Psychometric Properties of the Gastrointestinal Symptom Severity Scale in a Sample of Adolescents and Young Adults.

Background: Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are a set of chronic or recurrent gastrointestinal symptoms (GS) with great psychobiological complexity. The appearance of FGIDs harms quality of life and drains medical resources. Methods: Psychometric properties of the Gastrointestinal Symptom Severity Scale (GSSS) based on Rome IV criteria were examined in a sample of 1247 individuals with typical development. Observations were randomly divided into two subsets, namely, subsample 1 (n = 624) and subsample 2 (n = 623). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed with data from subsample 1, whilst confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed with data from subsample 2. Internal consistency of the scale was assessed for the whole dataset according to ordinal alpha, whilst four-week reliability was measured according to the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Measurement invariance as a function of sex was also examined, and discriminant-convergent validity of the GSSS was examined through hypothesis testing. Results: EFA revealed a two-factor structure with a moderate percentage of explained variance (51.3%), whilst CFA exhibited an excellent fit of the data to the model. A one-factor CFA model demonstrated an acceptable but slightly lower fit. Internal consistency was moderate and test-retest reliability was deemed adequate. Metric invariance was demonstrated as a function of sex. Hypothesis testing demonstrated strong convergent-discriminant validity with measures of sensory sensitivity, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and pain. Conclusions: The GSSS is a tool with acceptable and promising psychometric properties when administered to neurotypical adolescents and young adults. The self-report GSSS may promote better understanding of GS involvement in the gut microbiota-brain axis in the general population.

Development and validation of the Gastrointestinal Symptom Severity Scale in Spanish children and adolescents.

Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are characterized by chronic or recurrent gastrointestinal symptoms (GS) that are not explained by structural or biochemical abnormalities. FGIDs are related to lower quality of life, increased demands on medical resources, and greater somatization and emotional instability. Furthermore, GS appears to be an indicator of dysbiosis in gut-microbiota, affecting the gut-microbiota-brain relationship. To develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of a new instrument called the Gastrointestinal Symptom Severity Scale (GSSS) using a web-based survey in a sample of neurotypical children and adolescents from Spain. Instrument development and validation processes were applied to the GSSS following its administration as part of an online survey. The sample included 1242 neurotypical children and adolescents. The mean age of participants was 13.95 years, with a standard deviation of 1.37 years. Overall, 13.8% suffered infectious diarrhea, 12.6% suffered abdominal pain, 5% suffered dyspepsia and 2.6% suffered gastro-esophageal reflux. A single-factor model produced good fit indices. Furthermore, internal consistency and test-retest reliability outcomes were acceptable. The GSSS was found to have acceptable metric measurement invariance. Significant correlations with other instruments were produced and were of expected direction and magnitude, confirming scale validity for hypothesis testing.     Conclusions: The GSSS shows promising psychometric properties for assessing GS in neurotypical Spanish adolescents and children. What is Known: • To the best of our knowledge, instruments assessing the severity of gastrointestinal symptoms in children and adolescents are still too few. What is New: • The GSSS shows promising psychometric properties for assessing GS in neurotypical adolescents and children. The GSSS may help improve understanding of GS involvement in the gut-brain microbiota axis in children and adolescents.

Sensory Overresponsivity and Symptoms Across the Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum: Web-Based Longitudinal Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: Sensory overresponsivity (SOR) has emerged as a potential endophenotype in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but few studies have examined SOR in relation to the major symptom dimensions of OCD and to symptoms across the full obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptom spectrum. OBJECTIVE: This study had 2 main objectives. First, we examined the psychometric properties of the SOR Scales in a community-based sample of Spanish adolescents and adults. Second, we identified how SOR difficulties are related to symptoms across the full OC spectrum (eg, OC, body dysmorphic, hoarding, skin-picking, and hair-pulling symptoms), including the heterogeneity of OC symptoms. METHODS: We translated the SOR Scales into Spanish-a measure that assesses SOR across the 5 sensory modalities-and created a web-based version of the measure. A sample of 1454 adolescents and adults (mean age 23.84, SD 8.46 years) participated in the study, and 388 (26.69%) participants completed the survey twice (approximately 8 months apart). The survey also contained a web-based measure that assesses symptoms across the full OC spectrum: harm and checking, taboo obsessions, contamination or cleaning, symmetry and ordering, body dysmorphic, hoarding, hair-pulling, and skin-picking symptoms. RESULTS: The psychometric properties of the SOR Scales were excellent, and the test-retest reliability was adequate. All types of SOR were related to all major symptom dimensions of OCD and to all OC spectrum symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: SOR across the sensory modalities can be validly assessed using a web-based measure. SOR emerged as a pure transdiagnostic phenomenon in relation to symptoms across the OC spectrum, with no specific sensory modality being more strongly related to OC symptoms. SOR can shed much needed light on basic mechanisms that are important for the onset and maintenance of OC spectrum symptoms, and this study shows that large-scale web-based studies can aid in this endeavor. Future studies should examine whether SOR precedes or emerges alongside OC symptoms.

