Flow in Nurses: A Study of Its Relationship With Health and Burnout in a Hospital Work Context.

How does the experience of flow among nurses influences their health? This question is addressed on the basis of a model of flow, stress, burnout, and coping. The results indicate that promoting flow can be a way to enhance the health of ward nurses in a hospital work context.

Effects on Physical Health of a Multicomponent Programme for Overweight and Obesity for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities.

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity are major health risk factors in people with intellectual disabilities. The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of a multicomponent programme (physical activity, diet and motivation) for overweight and obesity in adults with intellectual disabilities. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A quasi-experimental design with repeated-measures and non-equivalent control group (n = 33, n = 31) was used. The programme was conducted over 17 weeks, with follow-up at 6 months in a sample of Spanish adults with a mild and moderate intellectual disability from a community occupational day centre, aged from 23 to 50, 40.6% of which were women. RESULTS: A significant reduction in weight and diastolic blood pressure was obtained over time, and this reduction was maintained in the follow-up for weight. Reduction in heart rate was only marginally significant. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment was effective in reducing overweight and obesity, improving cardiovascular capacity and therefore the physical health of the participants.

Classical and causal inference approaches to statistical mediation analysis / El enfoque clásico y el enfoque de la inferencia causal para el análisis de la mediación

BACKGROUND: Although there is a broad consensus on the use of statistical procedures for mediation analysis in psychological research, the interpretation of the effect of mediation is highly controversial because of the potential violation of the assumptions required in application, most of which are ignored in practice. METHOD: This paper summarises two currently independent procedures for mediation analysis, the classical/SEM and causal inference/CI approaches, together with the statistical assumptions required to estimate unbiased mediation effects, in particular the existence of omitted variables or confounders. A simulation study was run to test whether violating the assumptions changes the estimation of mediating effects. RESULTS: The simulation study showed a significant overestimation of mediation effects with latent confounders. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend expanding the classical with the causal inference approach, which generalises the results of the first approach to mediation using a common estimation method and incorporates new tools to evaluate the statistical assumptions. To achieve this goal, we compare the distinguishing features of recently developed software programs in R, SAS, SPSS, STATA and Mplus

ANTECEDENTES: aunque existe un amplio consenso en el uso de los procedimientos estadísticos para el análisis de la mediación en la investigación psicológica, la interpretación del efecto de mediación resulta muy controvertida debido al potencial incumplimiento de los supuestos que requiere su aplicación, la mayoría de los cuales son ignorados en la práctica. MÉTODO: se resumen los procedimientos actualmente vigentes para el análisis de mediación desde los enfoques clásico y de la inferencia causal, junto con los supuestos estadísticos para estimar efectos de mediación no sesgados, en particular la existencia de variables omitidas o confundidores, y se utiliza un estudio de simulación para determinar si la violación de los supuestos puede cambiar la estimación del efecto de mediación. RESULTADOS: el estudio de simulación mostró una sobreestimación importante del efecto de mediación en presencia de confundidores latentes. CONCLUSIONES: se recomienda complementar el enfoque clásico con el enfoque de la inferencia causal, que generaliza los resultados del primer enfoque al análisis de la mediación e incorpora nuevas herramientas para evaluar sus supuestos estadísticos. Para alcanzar tal objetivo se comparan las características distintivas de los programas de software recientemente desarrollados en R, SAS, SPSS y Mplus

Confirmatory factor analysis of the quality of life in Alzheimer's disease scale in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

UNLABELLED: BACKGROUND/STUDY CONTEXT: Quality of life (QoL) has become an important outcome measure in clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease (QoL-AD) Scale is widely used for assessing QoL of patients with AD. This research aims to determine the factor structure of the QoL-AD Scale in AD patients. METHODS: One hundred thirty-nine patients with mild-to-moderate AD were administered the QoL-AD Scale. Based on the model proposed for healthy people, confirmatory factor models were built using modification indices and residual analysis to improve the model fit. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis indicated poor fit for both the initial model and the single-factor model. Two models showed a good fit: a three-factor model (perceived health, perceived environment and perceived functional ability) and a two-factor model (perceived physical health and perceived psychological health). Because no differences in fit were found between both models, the authors proposed the more parsimonious solution as the best model. CONCLUSION: These results provide evidence supporting the construct validity of the QoL-AD Scale. This instrument seems to measure the perception of two related constructs (behavioral competence and environment) and could be used together with instruments measuring psychological well-being and the perception of health.

