin de Grado (TFG), es una asignatura novedosa y de elevada complejidad que ha necesitado el desarrollo de un marco normativo por las Universidades y sus Centros (Reglamentos y Guías Docentes específicas). Tras varios cursos de implantación en el Grado en Psicología de la Universidad de Málaga, este equipo docente consideró necesario revisar el sistema de evaluación de las competencias adquiridas por los alumnos. Para ello se eligió el sistema de evaluación por rúbricas por los beneficios que de ellas se derivan (Alsina, 2010; Del Pozo, 2012; Fernández, 2010; García y Terrón, 2010; Mertler, 2001), especialmente por su valor formativo y evaluador (Blanco, 2008; Cano, 2015; Fernández, 2010), tanto para los estudiantes como para el profesorado. Por tanto, el objetivo de este trabajo fue el diseño de rúbricas para facilitar a todos los implicados (estudiantes, tutores y tribunales) el desarrollo del TFG y la evaluación formativa de los resultados de aprendizaje vinculados a cada una de sus fases, para cada modalidad (Trabajo de Investigación, desarrollo y/o innovación; Análisis y propuesta de resolución de casos prácticos reales; Trabajo de revisión y actualización teórica y/o metodológica y Proyecto de emprendimiento). Para ello se eligió un tipo de rúbrica analítica (Blanco, 2008) y su diseño y elaboración se llevó a cabo según los pasos establecidos por Mertler (2005), de acuerdo al consenso del equipo docente, bajo la supervisión y guía de una profesora experta en evaluación. Fueron evaluadas cualitativamente por el equipo docente, estando prevista la validación de las mismas en cursos posteriores. Se presenta aquí la primera de las rúbricas realizadas para la evaluación de los Trabajos de Fin de Grado en Psicología de la Universidad de Málaga según la modalidad Trabajo de Investigación, desarrollo y/o innovación, sobre un tema determinado relacionado con la Psicología en cualquiera de sus ámbitos de aplicación. Palabras clave: Trabajo de fin de grado, rúbricas, evaluación formativa, enseñanza superior.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Relación entre las variables asociadas al trauma (disociación, culpa, evitación experiencial y síntomas de estrés postraumático) y su influencia en la salud percibida.

Introducción: Una experiencia traumática se define como un evento que supera la capacidad de una persona para responder a él. El trauma se ha asociado con una variedad de problemas psicológicos, entre los que destacan los síntomas de estrés postraumático, problemas de salud y una falta de bienestar percibido. Además, varios estudios han demostrado que otras variables están asociadas con la exposición al trauma y pueden tener un papel importante para explicar el desarrollo y el mantenimiento de los síntomas postraumáticos. Estas son: disociación, culpa y evitación experiencial. Conjuntamente, se han establecido diferencias de género en cada una de ellas. Sin embargo, no existen estudios que hayan considerado todas estas variables simultáneamente. Objetivos: Examinar la relación entre disociación, culpa, evitación experiencial y síntomas de estrés postraumático en un grupo de personas con historia de trauma y su influencia sobre su salud percibida. Además, comprobar si tales relaciones se modifican a través del género. Método: Se incluyó a un total de 903 participantes. La edad media fue de 22.25 (DT= 5.17) para la muestra total, 21.9 (DT= 4.5) para la muestra de la mujer y de 23.50 (DT= 6.92) para la muestra de los hombres. Se empleó un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales para poner a prueba las relaciones postuladas en el modelo hipotético, y se analizó este a través de un análisis multi-grupo (hombres y mujeres). Resultados: Los resultados dieron apoyo empírico al modelo hipotético, mostrando relaciones significativas entre las variables en ambos sexos. Sólo en los hombres, la asociación entre evitación experiencial y los síntomas postraumáticos no es significativa, pero el modelo final es significativamente equivalente entre género. Conclusiones: En conjunto, estos hallazgos arrojan luz sobre los factores que deben ser considerados cuando se desarrollan estrategias tanto preventivas como de tratamiento de personas que han vivido algún tipo de trauma.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Evaluación formativa del TFG del Grado en Psicología: diseño de rúbricas para la modalidad Proyecto de Emprendimiento

