RECERCAT - Personalitat, Avaluació i Tractament Psicològic

El grupo autobiográfico como modelo constructivista de intervención gerontológica primaria: propuesta teórica y estudio de un caso

El grupo autobiográfico como modelo constructivista de intervención gerontológica primaria: propuesta teórica y estudio de un caso Botella, Lluís; Feixas i Viaplana, Guillem Desde una perspectiva constructivista (Kelly, 1955) la actividad autobiográfica se constituye como un ingrediente de desarrollo personal esencia1 en la senectud (Butler, 1963). En un grupo de sujetos voluntarios de edad avanzada (x = 68, n = 8) se empleó el método de autobiografia guiada (Birren y Hedlund, 1987) para promover la reconstrucción de su experiencia pasada. Los resultados (evaluados mediante un diseño combinado de rejilla y el análisis constructivista de textos autobiográficos propuesto por Feixas 1988) muestran que el GA produjo un cambio signifcativo y gradual en el sistema de construcción de 1os participantes, acercando significativamente la construcción de sí mismos a la de su yo-ideal y haciendo disminuir el aislamiento yo-ideal/otros. El GA parece ser un instrumento adecuado para promover la reconstrucción positiva de la experiencia en personas de edad avanzada.

Análisis de contenido de constructos personales en la depresión

Análisis de contenido de constructos personales en la depresión Montesano del Campo, Adrián; Feixas i Viaplana, Guillem; Varlotta, N. Desde el marco de la Psicología de los Constructos Personales (PCP) de Kelly, es posible estudiar de forma sistemática la construcción subjetiva que las personas hacen de sí mismas y de sus problemas. Feixas et al. destacan la pertinencia del estudio de los sistemas de construcción en la evaluación del trastorno depresivo puesto que miden aspectos que no son suficientemente valorados por las medidas cognitivas estándar sobre los síntomas y las distorsiones cognitivas. La mayoría de los trabajos sobre la depresión basados en la PCP se han centrado en las características estructurales, en cambio los aspectos del contenido han recibido menor interés. El propósito de este estudio es realizar un análisis de contenido de los constructos personales en la depresión. Actualmente no existe ningún estudio que haya explorado de forma sistemática las dimensiones de contenido más significativas para esta población. En concordancia con la PCP y otros enfoques cognitivos, hipotetizamos que el contenido de los sistemas de construcción de la muestra depresiva es distinto al de la población normal. En concreto, creemos que la población clínica presenta mayor frecuencia de constructos de tipo moral y emocional en comparación con la muestra no clínica. Para poder poner a prueba estas hipótesis se analizaron los constructos de 106 sujetos, con edades comprendidas entre los 19 y los 57 años, divididos en dos grupos, un grupo clínico (n=53) de personas diagnosticadas con alguna modalidad depresiva unipolar y otro grupo no clínico (n=53). Categorizamos el contenido de los constructos elicitados con la técnica de rejilla por medio del Sistema de Categorías de Constructos Personales (SCCP) desarrollado por Feixas et al. El SCCP es un sistema de clasificación compuesto por un total de seis áreas temáticas (moral, emocional, relacional, personal, intelectual y valores e intereses) que se desglosan en 45 categorías para codificar el contenido de los constructos personales. Los principales resultados muestran que existen diferencias significativas entre las distribuciones de frecuencias del contenido de ambas poblaciones. Las personas con depresión (PD) utilizan significativamente más constructos de tipo emocional, y menos de tipo intelectual. Además, en comparación a la muestra normal, los depresivos muestran mayor número de constructos en las categorías «reflexiva-superficial», «tolerante-autoritaria» y, de forma más destacada, en la dimensión «fuerte-débil». Los resultados indican que el patrón prototípico del contenido de los sistemas de constructos de las PD difiere en el énfasis temático predominante. En efecto, de la variedad de acontecimientos de la experiencia, los aspectos conativos resultan especialmente notorios para las personas con depresión. Por otro lado, la carencia de constructos intelectuales y personales refuerza la idea de que las personas con depresión emplean gran parte de su actividad mental en el procesamiento de los aspectos emocionales de la experiencia. Aunque la naturaleza exploratoria de este estudio no permite establecer líneas causales, parece evidente que la focalización de la actividad psicológica de las PD en la dimensión afectiva de la experiencia puede estar desempeñando un papel importante en el mantenimiento de la problemática depresiva. Por último, a partir de las limitaciones de este estudio se proponen algunos diseños para la investigación futura acerca de la relación entre el contenido y la estructura de los sistemas de construcción de las personas con depresión.

Constructos personales y perfil sintomático en la etapa del climaterio: Un estudio exploratorio.

