Attachment styles and associated psychosocial factors in patients at ultra-high risk for psychosis: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Patients with an ultra-high risk of psychosis (UHR) are more likely to transition to psychosis. Attachment style has also been associated with psychosis and other symptoms. AIMS: To review attachment styles in UHR patients and to analyze related psychosocial factors. Ours is the first systematic review of attachment in this population. METHOD: We performed a systematic review of attachment and related psychosocial factors in UHR patients following the PRISMA methodology. RESULTS: We identified five studies. The results revealed high rates of insecure attachment in this population (more than 80%). The UHR sample presented high levels of depression, anxiety, social anxiety, emotional reactivity, trauma, and poor mentalization. Premorbid social adjustment was a predictor of improvement in disorganization and negative symptoms. The rate of transition to psychosis was 10%. Attachment patterns accounted for 16.8% of the variance. This vulnerability for psychosis was also associated with poor mentalization. CONCLUSION: Early detection of patients with UHR and insecure attachment is crucial, since early intervention to address symptoms, mentalization, and attachment is feasible and may lead to an improvement in the remaining associated psychosocial related factors (secure style: better global functioning and less affective and anxious symptoms). PROSPERO ID440957.

Neuropsychological functioning and suicidal behaviours in patients with first-episode psychosis: A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Suicidal behaviour is particularly frequent in patients with psychosis. Therefore, prevention is a key objective of mental health policies. The aim of the current work is to systematically review the association between neurocognitive functioning and suicidal behaviour in patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Of the 3051 studies reviewed, only 7 met the inclusion criteria. Documents in English from their earliest date of coverage until January 2022 were searched for in the following databases: PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO (ProQuest), and Springerlink. We used the PICO strategy to collect and categorize the data from each selected manuscript. RESULTS: Overall, the results showed that the risk of suicidal behaviour is higher for FEP patients in the presence of a number of factors: poorer general neuropsychological functioning (except for working memory), poorer social cognition, more depressive symptoms, longer duration of untreated psychosis, higher awareness of the illness, poorer premorbid adjustment, and more frequent cannabis use. DISCUSSION: Comprehensive general neuropsychology and assessment of social cognition, together with routine clinical record keeping, may help to identify FEP patients at a greater risk of attempting suicide.

Experiencia en la mnemotecnia y aprendizaje incidental con imágenes normales y raras / Mnemotechnic experience and incidental learning with normal and bizarre imagery

En nuestra investigación deseábamos saber si la experiencia en la utilización de imágenes mentales y el tipo de imagen utilizada: sin imagen, imagen normal, imagen rara, e imagen mixta, influía en el recuerdo inmediato, al cabo de un día y de una semana. Para ello seleccionamos a 198 sujetos, con una media de edad de 14.4 años, y los distribuimos, al azar en cuatro grupos: el grupo que no utilizó imágenes mentales, el que utilizó imágenes normales, el que utilizó imágenes raras, y el grupo mixto. A los grupos se les presentaron 16 oraciones, cada una con tres palabras en mayúsculas. Los sujetos tenían que puntuar la relación entre las tres palabras (el grupo sin imagen), o la viveza suscitada por cada oración (grupos con imagen). Posteriormente se midió el recuerdo, el reconocimiento, el falso reconocimiento, el acceso a la oración, los ítems por oración recordados, y el número de oraciones totalmente recordadas. También se preguntó a los sujetos por su experiencia en la utilización de imágenes. Encontramos que la experiencia en la utilización de imágenes influyó al cabo de un día y de una semana en el recuerdo, en el reconocimiento, en el número de oraciones totalmente recordadas, y en el acceso a la oración. Los grupos que utilizaron imágenes raras e imágenes mixtas manifestaron, después de una semana, mayor rendimiento en todas las variables dependientes (excepto en ítems por sentencia recordados), que los grupos que utilizaron imágenes normales o no utilizaron imágenes mentales.(AU)

