Emociones y salud

En este articulo se plantea la relación entre las emociones humanas y la salud. Se explica que las emociones no influyen en la salud a través de un unico mecanisrno, sino quepueden ejercer esta influencia de varias maneras distintas que, además, inciden en diferentes momentos delproceso de enfermar. De esta manera se muestra que: a) las emociones negativas constituyen un riesgo para la salud; b) los estados emocionales crònicos afectan a los hábitos de salud; c) los episodios emocionales agudos pueden agravar ciertas enfermedades; y d) las emociones pueden distorsionar la conducta de los enfermos. Finalmente, se expone la necesidad de la investigación sistemática sobre los procesos psicológicos de las emociones y sepropone un modelo de laboratori0 basado en el concepto de interrupción de conducta para el estudio de los cambios en potenciales evocados cerebrales, expectativas, respuestas vegetativas y conducta que configuran los estados emocionalesThis article examines the relationship between human emotions and health. It is argued that emotions do not influence health in a single way but in many different ways. What is more, this health-emotion connection can occur in different moments along the illness process. Four points are mentioned a) negative emotions can be an important health risk; c) chronic emotional states change health practices; c) acute emotions could affect illness' severity and chronicity; and d) emotions, specially anxiety, can alter sick paple behaviour. Finally we claim the need of progress in research on psychological processes of emotions and suggest a laboratory model based on behaviour break-in to study changes in brain evokedpotentials, expectations, vegetative responses and behaviour which form emotional state

Effects of a positive emotion-based adjuvant psychological therapy in colorectal cancer patients : a pilot study

Objective: To examine the effectiveness of an "Enhancing Positive Emotions Procedure" (EPEP) based on positive psychology and cognitive behavioral therapy in relieving distress at the time of adjuvant chemotherapy treatment in colorectal cancer patients (CRC). It is expected that EPEP will increase quality of life and positive affect in CRC patients during chemotherapy treatment intervention and at 1 month follow-up. Method: A group of 24 CRC patients received the EPEP procedure (intervention group), whereas another group of 20 CRC patients did not receive the EPEP (control group). Quality of life (EORTC-QLQC30), and mood (PANAS) were assessed in three moments: prior to enter the study (T1), at the end of the time required to apply the EPEP (T2, 6 weeks after T1), and, at follow-up (T3, one-month after T2). Patient's assessments of the EPEP (improving in mood states, and significance of the attention received) were assessed with Lickert scales. Results: Insomnia was reduced in the intervention group. Treatment group had better scores on positive affect although there were no significantly differences between groups and over time. There was a trend to better scores at T2 and T3 for the intervention group on global health status, physical, role, and social functioning scales. Patients stated that positive mood was enhanced and that EPEP was an important resource. Conclusions: CRC patients receiving EPEP during chemotherapy believed that this intervention was important. Furthermore, EPEP seems to improve positive affect and quality of life. EPEP has potential benefits, and its implementation to CRC patients should be consideredObjetivo: Examinar la eficacia de un programa basado en la Psicología Positiva y en la terapia cognitivo-conductual (EPEP) para incrementar emociones positivas y reducir malestar en pacientes de cáncer colorrectal (CRC) que reciben quimioterapia adyuvante. Se espera que el EPEP mejore calidad de vida y estados de ánimo durante la quimioterapia y en el seguimiento un mes después. Método: Un grupo de 24 CRC recibió el EPEP (grupo de intervención: GI), y otro grupo de 20 CRC no recibió el EPEP (grupo control: GC). Se evaluaron la calidad de vida (EORTC-QLQC30) y los estados de ánimo (PANAS) en tres momentos: al entrar en el estudio (T1); 6 semanas después, tiempo de aplicación del EPEP (T2), y un mes después del T2 (seguimiento:T3). Las opiniones de los pacientes sobre el EPEP (mejoría del estado de ánimo e importancia de la atención recibida) fueron evaluadas con escalas Lickert. Resultados: El GI mostró mejores puntuaciones en estado de ánimo positivo, aunque sin diferencias significativas con el GC. Las puntuaciones en T2 y T3 tendían a ser mejores en el GI en nivel global de salud, y en las escalas física, social y de rol, El GI redujo el nivel de insomnio. Los pacientes indicaron que el EPEP era importante y mejoraba el estado de ánimo. Conclusiones: Los datos sugieren que el EPEP mejora el estado de ánimo positivo y la calidad de vida, y los pacientes lo consideraron importante y útil. El EPEP es potencialmente beneficioso y debería considerarse la posibilidad de implementarlo en pacientes CR