Constructos personales y perfil sintomático en la etapa del climaterio: Un estudio exploratorio. Lucero, C.; Feixas i Viaplana, Guillem; Saul, L. A. En este estudio se exploraron algunas características cognitivas y sintomáticas en un grupo de mujeres en etapa de climaterio, que van a consultar a centros de salud ( G1) , en un grupo de mujeres en etapa de climaterio, que no consultaron de forma habitual ( G2 ) y en un grupo de mujeres adultas, de menor edad ( G3 ) . Todas las mujeres fueron evaluadas a través de la Técnica de Rejilla Interpersonal (TRI) y de la escala de síntomas SCL-90-R. Sólo se observaron diferencias significativas en el mayor aislamiento social percibido por G1 y G2 comparado con G3. No obstante, se observó que GI presenta una tendencia a diferir de G2 y G3 en varias de las dimensiones de TRI, las que insinúan una posible influencia del estereotipo social negativo ligado al climaterio en el significado de sus problemas de salud. En el SCL-90-R las diferencias significativas entre los grupos revelan la importancia de las sensaciones de malestar general en salud del G1 por encima del perfil, de perturbaciones típicas del climaterio.

Viewing cognitive conflicts as dilemmas: implications for mental health

Viewing cognitive conflicts as dilemmas: implications for mental health Feixas i Viaplana, Guillem; Saúl, L. A.; Ávila, A. The idea that internal conflicts play a significant role in mental health has been extensively addressed in various psychological traditions, including personal construct theory. In the context of the latter, several measures of conflict have been operationalized using the Repertory Grid Technique (RGT). All of them capture the notion that change, although desirable from the viewpoint of a given set of constructs, becomes undesirable from the perspective of other constructs. The goal of this study is to explore the presence of cognitive conflicts in a clinical sample (n = 284) and compare it to a control sample (n = 322). It is also meant to clarify which among the different types of conflict studied provides a greater clinical value and to investigate its relationship to symptom severity (SCL-90-R). Of the types of cognitive conflict studied, implicative dilemmas were the only ones to discriminate between clinical and nonclinical samples. These dilemmas were found in 34% of the nonclinical sample and in 53% of the clinical sample. Participants with implicative dilemmas showed higher symptom severity, and those from the clinical sample displayed a higher frequency of dilemmas than those from the nonclinical sample.

Home enteral nutrition in children: a 10 year experience with 304 pediatric patients

Home enteral nutrition in children: a 10 year experience with 304 pediatric patients Pedrón-Giner, C.; Calderón Garrido, Caterina; Martínez-Zazo, A.; Cañedo-Villaroya, E.; Malillos González, P.; Sesmero-Lillo, M.A. Background & aims: Home enteral nutrition is used increasingly in pediatric populations. Our objective was to describe the profile of pediatric patients requiring this treatment. Material and methods: All patients under 18 years old requiring treatment with home enteral nutrition between January 1995 and December 2004 were analyzed retrospectively. Results: 304 patients were studied (157 boys). The mean age at the start of treatment was 4.02 ± 4.09 years, median of 2.5 years; 28% of all patients were under 1 year. The main indications were oncological disease in 91 patients (29.9%) and digestive diseases in 84 (27.6%). There were significant differences depending on the clinical diagnosis for the start age, type of access, infusion regime and formula prescribed. Nutrients were delivered by nasogastric tube in 218 patients (71.7%). Overnight enteral nutrition was the preferred infusion regime in 155 patients (51%). Adult or pediatric polymeric formulas were mostly prescribed in 190 patients (62.5%). The mean treatment duration was 306 ± 544 days. Conclusion: In our series, enteral support usually begins at an early age. Its characteristics varied depending on patient pathology. Knowledge of the pediatric patient profile is important to design the most effective strategy for home enteral nutrition.

Current status of pediatric home enteral nutrition in Spain: The importance of the NEPAD register

Current status of pediatric home enteral nutrition in Spain: The importance of the NEPAD register Gómez-López, L.; Martinez-Costa, C.; Pedrón-Giner, C.; Calderón Garrido, Caterina; Navas-López, Vm.; Martinez-Zazo, A.; Moreno-Villares, Jm. Home enteral nutrition (HEN) is a type of enteral nutrition (EN) which is becoming progressively more widespread in pediatrics due to the benefits it affords to patients, their families and to reducing hospital costs. However, the true extent of its use is unknown in Spain as the data-base set up for this purpose is still underused (Registro de Nutrición Enteral Pediátrica Ambulatoria y Domiciliaria -NEPAD-). More thorough registration of patients in the NEPAD online register will provide information about the characteristics of HEN in Spain: prevalence, diagnosis, the population sector being administered HEN, complications and developments. Likewise, forecast and planning of the necessary resources could be made while those in use could be analysed.