Predictors of distress in hospital physicians: protective and vulnerability factors / Predictores de distrés en médicos hospitalarios: factores protectores y de vulnerabilidad

This study investigates the relationship between protective and vulnerability factors affecting health (distress) in medical staff. Participants were 127 doctors from four public hospitals, who were administered the Occupational Stress in Health Professionals Inventory, the Ways of Coping Questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Symptom Check-list-90 Revised Questionnaire, and the Flow Trait Scale-2. Following the methodology of Partial Least Squares modeling (PLS), an explanation is given for distress in hospital physicians, where the avoidance coping strategy produces distress directly (beta = .296) and indirectly (beta = .139) through its influence on the increase of burnout (beta = .314), which in turn is in-creased by occupational stress (beta = .209). Professional flow, measured by professional efficacy and flow, acts as a good protector against distress (beta = -.133), partly compensating the effects of the variables which have an increasing impact on an individual’s distress (GoF = .983). To sum up, when trying to predict a physician’s distress, four key elements should be considered: avoidance coping and its indirect effect through burnout on distress; the burnout construct itself and professional flow

Este estudio investiga la relación entre factores protectores y de vulnerabilidad que afectan la salud (distrés) del personal médico. Los participantes fueron 127 médicos de cuatro hospitales públicos, a quienes se les administró el Cuestionario de Estrés Ocupacional, el Cuestionario de Estilos de Afrontamiento, el Inventario de Burnout de Maslach, el Cuestionario de 90 Síntomas-Revisado y la Escala de Experiencia Óptima-2. Siguiendo la metodología de Mínimos Cuadrados Parciales (PLS) se propone una explicación del estrés en médicos hospitalarios, según la cual la estrategia de afrontamiento de evitación produce directamente distrés (Beta = .314), que a su vez se ve incrementado por el estrés ocupacional (Beta = .209). La experiencia óptima profesional, medida mediante la eficacia profesional y el estado de flow, actuaría como un buen protector contra el distrés (Beta = -.133), compensando en parte los efectos de las variables que incrementan el distrés (ajuste global, GoF = .983). En resumen, cuatro serían los elementos a considerar al intentar predecir el distrés médico: afrontamiento evitativo y su efecto indirecto a través del burnout en el distrés, el constructo de burnout en sí mismo y la experiencia óptima profesional

Classical and causal inference approaches to statistical mediation analysis.

BACKGROUND: Although there is a broad consensus on the use of statistical procedures for mediation analysis in psychological research, the interpretation of the effect of mediation is highly controversial because of the potential violation of the assumptions required in application, most of which are ignored in practice. METHOD: This paper summarises two currently independent procedures for mediation analysis, the classical/SEM and causal inference/CI approaches, together with the statistical assumptions required to estimate unbiased mediation effects, in particular the existence of omitted variables or confounders. A simulation study was run to test whether violating the assumptions changes the estimation of mediating effects. RESULTS: The simulation study showed a significant overestimation of mediation effects with latent confounders. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend expanding the classical with the causal inference approach, which generalises the results of the first approach to mediation using a common estimation method and incorporates new tools to evaluate the statistical assumptions. To achieve this goal, we compare the distinguishing features of recently developed software programs in R, SAS, SPSS, STATA and Mplus.

