Spanish validation of the cardiac self-efficacy scale: a gender invariant measure.

The aim is to validate the Spanish version of the Cardiac Self-Efficacy (S-CSE) Scale by examining its psychometric properties and to test the invariance for women and men. Two groups - 722 and 522- of patients completed the S-CSE Scale and other psychosocial measures during a medical revision several months after being diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. Construct validity was psychometrically evaluated using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with a split of the first sample and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with a second split of the same sample. Scale structure was confirmed using the second sample. Convergent, discriminant, and external validity were tested. Results revealed that the S-CSE Scale was represented by three dimensions (control symptoms, control illness, maintain functioning) obtaining excellent reliability indexes and it appeared to be invariant for women and men. The S-CSE scale is a useful tool for monitoring the general well-being of these patients to promote individualized interventions.

Charting a path to health: The empowering influence of self-efficacy for the self-management of type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) in children and adolescents requires a lifelong commitment to disease control, which involves insulin treatment and constant blood glucose monitoring. Framed by Albert Bandura's self-efficacy theory, we focused on analysing the impact of domain-specific self-efficacy for T1D control in children and adolescents and its relationship with different indicators of glycaemic control over time. The study included 205 participants (56.1% male), including 51.7% children and 48.3% adolescents aged 6-18 (M = 13.27, SD = 3.66) years in four longitudinal phases (6 months between phases). The results revealed that higher self-efficacy predicted better health outcomes, with more time spent actively monitoring glucose and more time in the target range. The positive effect of self-efficacy was observed to be maintained over time. This study underscores the importance of taking into account the developmental timing in the onset of T1D. There was a significant relationship between self-efficacy and glucose indicators in adolescents. Although their glucose indicators were worse, self-efficacy became more relevant as they moved from parental management to the self-management of T1D. Implications of the results show the positive effect of self-efficacy on health per glucose indicators, thus suggesting interventions that promote self-efficacy in this population.

Spontaneous Breathing Rate Variations Linked to Social Exclusion and Emotion Self-assessment.

The emotional reactions to social exclusion can be associated with physiological responses that could allow researchers to estimate the valence and intensity of the ongoing affective state. In this work, respiratory activity was analysed to verify whether breathing rate variations can be considered as predictive factors of subsequent positive and negative affect after inclusion and exclusion in young women. A standard Cyberball task was implemented and manipulated information was provided to the participants to create both conditions. The participants were socially excluded by limiting their participation to 6% of the total number of passes among three teammates and providing negative feedback about them. The results suggest that breathing rate can be a good option to infer subjective feelings during social interactions and a promising feature to incorporate into modern emotion monitoring systems as an alternative to other physiological measures. Furthermore, the interaction between metaemotion and physiology was studied by recording breathing rate while completing the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, evidencing a breathing rate increase during the emotion self-assessment only after exclusion.

The Self-Efficacy Scale for Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (SESAMeD): A scale construction and validation.

The Mediterranean diet has several beneficial impacts on health. Self-efficacy may be crucial for adhering to the diet. This study set out to develop a reliable and valid instrument that would enable measurement of the extent to which people are confident about their ability to adhere to the Mediterranean diet: the Self-Efficacy Scale for Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (SESAMeD). The study was carried out in two stages. In Stage 1, a pilot questionnaire was administrated to 170 students to reduce and refine items. In Stage 2, the validity and reliability of the scale were evaluated among a sample of 348 patients who have suffered from cardiovascular disease. After items reduction, the scale consisted of 22 items. The factor structure of SESAMeD was tested across exploratory factorial analysis and confirmatory factorial analysis, with both analyses confirming a robust adjustment for the bi-factorial structure. The two factors identified were (a) self-efficacy for the avoidance of determined unhealthy foods not recommended in the Mediterranean diet and (b) self-efficacy for the consumption of determined healthy foods recommended in this diet. The pattern of relations between the SESAMeD and the SESAMeD subscales and other different psychological variables (outcome expectancies, motivation, affective balance, and life satisfaction) supported the validity of the bi-factorial structure and provided strong evidence of construct validity. The instrument can help health professionals and researchers to assess patients' confidence of their ability to adhere to the Mediterranean diet, a psychological variable that may affect adherence to this healthy food consumption pattern.