Ansiedad y depresión en parejas que incian un tratamiento de fecundación in vitro (FIV): rol de las estrategias de afrontamiento

Ansiedad y depresión en parejas que incian un tratamiento de fecundación in vitro (FIV): rol de las estrategias de afrontamiento Muñoz Cano, Dámaris; Forns, Maria, 1946-; Kirchner, Teresa; Peñarrubia, J.; Balasch Cortina, Juan Living with infertility and its emotional impact in couples has been frequently investigated. The objective of the present study was to establish in couples that initiate an IVF treatment:(1) their coping profile, anxiety level (State-anxiety; Trait-anxiety) and depression symptomatology;(2) the explanatory power of coping strategies over anxiety and depression levels, depending on gender. Method: we used a transversal study with 92 couples that begun an IVF treatment in the Assisted Reproduction Unit of the Hospital Clinic. All of them respond to the Spanish adaptation of the CRI-A, the STAI and the BDI-I. Results: the IVF population in comparison to the normal sample use less coping strategies and presents lower levels of anxiety and depression. Women IVF in comparison with man employ further avoidance strategies and present a higher score in depression and state-anxiety. Even when some exceptions exist, anxiety and depression levels are not well explained by coping strategies. Conclusions: It has been shown that the use of coping strategies on the IVF population are lower than in normative sample. Most of the couples present low anxiety (state / trait) and depression levels, and just a low percentage present scores that can require clinical attention. Key words: Infertility / IVF / Coping strategies / State anxiety / Trait anxiety / depression.

La Ansiedad como estigma: el estereotipo de la persona ansiosa en la población clínica, sanitaria y general

La Ansiedad como estigma: el estereotipo de la persona ansiosa en la población clínica, sanitaria y general García Galindo, J.T.; Muiños Martínez, R.; Ferrer, Marta (Ferrer García); Tous Ral, José María El objetivo principal de esta investigación fue la evaluación de la teoría implícita o estereotipo que diferentes grupos de población tienen de las personas con ansiedad clínica. Para ello se administró un listado de adjetivos para la heteroevaluación de la persona ansiosa a un total de 400 participantes, distribuidos en cuatro grupos: pacientes con trastorno de ansiedad, población general, médicos y diplomados en enfermería. A los pacientes ansiosos se les volvió a administrar el listado de adjetivos para su autoevaluación. Se llevó a cabo un estudio descriptivo mediante la prueba de χ2 para determinar las diferencias entre grupos en relación a los adjetivos más utilizados. Seguidamente se realizaron dos ANOVAs para establecer diferencias entre grupos a partir de la hetero-evaluación y para comprobar si había diferencias entre la heteroevaluación y la autoevaluación de las personas con trastornos de ansiedad. Los resultados muestran diferencias en la percepción de las personas ansiosas por parte de los 4 grupos; pero solo en el grupo general se detectan creencias prejuiciosas en el estereotipo que muestran de las personas ansiosas. Dichos hallazgos ponen de manifiesto las diferencias en los estereotipos de cada población referentes a las personas con ansiedad clínica

Esquizotipia en familiares de pacientes con esquizofrenia

Esquizotipia en familiares de pacientes con esquizofrenia Gutiérrez Maldonado, José; Caqueo-Urízar, A.; Ferrer, Marta (Ferrer García) Schizotypy in relatives of patients with schizophrenia. Previous studies indicate that relatives of patients with schizophrenia are more likely to present characteristics of schizotypal personality than the general population. Few transcultural studies of schizotypy have been carried out. Most instruments constructed to measure schizotypy have been applied in specific cultures; conceivably, in other populations its components may be distributed in different ways. These cultural differences may affect the relations between schizotypy and schizophrenia. The objective of this study is to obtain data on schizotypy in relatives of patients with schizophrenia and relatives of patients with other disorders in a Latin American rural population. The results suggest that cultural factors must be taken into account in order to establish the relationship between schizotypy and schizophrenia.

Estudio descriptivo de víctimas de abuso sexual infantil

Estudio descriptivo de víctimas de abuso sexual infantil Pereda Beltran, Noemí; Polo, P.; Navales, N. En este trabajo se describen las características principales que presenta la población atendida en un centro de asesoramiento y atención a menores víctimas de abusos sexuales. Este centro, con sede en Barcelona, pertenece a la asociación FADA,creada en 1997 con la finalidad de ofrecer un servicio profesional de asesoramiento, prevención y formación especializada en relación con el abuso sexual acontecido durante la infancia. El presente estudio, meramente descriptivo, muestra la frecuencia del abuso sexual, la dificultad de su descubrimiento durante la infancia, sus consecuencias más comunes, así como la reacción del entorno de la víctima ante su revelación. Para ello se han utilizado los testimonios de 385 personas víctimas de abuso sexual durante su infancia. A través del análisis de dos muestras de usuarios del centro (adultos y menores) se dan a conocer las diferencias más destacadas. Los profesionales de este centro hacen de este modo públicas sus experiencias y recalcan la urgente y necesaria atención especializada que requieren no sólo las víctimas de abuso sexual infantil, sino también sus familias y/o su entorno social.

Niños y niñas soldado: consecuencias psicológicas e intervención.

Niños y niñas soldado: consecuencias psicológicas e intervención. Blom, Flora; Pereda Beltran, Noemí La participación activa de menores en situaciones de conflicto armado se da en diversos países del mundo, considerándose un problema global que afecta a cientos de miles de niños y niñas. Sin embargo, los estudios realizados en cuanto a los efectos que pueden tener los conflictos bélicos sobre la salud mental de los niños y niñas soldado son todavía escasos. El objetivo de este trabajo es ofrecer una revisión actualizada de las publicaciones sobre las principales consecuencias psicológicas halladas y los programas de intervención propuestos en relación con el tema de los menores soldado. Los resultados muestran que la realidad de los niños y niñas soldado sigue siendo dramática a nivel internacional. Una de las principales conclusiones a resaltar es la necesidad de contextualización,tanto como sea posible, de los programas de intervención en la cultura de los niños con los que se va a trabajar.

