104 research outputs found

    Going beyond “With a Partner” and “Intercourse”: Does Anything Else Influence Sexual Satisfaction among Women? The Sexual Satisfaction Comprehensive Index

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    The validated tools for measuring sexual satisfaction (SS) assess in fact other phenomena such as sexual functioning, assess SS within the context of a romantic heterosexual relationship and intercourse-type activity or were designed to be applied only in therapeutic or rehabilitation contexts. Consequently, they offer an incomplete understanding of SS, particularly among women. We thus developed an alternative measure of SS, the Sexual Satisfaction Comprehensive Index (SSCI), considering both the individual and with-a-partner dimensions, as well as the actual and desired experiences of satisfaction, along with other dimensions affecting SS, and explored its psychometric properties. A total of 1080 young to mid-aged women with different sociodemographic, relationship and sexual identity backgrounds voluntarily completed several measures of SS, including the SSCI. Results showed that the SSCI is a reliable measure for assessing SS. An exploratory and a confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the latent multidimensional structure of the SSCI, supporting its factorial validity. In addition, the SSCI showed appropriate convergent validity with other measures commonly used to assess SS. In sum, the SSCI was revealed to be a useful multidimensional index of SS for research and practice contexts which allows the practitioner or the researcher to make decisions on which dimension(s) are to be evaluated. This study focused on women’s SS, and future research with other gender, sexual and cultural identities is necessary to support its utility in multi-identity and multi-sexuality scenarios.Junta de Andalucia CTS-026

    Psychosocial Resources for Hedonic Balance, Life Satisfaction and Happiness in the Elderly: A Path Analysis

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    This research was partially supported with the financial aid conceded to the "Psicologia de la Salud/Medicina Conductual" Research Group (CTS-267) by the Junta de Andalucia (Spain).We explored possible paths from physical and mental health-related quality of life, self-efficacy, optimism, and social support to happiness in older adults, considering hedonic balance and life satisfaction as mediators. A total of 154 Spanish male and female (50%) older adults (65–96 years old, M = 77.44, SD = 8.03; 64% noninstitutionalized elderly) voluntarily participated in this correlational, cross-sectional study. The participants completed self-reports on their perceived health status, self-efficacy, social support, optimism, and global subjective well-being (SWB) as well as its dimensions. Path analysis was used to examine direct and indirect relationships. The final model had an excellent fit with the data (χ2(10) = 11.837, p = 0.296, χ2/df = 1.184; SRMR = 0.050, CFI = 0.994, RMSEA = 0.035), revealing the unique causal effects of all the included predictors on happiness. With the exception of self-efficacy, the psychosocial resources predicted older adults’ current happiness, and this relationship was fully mediated by hedonic balance and life satisfaction, which were found to be putative intermediary factors for SWB. Self-efficacy in turn predicted the remaining psychosocial resources. Our findings extend the existing evidence on the influences of health-related quality of life, self-efficacy, optimism, and social support on SWB. Furthermore, they support the proposal of hedonic balance and life satisfaction as dimensions of SWB, thus supporting the tripartite hierarchical model of happiness. These results may inform future interventions seeking to improve happiness in late adulthoodJunta de Andalucía CTS-26

    Optimism and social support moderate the indirect relationship between selfefficacy and happiness through mental health in the elderly

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    The authors are grateful to all the participants who made this study possible.We examined the role of self-efficacy, social support, optimism, and mental health in the prediction of happiness in the elderly. Moderated mediation analyses confirmed a full mediation in which self-efficacy, through perceived mental health and moderated by social support, predicts happiness moderated, in turn, by optimism. When an elder is self-efficacious, his or her mental well-being seems more likely to be improved and translated into enhanced happiness when social support and optimism are moderate to high. We provide preliminary results on the interplay of these psychosocial resources in improving subjective well-being that may help in designing tailored interventions for promoting happiness in late adulthood

    Association of a Mediterranean Diet and Fruit and Vegetable Consumption with Subjective Well-Being among Adults with Overweight and Obesity

