Design and validation of a diagnostic suspicion checklist to differentiate epileptic from psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES-DSC).

OBJECTIVE: Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) are complex clinical manifestations and misdiagnosis as status epilepticus remains high, entailing deleterious consequences for patients. Video-electroencephalography (vEEG) remains the gold-standard method for diagnosing PNES. However, time and economic constraints limit access to vEEG, and clinicians lack fast and reliable screening tools to assist in the differential diagnosis with epileptic seizures (ES). This study aimed to design and validate the PNES-DSC, a clinically based PNES diagnostic suspicion checklist with adequate sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) to discriminate PNES from ES. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with 125 patients (n = 104 drug-resistant epilepsy; n = 21 PNES) admitted for a vEEG protocolised study of seizures. A preliminary PNES-DSC (16-item) was designed and used by expert raters blinded to the definitive diagnosis to evaluate the seizure video recordings for each patient. Cohen's kappa coefficient, leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) and balance accuracy (BAC) comprised the main validation analysis. RESULTS: The final PNES-DSC is a 6-item checklist that requires only two to be present to confirm the suspicion of PNES. The LOOCV showed 71.4% BAC (Se = 45.2%; Sp = 97.6%) when the expert rater watched one seizure video recording and 83.4% BAC (Se = 69.6%; Sp = 97.2%) when the expert rater watched two seizure video recordings. CONCLUSION: The PNES-DSC is a straightforward checklist with adequate psychometric properties. With an integrative approach and appropriate patient history, the PNES-DSC can assist clinicians in expediting the final diagnosis of PNES when vEEG is limited. The PNES-DSC can also be used in the absence of patients, allowing clinicians to assess seizure recordings from smartphones.

Psychiatric and psychological assessment of Spanish patients with drug-resistant epilepsy and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) with no response to previous treatments.

OBJECTIVE: Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are common imitators of epileptic seizures. Refractoriness to antiseizure medication hinders the differential diagnosis between ES and PNES, carrying deleterious consequences in patients with PNES. Psychiatric and psychological characteristics may assist in the differential diagnosis between drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) and PNES. Nevertheless, current comprehensive psychiatric and psychological descriptive studies on both patient groups are scarce and with several study limitations. This study provides a comprehensive psychiatric and psychological characterization of Spanish patients with DRE and PNES. METHOD: A cross-sectional and comparative study was completed with 104 patients with DRE and 21 with PNES. Psychiatric and psychological characteristics were assessed with the HADS, SCL-90-R, NEO-FFI-R, PDQ-4+, COPE, and QOLIE-31 tests. Parametric and non-parametric tests were used, and regression models were fit to further explore factors affecting patients' life quality. RESULTS: Patients with PNES had greater levels of somatization and extraversion and were associated with benzodiazepine intake. Patients with DRE showed greater narcissistic personality disorder symptoms than those with PNES. In patients with DRE, difficulty in performing basic needs-related tasks and greater psychological distress severity and seizure frequency were associated with poorer life quality. In contrast, being a woman, having a psychiatric disorder history, and greater psychiatric symptoms' intensity were associated with poorer life quality in patients with PNES. CONCLUSION: Patients with DRE and PNES share similar psychiatric and psychological characteristics, with only very few being significantly different.

Maladaptive personality traits in patients with recent-onset psychosis: A case-control study using the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 (PID-5).

BACKGROUND: The relationship between maladaptive personality traits and psychotic disorders in the early stages of disease has not been thoroughly investigated, even though it is essential for developing prevention and early intervention strategies. METHODS: The five domains and the 25 facets of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) were compared between 102 patients with recent-onset psychosis (ROP) and 116 community subjects (C) with a general linear model including age and sex in the analyses. In addition, multiple linear regression models were used to identify which factors associated with the PID-5 domains in ROP, and correlation analyses were used to explore the relationship between personality traits. RESULTS: Patients with ROP, compared to C, exhibited higher scores in four out of the five domains with medium effect sizes (Cohen's f2 ≥ 0.15) in two of them: negative affect (NA, p = 0.013, f2 = 0.04), detachment (DET, p < 0.001, f2 = 0.15), disinhibition (DIS, p < 0.001, f2 = 0.14) and psychoticism (PSY, p < 0.001, f2 = 0.16). Significant group differences were observed in 15 of the 25 facets and the largest effects were observed in the facets of withdrawal (p ≤ 0.001, f2 = 0.20), irresponsibility (p < 0.001, f2 = 0.23) and unusual beliefs (p = 0.001, f2 = 0.22). Interestingly, being on antidepressants and high scores on the positive subscale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were associated with high scores of NA, antagonism (ANT) and PSY. CONCLUSIONS: Maladaptive personality traits were prominent in persons with ROP. These findings suggest that personality traits might play a role in vulnerability to psychosis and highlight the importance of evaluating personality in the early stages of psychosis.