Prevalencia y características del abuso sexual infantil en estudiantes universitarios españoles

Prevalencia y características del abuso sexual infantil en estudiantes universitarios españoles Pereda Beltran, Noemí; Forns, Maria, 1946- Objective: The purpose of this paper was to compare the prevalence rates of child sexual abuse reported by [Finkelhor, D. (1994). The international epidemiology of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 18 (5), 409
417] with those found in recent publications in order to confirm the widespread prevalence of child sexual abuse. Methods: Relevant articles about prevalence of child sexual abuse were identified through searches of computerized databases and a handsearch of Child Abuse & Neglect and the Journal of Child Sexual Abuse. Results: Thirty-eight independent articles were identified, corresponding to 39 prevalence studies; these articles report the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse in 21 different countries, ranging from 0 to 53% for women and 0 to 60% for men. Conclusions: Comparison of the present study with that of [Finkelhor, D. (1994). The international epidemiology of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 18 (5), 409
417] shows a similarity between prevalence distributions; there appears to be a general pattern that remains more or less constant over the years, especially in women. Practice implications: Twelve years after the first revision study about the international prevalence of child sexual abuse, there is still a need for new data about this topic. The present study shows child sexual abuse is still a widespread problem in the society. In this research, carried out on 38 independent studies, there is new data for 21 countries over the world, being especially relevant the results obtained from other countries different from those pertaining toNorth America or Europe. It is important to point out the high prevalence found in most of the countries, so this information could be a new warning to make society and governments aware of this problem and undertake actions to prevent sexual abuse in childhood. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Subtypes of adolescents with substance use disorders and psychiatric comorbidity using cluster and discriminant analysis of MMPI-A profiles

Subtypes of adolescents with substance use disorders and psychiatric comorbidity using cluster and discriminant analysis of MMPI-A profiles Magallón Neri, Ernesto Mijail; Díaz, R.; Forns, Maria, 1946-; Goti, J.; Canalda, G.; Castro Fornieles, Josefina The main aim of this study was to replicate and extend previous results on subtypes of adolescents with substance use disorders (SUD), according to their Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory for adolescents (MMPI-A) profiles. Sixty patients with SUD and psychiatric comorbidity (41.7% male, mean age = 15.9 years old) completed the MMPI-A, the Teen Addiction Severity Index (T-ASI), the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), and were interviewed in order to determine DSMIV diagnoses and level of substance use. Mean MMPI-A personality profile showed moderate peaks in Psychopathic Deviate, Depression and Hysteria scales. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed four profiles (acting-out, 35% of the sample; disorganized-conflictive, 15%; normative-impulsive, 15%; and deceptive-concealed, 35%). External correlates were found between cluster 1, CBCL externalizing symptoms at a clinical level and conduct disorders, and between cluster 2 and mixed CBCL internalized/externalized symptoms at a clinical level. Discriminant analysis showed that Depression, Psychopathic Deviate and Psychasthenia MMPI-A scales correctly classified 90% of the patients into the clusters obtained.

Beaming into the rat world: enabling real-time intereaction between rat and human each at their own scale

Beaming into the rat world: enabling real-time intereaction between rat and human each at their own scale Normand, Jean Marie; Sánchez Vives, María Victoria; Waechter, Christian; Giannopoulos, Elias; Grosswindhager, Bernhard; Spanlang, Bernhard; Guger, Christoph; Klinker, Gudrun; Srinivasan, Mandayam A.; Slater, Mel Immersive virtual reality (IVR) typically generates the illusion in participants that they are in the displayed virtual scene where they can experience and interact in events as if they were really happening. Teleoperator (TO) systems place people at a remote physical destination embodied as a robotic device, and where typically participants have the sensation of being at the destination, with the ability to interact with entities there. In this paper, we show how to combine IVR and TO to allow a new class of application. The participant in the IVR is represented in the destination by a physical robot (TO) and simultaneously the remote place and entities within it are represented to the participant in the IVR. Hence, the IVR participant has a normal virtual reality experience, but where his or her actions and behaviour control the remote robot and can therefore have physical consequences. Here, we show how such a system can be deployed to allow a human and a rat to operate together, but the human interacting with the rat on a human scale, and the rat interacting with the human on the rat scale. The human is represented in a rat arena by a small robot that is slaved to the human"s movements, whereas the tracked rat is represented to the human in the virtual reality by a humanoid avatar. We describe the system and also a study that was designed to test whether humans can successfully play a game with the rat. The results show that the system functioned well and that the humans were able to interact with the rat to fulfil the tasks of the game. This system opens up the possibility of new applications in the life sciences involving participant observation of and interaction with animals but at human scale.