This study sought to evaluate the effects of the use of imagery in immediate recollection, at the end of one day and at the end of the week, according to the type of imagery employed: no images, normal image, unusual image and mixed image. For this test, 198 subjects were selected with an average age of 14.4 years, randomly assigned to one of four experimental groups: 1) group with no mental images, 2) group which used normal mental images, 3) group which used unusual images and 4) mixed group. A set of 16 sentences was shown to the groups, each of which contained three words written in block capitals. The subjects had to indicate the relationship between the three words (in the group without any image), or the intensity of the image provoked by each sentence (groups with images). We subsequently conducted an evaluation of the recollection, recognition, false recognition, access to the sentence, the items recalled by sentence and the number of sentences completely recollected. The subjects were also questioned about their experiences in the use of the images. It was ascertained that the experience in the use of the images influenced, at the end of the day and of the week, the recollection, recognition, the number of sentences completely recalled and the access to the sentence. After a week, the groups which were shown unusual or mixed images demonstrated better results in all the dependent variables (with the exception of the items recollected by sentence) than the groups which were shown normal mental images, or no images at all.(AU)

Experiencia en la mnemotecnia y aprendizaje incidental con imágenes normales y raras / Mnemotechnic experience and incidental learning with normal and bizarre imagery

En nuestra investigación deseábamos saber si la experiencia en la utilización de imágenes mentales y el tipo de imagen utilizada: sin imagen, imagen normal, imagen rara, e imagen mixta, influía en el recuerdo inmediato, al cabo de un día y de una semana. Para ello seleccionamos a 198 sujetos, con una media de edad de 14.4 años, y los distribuimos, al azar en cuatro grupos: el grupo que no utilizó imágenes mentales, el que utilizó imágenes normales, el que utilizó imágenes raras, y el grupo mixto. A los grupos se les presentaron 16 oraciones, cada una con tres palabras en mayúsculas. Los sujetos tenían que puntuar la relación entre las tres palabras (el grupo sin imagen), o la viveza suscitada por cada oración (grupos con imagen). Posteriormente se midió el recuerdo, el reconocimiento, el falso reconocimiento, el acceso a la oración, los ítems por oración recordados, y el número de oraciones totalmente recordadas. También se preguntó a los sujetos por su experiencia en la utilización de imágenes. Encontramos que la experiencia en la utilización de imágenes influyó al cabo de un día y de una semana en el recuerdo, en el reconocimiento, en el número de oraciones totalmente recordadas, y en el acceso a la oración. Los grupos que utilizaron imágenes raras e imágenes mixtas manifestaron, después de una semana, mayor rendimiento en todas las variables dependientes (excepto en ítems por sentencia recordados), que los grupos que utilizaron imágenes normales o no utilizaron imágenes mentales.

This study sought to evaluate the effects of the use of imagery in immediate recollection, at the end of one day and at the end of the week, according to the type of imagery employed: no images, normal image, unusual image and mixed image. For this test, 198 subjects were selected with an average age of 14.4 years, randomly assigned to one of four experimental groups: 1) group with no mental images, 2) group which used normal mental images, 3) group which used unusual images and 4) mixed group. A set of 16 sentences was shown to the groups, each of which contained three words written in block capitals. The subjects had to indicate the relationship between the three words (in the group without any image), or the intensity of the image provoked by each sentence (groups with images). We subsequently conducted an evaluation of the recollection, recognition, false recognition, access to the sentence, the items recalled by sentence and the number of sentences completely recollected. The subjects were also questioned about their experiences in the use of the images. It was ascertained that the experience in the use of the images influenced, at the end of the day and of the week, the recollection, recognition, the number of sentences completely recalled and the access to the sentence. After a week, the groups which were shown unusual or mixed images demonstrated better results in all the dependent variables (with the exception of the items recollected by sentence) than the groups which were shown normal mental images, or no images at all.

Visual imaging capacity and imagery control in Fine Arts students.

This study investigated relationships between visual imaging abilities (imaging capacity and imagery control) and academic performance in 146 Fine Arts students (31 men, 115 women). Mean age was 22.3 yr. (SD= 1.9; range 20-26 yr.). All of the participants who volunteered for the experiment regularly attended classes and were first, second, or third year students. For evaluation of imaging abilities, the Spanish versions of the Gordon Test of Visual Imagery Control, the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire, the Verbalizer-Visualizer Questionnaire, and Betts' Questionnaire Upon Mental Imagery were used. Academic performance was assessed in four areas, Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, and Complementary Subjects, over a three-year period. The results indicate that imagery control was associated with academic performance in Fine Arts. These findings are discussed in the context of previous studies, and new lines of research are proposed.