123 research outputs found
Aportaciones de la evaluación conductual a la reformulación del concepto de diagnóstico psicológico
Calidad de vida en la vejez: condiciones diferenciales
The concept of the quality of life is particularly dlficult to operationalize. Nevertheless, it is possible to establish one of its essential conditions: its multidimensionality. Like life itself the quality of life is made up of many ingredients. Additionally, the quality of life of the elderly is dependent on the context or circumstances in which the individual lives. We evaluated multiple indicators of the quality of life by interviewing subjects older than 65 and whose personal circumstances were distinct. These variables included age, gender, socio-economic status andplace of living (at home or in public or private residences for the elderly). We conclude that in old age socio-economic status, gender, and age are more important than the place of residence in determining the quality of life.La calidad de vida es un complejo concepto cuya defnición operacional resulta francamente dificil. Sin embargo, es posible establecer una de sus esenciales condiciones: su multidimensionalidad. Es decir, la calidad de vida (como la vida misma) cuenta con ingredientes múltiples. En el presente trabajo se sostiene que la calidad de vida en la vejez, como concepto multidimensional, está, además, en dependencia del contexto o de ciertas circunstancias del individuo. Este planteamiento se examina a través del análisis de múltiples indicadores de calidad de vida evaluados en sujetos mayores de 65 años que cuentan con distintas condiciones: viven en su propio domicilio o en instituciones (públicas y privadas), cuentan con distintas edades, pertenecen a distinto género y están adscritos a distintas posiciones sociales. La conclusión final es que durante la vejez la posición social, la edad y el género son circunstancias más importantes que el vivir en el propio domicilio o en una residencia, para la mayor parte de las dimensiones de calidad de vida
Cognition in healthy aging
The study of cognitive change across a life span, both in pathological and healthy samples,
has been heavily influenced by developments in cognitive psychology as a theoretical paradigm,
neuropsychology and other bio-medical fields; this alongside the increase in new longitudinal and
cohort designs, complemented in the last decades by the evaluation of experimental interventions.
Here, a review of aging databases was conducted, looking for the most relevant studies carried out
on cognitive functioning in healthy older adults. The aim was to review not only longitudinal, crosssectional
or cohort studies, but also by intervention program evaluations. The most important studies,
searching for long-term patterns of stability and change of cognitive measures across a life span and
in old age, have shown a great range of inter-individual variability in cognitive functioning changes
attributed to age. Furthermore, intellectual functioning in healthy individuals seems to decline
rather late in life, if ever, as shown in longitudinal studies where age-related decline of cognitive
functioning occurs later in life than indicated by cross-sectional studies. The longitudinal evidence
and experimental trials have shown the benefits of aerobic physical exercise and an intellectually
engaged lifestyle, suggesting that bio-psycho-socioenvironmental factors concurrently with age
predict or determine both positive or negative change or stability in cognition in later life
Are psycho-behavioral factors accounting for longevity?
The general objective of this article is to critically review the state of the art regarding
current factors accounting for aging, longevity and successful longevity. There are two
major constructs which most authors are employing to account for longevity: genetic
or intrinsic components versus environmental or extrinsic factors. This classification has
important flaws: (i) From an epigenetic standpoint, such a polar classification could lead
to misconceptions since both factors are interdependent through lifelong interactions.
(ii) There are no specifications regarding these “environmental” factors, which include a
broad heterogeneity of conditions (physical, economic, social, and cultural aspects as
well as behavioral ones such as lifestyle) but do not include personal conditions, such as
psychological characteristics. The review of the new paradigm called successful aging
yields an important set of psycho-behavioral factors, and although population indexes
such as Disability Free Life Expectancy (DFLE) or Healthy Life expectancy (HLE) have
been developed, authors do not take into consideration healthy or successful longevity
as a potential prolongation of the new paradigm of active or successful aging. There is
a broad corpus of research literature supporting the importance of psycho-behavioral
(PB) factors intervening in the ways of aging, specifically intelligence and cognitive
functioning, positive emotion and control, personality traits, psychosocial, physical
conditions, and lifestyles, all of which are highly associated with active aging, health,
longevity, and survival. The importance of these factors accounting for longevity, and
successful longevity must be taken into consideration as a pending issue in gerontolog
Health, psycho-social factors, and ageism in older adults in Spain during the COVID-19 pandemic
Older adults are a population at risk for COVID-19. This study has two independent
objectives: to report the impact of COVID-19, as well as psycho-social responses during lockdown,
in a sample of older adults in Spain, and to explore through the review of published surveys
what extent ageism has increased at the population level. The first objective was to search through
an online questionnaire collecting information about self-reported health, lifestyles, psycho-social
conditions, and a diversity of concerns. This questionnaire was administered to a volunteer sample