Cognitive conflicts: A neglected issue in CBT?. A Study of identity related conflicts in Major depression

Cognitive conflicts: A neglected issue in CBT?. A Study of identity related conflicts in Major depression Feixas i Viaplana, Guillem

Manual de la técnica de rejilla mediante el programa RECORD ver. 2.0: Capítulos I (introducció), II (Etapa de diseño) y III (Fase de administración)

Manual de la técnica de rejilla mediante el programa RECORD ver. 2.0: Capítulos I (introducció), II (Etapa de diseño) y III (Fase de administración) Feixas i Viaplana, Guillem; Cornejo, José Manuel La técnica de rejilla es un instrumento de evaluación de las dimensiones y estructura del significado personal que se deriva de la teoría de los constructos personales. Tanto en la versión original de G. A. Kelly (1955) como en sus continuas actualizaciones, esta técnica pretende captar la forma en que una persona da sentido a su experiencia en sus propios términos. No se trata, por tanto, de un test convencional, sino de una forma de entrevista estructurada orientada a explicitar y analizar los constructos con los que la persona organiza su mundo. De la entrevista se genera una matriz de datos que se somete a varios análisis para revelar su estructura implícita. El programa RECORD ofrece los resultados de una forma clara y proporciona además una serie de gráficos de fácil interpretación. Todo ello permite dibujar la estructura del mapa cognitivo del sujeto desde su propia semántica, culminando así, con rigor metodológico, una vieja aspiración fenomenológica. Se trata de un instrumento muy 'flexible que puede adaptarse a diversas áreas de aplicación: evaluación individual, grupal, familiar y de pareja, intervención psicoeducativa, asesoramiento vocacional, investigación de mercados, asesoramiento empresarial, investigación terapéutica, estudio de la estructura cognitiva de la personalidad, etc.; Llibre descatalogat

Uso de sustancias y percepción de riesgo: estudio comparativo entre jóvenes de Bogotá y Barcelona.

Uso de sustancias y percepción de riesgo: estudio comparativo entre jóvenes de Bogotá y Barcelona. Trujillo, Ängela María; Forns, Maria, 1946-; Pérez, A. The purpose of this article is to determine the differences and similarities between adolescents from Barcelona and Bogotá in their psychoactive substance use habits, their perception of the activities that involve this use and how their risk perception can influence these habits. The sample consists of 865 school students from both cities, with ages between 15 and 18 years. Risk perception was assessed using the risk variables studied by Benthin, Slovic and Severson (1993). Substance use habits were assessed on the basis of the answers given by the youngsters to questions on the age when they first used any substance, frequency of use in the last week and use intentions in the next year. The findings suggest that the age they begin to use alcohol and marijuana and the first time they get drunk differ significantly between the adolescents in the two cities. The Barcelona youngsters have a higher tendency and actual use in respect of all the substances studied than the Bogotá youngsters. Perceived pleasure or benefits predict an increase in both the intention and frequency of use for almost every substance in this study for all, with the exception of the older adolescents (17 to 18 year-olds) from Bogotá. Fear of the consequences or the perception of a risk of illness or injury and conditions favouring use do not seem to have an obvious influence on the various use habits. Key words: Substance

Attitudes do matter: The role of attitudes and personality in DUI offenders

Attitudes do matter: The role of attitudes and personality in DUI offenders Jornet Gibert, Montsant; Gallardo-Pujol, David; Suso, C.; Andrés Pueyo, Antonio Several studies have related personality variables with antisocial behavior. Among antisocial behaviors, driving under the influence (DUI) has received growing attention in recent years, particularly in relation to the role of personality. However, it has been shown that personality alone is not sufficient to accurately predict DUI. As a result, there is growing interest in identifying other types of individual differences that might predict this behavior better, such as attitudinal variables. The aim of this study was to examine differences in personality dimensions and attitudes between a group of DUI offenders and a comparison group. Ninety-eight subjects were assessed: 51 subjects who had been convicted of a DUI offense following a diversion program, and 47 drivers without criminal records. Personality was measured with the NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) and antisocial attitudes were assessed with the Jesness Inventory-Revised. Results indicated that offenders were more prone to show antisocial attitudes (p & .001) than comparisons. In terms of personality, there were no significant differences between the two groups. These findings suggest that attitudes may be useful predictors of DUI and should be taken into account in interventions designed to avoid recidivism.

Adaptación psicosocial en niños adoptados internacionalmente: percepción personal y parental