Multilevel bootstrap analysis with assumptions violated / Análisis bootstrap multinivel con supuestos incumplidos

Background: Likelihood-based methods can work poorly when the residuals are not normally distributed and the variances across clusters are heterogeneous. Method: The performance of two estimation methods, the non-parametric residual bootstrap (RB) and the restricted maximum likelihood (REML) for fitting multilevel models are compared through simulation studies in terms of bias, coverage, and precision. Results: We find that (a) both methods produce unbiased estimates of the fixed parameters, but biased estimates of the random parameters, although the REML was more prone to give biased estimates for the variance components; (b) the RB method yields substantial reductions in the difference between nominal and actual confidence interval coverage, compared with the REML method; and (c) for the square root of the mean squared error (RMSE) of the fixed effects, the RB method performed slightly better than the REML method. For the variance components, however, the RB method did not offer a systematic improvement over the REML method in terms of RMSE. Conclusions: It can be stated that the RB method is, in general, superior to the REML method with violated assumptions (AU)

Antecedentes: los métodos basados en la verosimilitud pueden trabajar con dificultad cuando los errores no se distribuyen normalmente y las varianzas a través de los grupos son heterogéneas. Método: el desempeño de dos métodos de estimación, el bootstrap residual (BR) no paramétrico y el de la máxima verosimilitud restringida (MVR), para ajustar modelos multinivel es comparado mediante estudios de simulación en términos de sesgo, cobertura y precisión. Resultados: encontramos que: (a) ambos métodos proporcionan estimaciones no sesgadas de los efectos fijos, pero sesgadas de los efectos aleatorios, aunque el método MVR es más propenso a generar estimaciones sesgadas para los componentes de la varianza; (b) el método BR depara diferencias más pequeñas entre las tasas de cobertura real y nominal de los intervalos de confianza que el método MVR; y (c) los valores de la raíz del error cuadrático medio (RECM) para los efectos fijos son algo más pequeños bajo el método BR que bajo el método REML. Sin embargo, en lo referido a los componentes de la varianza, el método de BR no ofrece una mejora sistemática sobre el método MVR en términos de RECM. Conclusiones: en general, se puede afirmar que el método BR resulta superior al método MVR con supuestos incumplidos (AU)

Multilevel bootstrap analysis with assumptions violated.

BACKGROUND: Likelihood-based methods can work poorly when the residuals are not normally distributed and the variances across clusters are heterogeneous. METHOD: The performance of two estimation methods, the non-parametric residual bootstrap (RB) and the restricted maximum likelihood (REML) for fitting multilevel models are compared through simulation studies in terms of bias, coverage, and precision. RESULTS: We find that (a) both methods produce unbiased estimates of the fixed parameters, but biased estimates of the random parameters, although the REML was more prone to give biased estimates for the variance components; (b) the RB method yields substantial reductions in the difference between nominal and actual confidence interval coverage, compared with the REML method; and (c) for the square root of the mean squared error (RMSE) of the fixed effects, the RB method performed slightly better than the REML method. For the variance components, however, the RB method did not offer a systematic improvement over the REML method in terms of RMSE. CONCLUSIONS: It can be stated that the RB method is, in general, superior to the REML method with violated assumptions.

The two-way mixed model: a long and winding controversy / El modelo mixto de dos factores: una larga y tortuosa controversia

Background: With the 2-way mixed model, one a fixed factor and the other random, the procedure followed to test statistical significance of the random factor has been the focus of a heated controversy in theoretical and applied statistics, and the debating continues even now. One of the main consequences of this controversy is that the position defended in the classical ANOVA texts on the hypothesis of the significance of the random effect is not the same as that defended in almost all of the professional statistical software programs. Method: In this paper, we deal with a detailed analysis about the controversy of mixed model and the decision about one of two basic options, the non restrictive and the restrictive model. Results: Three key questions we consider to go beyond the controversy are: (1) the two classical models are equivalent, (2) the marginality principle do not allow to test main effects in presence of interactive significant effects and (3) the relevance of linear mixed approach to analyze models with fixed and random effects. Conclusions: We propose the simple solution of using the mixed linear approach with REML estimation instead of the classical linear approach, which is really unapplicable in this context (AU)

