Emotion recognition through Spanish prosody in people with schizophrenia.

People with schizophrenia have deficits in the ability to identify emotions. An area of important dysfunction is the understanding of affective prosody, which can limit communication and social functionality. The objective of this study is to compare emotional recognition through prosody between a group of people with schizophrenia versus a control group without pathology, through the Reading the Mind in the Voice - Spanish Version scale (RMV-SV).

A pilot study on feasibility, acceptance and effectiveness of metacognitive-oriented social skills training in schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: In preparation for a randomized controlled trial, a pilot study was conducted to investigate the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of a psychotherapy group based on metacognitive-oriented social skills training (MOSST). METHODS: Twelve outpatients with schizophrenia were offered 16 group-sessions of MOSST. Effect sizes were calculated for changes from baseline to treatment end for both psychosocial functioning and metacognitive abilities measured by the Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP) and the Metacognition Assessment Scale-Abbreviated (MAS-A) respectively. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Ten patients finished the full treatment protocol and nonsignificant moderate effect sizes were obtained on PSP and MAS-A scores. To date, this is the first study in Spain to suggest that outpatients with schizophrenia will accept metacognitive therapy for social skills training and evidence improvements in psychosocial functioning and metacognition. CONCLUSION: Despite limitations inherent in a pilot study, including a small sample size and the absence of a control group, sufficient evidence of effectiveness was found to warrant further investigation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN10917911 . Retrospectively registered 30 November 2016.

Cognitive flexibility and decision-making in eating disorders and obesity.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to compare decision-making and cognitive flexibility in patients with disordered eating and weight, ranging from anorexia nervosa to obesity, and a healthy group. METHOD: Participants were 113 patients (86 with eating disorders and 27 with obesity), and a group of 39 healthy subjects; all completed the Iowa gambling task, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and several clinical self-report measures. RESULTS: Eating disordered and obese patients showed impaired performance on the decision-making task, and the obese group showed the worst performance on the set-shifting task. There were no associations between neuropsychological performance and eating or obsessive symptomatology, although significant associations were found with anxiety and depression measures. DISCUSSION: Considering the executive functions as a transdiagnostic process in ED and obesity could provide explanations for the inability to regulate food intake, present in both ED and obese patients. Implications of these executive impairments in the development and maintenance of ED and obesity are discussed.

Eating-related Intrusive Thoughts Inventory: exploring the dimensionality of eating disorder symptoms.

The aims of this study were, first, to examine the structure and validity of the Eating-related Intrusive Thoughts Inventory (INPIAS), a self-report questionnaire designed to assess eating disorders related to intrusive thoughts (EDITs), and second, to explore the existence of a continuum ranging from normal to abnormal thought intrusions related to eating, weight, and shape. Participants were 574 (408 women) nonclinical community individuals. Analyses revealed that EDITs can be clustered into three sets: appearance-dieting, need to exercise, and thoughts-impulses related to eating disorders. EDITs' consequences showed a two-factor structure: emotional consequences/personal meaning and thought-action fusion responsibility; and four factors of strategies: "anxiety," suppression, obsessive-compulsive rituals, and distraction. The sample was then divided according to reported restrained eating. The High dietary restraint group reported a higher frequency of EDITs, whereas differences in the other factors were mediated by depression, anxiety, and obsessionality. The results suggest that eating disorder-related cognitions are experienced by nonclinical individuals, and distributed on a continuum.

[Empirically Supported Psychological Treatments for Children and Adolescents: State of the Art].

Empirically Supported Psychological Treatments for Children and Adolescents: State of the Art. BACKGROUND: The empirical evidence accumulated on the efficacy, effectiveness, and efficiency of psychotherapeutic treatments in children and adolescents calls for an update. The main goal of this paper objective was to carry out a selective review of empirically supported psychological treatments for a variety of common psychological disorders and problems in childhood and adolescence. METHOD: A review was carried out of the psychological treatments for different psychological disorders and problems in social-emotional or behavioral adjustment in the child-adolescent population according to the Spanish National Health System (Clinical Practice Guidelines) levels of evidence and degrees of recommendation. RESULTS: The findings suggest that psychological treatments have empirical support for addressing a wide range of psychological problems in these developmental stages. The degree of empirical support ranges from low to high depending on the phenomenon analyzed. The review suggests unequal progress in the different fields of intervention. CONCLUSIONS: From this update, psychologists will be able to make informed decisions when implementing those empirically supported treatments to address the problems that occur in childhood and adolescence.

The Effects of Metacognition-Oriented Social Skills Training on Psychosocial Outcome in Schizophrenia-Spectrum Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

A pilot study of the effects of metacognition-oriented social skills training (MOSST) on social functioning in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) reported promising results. The main purpose of the current trial was to compare the effectiveness and potential benefits of MOSST vs conventional social skills training (SST). Single-blind randomized controlled trial with 2 groups of patients aged 18-65 with SSDs on partial hospitalization. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive 16 group sessions with MOSST or conventional SST, both in addition to standard care, over 4 months, with a 6-month follow-up. Psychosocial functioning, metacognition, and symptom outcomes were measured by blind assessors. Statistical analyses used mixed models to estimate treatment effects in each postrandomization time point. Thirty-six patients were randomly assigned to the MOSST group and 33 patients to the conventional SST group. Between-group differences were significant in favor of MOSST on Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS) and Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP) total scores at post-treatment and follow-up. Concerning PSP subscales, there were significant between-group differences in favor of MOSST at follow-up on socially useful activities, personal and social relationships, and disturbing and aggressive behaviors. Metacognition only improved following MOSST group. For people with SDDs, MOSST appears to have short- and long-term beneficial effects on social functioning and symptoms. Further studies are required to replicate the current results in other samples.

Confirmatory factor analysis and psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire-Appearance Scales.

The Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ) is the most comprehensive instrument to assess body image. The MBSRQ-Appearance Scales (MBSRQ-AS) is a reduced version that has been validated in other languages. The main aim of the present study was to confirm the factor structure of the Spanish version of the MBSRQ-AS and analyze its psychometric properties in 1041 nonclinical individuals. Confirmatory factor analysis showed excellent goodness of fit indices for the five-factor structure (Appearance Evaluation, Appearance Orientation, Body Areas Satisfaction, Overweight Preoccupation, and Self-Classified Weight). Factors possessed adequate scale score reliability indices. Some of the factors showed significant associations with the Eating Attitudes Test. Significant differences were found between boys/men and girls/women, and among age groups. The Spanish version of the MBSRQ-AS is a valid instrument for use in nonclinical population settings in people from 15 to 46 years old.