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    Recent evidence suggests that among behavioral-lifestyle factors, adherence to a healthy dietary pattern such as the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) is linked not only to better psychological health and mental positive status but also to increased subjective well-being (SWB). Nevertheless, this association has been unexplored among individuals with excessive weight. This study explored whether adherence to the MedDiet and the intake of healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables (FV) are associated with increased happiness and life satisfaction among Spanish adults with overweight or obesity when weight, body image, and body satisfaction are also considered. A convenience sample of adult individuals with excessive weight completed self-reports on the study variables, and weight and BMI were measured by bioimpedance. No evidence of a relationship with SWB indicators was obtained for MedDiet global indicators, probably due to the low adherence to a healthy diet by these individuals. In contrast, FV intake, as a powerful indicator of healthy eating, was associated with life satisfaction when BMI and body image dimensions were considered, among which body satisfaction had a key role. Moreover, life satisfaction fully mediated the relationship between FV consumption and happiness. Our findings are expected to make a relevant contribution to knowledge on the positive correlates or protective factors for overall well-being in obesity, including dietary habits and body appreciation. Our results may inform obesity management actions focused on inclusive, positive aesthetic models and promoting a healthy lifestyle for happiness in obesity.“Psicología de la Salud/Medicina Conductual” Research Group (CTS-267) and “Psicología del Ejercicio, el Deporte y la Salud” Research Group (CTS-980) by the Junta de Andalucía (Spain)Research Project “Quality of Life and Body Image in Adults with Obesity” (PIVA Projects, Ref. ICB2) by the Universidad Autónoma Ciudad Juárez (Mexico

    Training coping skills and coping with stress self-efficacy for successful daily functioning and improved clinical status in patients with psychosis: A randomized controlled pilot study

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    The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was partially supported by the financial aid provided to the Research Group CTS-267 by the Consejeria de Innovacion, Ciencia y Empresa, Junta de Andalucia (Spain).Due to the symptom diversity and pervasive function impairments (e.g. in perception, cognition, language, affect, behavior, daily and social functioning and sense of self), recurrent relapses, elevated disability, high rates of (co)morbidity, heightened premature mortality and high burden of care of psychotic disorders, psychosocial interventions are part of patients’ standard care. There is growing evidence on the relevance of self-efficacy for well-being and functioning among these patients, but specific coping with stress self-efficacy has rarely been investigated. This study explored the outcomes of an intervention for the improvement of coping resources based on training in coping skills and coping with stress self-efficacy. Fourteen adult volunteers with schizophrenia (n=12) or schizoaffective disorder (n=2) were matched in clinical and sociodemographic characteristics and randomly assigned to the study groups. The intervention group received the training—with 15 twice per week sessions (8 weeks)—along with their pharmacological therapy; the control group received their prescribed drug therapy. Participants completed self-reports on coping with stress self-efficacy, perceived successful daily functioning based on coping skills and clinical status (Expanded Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale). Trained patients showed a significant increase in coping with stress self-efficacy and reported greater successful functioning status, and significant improvements in their clinical status were also observed. All these enhancements remained at 3-month and 6-month follow-ups. The intervention condition interacted with coping with stress self-efficacy and perceived coping functioning in explaining improvements in clinical status: in the treatment group, greater coping with stress self-efficacy translated into enhanced daily functioning, and this improvement predicted better clinical status. These findings stress the relevance of promoting coping resources in psychotic disorders and provide preliminary evidence for the potential benefits of coping with stress self-efficacy.Junta de Andalucia CTS-26

    Active Coping and Anxiety Symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spanish Adults

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    This research was funded by the financial aid conceded to the Research project "Impacto psicologico y afrontamiento del Covid-19 en personal sanitario de paises hispanohablantes" (Impacto psicologico y afrontamiento del Covid-19 en poblacion general) INV2871 by Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia. Grupo de Investigacion Estudios Sociales Interdisciplinares COD: COL0082654.The features of the COVID-19 pandemic and the social operations to contain the spread of the virus might have limited or altered coping, including healthy habits such as exercise, this contributing to a myriad of negative consequences for the mental health of the global population. We explored the contribution of coping and physical activity to the management of anxiety in Spanish adults during an active phase of the epidemic, as well as the relationship between these strategies. A total of 200 young and adult individuals (70% women) voluntarily completed an anxiety inventory, a coping skills self-report and a personal data section including exercise practice. The participants reported in average a mild yet existing level of anxiety symptoms; a third reported noticeable symptoms. At the time of the study, the participants used more adaptive than maladaptive coping styles. Participants’ anxiety was inversely correlated with an active coping style, and positively with an avoidant style; physical activity correlated positively with an active coping style, and regular exercisers used more frequently active coping. Controlling for confounders, active coping, avoidant coping and exercise during the pandemic predicted anxiety symptoms. Other findings indicated that exercise was used as a coping strategy for dealing with emotional distress. Our results highlight the positive impact of functional coping and exercise for the management of negative states such as anxiety during the pandemic, and underline the importance of developing interventions aimed at enhancing coping skills for promoting physical and mental well-being of the population during health and social crises.Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia INV2871Grupo de Investigacion Estudios Sociales Interdisciplinares COL008265

    A Network Analysis of the Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ)