Maternal acceptance-rejection, self-compassion and empathy in mothers of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Objective This study aimed to determine the link between Parental Acceptance-Rejection (PAR) and empathy and self-compassion in mothers of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs). Method: The sample consists of 161 mothers who received pre-school education with children diagnosed with IDDs in Iran. The parental acceptance-rejection questionnaire, empathy questionnaire, and self-compassion scale were used as the data collection instruments, which have been analyzed through canonical correlation test. Results: There is a positive correlation between children's self-empathy and self-compassion and the PAR, and there is no significant relationship between mother's affection levels and empathy levels, but there is a significant negative relationship between mother's affection levels and child's self-compassion levels. Conclusion: when the PAR level increases, self-compassion level decreases. It provides support to predict a significant relationship between the mothers' acceptance-rejection variables who have an IDD child and empathy and self-compassion.

A Meta-analysis of Gut Microbiota in Children with Autism.

Previous studies have reported dysbiosis in the gut microbiota (GM) of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which may be a determining factor on child development through the microbiota-gut-brain axis. However, it is not clear if there is a specific group of dysbiotic bacteria in ASD. The aim of this study was to carry out a meta-analysis on the studies that analyze GM in children with ASD. 18 studies fulfilled our selection criteria. Our results showed a lower relative abundance of Streptococcus (SMD+ = - 0.999; 95% CI - 1.549, - 0.449) and Bifidobacterium genera (SMD+ = - 0.513; 95% CI - 0.953, - 0.073) in children with ASD. Overall, the Bifidobacterium genera is involved. However, differences found between studies are attributed to factors such as reporting bias.

Identification of emotions and physiological response in individuals with moderate intellectual disability.

According to Ekman's model, the basic emotions are anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise. These emotions are universal and have an adaptative function. However, studies on these emotions among individuals with moderate intellectual disability (MID) are limited, mainly owing to issues in sample size and sample homogeneity. The present study aimed to explore differences between a MID group (n = 10) and a non-MID control group (n = 10) in 1) the identification of basic emotions; and 2) the physiological response with images related to fear, happiness, sadness, anger, and disgust, as well as images with neutral and sexual content. A total of 29 images from The International Affective Picture System and a biofeedback measurement system were used. The results showed no statistically significant differences in the identification of the basic emotions of fear, sadness, and disgust. However, statistically significant differences were found for happiness (p = .008), anger (p = .02), and neutral images (p = .02), and minor statistically significant differences were found for images with sexual content (p < .01) in MID individuals with respect to the control group. The MID group's physiological response was lower compared with the control group, with statistically significant differences for all emotional visual stimuli. This preliminary study showed important and interesting results for the study of emotions and sexuality in MID. Future studies should consider the sample size, sex and age comparisons, and the different levels of intellectual disability.

Prebióticos, probióticos y trasplante de microbiota fecal en el autismo: una revisión sistemática / Prebiotics, probiotics and fecal microbiota transplantation in autism: a systematic review