En el contexto de la Facultad de Psicología de la Universidad de Málaga, un Trabajo de Fin de Grado (TFG) en la modalidad Proyecto de emprendimiento debe plantear una solución a un problema real de una determinada organización, institución, empresa o tipo de empresas relacionadas con cualquiera de sus ramas de conocimiento. Esta modalidad implica conocer los objetivos y la metodología a utilizar, ya que la definición de un plan de empresa o un planning de actuaciones no es una tarea sencilla para alguien que no sea experto en el tema. Para que el desarrollo y la evaluación de las competencias de los alumnos fuese la más adecuada, se consideró necesario utilizar instrumentos de evaluación que orientaran a todos los implicados, tanto en el aprendizaje, como en la evaluación formativa y de la producción compleja final realizada (Fernández, 2010). Se eligió la rúbrica como herramienta didáctica, porque permite la descripción de las características específicas del TFG en varios niveles de rendimiento, y por su capacidad para contribuir significativamente a la mejora de los procesos de aprendizaje-enseñanza en su conjunto (Andrade, 2005). El objetivo de este trabajo fue la elaboración de rúbricas específicas para esta modalidad de TFG que guiaran tanto a profesores como a alumnos en el desempeño de sus tareas y competencias de manera satisfactoria, definiendo unos criterios claros. Se diseñaron rúbricas analíticas (Blanco, 2008) según la metodología de Mertler (2005), alineando la evaluación con los resultados y las actividades de aprendizaje-enseñanza a realizar (Biggs, 2005). Para ello se describieron los atributos del mejor desempeño de los diferentes componentes del TFG, se diseñó la escala para valorar el nivel de desempeño en cada categoría-dimensión y se redactaron los descriptores de cada nivel. Se evaluaron cualitativamente por el equipo docente, estando prevista su validación externa en cursos posteriores.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Proyecto de Innovación Educativa (PIE15-108

Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio

Impacts of the Tropical Pacific/Indian Oceans on the Seasonal Cycle of the West African Monsoon

The current consensus is that drought has developed in the Sahel during the second half of the twentieth century as a result of remote effects of oceanic anomalies amplified by local land–atmosphere interactions. This paper focuses on the impacts of oceanic anomalies upon West African climate and specifically aims to identify those from SST anomalies in the Pacific/Indian Oceans during spring and summer seasons, when they were significant. Idealized sensitivity experiments are performed with four atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs). The prescribed SST patterns used in the AGCMs are based on the leading mode of covariability between SST anomalies over the Pacific/Indian Oceans and summer rainfall over West Africa. The results show that such oceanic anomalies in the Pacific/Indian Ocean lead to a northward shift of an anomalous dry belt from the Gulf of Guinea to the Sahel as the season advances. In the Sahel, the magnitude of rainfall anomalies is comparable to that obtained by other authors using SST anomalies confined to the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean. The mechanism connecting the Pacific/Indian SST anomalies with West African rainfall has a strong seasonal cycle. In spring (May and June), anomalous subsidence develops over both the Maritime Continent and the equatorial Atlantic in response to the enhanced equatorial heating. Precipitation increases over continental West Africa in association with stronger zonal convergence of moisture. In addition, precipitation decreases over the Gulf of Guinea. During the monsoon peak (July and August), the SST anomalies move westward over the equatorial Pacific and the two regions where subsidence occurred earlier in the seasons merge over West Africa. The monsoon weakens and rainfall decreases over the Sahel, especially in August.Peer reviewe

Search for stop and higgsino production using diphoton Higgs boson decays

Results are presented of a search for a "natural" supersymmetry scenario with gauge mediated symmetry breaking. It is assumed that only the supersymmetric partners of the top-quark (stop) and the Higgs boson (higgsino) are accessible. Events are examined in which there are two photons forming a Higgs boson candidate, and at least two b-quark jets. In 19.7 inverse femtobarns of proton-proton collision data at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV, recorded in the CMS experiment, no evidence of a signal is found and lower limits at the 95% confidence level are set, excluding the stop mass below 360 to 410 GeV, depending on the higgsino mass