Antecedentes: en el modelo mixto de dos factores, con un factor fijo y el otro aleatorio, la forma de probar la significación del factor aleatorio ha sido objeto de una enconada controversia en la estadística teórica y aplicada que todavía hoy sigue siendo objeto de polémica. Una de las consecuencias más sorprendentes de esta controversia es que la posición que se defiende en los textos clásicos de ANOVA sobre la prueba de hipótesis del factor aleatorio no es la misma que la defendida en casi todos los programas estadísticos profesionales. Método: en este trabajo se aborda un análisis detallado de la controversia sobre el modelo mixto y la decisión de adoptar una de las dos opciones básicas, el modelo no restrictivo o el modelo restrictivo. Resultados: las cuestiones clave que se consideran para trascender esta controversia son: (1) las dos opciones básicas son matemáticamente equivalentes, (2) el principio de marginalidad no permite probar efectos principales en presencia de efectos interactivos significativos y (3) la pertinencia del enfoque lineal mixto para analizar modelos con efectos fijos y aleatorios. Discusión: en este trabajo se propone como solución a la controversia la utilización del enfoque lineal mixto con estimación REML en menoscabo del enfoque lineal clásico, que resulta inaplicable en este contexto (AU)

The two-way mixed model: a long and winding controversy.

BACKGROUND: With the 2-way mixed model, one a fixed factor and the other random, the procedure followed to test statistical significance of the random factor has been the focus of a heated controversy in theoretical and applied statistics, and the debating continues even now. One of the main consequences of this controversy is that the position defended in the classical ANOVA texts on the hypothesis of the significance of the random effect is not the same as that defended in almost all of the professional statistical software programs. METHOD: In this paper, we deal with a detailed analysis about the controversy of mixed model and the decision about one of two basic options, the non restrictive and the restrictive model. RESULTS: Three key questions we consider to go beyond the controversy are: (1) the two classical models are equivalent, (2) the marginality principle do not allow to test main effects in presence of interactive significant effects and (3) the relevance of linear mixed approach to analyze models with fixed and random effects. CONCLUSIONS: We propose the simple solution of using the mixed linear approach with REML estimation instead of the classical linear approach, which is really unapplicable in this context.

Efecto del ajuste socioemocional en el rendimiento y las competencias académicas en el contexto escolar: Estudio comparativo / Effect of socio-emotional adjustment on the school achievement and academic competence in school: Cross-informant study

El propósito del trabajo fue estudiar el ajuste socioemocional y los problemas de conducta, en niños de 11 años de edad, y su relación con el rendimiento y las competencias académicas en Educación Primaria. Profesores y madres cumplimentaron la Batería de Socialización (BAS; Silva y Martorell, 1999) en una muestra de 49 niños, pertenecientes a un estudio longitudinal más amplio. El rendimiento académico se evaluó a través de las calificaciones del profesor y de una prueba estandarizada. Las competencias académicas se midieron a través del cuestionario Health Resources Inventory (HRI; Keogh, Juvonen, y Bernheimer, 1989). También se controló el efecto de la inteligencia mediante el CI verbal de los niños. Nuestros resultados indican acuerdo entre profesores y madres en la evaluación del ajuste socioemocional positivo y del retraimiento de los niños, pero señalan discrepancias en la relación que los diferentes aspectos del ajuste socioemocional mantienen con el rendimiento y con las competencias académicas. Estos datos sugieren que las madres tienen una visión cercana a la del profesor en relación con los comportamientos socioemocionales de los niños, pero únicamente la visión del profesor guarda relación con la ejecución académica del niño. Además, tanto la inteligencia como el ajuste socioemocional son necesarios para explicar el rendimiento y las competencias académicas (AU)