A multilevel perspective to explain recycling behaviour in communities.

Previous research on the motivation for environmentally responsible behaviour has focused mainly on individual variables, rather than organizational or collective variables. Therefore, the results of those studies are hardly applicable to environmental management. This study considers individual, collective, and organizational variables together that contribute to the management of environmental waste. The main aim is to identify, through the development of a multilevel model, those predictive variables of recycling behaviour that help organizations to increase the recycling rates in their communities. Individual (age, gender, educational level, self-efficacy with respect to residential recycling, individual recycling behaviour), organizational (satisfaction with the quality of the service provided by a recycling company), and collective (community recycling rates, number of inhabitants, community efficacy beliefs) motivational factors relevant to recycling behaviour were analysed. A sample of 1501 residents from 55 localities was surveyed. The results of multilevel analyses indicated that there was significant variability within and between localities. Interactions between variables at the level of the individual (e.g. satisfaction with service quality) and variables at the level of the collective (e.g. community efficacy) predicted recycling behaviour in localities with low and high community recycling rates and large and small populations. The interactions showed that the relationship between self-efficacy and recycling is stronger in localities with weak community efficacy beliefs than in communities with strong beliefs. The findings show that the relationship between satisfaction with service quality and recycling behaviour is stronger in localities with strong community efficacy beliefs than in communities with weaker beliefs and a smaller population. The results are discussed accordingly in relation to theory and possible contribution to waste management. Those findings may be incorporated in national and international environmental policies in order to promote environmentally responsible behaviour in citizenship.

Sexuality in older Spanish women: voices and reflections.

Our research has been aimed at understanding the experience, practice, and sexual life in a group of Spanish women over 50 years of age. We studied a sample of 729 women between 50 and 80 years old. Our results provide qualitative and quantitative information and important insights about the sexual life of Spanish women and identify differences in the experience and reality of sexual life after the age of 70. The status of having or lacking a partner, and a personal interest in emotional relationships and sexual practices, are elements that determine the possibility of enjoying a satisfying postmenopausal sexuality.

Network analysis to examine sex differences linked to emotional well-being in cardiovascular disease.

Psychosocial dimensions are essential to guarantee an optimal approach to improve emotional well-being in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). There is evidence of sex differences regarding these dimensions. Thus, the connections between them are crucial to implement personalized therapies. Network model analyses were conducted on data from 593 CVD patients. The models included scores from the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), positive (PA) and negative affect (NA), positivity (PS), satisfaction of life (SLS), social support (SS), self-efficacy on emotion regulation (RESE), cardiac self-efficacy (CSE) and the Short Form-12 Health Survey. The main sex differences were found in: PA-PS (p = 0.03), SS-RESE (p = 0.04), for which the positive associations are stronger for men than for women and PA-RESE (p < 0.01) for which the positive association is stronger for women than for men. These nuances should be considered to implement tailored and integrative therapies for each CVD patient.

Psychometric Properties of the Revised Self-Efficacy for Diabetes Self-Management Scale among Spanish Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes.

A longitudinal design was used to examine the psychometric properties of the Self-Efficacy for Diabetes Self-Management (SEDM) for children and adolescents with a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes (T1D). The SEDM was adapted to Spanish and the best factorial solution was selected to test the invariance of the measures of age and gender. Individuals between the ages of 10 and 19 years old with a diagnosis of T1D completed a self-reported questionnaire (167 at Time 1 [mean age = 14.49, SD = 2.76; 56.9% boys] and 122 at Time 2 [mean age = 14.77, SD = 2.58; 56.6% boys]). Two unifactorial solutions were tested. The psychometric properties of the scale were validated. The proposed validation obtained excellent reliability indices (χ2 (26) = 25.59, p > 0.49, RMSEA = 0.00, 95% CI [0.00, 0.07], CFI = 1.00, GFI = 0.96, AGFI = 0.92, TLI = 1.00, and CMIN = 0.98), and it appeared to be invariant for gender and for age groups. The Cronbach's α was 0.85. The test-retest reliability was high (r = 0.69 [p < 0.001]). Convergent, discriminant, and external validity were proven. The nine-item SEDM is a brief measure with satisfactory structural validity. From our knowledge, this study provides the first reliable tool to assess self-efficacy in the management of T1D for Spanish children and adolescents.