En los últimos años ha habido un aumento en los estudios sobre las implicaciones de la microbiota intestinal (MI) en niños con trastorno del espectro autista (TEA). La hipótesis es que existe una posible relación entre el estado emocional, la abundancia y/o la proporción de diferentes colonias bacterianas intestinales, aunque no haya cambios en la cantidad total, a través del llamado eje microbiota-intestino-cerebro. En este sentido, la MI disbiótica podría ser un factor que contribuye a la aparición del TEA. En este artículo de revisión sistemática se analizan los resultados de la intervención mediante prebióticos (polvo de zanahoria, vitamina A, goma guar parcialmente hidrolizada, galactooligosacáridos, etc.), probióticos (fundamentalmente: Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, etc.) y trasplante de microbiota fecal en niños con TEA. En general, los resultados de los estudios iniciales sugieren cambios en los síntomas TEA, síntomas gastrointestinales y composición de la MI intestinal tras las intervenciones. Sin embargo, los resultados deben tomarse con cautela dado que son muy pocos los estudios que analizan la eficacia de los tratamientos a largo plazo y las diferentes combinaciones de los mismos

In recent years, there has been an increase in studies of the implications of the gut microbiota (GM) in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There is a hypothesis which propose a relationship between the emotional state and the abundance of intestinal microbes through the so-called microbiota-intestine-brain axis. In this sense, dysbiotic GM could be a contributing factor to the appearance of ASD. This systematic review article analyzes the results of the intervention using prebiotics (carrot powder, vitamin A, partially hydrolyzed guar gum, galactooligosaccharides, etc.), probiotics (mainly: Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, etc.) and transplantation of fecal microbiota in ASD children. In conclusion, the results of the initial studies suggest changes in ASD symptoms, gastro-intestinal symptoms and GM composition after the interventions. However, the results should be taken with caution because there are very few studies that analyze the efficacy of long-term treatments and the different combinations of them

Prebiotics, probiotics and fecal microbiota transplantation in autism: A systematic review. / Prebióticos, probióticos y trasplante de microbiota fecal en el autismo: una revisión sistemática.

In recent years, there has been an increase in studies of the implications of the gut microbiota (GM) in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There is a hypothesis which propose a relationship between the emotional state and the abundance of intestinal microbes through the so-called microbiota-intestine-brain axis. In this sense, dysbiotic GM could be a contributing factor to the appearance of ASD. This systematic review article analyzes the results of the intervention using prebiotics (carrot powder, vitamin A, partially hydrolyzed guar gum, galactooligosaccharides, etc.), probiotics (mainly: Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, etc.) and transplantation of fecal microbiota in ASD children. In conclusion, the results of the initial studies suggest changes in ASD symptoms, gastro-intestinal symptoms and GM composition after the interventions. However, the results should be taken with caution because there are very few studies that analyze the efficacy of long-term treatments and the different combinations of them.

An approach to gut microbiota profile in children with autism spectrum disorder.

In recent years, there has been an increase in studies on the implications of gut microbiota (GM) on the behaviour of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) due to a dysbiosis in GM that can trigger onset, development or progression of ASD through the microbiota-gut-brain axis. The aim of this study is to carry out a systematic review of articles from the last 6 years that analyse GM in children with ASD compared to GM in control groups. Children with ASD showed a higher abundance of Roseburia and Candida genera, and lower abundance of Dialister, Bilophila, Veillonella, Streptococcus, Coprococcus and Prevotella genera. Those differences can be attributed to factors such as different nationalities, nature of control groups, place where the sample was taken, gastrointestinal (GI) problems or bacterial detection methods. It is still too early to define a specific GM profile of children with ASD, and future studies should focus on homogenizing the characteristics of samples and control groups. Furthermore, new multicentre studies should also focus on the impact of GM on GI physiology, neurophysiology and behaviour of children with ASD, and on performing psychometric analyses of the correlation between the severity of ASD behavioural symptoms and GM profiles.

Emotional and behavioural symptoms, risk behaviours and academic success in Chilean Mapuche and non-Mapuche adolescents.

Introduction: There is controversy over the real existence of differences in mental health and academic performance between the Mapuche ethnic minority male adolescents and the male adolescents not belonging to this ethnicity in Chile.Objective: In consequence, the aim of this study was to investigate the differences in emotional and behavioural symptoms, risky behaviours and academic success on the Chilean Mapuche and non-Mapuche adolescents.Design: The sample consisted of 233 adolescents of which 119 were Mapuche adolescents and 114 were non-Mapuche adolescents.Results: The results showed that the Mapuche adolescents do not have more anxiety problems and depression than the non-Mapuche adolescents. Furthermore, the Mapuche adolescents present less drug consumption and behavioural problems. Moreover, there were no differences in academic performance.Conclusions: This study provides social interest data of the adolescents' mental health, which can be useful for the country's socio-sanitary and political decisions. Future studies should investigate these and other variables related to the mental health of minorities in greater depth.