Seroprevalence study prior and post vaccination in cancer patients in principality of Andorra (COVONCO study).

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 serologic response in patients with cancer may be lower than in the general population and may be influenced by the type of tumor or anticancer treatment. This study aims to analyze serological response prior and after vaccination of COVID-19 within the oncological population in Andorra. We set out to identify risk factors for a higher or lower serological response. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Observational, unicentric, prospective cohort study of oncologic patients in Andorra. We calculated the seroprevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 (May 2020-June 2021) and analyzed the main demographic, oncologic features and factors associated with being seropositive. RESULTS: A total of 373 patients were analyzed, mainly with solid tumours (n = 334, 89.5%). At baseline, seroprevalence was 13%, increasing during follow-up to 19%; lower seroprevalence was observed in patients with hematologic malignancies (2.6% vs 14.2%; p = 0.041) and patients receiving biological therapies (0% vs 15%, p = 0.005). In the overall seroprevalence analysis, women (23% vs 11.9%; p = 0.006) and tumour-free patients (p = 0.034) showed higher seroprevalence. The multivariable analysis showed that odds of being seropositive were higher among women (OR: 2.44, 95% CI 1.28-4.64), and patients who underwent surgery (OR: 3.35, 95% CI 1.10-10.20). About 80% of the cohort received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccination, showing a higher seroprevalence of patients who received ChAdOx1-S than those who received BNT162b2 (24.4% vs 6.4%: p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The seroprevalence of antibodies against SARS-COV-2 in oncologic patients in Andorra was higher among females and patients who received hormonal therapy and surgery while patients with hematologic malignancies and biologic therapies showed lower seropositivity without finding differences in the type of tumour or anticancer treatment.

Burnout among hospital staff during the COVID-19 pandemic: Longitudinal results from the international Cope-Corona survey study.

OBJECTIVE: Long-term changes in burnout and its predictors in hospital staff during the COVID-19 pandemic were investigated in an international study. METHODS: Two online surveys were distributed to hospital staff in seven countries (Germany, Andorra, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Romania, Iran) between May and October 2020 (T1) and between February and April 2021 (T2), using the following variables: Burnout (emotional exhaustion and depersonalization), job function, age, gender, and contact with COVID-19 patients; individual resources (self-compassion, sense of coherence, social support) and work-related resources and demands (support at the workplace, risk perception, health and safety at the workplace, altruistic acceptance of risk). Data were analyzed using linear mixed models repeated measures, controlled for age. RESULTS: A total of 612 respondents were included (76% women). We found an increase in burnout from T1 to T2. Burnout was high among personnel with high contact with COVID-19 patients. Individual factors (self-compassion, sense of coherence) and work-related factors (support at the workplace, risk perception, health and safety at the workplace) showed associations with burnout. Low health and safety at the workplace at T1 was associated with an increase in emotional exhaustion at T2. Men showed an increase in depersonalization if they had much contact with COVID-19 patients. CONCLUSION: Burnout represents a potential problematic consequence of occupational contact with COVID-19 patients. Special attention should be paid to this group in organizational health management. Self-compassion, sense of coherence, support at the workplace, risk perception, and health and safety at the workplace may be important starting points for interventions. REGISTRATION: Müller, M. M. (2020, August 30). Cope-Corona: Identifying and strengthening personal resources of hospital staff to cope with the Corona pandemic. Open Science Foundation.

Influence of personality profile in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy on quality of life following surgical treatment: A 1-year follow-up study.