Emotional intelligence and recovering from induced negative emotional state

The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and recovering from negative emotions induction, using a performance test to measure EI. Sixty seven undergraduates participated in the procedure, which lasted 75 min and was divided into three stages. At Time 1, subjects answered the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)-S, Profile of Mood States (POMS)-A, and EI was assessed by Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). At Time 2, negative emotions were induced by nine pictures taken from the International Affective Picture System and participants were asked to complete a second STAI-S and POMS-B questionnaires. At Time 3 participants were allowed to rest doing a distracting task and participants were asked to complete a third STAI-S and POMS-A questionnaires. Results showed that the branches of the MSCEIT emotional facilitation and emotional understanding are related to previous mood states and mood recovery, but not to mood reactivity. This finding contrasts nicely with studies on which emotional recovery was assessed in relation to EI self-reported measures, highlighting the perception and emotional regulatio

Emocions i estratègies davant l'estrès

L'estat d'ànim amb què ens enfrontem a situacions d'estrès té una influència decisiva en les estratègies que preparem per superar-les i no és, tal com s'havia pensat fins ara, una conseqüència de les mateixes. Així ho ha determinat un grup d'investigadors de la UAB després de realitzar un seguiment d'estrès a més de 300 universitaris per a conèixer de quina forma feien front el seu primer examen de carrera.El estado de ánimo con que nos enfrentamos a situaciones de estrés tiene una influencia decisiva en las estrategias que preparamos para superarlas y no es, tal como se pensaba hasta ahora, una consecuencia de las mismas. Así lo ha determinado un grupo de investigadores tras realizar un seguimiento a más de 300 universitarios para conocer de qué forma afrontaban su primer examen de carrera

Juicios de riesgo en el deporte : una aproximación experimental en excursionistas

Tisk perception among mountain athletes is a determining factor in preventing injuries. The objective of this paper is to understand how the level of concern (as a measure of risk perception) is generated on the basis of variables related to the context (difficulty of terrain and time pressure) and the individuals (self-confidence and fatigue). To do so, 16 mountain-related scenarios were designed that combined information on the four variables in the study. Following an intrasubject design and controlling for experience, a total of 159 participants (54% of whom were men) were asked about the level of concern each scenario produced in them. The results show that difficulty and time pressure combine interactively to determine risk perception and that the variables together interact with self-confidence on one hand and fatigue on the other. This study furthers knowledge of the cognitions associated to risk in sports and serves as the basis for preventive interventions

Sufrimiento competitivo y rendimiento en deportes de resistencia

La literatura que trata de relacionar aspectos precompetitivos como la ansiedad o el estado de ánimo con el rendimiento, en deportes de resistencia, es muy extensa. Sin embargo, las medidas precompetitivas han mostrado importantes inconsistencias en los resultados debido a que no tienen en cuenta las fluctuaciones en la respuesta emocional y en los procesos psicológicos del atleta una vez comenzada la competición (Hammersmeister y Burton, 1995). En esta investigación se estudia la relación de aspectos precompetitivos, como la ansiedad, el estado de ánimo y la autoeficacia, y aspectos acaecidos durante la competición, como las percepciones de amenaza y los recursos de afrontamiento,con el rendimiento. Mientras los aspectos precompetitivos se relacionan pobremente con el rendimiento, las percepciones de amenaza y los recursos de afrontamiento tienen un mayor poder explicativo de éste. Los resultados dan validez al concepto de sufrimiento competitivo que aparece cuando el atleta obtiene la certeza, mientras está compitiendo, de que no alcanzará el objetivo por el que está luchando.Research which attempts to relate precompetitive factors like anxiety or mood state with performance in endurance sports is very extensive. However, precompetitive measurements have showed important incongruence in their results because they don't bear in mind the changes in the emotional response and in the psychological processes of the athlete when the competition has begun (Hammersmeister y Burton, 1995). In this research, we study the relationship between precompetitive aspects -like anxiety, mood and self-efficacy-, aspects which arise when the competition has begun - like treath perceptions and coping resources-, and performance. While precompetitive aspects are poorly related with performance, treath perceptions and coping resources have a bigger explicative power over performance. Results give validity to the competitive suffering concept which arises when the athlete discovers, while competing, that he will not reach the goal which he is fighting for

