Estudio transcultural de víctimas de violencia en el noviazgo: Tipología, caracterización e implicaciones de intervención

Background: Dating violence (DV) is still a global problem of enormous proportions. Scientifi c and social consensus highlights the necessity of performing typological analyses in order to better understand the diverse violent experiences and intervention needs of the victims. Method: The sample comprised 1,308 Mexican and Spanish adolescents aged between 12 and 18, who had been victims of DV. Two-step cluster analyses were performed for each country using the frequency and severity of the victimization as grouping variables, which was followed by an analysis of the differences between clusters in personal and relationship characteristics. Results: The analyses suggested three clusters in both countries: Victims of psychological aggression, Victims of psychological and physical aggression, and Victims of psychological, physical, and sexual aggression. The early start of the fi rst dating relationship and the prolonged exposure to aggression throughout different relationships were associated with the most victimized groups. Conclusions: The fi ndings highlight the need to start intervention strategies at a young age targeting the promotion of skills to recognize and confront violence before it is established as a pattern of coexistence with the signifi cant otherAntecedentes: la violencia en el noviazgo (VN) es un hecho constatado a nivel internacional, resulta necesario profundizar en el conocimiento de la diversidad de las experiencias de las víctimas a través de análisis tipológicos que permitan mejorar las estrategias de intervención existentes. Método: el objetivo del estudio fue identifi car los perfi les de las víctimas de VN en dos países latinos usando como variables de agrupación los tipos de agresión. Participaron 1.308 adolescentes mexicanos y españoles víctimas de VN. Se llevaron a cabo two-step cluster analysis en ambos países en función de la tipos y frecuencia de las agresiones; seguidos de comparaciones entre grupos en las características personales y de la relación. Resultados: los análisis sugieren la formación de tres agrupaciones cluster en ambos países. Los grupos más victimizados se caracterizaron por el inicio temprano de las relaciones y la exposición prolongada a las agresiones en diferentes relaciones. Conclusiones: los hallazgos apuntan a la necesidad de adaptar las intervenciones a edades más tempranas, con el objetivo de promover el desarrollo de habilidades para reconocer y enfrentar la violencia antes de que se normalice, aumente o establezca como un patrón de convivencia establ

Cognitive plasticity in normal and pathological aging

The main goal of the present study is to examine to what extent age and cognitive impairment contribute to learning performance (cognitive plasticity, cognitive modifiability, or learning potential). To address this question, participants coming from four studies (Longitudinal Study of Active Aging, age range, 55–75 years, N = 458; Longitudinal Study in the very old [90+], age range, 90–102, N = 188, and Cognitive Plasticity within the Course of Cognitive Impairment, 97 “Normal”, 57 mild cognitive impairment [MCI], and 98 Alzheimer’s disease [AD] patients) were examined through a measure of verbal learning (developed from Rey). The results show that all age, MCI, and AD groups learned across the five learning trials of that test, but significant differences were found due to age, pathology, and education. The effects of pathology (MCI and AD) can be expressed in a metric of “years of normal decline by age”; specifically, being MCI means suffering an impairment in performance that is equivalent to the decline of a normal individual during 15 years, whereas the impact of AD is equivalent to 22.7 years. Likewise, the improvement associated with about 5 years of education is equivalent to about 1 year less of normal aging. Also, the two pathological groups significantly differed from “normal” groups in the delayed trial of the test. The most dramatic difference is that between the “normal” group and the AD patients, which shows relatively poorer performance for the AD group in the delayed trial than in the first learning trial. The potential role of this unique effect for quick detection purposes of AD is assessed (in the 75–89 years age range, sensitivity and specificity equal 0.813 and 0.917, respectively).This study has been granted by the Research General Direction, MICINN: Project SEJ-2006-14438/PSIC; IMSERSO I+D+I Projects: 15-05 and 35-06

Adolescent victims of physical dating violence: why do they stay in abusive relationships?

According to recent international studies, most of the adolescent victims of physical dating violence remain satisfied and committed toward their abusive relationship, giving way to long-term relationships in which the abuse tends to persist and increase in frequency and severity. The objective of this study is to contribute to the understanding of the stay/leave decision of the adolescent victims of physical dating violence. A structural equation model was estimated to explain the direct and indirect contribution of the level of satisfaction, commitment, justification of the aggression, relationship duration, psychological coercion toward commitment, and the consequences of the abuse on the victims’ decision to continue in the abusive relationship. The sample was 456 Latinx adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years. The results corroborate that the decision to leave a physically abusive dating relationship is a complex phenomenon related to subjective variables such as (a) the level of satisfaction, (b) cognitive evaluation of the aggression (especially in those couples who have been together for a long time), and (c) the exposure to psychological pressures toward commitment. Future preventive strategies must incorporate actions to help the youngest to evaluate in a more objective and adequate way, the real quality of their first relationships, and aim to modify the justification of the aggression, the recognition of the potential harm, and to foster an adequate balance between the benefits and harm of staying in the abusive relationshi

Cultural Adaptation of the Modified Version of the Conflicts Tactics Scale (M-CTS) in Mexican Adolescents