Adaptación psicosocial en niños adoptados internacionalmente: percepción personal y parental Reinoso, M.; Forns, Maria, 1946- Objetivo: Evaluar el nivel de adaptación psicosocial en la mediana infancia en ni nos adoptados internacionalmente en Espa na. Material y métodos: Ciento un menores adoptados internacionalmente (67% ni nas), de entre 8 y 12 a nos, y sus respectivos padres adoptivos (97 madres y 67 padres) completaron el Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC). Se realizaron análisis descriptivos y de comparación de medias (t de Student y Anova) para examinar el efecto de las variables sexo, edad de adopción, edad actual y área de origen en las escalas y dimensiones globales del BASC para cada informante, y se efectuaron análisis de regresión lineal múltiple para conocer su valor predictivo. El acuerdo entre madres y padres se calculó mediante el coeficiente de correlación intraclase (CCI). Los porcentajes de menores en el rango normal y con sintomatología en las dimensiones globales se contrastaron con los teóricos mediante la prueba de la chi al cuadrado. Resultados: Se constata que los ni nos están en general bien adaptados, independientemente del informante. Existen diferencias adaptativas dentro de la normalidad según el área de origen,sexo y edad actual del los ni nos. El CCI presenta un intervalo entre 0,46 (satisfactorio) y 0,84 (excelente). En comparación con el grupo normativo, un mayor porcentaje de ni nos presenta desajuste escolar (24,8%; informado por los ni nos), problemas externalizados (el 27,8 y el 28,3%, informados por las madres y los padres, respectivamente) y dificultades comportamentales y adaptativas (el 28,4 y el 29,9%, respectivamente; informadas por los padres). Conclusiones: Entorno a un 25% de menores adoptados internacionalmente presenta dificultades en áreas adaptativas básicas, identificadas con claridad mediante el uso del BASC, que deben ser atendidas desde un enfoque psicológico y paidológico.

Stress, coping and personal strengths and difficulties in internationally adopted children in spain

Stress, coping and personal strengths and difficulties in internationally adopted children in spain Reinoso, M.; Forns, Maria, 1946- This study analyses the types of coping strategies used by internationally adopted children, and explores the relation between these strategies and personal strengths and difficulties. The Kidcope checklist (Spirito, Stark, & Williams, 1998) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 1997) were administered to a sample of 35 Spanish adoptees (25.7% boys and 74.3% girls, aged 8&br&12 years) and their parents. Self-reported problems were categorised and their relation with coping strategies and psychological adjustment was explored. Results indicated that adopted children report problems of interpersonal nature. The content of the problems mainly refers to relationships and health, illness, or accidents. Parents reported that children were generally well-adjusted and they had no problems outside the normal range. International adoptees used mainly control-oriented coping strategies. Escape-oriented coping was linked to parents' ratings of total difficulties, with self-criticism accounting for the highest percentage of the variance.

Implicación de la ansiedad y la depresión en los trastronos de alimentación de jovenes con obesidad

Implicación de la ansiedad y la depresión en los trastronos de alimentación de jovenes con obesidad Calderón Garrido, Caterina.; Forns, Maria, 1946-; Varea Calderón, Vicente Objectives: the goals of the present study were: 1) to compare the levels of anxiety, depression, and eating disorders in young patients assisted at a children"s hospital for obesity; 2) to determine whether anxiety and depression explain the symptoms of the eating disorders; and 3) to know which of these symptoms better discriminate the young people with different degrees of obesity. Materials and method: Descriptive, cross-sectional study with a sample comprised by 281 youngsters (56% girls) aged 11-17 years. The BMI percentiles were calculated by using the WHO growth tables. Two study groups were created: severe obesity and overweight/light-moderate obesity. The following questionnaires were used: Eating Disorders Inventory-2 (EDI-2), depression questionnaire (DQ), and Status-Trait Anxiety Questionnaire (STAI). Results: The youngsters with obesity showed more psychological problems than youngsters with overweight/ light-moderate obesity, 12% had anxiety, and 11% depression. In both groups, the behaviours related with eating disorders were partially explained by the presence of symptoms of anxiety and depression. Dissatisfaction with the body and high anxiety trait increased the risk for perpetuating the obesity and were the two symptoms that better discriminated the patients with or without severe obesity. Conclusion: Obesity prevention programmes should include body dissatisfaction and the anxiety trait into the assessment and management protocols, and prevent anxiety getting fixed as a personality trait.

Dimensional structure of the Brief Symptom Inventory with Spanish College students.

Dimensional structure of the Brief Symptom Inventory with Spanish College students. Pereda Beltran, Noemí; Forns, Maria, 1946-; Peró, Maribel The Brief Symptom Inventory is designed to assess symptoms of psychological disorders in adolescents and adults. The dimensional structure of the inventory, using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, was examined with a cross-sectional design in a Spanish sample of college students (N = 1,033, aged between 18 and 30 years old). Two hypotheses were tested: the original distribution of the items in nine factors, and the unidimensionality of the inventory. According to the results, a nine-factor structure seemed to be confirmed, although the strong intercorrelations found among the subscales indicated that these were measuring closely related constructs. The importance of cultural influences when assessing psychological symptoms and the need to develop national and sex norms for instruments that assess psychopathology, are also discussed.