The objectives of this study are to determine the influence of personality profile in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy on quality of life (QoL) after surgical treatment and compare the results with a non-surgical control group at the 1-year follow-up. We conducted a prospective, comparative, controlled study, including 70 patients suffering from drug-resistant epilepsy. Demographic, psychiatric, neurological, and psychological data were recorded at the baseline and at the 1-year follow-up. Assessment of personality dimensions was performed using the NEO-FFI-R questionnaire; severity of anxiety and depression were assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and QoL was evaluated using the QOLIE-31. At the 1-year follow-up, comparing the control and the surgical groups, we detected differences in scores of most items of QoL, which were higher in those patients who had undergone surgery. High levels of Conscientiousness and Openness to experience at the baseline in patients who underwent surgery predicted better post-surgical outcomes in the QoL scores, whereas high neurotic patients showed worse QoL results. Postoperative changes in QoL in patients were associated with the personality profile at the baseline. QoL measures significantly improved in the surgical group compared with the non-surgical group but were not associated with baseline or postoperative seizure frequency at 1 year.

Cine para realizar evaluaciones formativas de Psicología en tres grados diferentes de la Universidad Pompeu Fabra (upf) / Cinema to Carry Out Formative Examinations of Psychology in Three Different Degrees of the Pompeu Fabra University

Se narra el uso del cine comercial para realizar evaluaciones formativas de Psicología en tres grados diferentes de la Universidad Pompeu Fabra (UPF): Criminología, Biología Humana y Medicina. Se comparan los resultados en los tres grados. Los estudiantes de Criminología obtuvieron resultados inferiores a los de Biología Humana y de Medicina. (AU)

The use of commercial cinema to carry out formative examinations of Psychology in three different degrees of the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF): Criminology, Human Biology and Medicine is narrated. Results in the three grades are compared. The students of Criminology obtained lower results than those of Human Biology and Medicine. (AU)

A Double-Track Pathway to Fast Strategy in Humans and Its Personality Correlates.

The fast-slow paradigm of life history (LH) focuses on how individuals grow, mate, and reproduce at different paces. This paradigm can contribute substantially to the field of personality and individual differences provided that it is more strictly based on evolutionary biology than it has been so far. Our study tested the existence of a fast-slow continuum underlying indicators of reproductive effort-offspring output, age at first reproduction, number and stability of sexual partners-in 1,043 outpatients with healthy to severely disordered personalities. Two axes emerged reflecting a double-track pathway to fast strategy, based on restricted and unrestricted sociosexual strategies. When rotated, the fast-slow and sociosexuality axes turned out to be independent. Contrary to expectations, neither somatic effort-investment in status, material resources, social capital, and maintenance/survival-was aligned with reproductive effort, nor a clear tradeoff between current and future reproduction was evident. Finally, we examined the association of LH axes with seven high-order personality pathology traits: negative emotionality, impulsivity, antagonism, persistence-compulsivity, subordination, and psychoticism. Persistent and disinhibited subjects appeared as fast-restricted and fast-unrestricted strategists, respectively, whereas asocial subjects were slow strategists. Associations of LH traits with each other and with personality are far more complex than usually assumed in evolutionary psychology.

Personality changes in patients suffering from drug-resistant epilepsy after surgical treatment: a 1-year follow-up study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine changes in dimensions of personality in a sample of patients suffering from drug-resistant epilepsy at the 1-year follow-up following surgery, compared to non-surgically treated controls. METHODS: We conducted a prospective comparative controlled study, including drug-resistant epilepsy surgery candidates. Demographic, psychiatric, neurological, and psychological data were recorded. Presurgical and 12-months follow-up evaluations were performed. Personality dimensions were measured by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, Revised version (NEO-FFI-R), anxiety and depression symptoms were assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS: HADA-Anxiety and HADD-Depression), psychiatric evaluations were performed using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) Axis-I disorders classification. Statistical analysis consisted of comparative tests, correlation analysis, and the stepwise multiple regression test (ANOVA). RESULTS: A 1-year follow-up was completed by 70 out of 80 patients. Through the study, the surgical group decreased in neuroticism and increased in agreeableness. The controls increased in consciousness, and these changes were predicted by the earlier age of epilepsy onset and lesser score in HADD at the baseline. No personality changes were associated with seizure frequency. The presurgical evaluation concluded that both groups had no differences in demographic, psychiatric, or neurological variables with the only exception being for the number of seizures per month, which was higher in the surgical group. Psychiatric comorbidity in patients was associated with their higher degree of neuroticism and agreeableness at the baseline. Comparing control and surgical groups at the one-year follow-up, the agreeableness personality variable was higher in the surgical group, and as expected, HADS scores were higher in the control group, and seizure frequency was also higher in the control group. SIGNIFICANCE: Higher agreeableness was the most relevant difference in personality dimensions in patients who underwent surgical treatment compared with the non-surgical treatment group. After surgery patients decreased in neuroticism and increased in agreeableness scores.