The aim of the current study was to examine the role of socio-emotional adjustment and behavioral problems in eleven years old children; as well as their relationships with school achievement and academic competence in Primary School. Teachers and mothers completed the Social Battery (BAS, Silva, & Martorell, 1999) in a sample of 49 children that take part in a longitudinal study. School achievement was measured by standardized test and qualifications in reading and math. The academic competence was evaluated by teachers with a questionnaire (HRI, Keogh, Juvonen, & Bernheimer, 1989). The effect of intelligence was controlled by the IQ. These data showed that intelligence with socio-emotional adjustment were both of them necessary to explain school achievement and academic competences. Also, results showed agreement between mothers and teachers in positive social adjustment and withdrawing. There were discrepancies as to the effect of socio-emotional adjustment on academic competence and school achievement. These data suggest that mothers and teachers agree in their view of children's socio-emotional behavior, but only teachers' views were related to school achievement (AU)

Estudio del acuerdo entre las valoraciones sobre la calidad de vida de pacientes con la enfermedad de Alzheimer y sus cuidadores / No disponible

Fundamento y objetivo. Para el desarrollo de la investigación y la práctica clínica centrada en el paciente con demencia, es esencial considerar variables subjetivas reportadas por el propio sujeto como la calidad de vida. La finalidad de este trabajo es medir la calidad de vida de los pacientes con enfermedad de Alzheimer (EA) según una doble perspectiva (paciente y cuidador) y estimar el acuerdo entre ambos evaluadores. Material y métodos. Se administró la escala QoL-AD a 40 díadas formadas por pacientes con EA leve y sus cuidadores. Se obtuvo la matriz de correlaciones, se realizó un análisis comparativo de las valoraciones y se midió el acuerdo en las puntuaciones totales y en cada ítem. Resultados. Las puntuaciones totales otorgadas por los pacientes en la escala QoL-AD fueron significativamente superiores a las de sus cuidadores, siendo el tamaño del efecto moderado. Las puntuaciones de pacientes y cuidadores en los ítems 1-3, 6, 9 y 13 se correlacionaron significativa y positivamente. El acuerdo paciente-cuidador fue significativo y moderado para las puntuaciones totales y sin significado clínico en el examen ítem a ítem. Conclusiones. Los pacientes tienen una percepción de su calidad de vida más positiva que sus cuidadores; además, el acuerdo entre observadores es débil. Sería de interés analizar los factores de pacientes y cuidadores que contribuyen a estas diferencias y considerar otras fuentes de información complementarias en los casos en que exista una alta discrepancia(AU)

Introduction and objective. Assessing subjective, patientreported outcomes such as quality of life (QoL) is crucial to patient-centered health care and research. This study aims to evaluate QoL as perceived patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and their caregivers and to measure agreement between raters. Subjects and methods. QoL-AD scale was administered to 40 mild AD patients and their caregivers. ANOVA and correlational analyses were performed and agreement was estimated for both total scores and each item’s score. Results. Patients’ ratings on all items were significantly higher than caregivers’ ratings with moderate size effect. Significant positive correlations between patients’ ratings and caregivers’ ratings were found for item 1, 2, 3, 6, 9 and 13. Patient-caregiver agreement was significant but only moderate for total scores. Moreover, the agreement on each item was not clinically significant. Conclusions. Not only have patients a more positive perspective of their QoL, but patient-caregiver agreement is not satisfactory as well. It would be advisable to determine the factors predicting agreement and search for complementary information when there was high discrepancy(AU)

Reactividad simpática al estrés inducido experimentalmente en la alexitimia / Sympathetic reactivity to experimentally induced stress in alexithymia