Several scales are used in Dating Violence studies assuming cross-cultural invariance and equivalence of the measures without making the proper validation in the intended populations. This study focuses on the importance of adapting existing dating violence psychological instruments (as the widely recognized Modified Version of the Conflict Tactics Scale, M-CTS) in diverse adolescent populations adjusting to international validation procedures that ensure the cultural fit of the instrument and the measurement invariance of the construct. We sought to adapt the M-CTS in Mexican adolescents (N = 1861; 57.5% woman) following the ITC Guidelines for Translating and Adapting Test. We made an analysis of the linguistic and cultural variables, followed by a Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and the evaluation of Construct and Known Groups Validities. We culturally modified six items and verified the four-factorial structure of the questionnaire proposed in previous studies (argumentation, psychological aggression, mild physical aggression, and sever physical aggression). We also found significant correlations in between the scores of the M-CTS and the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) and the Dominating and Jealous Tactics Scale (DJTS), verifying the Construct Validity of the M-CTS to measure aggressive behaviors. Conclusion: the cultural adaptation of the M-CTS offered adequate reliability and validity scores in Mexican population expanding the possibilities of comparing prevalences of the problem between nations with a reliable instrument based on the same theoretical and methodological perspectives

CARB-ES-19 Multicenter Study of Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli From All Spanish Provinces Reveals Interregional Spread of High-Risk Clones Such as ST307/OXA-48 and ST512/KPC-3

ObjectivesCARB-ES-19 is a comprehensive, multicenter, nationwide study integrating whole-genome sequencing (WGS) in the surveillance of carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae (CP-Kpn) and E. coli (CP-Eco) to determine their incidence, geographical distribution, phylogeny, and resistance mechanisms in Spain.MethodsIn total, 71 hospitals, representing all 50 Spanish provinces, collected the first 10 isolates per hospital (February to May 2019); CPE isolates were first identified according to EUCAST (meropenem MIC > 0.12 mg/L with immunochromatography, colorimetric tests, carbapenem inactivation, or carbapenem hydrolysis with MALDI-TOF). Prevalence and incidence were calculated according to population denominators. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using the microdilution method (EUCAST). All 403 isolates collected were sequenced for high-resolution single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) typing, core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST), and resistome analysis.ResultsIn total, 377 (93.5%) CP-Kpn and 26 (6.5%) CP-Eco isolates were collected from 62 (87.3%) hospitals in 46 (92%) provinces. CP-Kpn was more prevalent in the blood (5.8%, 50/853) than in the urine (1.4%, 201/14,464). The cumulative incidence for both CP-Kpn and CP-Eco was 0.05 per 100 admitted patients. The main carbapenemase genes identified in CP-Kpn were blaOXA–48 (263/377), blaKPC–3 (62/377), blaVIM–1 (28/377), and blaNDM–1 (12/377). All isolates were susceptible to at least two antibiotics. Interregional dissemination of eight high-risk CP-Kpn clones was detected, mainly ST307/OXA-48 (16.4%), ST11/OXA-48 (16.4%), and ST512-ST258/KPC (13.8%). ST512/KPC and ST15/OXA-48 were the most frequent bacteremia-causative clones. The average number of acquired resistance genes was higher in CP-Kpn (7.9) than in CP-Eco (5.5).ConclusionThis study serves as a first step toward WGS integration in the surveillance of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales in Spain. We detected important epidemiological changes, including increased CP-Kpn and CP-Eco prevalence and incidence compared to previous studies, wide interregional dissemination, and increased dissemination of high-risk clones, such as ST307/OXA-48 and ST512/KPC-3

Envejecimiento con éxito: criterios y predictores

En la literatura científi ca anglosajona, envejecimiento con éxito es un término que ha ido consolidándose en los últimos años, al mismo tiempo que ha ido adoptando distintas denominaciones: «envejecimiento activo», «productivo», «saludable», «óptimo» o «positivo». A pesar de que estos conceptos han sido descritos mediante factores bio-psicosociales, la investigación empírica los ha reducido a variables funcionales y salud física y, aunque los autores consideran que los determinantes de este tipo de envejecimiento son también multi-dominio, su búsqueda e investigación ha sido también reducida a los estilos de vida. Lógicamente, la prevalencia de este tipo de envejecimiento hallada empíricamente es poco consistente y la investigación de sus determinantes o predictores se refi ere a condiciones biomédicas. En este trabajo hemos analizado los resultados de 458 personas (170 varones y 288 mujeres, media de edad: 66,47, rango: 55-75) participantes en el estudio ELEA (Estudio Longitudinal de Envejecimiento Activo). Los resultados ponen de manifi esto (en dependencia de las defi niciones operacionales simples o multidimensionales utilizadas) una amplia disparidad en la proporción de personas que envejecen con éxito, así como un amplio número de predictores multidominio de envejecimiento con éxito, entre los cuales se encuentran variables psicológicas intelectuales, de la personalidad y motivacionalesEsta investigación ha sido fi nanciada por el Instituto de Mayores y Servicios Sociales [ELEA 035-2006].Peer reviewe

