Positive psychological characteristics in patients with metabolic syndrome associated with prospective changes in diet and anthropometric factors.

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is increasing worldwide, and diet therapy plays a key role in treating this disease. Since most patients show difficulties in adhering to nutritional interventions, research on the association of positive psychological characteristics with greater engagement in physical health is relevant to this field. The present study aimed to evaluate the association between positive psychology attributes (optimism, hope, self-esteem, positive/negative affect and life satisfaction) and changes in diet quality and anthropometric parameters of individuals with MetS who received nutritional counseling. The study assessed 63 patients at a nutrition outpatient clinic. Anthropometric parameters and 24-hour food recall data (for evaluation of the Brazilian Healthy Eating Index-Revised-BHEI-R) were collected at the first visit and subsequent return visit (on average five months later). Psychological data were collected at the first visit using validated and standardized scales. The results were adjusted in relation to the depression scores of the patients, which were evaluated using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Changes in anthropometric factors and in the BHEI-R were assessed, and their associations with the psychological attributes were investigated. The results indicated that positive affect and hope were associated with improvement in the BHEI-R scores (Cohen effect sizes -0.65 and -0.58; p = 0.012 and 0.025, respectively). A significant association was also observed between optimism and a reduction in abdominal circumference (Cohen effect size 0.56; p = 0.031). The associations remained significant even after adjusting for the BDI-II scores (p = 0.022, p = 0.037 and p = 0.05, respectively). No statistically significant associations were observed for the other attributes assessed.The study suggests that some attributes may have a greater influence on the nutritional treatment of MetS and that future studies should be conducted in order to enable effective multidisciplinary interventions to treat MetS.

Escala Breve de Compaixão Santa Clara: propriedades psicométricas para o contexto brasileiro / Santa Clara Brief Compassion Scale: psychometric properties for the Brazilian context / Escala Breve de Compaixão Santa Clara: propiedades psicométricas para el contexto brasileño

O presente estudo teve como objetivo buscar evidências de validade de conteúdo e de estrutura interna e avaliar a precisão da Escala Breve de Compaixão Santa Clara para o contexto brasileiro. Os itens foram adaptados por experts e, posteriormente, foram submetidos à avaliação de juízes e amostras da população-alvo em aplicações-piloto. Os resultados dessa etapa demonstraram a equivalência semântica e logística da versão adaptada. Para avaliação de consistência interna e da validade baseada em estrutura interna, o instrumento foi preenchido por 422 indivíduos e os dados foram submetidos à análise de alfa de Cronbach e análise fatorial exploratória, respectivamente. A escala apresentou índice adequado de consistência interna (α=0,84) e a análise fatorial resultou em uma solução unifatorial, explicando 62,48% da variância. Os resultados psicométricos da escala adaptada foram próximos dos obtidos na escala original, indicando a pertinência do uso do instrumento em âmbito nacional. (AU)

The present study aimed to find content validity and internal structure evidence, and to evaluate precision of the Santa Clara Brief Compassion Scale for the Brazilian context. The items were adapted by experts and, subsequently, were submitted for the evaluation of judges and samples with the target population in pilot applications. Results of this stage demonstrated the semantic and logistic equivalence of the adapted version. To evaluate internal consistency and validity based on internal structure, 422 individuals responded to the instrument and the data were submitted to Cronbach's Alpha Analysis and Exploratory Factor Analysis, respectively. The scale presented an adequate internal consistency index (α=0.84) and the factorial analysis resulted in a one-factor solution, accounting for 62.48% of the variance. The psychometric results of the adapted scale were close to those obtained by the original scale, indicating the pertinence of the use of the instrument at the national level. (AU)

El presente estudio tiene como objetivo buscar evidencias de validez de contenido y de estructura interna y, evaluar la precisión de la Escala Breve de Compasión Santa Clara para el contexto brasileño. Para el desarrollo de la investigación los ítems fueron adaptados por expertos y posteriormente fueron sometidos a la evaluación tanto de jueces, como, por una muestra de la población objetiva en aplicaciones piloto. Los resultados de esta etapa demostraron la equivalencia semántica y logística de la versión adaptada. Para evaluación de la consistencia interna y de la validez basada en la estructura interna, el instrumento se realizó a 422 individuos y los datos fueron sometidos al Análisis de alfa de Cronbach y Análisis Factorial Exploratorio. Al final, la escala presentó un índice adecuado de consistencia interna (α=0,84) y el análisis factorial resultó en una solución unifactorial, explicando 62,48% de la varianza. En conclusión, los resultados psicométricos de la escala adaptada se acercan a los obtenidos en la escala original, indicando la pertinencia de uso del instrumento a nivel nacional. (AU)

Optimism and Hope in Chronic Disease: A Systematic Review.

There is a growing recognition that positive psychological functioning (which includes constructs such as optimism and hope) influences health. However, the understanding of these underlying mechanisms in relation to health is limited. Therefore, this review sought to identify what the scientific literature says about the influence of optimism and hope on chronic disease treatment. A search was conducted in the PsycINFO, Scopus, Pubmed, and Web of Science databases using the indexing terms optimism, hope, chronic diseases, randomized controlled trial, and treatment between 1998 and 2015. In the articles, we identified the most studied diseases in context, the assessment instruments used, the participant characteristics investigated, the results found, and the publication dates. From our analysis of the articles that met our inclusion criteria, it appears that the study of these constructs is recent and there is evidence that individuals with greater optimism and hope seek to engage in healthier behaviors, regardless of their clinical status, and that this contributes to chronic disease treatment. More research is needed so that targeted interventions can be carried out effectively in chronic disease treatment.