Predicting physical activity and quality of life in coronary heart disease patients: An 18-month path analysis of motivational and emotional factors.

OBJECTIVE: Investigating factors that promote cardiovascular health outcomes is essential for secondary prevention. In a sample of coronary heart disease patients, we examined the direct and indirect effects of selected psychological factors on physical activity behavior and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) over 18 months. METHOD: Patient-reported data were collected over three time points. Through structured equation modeling, a longitudinal path analysis was conducted to estimate the indirect effects of baseline HRQoL and cardiac self-efficacy on reported physical activity behavior and HRQoL (evaluated at 18 months) through the mediation of anxiety and depression symptoms, patients' reported intention to change the behavior, and emotions regulation strategies (evaluated at 9 months). RESULTS: A total of 410 patients were included. Significant indirect effects of baseline HRQoL (ß = .05, 95% CI [-0.001, 0.111]) and cardiac self-efficacy (ß = .105, 95% CI [0.06, 0.16]) on physical activity behavior were found, with anxiety symptoms and emotions regulation strategies as significant mediators. Additionally, the mediation of reported intention in the association between cardiac self-efficacy and physical activity levels was estimated. At the final follow-up, we also found a significant direct association between physical activity behavior and HRQoL (ß = .12, p < .01), which was indirectly impacted by baseline HRQoL (ß = .006, 95% CI [0.000, 0.017]) and cardiac self-efficacy (ß = .012, 95% CI [0.003, 0.027]). CONCLUSIONS: This study underlines the significance of addressing stress management, anxiety symptoms reduction, and cardiac self-efficacy enhancement when targeting better cardiovascular health outcomes. Identifying cardiovascular risk profiles based on these findings may benefit future clinical practice and further inform secondary prevention policy guidelines. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions with Respect to Psychological and Biomedical Outcomes in Young People with Type 1 Diabetes: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Type 1 diabetes is a chronic disease especially affecting young people. Mindfulness-based psychological interventions might reduce emotional symptoms post-diagnosis, but the evidence is limited. OBJECTIVES: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions on psychological well-being and biomedical variables in young people with type 1 diabetes. METHODS: A systematic review of trials was conducted that involved a bibliographic search in electronic databases (Web of Science, MEDLINE, SciELO, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library) considering studies published between 2013 and 2024. RESULTS: A total of 434 records were identified, of which 252 underwent selection according to title and abstract, leaving 32 that were evaluated for eligibility and 7 included in this review. From Google Scholar, six more studies were identified and evaluated, and two were selected. Finally, nine studies were subjected to full reading and a detailed analysis of the inclusion criteria. A total of 66.6% of the studies were evaluated as having a methodological quality of moderate or optimal, but the samples analysed tended to be small, and only two articles carried out short-term follow-up evaluations. CONCLUSIONS: Mindfulness-based interventions, upon reviewing the preliminary results, may be posited as a viable strategy to enhance psychological (anxiety, diabetes distress, perceived stress, depression, self-efficacy, psychological well-being, and quality of life) and biomedical outcomes (glycaemic control, blood glucose levels, and diastolic blood pressure) for type 1 diabetes in young people. Although promising, further research is required to improve the quality, methodology, and design of studies.