Alexithymia refers to a specific disturbance in emotional processing that is manifested through difficulties in identifying and verbalizing feelings. The main objective of this research has been the study the relationship between sympathetic reactivity patterns, measured by electrodermal activity, and the alexithymia level, in a stressful laboratory situation. The subjects were high- or low-alexithymic young females (separated by TAS-20). The experiment involved six phases and the sympathetic reactivity was assessed in each one of them, using the Palmar Sweat Index (PSI), a sensitive indicator of the number of active sweat glands. The results show that both alexithymic and nonalexithymic subjects showed significant increases in PSI during stress phases and systematic decreases in all relaxation phases. We also obtained significant differences between TAS-20 low and high scores and between aggregated experimental phases, but no evidence of interaction TAS-20 x experimental phases. The results provide little support with the hypothesis that alexithymic subjects are more physiologically reactive to stress (AU)

La alexitimia describe un trastorno específico del procesamiento emocional que se manifiesta mediante una marcada dificultad para identificar y expresar emociones. El objetivo principal de este trabajo ha sido valorar la relación entre los patrones de activación simpática, medidos mediante la actividad electrodermal, y el nivel de alexitimia, en una situación de estrés inducido experimentalmente en el laboratorio. Se emplearon mujeres jóvenes con niveles altos y bajos de alexitimia, clasificadas mediante las puntuaciones que obtuvieron en el TAS-20. El experimento comprendió seis fases, en las que se evaluó su reactividad simpática en cada una de ellas mediante el empleo del Índice de Sudoración Palmar, un indicador sensible al numero de glándulas ecrinas activas. Los resultados mostraron que en ambos grupos se produjeron incrementos significativos en el número de glándulas sudoríparas activas durante las fases de estrés, así como reducciones en las fases de relajación. Se obtuvieron también diferencias significativas en los que obtuvieron puntuaciones altas y bajas en el TAS-20 durante las distintas fases experimentales, pero no se apreciaron evidencias de intereación entre las fases y los niveles de alexitimia. Los resultados proveen un moderado apoyo a la hipótesis que sostiene que los alexitímicos son más reactivos fisiológicamente al estrés (AU)

[A mixture model-based rater bias index]. / Un índice de sesgo entre observadores basado en modelos mixtura.

Mixture models are outstanding procedures to evaluate rater agreement that assume that the objects to be classified by two observers are extracted from a population that is a mixture of two finite subpopulations, the first one representing systematic agreement and the second one random agreement and disagreement. A generalization of the basic mixture model to include four subpopulations representing two latent variables with two classes allows us to preserve its nature (the fit of the model and the systematic subpopulation are the same) and to distinguish a subpopulation for random agreement and two subpopulations for disagreement (one for the upper triangle and the other for the lower triangle of contingency table). In this context, it is possible to define a new rater bias measure based on a mixture model, which is similar to the descriptive index proposed by Ludbrook.

Un índice de sesgo entre observadores basado en modelos mixtura / A mixture model-based rater bias index

Los modelos mixtura son procedimientos apropiados para la valoración del acuerdo entre dos (o más) observadores que asumen que los objetos a clasificar se extraen de una población que constituye una mezcla de dos subpoblaciones finitas, la primera de las cuales representa acuerdo sistemático y la segunda acuerdo aleatorio y desacuerdo. Una generalización del modelo mixtura básico a cuatro subpoblaciones que representan dos variables latentes con dos clases cada una permite preservar su naturaleza (el ajuste del modelo y la subpoblación de acuerdo sistemático son iguales) y distinguir además una subpoblación para el acuerdo aleatorio y dos subpoblaciones para el desacuerdo (una para el triángulo superior y otra para el triángulo inferior de la tabla de contingencia). En este contexto es posible definir una medida de sesgo entre observadores basada en modelos mixtura similar al índice descriptivo propuesto por Ludbrook