A third hierarchical level of narrower traits for the Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology-Basic Questionnaire.

Current dimensional taxonomies of personality disorder show a stronger empirical grounding than categories, but may lack the necessary level of detail to make accurate predictions and case formulations. We need to further develop the lower levels of the hierarchy until reaching the building blocks of personality pathology. The Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology-Basic Questionnaire (DAPP-BQ) is well-suited to this purpose due to its multilayered structure and its agreement with the official dimensional classifications. We disaggregated the 18 DAPP-BQ mid-level facets through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis in a sample of 3233 community subjects and outpatients. We obtained a set of 72 clinically relevant, narrower subfacets, which were reliable, well-fitted to the data, and invariant between clinical and community subjects and between the sexes. This third level of abstraction increases by 4.7% the capacity to predict DSM categorical personality disorders, gives a particular advantage in capturing dependent, histrionic, paranoid, obsessive, and schizoid features and can provide the detailed information that clinical decisions demand.

The Spanish Version of the Fear of Kidney Failure Questionnaire: Validity, Reliability, and Characterization of Living Donors With the Highest Fear of Kidney Failure.

BACKGROUND: Measures of fear of progression or recurrence of illnesses have been criticized for neglecting cross-cultural validity. Therefore, we assessed the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Fear of Kidney Failure Questionnaire (FKFQ), to determine whether postdonation fear of kidney failure (FKF) influenced the donors' psychosocial status, and define variables that characterized donors with high FKFQ scores. METHODS: We included 492 participants (211 donors) in a multicenter, 11-year, retrospective, cross-sectional study. Donors were classified with a Latent Class Analysis of the FKFQ-item scores and characterized with a multivariable logistic regression analysis. We calculated the risk ratio based on predicted marginal probabilities. RESULTS: The Spanish version of the FKFQ showed acceptable psychometric properties. FKF was uncommon among donors, but we detected a small subgroup (n = 21, 9.9%) with high FKF (mean FKFQ score = 14.5, 3.1 SD). Compared with other donors, these donors reported higher anxiety and depression (38% and 29% of potential anxiety and depressive disorders), worse quality of life, and less satisfaction with the donation. Donors with high FKFQ scores were characterized by higher neuroticism combined with postdonation physical symptoms that interfered with daily activities. CONCLUSIONS: The FKFQ was cross-culturally valid, and thus, it may be used to assess the FKF in Spanish-speaking donors. New interventions that promote positive affectivity and evidence-based treatments for worry could be adapted for treating FKF.

Personality changes in patients with refractory epilepsy after surgical treatment: A systematic review.

PURPOSE: We aimed to conduct a systematic review to evaluate the personality changes in adult patients with drug-resistant epilepsy following surgical treatment. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and MetaAnalyses (PRISMA) statement. We searched PubMed, Medline databases, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, with search terms 'personality', 'epilepsy', and 'surgery'. RESULTS: Eleven studies were selected. In 7 out of 11 studies, personality changes were more adaptive, with patients experiencing decreased neuroticism, impulsivity, hypochondriasis, psychasthenia. One study showed increased emotional lability. The remainder of the studies showed no changes in personality dimensions. Changes in personality differed according to the localization of the epileptogenic area, depended on seizure status after treatment and duration of follow-up. Seizure freedom as an outcome of surgical treatment influenced the existence of personality changes, and their severity. Adaptive personality changes could be seen from early follow-up assessments even in patients who were not seizure-free, though further follow-ups showed that improvements after 1-2 years were specific to seizure-free patients. LIMITATIONS: The main limitation of our research is the heterogeneity of approaches used to evaluate personality in the included studies. Furthermore, the included studies also had different sample sizes and comparison groups, different designs, and different follow-up durations. We only included studies that were written in English. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of studies reported changes in personality dimensions in patients suffering from refractory epilepsy.

Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders Through the Lens of an Empirical Network Model.

The Alternative Model for Personality Disorders defined in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth edition (DSM-5) has recently attracted considerable interest in empirical research, with different hypotheses being proposed to explain the discordant results shown in previous research. Empirical network analysis has begun to be applied for complementing the study of psychopathological phenomena according to a new perspective. This article applies this analysis to personality facets measured in a sample of 626 patients with mental disorders and a 1,034 normative sample, using the Personality Inventory for DSM-5. The results reveal five substructures partially equivalent to domains defined in the DSM-5. Discordant facets (suspiciousness, hostility, rigid perfectionism, attention seeking, and restricted affectivity) play the role of connectors between substructures. Invariance between clinical and community networks was found except for the connection between unusual beliefs and perceptual dysregulation (stronger in the clinical sample). Considering the strength centrality index, anxiousness, emotional lability, and depressivity can be highlighted for their relative importance within both clinical and normative networks.

Uso del cine comercial en la enseñanza de Psicología para estudiantes de Medicina y de Biología / Use of commercial movies in Psychology teaching for Medicine and Biology students

En este escrito se narra una experiencia de uso de tres películas comerciales para llevar a cabo evaluaciones formativas en Psicología con estudiantes de Medicina y de Biología. En ambos casos, los alumnos visionaban las películas en horas de clase y posteriormente realizaban el examen formativo. Unos días después, se entregaban a los estudiantes los exámenes corregidos para realizar una sesión de retroalimentación. En ésta se comentaban todas las preguntas y se hacía hincapié en los conceptos que no habían sido asimilados de forma correcta. Se hace una valoración muy positiva de la experiencia tanto por la alta satisfacción mostrada por los estudiantes como por el éxito académico final de éstos

In the present paper, we explain our experience using three popular/commercial films to carry out formative assessment in teaching Psychology to students of Medicine and Biology. In both cases, the students watched the films during the intended class hours, and the, following day they completed a formative exam. A few days later, the corrected exams were given back to the students in order to carry out a feedback session. The aim was to deal with all their questions but focussing more closely on those answered with a lesser degree of success. We make a very positive evaluation of our experience, not only because of the satisfaction of the students but also because of their academic performan

Relación entre expediente académico y resultado en la prueba MIR en los estudios de medicina de la UPF-UAB / Relationship between final academic record and result in the MIR test in the UPF-UAB medicine studies

INTRODUCCIÓN: La prueba de acceso para la formación de médicos internos residentes (MIR) ha sido reconocida por su equidad, pero no ha estado exenta de críticas, especialmente por centrarse mayoritariamente en aspectos cognitivos. Además, dicha prueba se aprecia como un distorsionador en los estudios de medicina. OBJETIVO: Conocer la relación entre el expediente académico y el resultado en la prueba MIR de los graduados en medicina de los estudios conjuntos de la Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) y la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). Sujetos y métodos: El estudio se realizó con todos los graduados de las primeras cuatro promociones de los estudios cita-dos. Para ello se registraron las calificaciones de los expedientes finales de los graduados y el número de orden obtenido en la prueba MIR. RESULTADOS: En ambos sexos y en todas las promociones se encontró una relación positiva y significativa entre expediente académico y resultado en el examen MIR. CONCLUSIONES: El mejor predictor de éxito en la prueba MIR es el éxito en los estudios realizados durante la carrera. Se recomienda informar a los estudiantes de este hecho para reducir la distorsión que produce el examen MIR en su comporta-miento académico