Influence of Family Social Support and Diabetes Self-Efficacy on the Emotional Wellbeing of Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes: A Longitudinal Study.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic disease that is usually diagnosed in childhood, underscoring the importance of early disease control for overall wellbeing. Our aim was to design an explanatory model of subjective emotional wellbeing in children and adolescents with T1D. A longitudinal study was conducted at the Reina Sofia University Hospital in Cordoba (Spain). A total of 151 patients (mean age = 14.50, SD = 2.67; 41.1% girls) participated at T1, while 97 participated at T2 (mean age = 14.93, SD = 2.56; 39.2% girls). Participants completed a self-report questionnaire. Descriptive, reliability, correlation, path, and mediation analyses were performed. The explanatory model showed excellent fit indices [χ2 (10) = 8.62, p = 0.57, RMSEA = 0.00, 95% [0.00, 0.10], CFI = 1.00, GFI = 0.98, AGFI = 0.93, and TLI = 1.01]. The results showed significant and positive relationships between family social support and subjective emotional wellbeing and improved self-care skills. Self-efficacy presented a mediating role between family social support and subjective emotional wellbeing. Given that self-efficacy is a self-regulatory mechanism and a determinant of health, it is argued that future psychoeducational interventions could aim to improve self-efficacy to manage chronic diseases, to achieve greater emotional wellbeing in children and adolescents with T1D.

Positivity and Health Locus of Control: Key Variables to Intervene on Well-Being of Cardiovascular Disease Patients.

Psychological well-being is a good predictor of several health outcomes in cardiovascular disease patients (adherence, quality of life, and healthy behaviors). The perception of health control and a positive orientation seem to have a beneficial effect on health and well-being. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the role of the health locus of control and positivity in the psychological well-being and quality of life of cardiovascular patients. A total of 593 cardiac outpatients completed the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale, the Positivity Scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale at baseline (January 2017) and 9 m later (follow-up; n = 323). A Spearman rank correlation coefficient and a structural equation modeling approach were determined to explore the relationships between those variables both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. A cross-sectional correlation analysis at baseline revealed that the internal health locus of control and positivity were negatively associated with anxiety (rs = -0.15 and -0.44, ps < 0.01) and depression (rs = -0.22 and -0.55, ps < 0.01) and positively associated with health-related quality of life (rs = 0.16 and 0.46, ps < 0.01). Similar outcomes were found at follow-up and in longitudinal correlations. According to the path analysis, positivity was found to be negatively associated with anxiety and depression level at baseline (ß = -0.42 and -0.45, ps < 0.001). Longitudinally, positivity was negatively associated with depression (ß = 0.15, p < 0.01) and together with the internal health locus of control, was positively associated with health-related quality of life (ß = 0.16 and 0.10, respectively, ps < 0.05). These findings suggest that focusing on the health locus of control and especially positivity may be crucial in enhancing the psychological well-being of patients in the context of cardiac care. The potential impact of these results on future interventions is discussed.

Feasibility study of a mobile application (ACT-ON) to complement acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) intervention in cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: Psychological and physical distress commonly affect cancer patients. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has shown promising results when it comes to ameliorating symptoms that may develop as a result of this. Meanwhile, it has come to light that the impact of psychological interventions may be enhanced by the use of mobile applications. However, to date no mobile applications have been developed to support ACT-based interventions in cancer patients. The aim of the present study is to develop and test the usability of a mobile application designed to complement face-to-face ACT-based therapy in a group of cancer patients undergoing treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of thirty-nine patients were recruited to participate in this pilot study. Participants had to be: 18 years of age or over, currently undergoing treatment for breast, lung or colorectal cancer, in stage I-III, a smartphone user with daily internet access. The intervention sessions were administered for a period of eight weeks, one hour per week to groups of four to six participants. Patients had the ACT-ON mobile application at their disposal, which provided them with access to therapy-related activities: mindfulness, metaphors and exercises to clarify values. RESULTS: The application obtained adequate adoption (61.54%) and usage (54.17%) rates. Usability and ease of learning scores were as follows: good usability (M = 79.81, SD = 11.87); high usability (M = 80.53, SD = 14.04); ease of learning (M = 37.5, SD = 23.85). DISCUSSION: This is the first study to develop and evaluate the usability of an application designed to support ACT-based interventions in cancer patients undergoing treatment. The results show that the ACT-ON app is a feasible tool which achieves high levels of usability. However, said results ought to be confirmed by studies that include a larger number of cancer patients.

Regulatory emotional self-efficacy and anxiety in times of pandemic: a gender perspective.