Indicadores de calidad de la producción en la Web of Science de diez profesores del área de personalidad, evaluación y tratamiento psicológico: aportaciones adicionales al estudio de Olivas-Ávila y Musi-Lechuga

Indicadores de calidad de la producción en la Web of Science de diez profesores del área de personalidad, evaluación y tratamiento psicológico: aportaciones adicionales al estudio de Olivas-Ávila y Musi-Lechuga Aluja, A.; Becoña Iglesias, Elisardo; Botella, C.; Colom Marañón, Roberto; Echeburúa Odriozola, Enrique; Forns, Maria, 1946-; Pérez, M.; Vila, J. Web of Science production quality indicators of ten professors" at the Area of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment: Additional contributions to Olivas-Ávila y Musi-Lechuga study. Rankings of scientifi c productivity are increasingly relevant both from an individual and a collective perspective. Therefore, making sure they are based on reliable and exhaustive information is really important. This study clearly shows that available rankings change dramatically when internationally acknowledged bibliometric indices are considered. Data from the 10 Professors belonging to the Personality, Assessment, and Psychological Treatment" Department considered in the recent analysis by Olivas-Ávila y Musi-Lechuga (Psicothema 2010. Vol. 22, nº 4, pp. 909-916) are revisited here for illustrative purposes.

Differences between genders in coping: different strategies or different stressors?

Differences between genders in coping: different strategies or different stressors? Forns, Maria, 1946-; Kirchner, Teresa; Abad i Gil, Judit; Amador, Juan Antonio These study analysed gender specificity in coping behaviours by taking into account the types of problem faced by Spanish adolescents attending school. It was focused on the ten problems most frequently reported by participants (828 adolescents, 355 boys, and 473 girls; Mage = 14.07, SD = 1.34), which were classified using a multi-axial classification system. Coping was examined as a two separate measures of approach and avoidance coping, and as a combined measure indicating the predominant use of coping, and total coping effort. A MANCOVA and subsequent univariate tests were conducted to analyse the specificity of coping according to problem and gender, controlled by age. The results showed that the percentage of types of problems reported by adolescents differed according to gender. The influence of gender on coping was scarcely relevant when the type of problem was controlled for. There were no gender differences when the predominant type of coping was considered, but when a total coping effort measure was analysed girls showed more coping efforts than boys to face interpersonal relationship problems and personal illness. Keywords: adolescence, coping, gender differences, stressors.

Training referential communicative skills to individuals with autism spectrum disorder: a pilot study

Training referential communicative skills to individuals with autism spectrum disorder: a pilot study Olivar-Parra, S.; De la Iglesia, M.; Forns, Maria, 1946- Summary. The present study reports the effects of referential communication training in individuals formally diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Participants were 20 children with ASD (M age = 14.3 yr., SD = 4.2; 6 girls, 14 boys) in the role of speakers and 20 control children, who acted as listeners. They were all enrolled in mainstream compulsory education. Inclusion/exclusion criteria were defined according to the clinical diagnosis of ASD, the presence or absence of additional or associated disability, previous training in referential communication, and any drug treatment. Speakers were randomly assigned to one of two groups (trained vs untrained). Linguistic age, cognitive level, and autistic symptoms were analyzed, respectively, with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), the Wechsler Intelligence Scale (WISC&br&R or WAIS&br&III), and the Autistic Behavior Checklist (ABC). Communicative abilities were analyzed through two indexes related to message complexity and self-regulation. The trained group was trained in referential communication tasks (task analysis, role taking, and task evaluation), while the untrained group took part in a communicative game but without any specific communicative training. The results showed that the complexity of emitted messages had improved statistically significantly in the trained group as an effect of training. Ecological referential communication is shown to be an appropriate paradigm for studying the communicative process and its products and could be used to develop and implement a training program focused on those skills in which individuals with ASD are most deficient.

Visual performance in preterm infants with brain injuries compared with low-risk preterm infants

Visual performance in preterm infants with brain injuries compared with low-risk preterm infants Leonhardt, M.; Forns, Maria, 1946-; Calderón Garrido, Caterina; Reinoso, M.; Gargallo, E. Background: Neonatal brain injuries are the main cause of visual deficit produced by damage to posterior visual pathways.While there are several studies of visual function in low-risk preterm infants or older children with brain injuries, research in children of early age is lacking. Aim: To assess several aspects of visual function in preterm infants with brain injuries and to compare them with another group of low-risk preterm infants of the same age. Study design and subjects: Forty-eight preterm infants with brain injuries and 56 low-risk preterm infants. Outcome measures: The ML Leonhardt Battery of Optotypes was used to assess visual functions. This test was previously validated at a post-menstrual age of 40 weeks in newborns and at 30-plus weeks in preterm infants. Results: The group of preterminfants with brain lesions showed a delayed pattern of visual functions in alertness, fixation, visual attention and tracking behavior compared to infants in the healthy preterm group. The differences between both groups, in the visual behaviors analyzed were around 30%. These visual functions could be identified from the first weeks of life. Conclusion: Our results confirm the importance of using a straightforward screening test with preterminfants in order to assess altered visual function, especially in infants with brain injuries. The findings also highlight the need to provide visual stimulation very early on in life.