INTRODUCTION: The exam to access for the selection of a medical specialty in Spain (MIR test) has been recognized for its equity, but has not been without criticism especially for focusing mainly on cognitive aspects. In addition, this test is seen as a distorter in medicine studies. AIM: To know the relationship between the final academic record and the result in the MIR test of graduates in medicine from the joint studies of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). Subjects and methods: The study was conducted with all graduates of the first four promotions of the studies cited. For this, the qualifications of the final files of the graduates were registered, as well as the order number obtained in the MIR test. RESULTS: In both sexes and in all the promotions a positive and significant relationship between academic record and result in the MIR exam was found. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that the best predictor of success in the MIR test is the success in studies conducted during the career. It is recommended to inform students of this fact to reduce the distortion produced by the MIR exam in their academic behaviour

External trigeminal nerve stimulation for drug resistant epilepsy: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: External trigeminal nerve stimulation (ETNS) is an emergent, non-invasive neurostimulation therapy delivered bilaterally with adhesive skin electrodes. In previous studies, ETNS was associated to a decrease in seizure frequency in patients with focal drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). OBJECTIVE: To determine the long-term efficacy and tolerability of ETNS in patients with focal DRE. Moreover, to explore whether its efficacy depends on the epileptogenic zone (frontal or temporal), and its impact on mood, cognitive function, quality of life, and trigeminal nerve excitability. METHODS: Forty consecutive patients with frontal or temporal DRE, unsuitable for surgery, were randomized to ETNS or usual medical treatment. Participants were evaluated at 3, 6 and 12 months for efficacy, side effects, mood scales, neuropsychological tests and trigeminal nerve excitability. RESULTS: Subjects had a median of 15 seizures per month and had tried a median of 12.5 antiepileptic drugs. At 12 months, percentage of responders was 50% in ETNS group and 0% in control group. Seizure frequency in ETNS group decreased by -43.5% from baseline. Temporal epilepsy subgroup responded better than frontal epilepsy subgroup (55.56% vs. 45.45%, respectively). Median stimulation intensity was 6.2 mA. ETNS improved quality of life, but not anxiety or depression. Long-term ETNS affected neither neuropsychological function, nor trigeminal nerve excitability. No relevant adverse events were observed. CONCLUSIONS: ETNS is an effective and well-tolerated therapy for focal DRE. Patients with temporal epilepsy showed a better response than those with frontal epilepsy. Future studies with larger populations may define its role compared to other neurostimulation techniques. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class II evidence that ETNS reduces seizure frequency in patients with focal DRE.

Mean-level change in pathological personality dimensions over 4 decades in clinical and community samples: A cross-sectional study.

Although normal personality traits change gradually with age, personality disorders have been reported to remit rapidly and completely in little more than 10 years. Such a benign prognosis is surprising and may be due in part to the combined use of categorical diagnoses, seriously ill patients, and longitudinal designs in the existing literature. This study examines, for the first time, the development of personality pathology across a life span by means of dimensional models, represented by the Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology-Basic Questionnaire and the Personality Inventory for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. We draw upon a cross-sectional design and four large clinical and community samples to avoid previous biases. We found that personality pathology declined by around 0.5 SD overall from age 20 to 60, though with noticeable differences between domains: Dissocial behavior and antagonism decreased by between two thirds and 1 SD; compulsivity increased at the same rate; disinhibition, negative affect, and psychoticism dropped by 0.5 SD; and detachment remained stable or rose slightly. In short, the changes in many clinically important traits are modest, occur at a slow pace, and roughly parallel the maturation effect found for normal personality traits. The resulting picture of personality disorder development is not as optimistic as previous studies would have us believe. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Equidad en el cálculo de los expedientes universitarios. Expedientes cualitativos vs cuantitativos / Equity in the calculation of student grades in universities. Qualitative vs. quantitative records

