Risk factors associated with the family care of people with serious mental illness.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study is to analyse the variables associated with the family care of people diagnosed with serious mental illness. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out involving caregivers of people with serious mental illness (SMI) who were known to the mental health services in Valencia (España) and associations for those with SMI. The sample comprised 417 caregivers who completed a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Zarit Burden Interview. Bivariate analyses (t-test, analysis of variance and Pearson correlation) were performed, as was a multiple linear regression model. Values of p < .05 were considered significant. The study was carried out in accordance with the recommendations of the ethics committees of the participating institutions. RESULTS: The statistical analyses showed significant associations between the sociodemographic and clinical variables of the caregivers and patients and the burden felt by caregivers of people with SMI. The importance of both formal and informal social support stands out as a protective factor against the consequences of the illness's impact on the main caregiver. CONCLUSIONS: The role of spaces of mutual support is crucial. The results suggest that family psychoeducational programmes should be created, applied and evaluated in all mental healthcare services so as to reinforce training in mental health matters and provide support and assessment to caregivers in order to ease their burden.

Inestabilidad emocional y agresividad: factores predictors / Emotional instability and aggressiveness: Predicting factors

Este artículo persigue un doble objetivo, analizar la interrelaciones paterno-filiales y su vinculación al desarrollo de los hijos, así como las conexiones entre la agresión y la inestabilidad emocional de los menores. En el estudio participaron 2.747 personas de 10 a 15 años, escolarizados en 36 centros educativos de la Comunidad Valenciana. El 50,6% son chicos, y el 49,$% chicas. Los resultados muestran fuertes conexiones entre la agresividad física y verbal y la inestabilidad emocional. Además los individuos más prosociales suelen ser menos agresivos en sus relaciones con los demás y, por último, la crianza está asociada a la inestabilidad emocional y a las conductas agresivas de los hijos/as. En este sentido, los factores que tiene mayor peso son la permisividad y la hostilidad de la madre, en el extremo negativo, y el amor y la autonomía que la madre es capaz de ofrecer, en el positivo (AU)

This article pursues a double aim: to analyse parent-child relationships and how it affects child development, as well as the association between aggression and emotional instability. Sample consisted of 2,747 students, aged 10 to 15 years old, from 36 education centres of the Valencian Community (50,6% boys and 40,4% girls). Results show a strong connection between students ‘physical and verbal aggressiveness and their emotional instability. Prosocial individuals tend to be less aggressive in their relationships with others. In addition, certain types of rearing are associated with emotional instability and aggressive behavior in the child. The main negative factors identified are mothers ´permissiveness and hostility. In contrast, positive factors are love and autonomy offered by the mother (AU)

[Validation of a new questionnaire to evaluate the quality of life in patients after myocardial infarction]. / Validación de un nuevo cuestionario para evaluar la calidad de vida en pacientes postinfarto.

Quality of life is an important measurement in chronic diseases and especially in patients after myocardial infarction. We designed and structured a new Questionnaire of Quality of Life for Spanish speaking patients from the existing English questionnaires. The new Questionnaire of Velasco-Del Barrio has a total of 44 items, grouped in 9 subscales: health, sleep and rest, emotional behaviour, concerns to the future, mobility, social relations alertness behaviour, communication, and work and leisure time. The questionnaire has been validated taking as a gold standard, the Quality of Life Questionnaire for Myocardial Infarction (QLMI-Q) of Oldridge. The reliability and the reproducibility have also been studied. The validity of the Velasco-Del Barrio Questionnaire was high (r = 0.81), as its reproducibility (0.75) and reliability (0.90). We assume that the usefulness of the new Questionnaire is at least, similar to that of the Oldridge's one, and that it can be recommended in postinfarction patients, even though it can be more advantageous in patients of Spanish speaking cultures.