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    Objectives: The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) is a popular self-report instrument for mindfulness assessment. However, several studies report mixed evidence regarding its reliability and validity. While recent replication studies have shown several issues regarding its latent structure, first-order facets seemed to replicate successfully. This study proposes an exploratory approach to these facets on an item level in one sample, with cross-validation in another sample. Methods: Using a snowball sampling, 1008 participants were recruited in the first sample. Psychometric networks were applied to explore relations between items and item clusters. We compared these exploratory latent variable proposals with previous literature. A second sample of 1210 participants was collected from an FFMQ validation study, and confirmatory factor analyses were applied to cross-validate findings on the first sample. Results: The FFMQ showed a positively correlated network. Exploratory analyses suggested the 5-facet structure as stable with alternatives of 4-facet (merging Observe and Non-Judging) and 6-facet (splitting Acting with Awareness in two) solutions. However, the CFAs in the second sample did not provide clear support to any solution. Conclusions: The FFMQ showed unclear evidence on its latent structure. We propose researchers and users of the FFMQ to use the most fitting solution between the 5 and 6-facet solutions in their data, since the 4-facet solution is difficult to interpret. We also propose cautionary notes and guidelines for researchers and applied users of the FFMQ and regarding this instrument. We conclude that more research is needed in mindfulness assessment to provide robust measurement

    The AHAWOMEN project: study protocol of a multi‑design research for exploring HAPA predictors of exercise in postmenopausal women

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    This research is funded by FEDER/Junta de Andalucía — Consejería de Transformación Económica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades (I + D + I Programa Operativo FEDER de Andalucía 2014–2020). Research Project B-CTS-342-UGR20 (2021–23). This research project has obtained formal ethical review by the Ethics Committee on Human Research of the University of Granada (Spain), reg. B-CTS-342-UGR20 (17/11/2021) and has undergone independent peer-review from the funding body (29/07/2021). The funding body has no role in the design of the study, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data and the writing of the manuscript.Background The postmenopausal period can represent an opportunity for women to improve their health and well-being. The Active and Healthy Ageing in Women during early postmenopause (AHAWOMEN) study aims to identify the key determinants of an active lifestyle among middle-aged women, with a focus on the stages and the social-cognitive variables outlined in the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) model, a theoretical framework for understanding health behaviour change. We expected that HAPA factors and processes of intention creation (motivational phase) and action adoption (volitional phase) will be significant predictors of exercise initiation and maintenance, supporting both the HAPA tenets and the efficacy of HAPA-based interventions. Methods/design This study was approved by the authors’ Institutional Review Committee. Postmenopausal women aged between 45 and 65 years will voluntarily participate. The participants will be allocated to one of three groups: Intervention-Initiators (n = 100, random allocation), Control-Sedentary (n = 100, random allocation) or Control-Active (n = 100, non-random allocation). The intervention group will engage in a supervised exercise programme lasting at least 3 months, supplemented with a HAPA-based intervention for behaviour change. The sedentary control group will not receive any intervention to change their physical activity, while the active control group will consist of women who are already regularly adhering to an active lifestyle. Study variables will be measured at baseline and postintervention phases, as well as at 1, 3, 6 and 12-month follow-ups. The predictors of exercise behaviour in the different phases of the behavioural change process will be explored and compared within and between groups throughout the study. These analyses will help identify the factors that determine the adoption of a healthy active behaviour. Additionally, the effectiveness of the model and the intervention for changing active behaviour will be evaluated. Discussion This paper describes the rationale, development and methods used in the AHAWOMEN project. Supporting women who intend to become active can help them to translate their goals into sustainable action. Verifying that the HAPA predictions are applicable to postmenopausal women’s adoption of exercise would provide the basis for designing effective interventions for promoting healthy and active ageing that are also tailored to the experiences of middle-aged women.FEDER/Junta de Andalucía B-CTS-342-UGR20University of Granada B-CTS-342-UGR2

    Considering BMI, Body Image and Desired Weight Change for Suitable Obesity Management Options

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    With prevalence of obesity increasing worldwide, understanding body image in individuals with excessiveweight is important, as unawareness of weight excess can prevent weight loss attempts. We explored the associationsamong measured and self-reported body mass index (BMI), body image and body satisfaction among Spanish females andmales with overweight or obesity, with a special focus in discriminating individuals who are and are not satisfied with theirbody and wish or not to change their appearance. Just unifying all individuals with excessive weight may lead to uncoveror deny different realities and to develop unfitted clinical management options. Updatingfindings for the Spanishpopulation, we found that most participants correctly estimated their weight, but 3 in 10 underestimated it. Similarly,their body images corresponded to adults with overweight or obesity who desired to be thinner, but in average theyreported a perceived body just slightly overweight and a moderate satisfaction with their body. Complementing theexisting evidence, BMI and sex-gender interacted for influencing body weight estimation and desired weight change. Inaddition, three different subgroups were found for desired change of weight and size, depending on their BMI and bodysatisfaction. Discovering and considering different subjective realities and corporeal experiences among individuals withweight excess will help professionals to develop appropriate therapeutic interventions. Thus, the personal experiences thatindividuals have with obesity, instead of obesity itself, should be considered for disentangling management effort