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic and resultant lockdown and containment measures have instigated substantial changes in our daily lives and have affected many people's mental health. This paper reports two studies exploring gender-based differences with regard to the impact of COVID-related confinement on individuals' self-efficacy to regulate negative emotions (RESE-NE) and anxiety. Methods: Study 1 (cross-sectional; 269 participants; 52% women) explored the evolution of RESE-NE and anxiety. To this end, participants assessed their status at two time points: a retrospective assessment of the period before confinement in Spain, and a current assessment during confinement. Study 2 (longitudinal; 114 participants; 72.2% women) explored the evolution of the variables by adding a post-confinement time point and analyzed the mediating role of RESE-NE in the positivity-anxiety and resilience-anxiety relationships. Results: The results confirmed that: (a) RESE-NE decreased and anxiety increased more among women than among men during confinement (Study 1); (b) women recovered their pre-pandemic levels of mental health more slowly than did men following confinement; and (c) the mediating role of RESE-NE could be observed in the two relationships under analysis. Conclusion: In practical terms, the research highlights the need to pay special attention to women undergoing mental health interventions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to the differential burden that the pandemic may entail for men and women and to the contrasting social roles traditionally attributed to them. From the gender differences identified, it is possible to infer how stereotypes and social roles influence the behavior and mental health of men and women, leading them to cope differently with stressful situations such as confinement.

Effectiveness of an eHealth intervention to improve subjective well-being and self-efficacy in cardiovascular disaease patients: A pilot non-randomized controlled trial.

AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of a multicomponent, eHealth-based self-efficacy intervention to promote subjective well-being and self-efficacy in patients with cardiovascular disease, exploring sex differences. DESIGN: A pilot study of a two-arm non-randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Forty-two cardiovascular patients (31% women) participated in the study. The experimental group received a personalized psychoeducational session and a 14-days eHealth intervention. Subjective well-being (positive and negative affect) and self-efficacy (chronic and cardiac) were assessed at baseline, post-psychoeducational session, post-eHealth intervention and at two follow-ups. RESULTS: The levels of the experimental group in positive affect, at post-eHealth and follow-up 1, and self-efficacy, at post-eHealth, and both follow-ups, were statistically significantly higher compared to the control group (all ps < .05). When considering sex, the intervention was effective only for men. The results highlight the potential of eHealth interventions for cardiac patients and underline the importance of considering a gender perspective in their treatment.

Critical feminist gerontology: in the back room of research.

The article takes a feminist approach to gerontology. It examines the stereotypes of ageism that derive from the relationship between culture and old age. It establishes the requirements for a type of research that reflects women's own experience of growing older, as well as the social construction of values related to women's old age. It focuses on the sociocultural features of this population, which faces old age with certain limitations, but also with unparalleled assets.

Depression and Cognitive Impairment in a Spanish Sample of Psychoactive Substance Users Receiving Mental Health Care.

(1) Background: Numerous studies state that the abuse of psychoactive substances produces cognitive, emotional and behavioral disorders. The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between the consumption of different psychoactive substances with cognitive performance and depression. (2) Methods: The sample was composed of 254 individuals (M = 41.81; SD = 10.74, from 18 to 69; 76% male) who received psychological treatment related to the use of substances. Participants were classified according to the main substance consumed: alcohol (42.9%), cannabis (20.5%), cocaine (15.4%), heroin (13%) and benzodiazepines (8.3%). The Montreal Cognitive Assessment and the Beck's Depression Inventory were administrated. (3) The results indicated no statistically significant differences between levels of depression depending on the substance consumed. Regarding cognitive impairment, it was found that cocaine consumers have the worst level of cognitive impairment, while cannabis consumers have the best level of cognitive functioning. Finally, it was found that participants with severe depression have higher cognitive impairment than those who were diagnosed with moderate depression. (4) Conclusions: Given the high prevalence of depression and cognitive impairment with the abuse of psychoactive substances, early treatment is recommended to avoid a higher cognitive and emotional affectation.

Factors associated with gender and sex differences in anxiety prevalence and comorbidity: A systematic review.