La versión española del CORE-OM: Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation - Outcome Measure

La versión española del CORE-OM: Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation - Outcome Measure Feixas i Viaplana, Guillem; Evans, Chris; Trujillo, Adriana; Saúl, Luis Ángel; Botella, Lluís; Corbella, Sergi; González, Esther; Bados López, Arturo; García Grau, Eugeni; López-González, M. Angeles We present the Spanish version of the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM), an instrument created by the Core System Group for the evaluation of therapeutic change. The CORE-OM is a self-report questionnaire that assesses psychological distress with domains of Subjective well-being, problems/ symptoms, general functioning andrisk. We describe its psychometric properties studies which suggest a good level of validity and reliability, as well as excellent acceptability and sensitivity to therapeutic change. Withthe supervision and guidance of team members from the CORE-OM developers the originalEnglish version was translated into Spanish. 12 people, competent in both languages fromdifferent parts of Spain, participated in this process and later 64 Castilian-speaking from different demographic and linguistic backgrounds participated in the review of theinstrument. This provided a final version in Spanish of the CORE-OM from which theresulting shorter versions (CORE-SFA, SFB-CORE, CORE and CORE-10-5, all in male andfemale versions) were derived. Now that the CORE-OM is available to all Spanish-speakingpsychotherapists (www.ub.edu/terdep/core), it is necessary to continue the validation study with the objective of having the psychometric properties of the instrument for the Spanish version.; Artículo aceptado para publicación en la Revista de Psicoterapia. (con autorización de la propia revista para su difusión online); Este estudio forma parte del proyecto “Terapia cognitiva para la depresión unipolar: eficaciade una intervención centrada en dilemas” (ref. PSI2011-23246; véase en Internet:www.ub.edu/terdep) de la Universitat de Barcelona, financiado en parte por el Ministerio deEconomía y Competitividad.

Psychometric properties and dimensional structure of the Spanish version of the Coping Responses Inventory - Adult Form

Psychometric properties and dimensional structure of the Spanish version of the Coping Responses Inventory - Adult Form Kirchner, Teresa; Forns, Maria, 1946-; Muñoz Cano, Dámaris; Pereda Beltran, Noemí One of the goals of psychological assessment focuses on the adaptation of its instruments to different populations. The objective of this study is to establish the psychometric properties and dimensional structure of the Spanish version of the Coping Responses Inventory- Adult Form (CRI-Adult, Moos, 1993). The following criteria were analyzed: a) descriptive statistics; b) internal consistency reliability (Cronbach"s alpha, and intercorrelations between scales); c) test-retest reliability (4-week interval); d) dimensionality of CRI-Adult (exploratory factor analysis); e) construct validity (confirmatory factor analysis); f) convergent criterion validity (correlations between CRI-Adult and Coping Strategies Indicator, CSI, Amirkhan, 1990), and g) predictive criterion validity (correlations between CRI-Adult, and SCL-90-R, Derogatis, 1983). The results, obtained with 800 adults from Barcelona and surrounding area (334 men and 466 women, aged between 18 to 76 years) indicate that the Spanish version of CRIAdult has satisfactory psychometric properties that allow using this test with guarantee.

Children left behind during immigration: repercussions on the mental health of Latin-American mothers and fathers

Children left behind during immigration: repercussions on the mental health of Latin-American mothers and fathers Kirchner, Teresa; Patiño, C.; Forns, Maria, 1946- Emigrating and having to leave children behind may be a risk factor for the mental health of immigrants. This study aimed to compare the psychological symptoms reported by immigrants mothers and fathers who took their children with them with those who left their children behind. The sample comprised 213 Latin American immigrants (123 women and 90 men). The results showed that mothers who did not have children with them reported more psychological symptoms than those who did. Few differences were observed in the case of fathers, except that those who had their children with them reported more symptoms related with somatization. After controlling for possible confounding variables ('time since immigration', ·having a job', 'legal status', and social support') it is concluded that for mothers not being accompanied by own's children explains the largest proportion of the psychological synptoms analyzed, although the time since immigration also accounts for some of the variance in the case of depressive sympthomatology and general distress. It is likely that the despair and frustation felt by mothers grows as time goes on and they remain unable to reunite the family. These results may be useful in terms of designing prevention and intervention programs with immigrants mothers.

El efecto residual inmunosupresor de la ciclofosfamida no es necesario para evocar la respuesta inmunosupresora condicionada

El efecto residual inmunosupresor de la ciclofosfamida no es necesario para evocar la respuesta inmunosupresora condicionada Vidal Gómez, José El objetivo es comprobar si el efecto residual inmunodepresor de la ciclofosfamida contribuye a la evocación de la respuesta de anticuerpos condicionada. Se condicionaron ratones no consanguíneos, machos, con el estímulo condicionado sacarina al 0,15% y con el estímulo incondicionado ciclofosfamida, a 50 y 250 mg/kg. A los 4 días del condicionamiento con 50 mg/kg de ciclofosfamida, o a los 14 días del condicionamiento con 250 mg/kg de ciclofosfamida, los ratones se inmunizaron con glóbulos rojos de rata y, a continuación, bebieron la disolución de sacarina. Se comprobó que i) la dosis más baja de ciclofosfamida no generó efecto residual, mientras que la dosis más alta si, y ii) en ningún caso, la presentación de sacarina disminuyó la respuesta de anticuerpos anti-glóbulos rojos de rata. Se concluye que no se produjo condicionamiento de la respuesta de anticuerpos, tanto si el efecto residual de la ciclofosfamida está presente, como si está ausente.