    «Oberexia»: The desire to be fat(ter) in adults with excess weight

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    Introduction: Despite of being scarce, evidence is growing on the existence of a group of overweight and obese individuals who do not consider their weight a risk factor for disease and who associate their weight and body with health, vigor, beauty and well-being. Consequently, they manifest a desire to maintain or even increase their weight. We propose an attempt of nomenclature, Oberexia, for this new social reality, and we describe its main characteristics and present empirical observational findings supporting the existence of this condition. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence and characteristics of Oberexia in a national sample of Spanish 16 to 60-years-old adults. Methodology: Perceptions of body weight/size/shape and composition, and body satisfaction were assessed in overweight and obese adults through silhouettes, questions and discrepancies. Results: One in ten of the participants self-perceived their body as normal in weight or size. A total of 6.5% wanted to have overweight or obese bodies. A case-to-case analysis revealed that 4.2% of the participants wanted to maintain their appearance, and 1.8% wanted a body with greater weight. All these findings are related to fat mass instead of muscle mass. Conclusions: Our results support the existence of a subgroup of overweight and obese individuals who differ from the traditional subgroup of individuals with excess weight who are dissatisfied with their body. We encourage to explore the outcomes on health and the possible clinical implications of this condition.Introducción: Aunque escasa, existe evidencia creciente sobre la existencia de un grupo de personas con sobrepeso y obesidad que no consideran su exceso de peso un factor de riesgo para la enfermedad y asocian su peso y su cuerpo con salud, vigor, belleza y bienestar. Como consecuencia, manifiestan el deseo mantener o incluso incrementar su peso. Realizamos una propuesta de nomenclatura para esta realidad social, Oberexia, describimos sus principales características y presentamos resultados empíricos observacionales que apoyan la existencia de esta condición. Objetivo: Nuestro objetivo fue explorar la prevalencia y características de la Oberexia en una muestra nacional de adultos españoles de 16 a 60 años. Metodología: Las percepciones de peso/tamaño/forma y composición corporal de personas con sobrepeso y obesidad y su satisfacción corporal fueron evaluadas utilizando siluetas, preguntas y discrepancias. Resultados: Uno de cada diez participantes percibió su cuerpo como normal en términos de peso y tamaño. Un 6.5% de los participantes con exceso de peso quería tener cuerpos con sobrepeso u obesidad. Un análisis caso-a-caso reveló que el 4.2% de los participantes deseaba mantener su apariencia, y el 1.8% deseaba aumentar de peso. Un 3% de los participantes podrían ser casos de Oberexia. Estos hallazgos se refieren a masa grasa y no a masa muscular. Conclusiones: Nuestros resultados apoyan la existencia de un subgrupo de personas con exceso de peso que difieren del tradicional subgrupo de individuos obesos que se encuentran insatisfechos con su cuerpo. Es momento de explorar las consecuencias para la salud de la Oberexia y las posibles implicaciones clínicas de esta condición.Introdução: Apesar de escassas, crescem as evidências sobre a existência de um grupo de pessoas com sobrepeso e obesidade que não consideram o excesso de peso um fator de risco para a doença e associam seu peso e corpo com saúde, vigor, beleza e bem-estar. Consequentemente, eles manifestam o desejo de manter ou mesmo aumentar seu peso. Fizemos uma proposta de nomenclatura para essa realidade social, Oberexia, descrevemos suas principais características e apresentamos resultados empíricos observacionais que sustentam a existência dessa condição. Objetivo: O objetivo deste estudo foi explorar a prevalência e as características de Oberexia em uma amostra nacional de adultos espanhóis de 16 a 60 anos. Metodologia: As percepções de peso/tamanho/forma e composição corporal de pessoas com sobrepeso e obesidade e sua satisfação corporal foram avaliadas por meio de silhuetas, perguntas e discrepâncias. Resultados: Um em cada dez participantes percebeu seu corpo como normal em termos de peso ou tamanho. Um 6.5% dos participantes com excesso de peso desejava ter corpos com sobrepeso ou obesidade. Uma análise caso-a-caso revelou que 4.2% dos participantes queriam manter a aparência e 1.8% desejavam ganhar peso. Un 3% dos participantes poderia ser casos de Oberexia. Todos esses achados referem-se à massa gorda e não à massa muscular. Conclusões: Nossos resultados confirmam a existência de um subgrupo de indivíduos com sobrepeso e obesidade que diferem do subgrupo tradicional de indivíduos com excesso de peso insatisfeitos com seu corpo. É momento de explorar as consequências para a saúde de a Oberexia e as possíveis implicações clínicas dessa condição
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