A systematic review of the ecological and longitudinal methods to study daily stress

The objective was to review the methods used to assess daily stress, focusing on the types records used, as well as the methods used to describe daily stressors, the ways to operationally define stress, and the different research approaches. A search for quantitative research articles published between January 2008 and December 2017 was carried out on indexed entries of four electronic databases. Of the 254 publications found in the search after duplicates were removed, eft 57 articles were selected to analyse. A large diversity of recording methods was detected, a single daily record for a week being the most frequently used. The different ways to operationalize stress highlight the different implicit definitions of stress: the number or intensity of stressful event refers to stress as an external factor, negative feelings refer to the individual's responses, and reactivity or "pile-up" are related to the process by which stress develops over time. Such variation suggests that stress is not a precise concept that can be assessed by a single measure, stress is rather a generic label for the complex process of adaptation to specific situations. The first one is that it can be concluded that stress is a process that explains the short- and long-term effects of exposure to stressors on health and wellbeing through a complex chain of mediators and moderators. The second point is that although it is known that the changes produced in stressful situations are adaptive at first, studies of the negative side of stress prevail. And the third point is that the studies analysed were not reduced to the analysis of the stress process or of any particular aspect of stress but rather, the evaluation of daily stress served to study other processes with marked social and affective components

La influencia de la inteligencia emcoional en el estrés, la disonancia emocional y el rendimiento de tripulantes de cabina de pasajeros

El objetivo del trabajo ha consistido en diseñar un procedimiento que simule, con realismo, situaciones potencialmente estresantes, frecuentes y verídicas con pasajeros, que permita analizar el papel de la inteligencia emocional en el estrés, la disonancia emocional, la dificultad percibida y el rendimiento de los tripulantes de cabina de pasajeros frente a pasajeros conflictivos. Cada uno de los participantes, 18 tripulantes de cabina de pasajeros, mediante un juego de roles interactuaban con dos actores, un hombre y una mujer que hacían de pasajeros, en cuatro escenarios (2 situaciones, un pasajero que había colocado su equipaje en una ventana de emergencia y un pasajero que había estado fumando en el lavabo x 2 tipos de pasajeros conflictivos, categoría tipo I o tipo II establecida por la Federal Aviation Administration). El procedimiento simuló situaciones potencialmente estresantes que fueron percibidas con realismo y las situaciones conflictivas causaron más estrés percibido, disonancia emocional y dificultad percibida. El componente comprensión del TMMS-24 mostró relaciones positivas con estrés percibido, disonancia emocional y dificultad percibida y negativas con rendimiento, medido a través de la comunicación no verbalThe aim of work was to design a procedure which allows to simulate,with realism, potentially stressful, frequent and real situations with passengers and analyse the role of emotional intelligence in perceived stress, emotional dissonance, perceived difficulty and performance of flight attendants in the face of disruptive passengers. Every one of the participants, 18 flight attendants, by a role-play, interacted with 2 actors, a man and a woman, acted as passengers, in four scenarios (2 situations, a passenger who has placed his suitcase next to one of the emergency exits and a passenger who has been smoking in the toilette and two types of passenger x 2 types of conflictive passengers, category type I or category type II according to the classification carried out by Federal Aviation Administration). The procedure simulated situations potentially stressful, what have been performed with realism and the conflictive situations caused more perceived stress, emotional dissonance and perceived difficulty. The component clarity of TMMS-24 had positive relationships with perceived stress, emotional dissonance and perceived difficulty and negative relationships with performance, measured by non verbal communicatio