Mixture models are outstanding procedures to evaluate rater agreement that assume that the objects to be classified by two observers are extracted from a population that is a mixture of two finite subpopulations, the first one representing systematic agreement and the second one random agreement and disagreement. A generalization of the basic mixture model to include four subpopulations representing two latent variables with two classes allows us to preserve its nature (the fit of the model and the systematic subpopulation are the same) and to distinguish a subpopulation for random agreement and two subpopulations for disagreement (one for the upper triangle and the other for the lower triangle of contingency table). In this context, it is possible to define a new rater bias measure based on a mixture model, which is similar to the descriptive index proposed by Ludbrook

Reacción de malestar y autorregulación emocional en la infancia / Distress reaction and emotional self-regulation

Este trabajo pretende estudiar la respuesta de malestar y las conductas de autorregulación a lo largo del segundo año de vida, identificando tanto factores de origen endógeno (temperamento, capacidad cognitiva)como exógeno (tipo de regulación materna) que influyan sobre estas conductas. Las estrategias de autorregulación se mostraron efectivas en la alteración de la respuesta emocional, de manera que el uso de estrategias autónomas se asoció a una menor intensidad del malestar, y el uso de estrategias más rudimentarias se asoció a una mayor intensidad del mismo. Por otro lado, mientras que la intensidad de la respuesta de malestar disminuye de forma significativa con la edad, el uso de las distintas estrategias de autorregulación no mostró cambios significativos. Por último, las variables estudiadas en este trabajo se han mostrado eficaces en la explicación de las diferencias individuales en la intensidad dela respuesta emocional y las estrategias de autorregulación (AU)

Distress reaction and emotional self-regulation. The aim of this work was to study distress responses and self-regulation behaviors in maternal separation along the second year of life, identifying both endogenous(temperament, cognitive capacity) as well as exogenous (maternal regulation) factors which can influence these behaviors. Self-regulation strategies were effective in emotional state alteration, so a more autonomous strategies’ use were associated to lower distress response, and a more rudimentary strategies’ use were associated to higher distress one. On the other hand, while distress response showed a significant decrease with age, strategies’ use didn´t show significant changes. Finally, the variables analyzed in this work have explained successfully individual differences in distress response and self-emotional regulation (AU)

Malestar y conductas de autorregulación ante la Situación Extraña en niños de 12 meses de edad / Distress and self-regulation behaviors in 12-month-olds in coping the Strange Situation

El presente trabajo pretende estudiar la respuesta de malestar y las conductas de autorregulación en 49 niños de 12 meses de edad, identificando tanto factores de origen endógeno (temperamento) como exógeno (disponibilidad del adulto) que pueden estar influyendo sobre estas conductas. Se administró una versión modificada de la Situación Extraña, de manera que las respuestas de los niños fueron observadas en diferentes condiciones: niño solo, con la madre, y con la experimentadora. Mientras que el uso de estrategias pasivas de autorregulación correlacionó positivamente con el malestar expresado por los niños, las estrategias activas se asociaron de forma negativa con el malestar. En cuanto a la influencia del temperamento, los niños más miedosos exhibieron mayores niveles de malestar, así como un uso más frecuente de estrategias pasivas. Finalmente, la presencia del adulto favoreció el uso de estrategias más autónomas por parte del niño (AU)

The aim of this work was to study distress responses and self-regulation behaviors in 12-month-old infants, identifying both endogenous (temperament) as well as exogenous (adult availability) factors which can influence these behaviors. A modified version of the Strange Situation was administered so that children’s behaviors were observed in different conditions: child alone, mother present, and experimenter present. While the frequency in using passive self-regulation strategies was positively correlated with the level of distress expressed by the infants, active strategies were negatively associated with distress. With respect to temperament influence, more fearful infants exhibited higher levels of distress as well as a more frequent use of passive strategies. Finally, adult presence facilitated a use of more autonomous strategies by the children (AU)

Alexithymia--state or trait?