INTRODUCCIÓN: El expediente final de un graduado puede tener una importante repercusión en su futura carrera profesional, es por ello que también debería ser establecido de la forma más justa posible. Hasta hace unos años los expedientes en la universidad española se calculaban a partir de criterios cualitativos de 4 categorías (1-4). En el año 2003 se propone una calificación decimal (0-10) para calcular los expedientes, hecho que garantizaría más la equidad. El objetivo del estudio consiste en determinar la relación entre los 2 tipos de calificaciones y en observar las posibles diferencias y posibles repercusiones. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Para el estudio se registraron los datos de 6 promociones de la extinta licenciatura de biología, 5 promociones del grado de biología humana y de 3 promociones de medicina de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud y de la Vida de la Universidad Pompeu Fabra. RESULTADOS: Se observaron correlaciones muy elevadas (superiores a 0,9) entre las 2 opciones de evaluación, pero se puso de manifiesto que con el sistema decimal existiría un mayor número de egresados con expedientes brillantes. DISCUSIÓN: Dado que el sistema decimal de evaluación era más equitativo se propone que las autoridades responsables utilicen el sistema decimal de evaluación en vez del cualitativo que todavía continúa en vigor

INTRODUCTION: As the final academic record of a graduate can have an important impact on their future professional career, this should be established as fairly as possible. Until a few years ago, the academic grades in Spanish universities were calculated based on qualitative criteria of four categories (1-4). In 2003, a decimal rating (0-10) was proposed to calculate the grades; a fact that would further guarantee fairness. The objective of the study is to determine the relationship between the two types of qualifications and to observe any differences and repercussions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: For the study data was recorder from 6 courses of the former Biology degree, 5 courses of the Human Biology degree, and of 3 Medicine courses of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences of the Pompeu Fabra University. RESULTS: Very high correlations (higher than 0.9) were observed between the two assessment options, but it was observed that with the decimal system there would be a greater number of graduates with brilliant results. DISCUSSION: Since the decimal evaluation system was more equitable, it is proposed that the responsible authorities use the decimal assessment system instead of the qualitative one that is still in force

Relación entre pruebas de elección múltiple y de ensayo en los grados de Biología Humana y de Medicina de la Universitat Pompeu Fabra / Relationship between multiple choice and essay questions in the degrees of Human Biology and Medicine of the Pompeu Fabra University

Introducción: En estudios de ciencias de la salud es muy habitual el uso de pruebas de elección múltiple y pruebas de ensayo, cada una de ellas adecuadas para evaluar diversos niveles de objetivos educativos y ambas con ciertas ventajas e inconvenientes. Objetivos: Determinar la relación entre resultados en ambas pruebas en estudiantes de los grados de Biología Humana y de Medicina de la Universitat Pompeu Fabra, indagar posibles diferencias en función de la longitud de las pruebas de ensayo y conocer posibles diferencias de rendimiento académico en ambas pruebas. Materiales y métodos: Se seleccionaron las calificaciones en las pruebas de elección múltiple y en las pruebas de ensayo en 12 asignaturas de los dos grados estudiados y se calcularon los coeficientes de correlación de Pearson entre ambas calificaciones. También, en cada asignatura, se compararon los resultados en ambos tipos de pruebas. Resultados: En todos los casos se dieron correlaciones positivas y significativas independientemente de la longitud de las pruebas de ensayo. Así mismo, en siete asignaturas existieron diferencias significativas entre las calificaciones de ambas pruebas, siendo en cinco casos favorables a las pruebas de ensayo. Conclusiones: A pesar de la alta relación entre las calificaciones en ambas pruebas, se recomienda seguir usando los dos tipos por permitir evaluar niveles cognitivos diferentes. Se destaca la necesidad de una correcta elaboración de las pruebas

Introduction: In health sciences studies, multiple choice and essay questions are habitual and each of them suitable for evaluating different levels of educational objectives and with certain advantages and disadvantages. Aims: To determine the relationship between scores in both tests in students of Human Biology and Medicine degrees of the Pompeu Fabra University, to investigate possible differences depending on the number of the questions, and to know possible differences in academic achievement in both tests. Materials and methods: Scores in the multiple choice questions and the essay questions tests of 12 subjects of the two grades were selected and the Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated between both scores. Also, in each subject, scores in both types of tests were compared. Results: In all cases positive and significant correlations were given regardless of the number of questions of the essay tests. Likewise, in seven subjects there were significant differences between the scores of both tests being in five cases favourable to the essay tests. Conclusions: Despite the high relationship between the scores in the two tests, it is recommended to continue using multiple choice questions and essay questions for allowing assessing different cognitive levels. The need for proper and fair preparation of the tests is recommended