Background: The prevalence and comorbidity of anxiety disorders are significantly different between women and men, with research showing a greater impact on women. The aim of this review was to identify the psychosocial and biological factors that have been considered to explain this gender and sex difference in prevalence and determine whether these factors are related to any anxiety comorbidity differences between men and women. Methods: Following the PRISMA guidelines, we carried out a systematic review of studies published between 2008 and 2021 in PsycINFO and PubMed databases. Empirical and review studies evaluating psychosocial and biological factors that could influence the difference in prevalence and comorbidity between men and women were included. A qualitative narrative synthesis was performed to describe the results. Results: From 1012 studies, 44 studies were included. Retrieved articles were categorized depending on their object of study: psychosocial factors (n = 21), biological factors (n = 16), or comorbidity (n = 7). Results showed that differences in anxiety between women and men have been analyzed by psychosocial and biological factors but rarely together. Among the psychosocial factors analyzed, masculinity may be a protective factor for anxiety development, while femininity can be a risk factor. In the studies that took biological factors into account, the potential influence of brain structures, genetic factors, and fluctuations in sexual hormones are pointed out as causes of greater anxiety in women. Concerning comorbidity, the results noted that women tend to develop other internalizing disorders (e.g. depression), while men tend to develop externalizing disorders (e.g. substance abuse). Conclusions: For an accurate understanding of differences between women and men in anxiety, both biological and psychosocial factors should be considered. This review highlights the need to apply the biopsychosocial model of health and the gender perspective to address differences in anxiety between sexes.

A Brief mHealth-Based Psychological Intervention in Emotion Regulation to Promote Positive Subjective Well-Being in Cardiovascular Disease Patients: A Non-Randomized Controlled Trial.

The emotional impact that a cardiovascular disease may have on a person's life can affect the prognosis and comorbidity of the disease. Therefore, emotion regulation is most important for the management of the disease. The aim of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of a brief mHealth psychological intervention in emotion regulation to promote positive subjective well-being in cardiovascular disease patients. The study sample (N = 69, 63.7 ± 11.5 years) was allocated to either the experimental group (n = 34) or control group (n = 35). The intervention consisted of a psychoeducational session in emotion regulation and an mHealth-based intervention for 2 weeks. Positive subjective well-being as a primary outcome and self-efficacy to manage the disease as a secondary outcome were assessed at five time points evaluated over a period of 6 weeks. The experimental group showed higher improvement in positive subjective well-being and self-efficacy for managing the disease compared to the control group over time. The experimental group also improved after the intervention on all outcome measures. Brief mHealth interventions in emotion regulation might be effective for improving positive subjective well-being and self-efficacy to manage the disease in cardiovascular patients.

Effectiveness of Mindfulness and Positive Strengthening mHealth Interventions for the Promotion of Subjective Emotional Wellbeing and Management of Self-Efficacy for Chronic Cardiac Diseases.

Intervention in health prevention and treatment via mobile phones is becoming a key element on health promotion. Testing the efficacy of these mobile health (mHealth) psychological interventions for cardiovascular health is necessary as it is a chronic pathology, and it can influence the affective and cognitive states of patients. This research aimed to analyze the effectiveness of two brief psychological interventions-mindfulness and positive strengthening-to promote subjective emotional wellbeing and disease management self-efficacy using mHealth. This was a three-arm intervention and feasibility study, with a pre-post design and three follow-up measures with 105 patients (93 completed all phases) with cardiovascular diseases. Group 1 and 2 received the mindfulness or strengthening intervention, and Group 3 was the control group. The positive-negative affect and management self-efficacy for chronic and cardiovascular diseases were analyzed over time, while anxiety and depression levels were assessed at the beginning of the study. The results showed that mindfulness and positive strengthening interventions both had a positive effect on participants' affective state and management self-efficacy for the disease in comparison with the control group over time, even after controlling for baseline anxiety and depression levels. Positive strengthening seems to be more effective for improving cardiac self-efficacy, while mindfulness practice was significantly more effective at reducing negative affect at the first face-to-face evaluation.