of 315 older Spanish men and women (301 COVID-19-free and 14 diagnosed with COVID-19). All
individuals reported that they had information about the COVID-19 pandemic. Their self-perception
of health was also quite good, most maintaining healthy lifestyles and few reporting unhealthy
behaviors. They reported few changes in family and interpersonal relations during lockdown. Those
diagnosed with COVID-19 reported higher levels of anxiety, irritation, and fear, in comparison with
the COVID-19-free group. Interestingly, instead of being concerned about health, the greatest concern
in both groups (COVID-free and those diagnosed with COVID) were politics and the future. Our
second objective, to explore ageism during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, was examined
across various surveys conducted in several populations by several authors. Results showed an
increase in ageism in Spain. Although some new information about health perception, psychosocial
responses, and concerns during this unknown stressful situation was obtained, much more research
with representative samples is required in order to arrive at more accurate conclusion
Aportaciones de la evaluación conductual a la reformulación del concepto de diagnóstico psicológico
Diagnostico funcional en educación especial
Se presenta el análisis funcional de la conducta como un nuevo enfoque en el que se resuelven muchos de los problemas que plantea el psicodiagnóstico tradicional. También se discuten las diferencias entre el modelo tradicional de diagnóstico y la evaluación conductual o diagnóstico funcional de la conducta, sobre todo las que hacen referencia a los aspectos conceptuales y metodológicos. Finalmente se considera el análisis funcional como potencialmente útil en la educación especial por sus implicaciones terapéuticas
Calidad de vida en la vejez: condiciones diferenciales
The concept of the quality of life is particularly dlficult to operationalize. Nevertheless, it is possible to establish one of its essential conditions: its multidimensionality. Like life itself the quality of life is made up of many ingredients. Additionally, the quality of life of the elderly is dependent on the context or circumstances in which the individual lives. We evaluated multiple indicators of the quality of life by interviewing subjects older than 65 and whose personal circumstances were distinct. These variables included age, gender, socio-economic status andplace of living (at home or in public or private residences for the elderly). We conclude that in old age socio-economic status, gender, and age are more important than the place of residence in determining the quality of life.La calidad de vida es un complejo concepto cuya defnición operacional resulta francamente dificil. Sin embargo, es posible establecer una de sus esenciales condiciones: su multidimensionalidad. Es decir, la calidad de vida (como la vida misma) cuenta con ingredientes múltiples. En el presente trabajo se sostiene que la calidad de vida en la vejez, como concepto multidimensional, está, además, en dependencia del contexto o de ciertas circunstancias del individuo. Este planteamiento se examina a través del análisis de múltiples indicadores de calidad de vida evaluados en sujetos mayores de 65 años que cuentan con distintas condiciones: viven en su propio domicilio o en instituciones (públicas y privadas), cuentan con distintas edades, pertenecen a distinto género y están adscritos a distintas posiciones sociales. La conclusión final es que durante la vejez la posición social, la edad y el género son circunstancias más importantes que el vivir en el propio domicilio o en una residencia, para la mayor parte de las dimensiones de calidad de vida
Effectiveness of the vital aging program to promote active aging in Mexican older adults
Introduction: Aging is not only a population phenomenon but also an experience and an individual reality. Vital Aging® is a program that considers active aging as the lifelong adaptatio process of maximizing health and independence, physical and cognitive functioning, positive affect regulation and control, and social engagement. Through its different versions and editions, it has demonstrated being an effective program to promote active aging. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the “face-to-face” and “combined” versions of the program to promote active aging in Mexican older adults trial. Methods: Seventy-six older adults aged 60 years and over participated in a quasi-experimental study and were recruited in a senior center to participate in the two experimental conditions: Vital Aging face-to-face (VA-FF) (n=35) and Vital Aging combined (VA-C; multimedia/face-toface) (n=15), and the remaining 26 adults were assigned to a control group. Pretest and posttest assessments were performed after the theoretical–practical intervention. Mean differences and size effects were calculated for estimating the effect of the program. Results: At the end of the study, participants showed improvements in the active aging outcome measures. Positive effects were observed in the frequency of intellectual, cultural – artistic, and social activities, perceptions of aging, satisfaction with social relationships, and self-efficacy for aging. Additionally, those who participated in VA-FF showed better memory performance, meta-memory, and a trend to report less memory problems, while older persons in VA-C showed a trend to have better life satisfaction. No effects were observed in physical activity, frequency of social relationships, and subjective health. Conclusion: Findings show that the Vital Aging program in face-to-face and combined versions encourages active aging in Mexican older persons. These results are in general similar to those found in editions performed in Spain, revealing its consistency as a cross-cultural practical initiative for promoting active agingProject PSI2014-52464-P from the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) in Spain supported this wor
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