Alexithymia refers to a specific disturbance in emotional processing that is manifested by difficulties in identifying and verbalizing feelings and a tendency to focus on and amplify the somatic sensations that accompany emotional arousal. Alexithymia is conceptualized both as an affect-deficit disorder and a continuous personality variable. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the stability levels of alexithymia with regard to changes in emotional distress levels caused by university exams. We tested 20 university students at four different times, before and after the exams. Alexithymic features and self-reported emotional distress (trait anxiety and physical symptoms) were measured. Whereas emotional distress measures changed significantly during the diverse phases, the level of alexithymia remained unchanged. We therefore conclude that alexithymia represents a constant trait.

Subjective and autonomic stress responses in alexithymia / Respuestas subjetivas y autonómicas al estrés en la alexitimia

Alexithymia refers to a specific disturbance in emotional processing that is manifested through difficulties in identifying and verbalizing feelings. The main objective of this investigation has been the study about the relationship between subjective and autonomic physiological reactivity pattern to stressful laboratory situation, related with alexithymia level, assessed by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, TAS-20. The experiment involved six phases: I-adaptation, II-relaxation, III-stress (mental arithmetic), IV-relaxation, V-stress (watching a distressing film), and VI-relaxation. During all periods, the subjective self-perception of physiological activation and autonomic reactivity (using the Palmar Sweat Index), was assessed. Results showed a significantly dissociation by group between subjective self-perception of physiological arousal and self-perception of affective arousal in questionnaire scores, during adaptation period exclusively. The results don’t show significant correlations among groups between the subjective self-perception of activation and the autonomous reactivity. These results are discussed in terms of their alexithymic characteristics they are associated with autonomic arousal (AU)

La alexitimia describe una alteración en el procesamiento emocional, manifestada mediante dificultades en la identificación y expresión emocional. Este trabajo examina la relación entre los patrones fisiológicos autónomos y subjetivos de activación en respuesta a una situación de estrés inducido experimentalmente, y el nivel de alexitimia, evaluado mediante la Escala de Alexitimia de Toronto, TAS-20. El experimento consta de seis fases: I-adaptación, II-relajación, III-estrés (aritmético), IV-relajación, V-estrés (visual), y VI-relajación. Durante el procedimiento experimental se registró tanto la percepción subjetiva de activación como la reactividad autónoma, empleando el Índice de Sudoración Palmar. Los resultados muestran diferencias significativas entre la percepción subjetiva de activación fisiológica y afectiva en función del nivel de alexitimia, exclusivamente durante el periodo de adaptación. Asimismo, no aparecen diferencias significativas entre la percepción subjetiva de activación y la reactividad autónoma. Los resultados se discuten en términos de la vinculación de la alexitimia con la activación autonómica (AU)

Elaboración de una adaptación a población española del cuestionario Infant Behavior Questionnaire para la medida del temperamento en la infancia / Development of a Spanish adaptation of the Infant Behavior Questionnaire for the measurement of temperament in infancy

El propósito del presente trabajo fue la adaptación a población española del cuestionario Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ; Rothbart,1981) para la medida del temperamento en el primer año de vida. Para ello, se realizó un estudio longitudinal con 60 familias. Las madres rellenaron dicho cuestionario traducido al castellano cuando sus hijos tenían 3, 6 y 9 meses de edad. Los diferentes índices psicométricos arrojados por las escalas de temperamento muestran en conjunto una gran similitud con los proporcionados por la autora del cuestionario original. Junto a ello, las asociaciones entre dichas escalas pueden ser explicadas desde la teoría actual del temperamento en la infancia (AU)

The aim of this work was to adapt the Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ; Rothbart, 1981) for the measurement of infant temperament to the Spanish population. 60 families participated in a longitudinal study. The questionniare was translated into Spanish and then filled out by the mothers when their children were 3, 6, and 9 months old. The different psychometric coefficients provided by the temperament scales appeared to be similar to those reported by the author of the original questionnaire. Also, the relationships exhibited by the scales can be supported by a current framework of temperament in infancy (AU)