Violencia en las relaciones de pareja: validación de la escala de tácticas dominantes celosas en jóvenes españoles

The Dominant and Jealous Tactics Scale (Kasian & Painter, 1992) is one of the most extensively used instruments to measure dominance and jealousy in dating relationships of young adults and adolescents. The goal of this study is to analyze the psychometric properties of this scale and validate its adequacy for young Spanish population. the sample was made up of 8105 youths from the Region of Madrid, aged between 14 and 26 years. Results of the confirmatory factor analysis indicate two correlated factors: Dominant Tactics and Jealous Tactics, along the lines of the original study. The reliability of the scale was good. With regard to convergent validity, positive and significant correlations were observed with the modified version of the Conflicts Tactics Scale (M-CTS; Neidig, 1986), which measures physical and verbal violence in dating relationships. With regard to known groups validity, we observed significant differences in dominant and jealous tactics as a function of age and gender, in the expected direction. This scale is a reliable and valid instrument to assess dominant and jealous tactics in dating relationships of youth and adolescents in Spain.   La Escala de Tácticas Dominates y Celosas (Kasian y Painter, 1992) es uno de los instrumentos más utilizados para medir dominancia y celos en las relaciones de noviazgo en jóvenes y adolescentes. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar las propiedades psicométricas de esta escala y validar su adecuación en población juvenil española. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 8105 jovenes de la Comunidad de Madrid, con edades comprendidas entre los 14 y los 26 años. Los resultados del Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio indican que existen dos factores correlacionados: tácticas dominantes y tácticas celosas, en la línea del estudio original. La fiabilidad de la escala fue satisfactoria. En cuanto a la validez convergente, se observan correlaciones positivas y significativas con la verisón modificada de la Escala de Tácticas de Conflicto (M-CTS; Neidig, 1986) que mide violencia física y verbal en relaciones de noviazgo. En cuanto a la validez de grupos conocidos, se observan diferencias significativas en tácticas dominantes y celosas en función de la edad y el género, en el sentido esperado. Esta escala constituye un instrumento fiable y válido para evaluar tácticas dominantes y celosas en relaciones de parejas de jóvenes y adolescentes en España

Psicothema

Resumen tomado de la publicaciónEl objetivo de este estudio es el de investigar potenciales cambios en plasticidad cognitiva tras entrenamientos de psicoestimulación en enfermos de Alzheimer en fase leve. Participaron en el estudio 26 pacientes diagnosticados de enfermedad de Alzheimer en fase leve, 17 de los cuales seguían un programa de estimulación cognitiva durante 6 meses y los otros 9 fueron asignados al grupo control. Con el objetivo de evaluar la plasticidad cognitiva, todos los participantes fueron evaluados antes y después del tratamiento con tres subtests de la Batería de Evaluación del Potencial de Aprendizaje (BEPAD). Los sujetos tratados incrementaron su rendimiento en todas las pruebas de evaluación de potencial de aprendizaje con respecto al nivel previo al entrenamiento: memoria viso-espacial, audio-verbal y fluidez verbal. Sin embargo, los pacientes del grupo control disminuyeron su rendimiento en todas las pruebas. Los resultados de este estudio ponen de manifiesto que el entrenamiento cognitivo realizado puede eficazmente incrementar la plasticidad cognitiva, en pacientes con enfermedad de Alzheimer en fase leve, en tareas de memoria viso-espacial, audio-verbal y en fluidez verbal, y que los pacientes que no son tratados declinan en su plasticidad cognitiva.AsturiasColegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Asturias; Calle Ildefonso Sánchez del Rio, 4-1õB; 33001 Oviedo; Tel. +34985285778; Fax +34985281374;ES

Psicothema

Resumen tomado de la publicaciónEstudio transcultural de víctimas de violencia en el noviazgo: tipología, caracterización e implicaciones de intervención. Antecedentes: la violencia en el noviazgo (VN) es un hecho constatado a nivel internacional, resulta necesario profundizar en el conocimiento de la diversidad de las experiencias de las víctimas a través de análisis tipológicos que permitan mejorar las estrategias de intervención existentes. Método: el objetivo del estudio fue identificar los perfiles de las víctimas de VN en dos países latinos usando como variables de agrupación los tipos de agresión. Participaron 1.308 adolescentes mexicanos y españoles víctimas de VN. Se llevaron a cabo two-step cluster analysis en ambos países en función de la tipos y frecuencia de las agresiones; seguidos de comparaciones entre grupos en las características personales y de la relación. Resultados: los análisis sugieren la formación de tres agrupaciones cluster en ambos países. Los grupos más victimizados se caracterizaron por el inicio temprano de las relaciones y la exposición prolongada a las agresiones en diferentes relaciones. Conclusiones: los hallazgos apuntan a la necesidad de adaptar las intervenciones a edades más tempranas, con el objetivo de promover el desarrollo de habilidades para reconocer y enfrentar la violencia antes de que se normalice, aumente o establezca como un patrón de convivencia estable.ES