The Role of Gut Microbiota in Gastrointestinal Symptoms of Children with ASD.

Background and objectives: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired communication, social interaction disorder, and repetitive behavior. Dysbiotic gut microbiota (GM) could be a contributing factor to the appearance of ASD, as gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are comorbidities frequently reported in ASD. As there is a lack of reviews about the role played by GM in the GI symptoms of ASD, this work aimed to carry out a systematic review of current studies comparing the GM of children with ASD and GI symptoms with those of healthy controls in the last six years. Materials and Methods: The systematic review was performed following the PRISMA guidelines. The databases chosen were Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and PsycINFO, and the keywords were (gut* OR intestine* OR bowel* OR gastrointestinal*) AND (microbiota* OR microflora* OR bacteria* OR microbiome* OR flora* OR bacterial* OR bacteria* OR microorganism* OR feces* OR stool*) AND (autistic* OR autism* OR ASD*). Results: A total of 16 articles were included. Ten articles performed correlations analysis between GI symptoms and ASD. Among those 10 articles, 7 found differences between the GI symptoms present in children with ASD and healthy controls. The most common GI symptom was constipation. Among the seven articles that found differences, three performed correlations analysis between GI symptoms and gut microbe abundance. Candida, Prevotella, Streptococcus, and Veillonella showed higher and lower abundance, respectively, in children with ASD and GI symptoms in more than one article. Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Actinomyces, Dorea, Lactobacillus, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, and Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratios showed abundance discrepancies. Conclusions: It is still too early to draw a conclusion about the gut microbes involved in GI symptoms of ASD. Future research should consider the relationship between ASD behavior, GM, and GI symptoms in a multidisciplinary way and homogenize sample characteristics.

Long-term effectiveness of combined cognitive-behavioral and neuropsychological intervention in a case of multiple sclerosis.

This study examines the long-term effectiveness of a combined cognitive-behavioral and neuropsychological intervention in a woman of 19 years old with multiple sclerosis, by evaluating functional neuroimaging, neuropsychological and psychometric testing. The results showed a partial improvement in some brain areas and brain inflammatory activity. There was an increase in attention, verbal memory, and nonverbal executive functioning as well as in the emotional state at posttest and one-year follow-up. This study indicates the need for including components of both cognitive-behavioral therapy and neuropsychological rehabilitation based on an individualized and tailored plan in standard treatments for multiple sclerosis. Future studies should further develop these contributions.

Validación del inventario de obsesiones y compulsiones revisado (OCI-R) para su uso en población adolescente española / Validation of the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory Revised (OCI-R) for Spanish adolescent population

Existe un creciente interés por los instrumentos diseñados para evaluar los síntomas obsesivo-compulsivos en niños y adolescentes. El “Inventario de Obsesiones y Compulsiones -Revisado” (OCI-R) se ha mostrado una prueba válida y útil en la evaluación de esta sintomatología transculturalmente tanto en contexto clínico como no clínico. El objetivo de este estudio fue examinar y ampliar las propiedades psicométricas y la estructura factorial del OCI-R en una muestra no clínica de 525 adolescentes (edad media= 15.82 años; DT= 1.77; rango=12-18). Los resultados confirmaron la estructura original de seis factores del OCI-R (Lavado, Obsesiones, Acumulación, Orden, Comprobación y Neutralización), así como también su consistencia interna, estabilidad temporal y validez convergente-discriminante. En resumen, el OCI-R es un instrumento breve y fiable que evalúa tanto una dimensión global del trastorno obsesivo-compulsivo como dimensiones sintomatológicas específicas en la adolescencia, lo cual coincide con la literatura previa. Su pertinencia en muestras clínicas de adolescentes requiere ser examinada en futuras investigaciones (AU)

There is a growing interest in instruments designed to assess obsessive-compulsive symptoms in children and adolescents. The Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R) has demonstrated to be a valid and useful test in the evaluation of these symptoms cross-culturally in both clinical and nonclinical settings. The aim of this study was to examine and extend the psychometric properties and factor structure of the OCI-R in a non-clinical sample of 525 adolescents (mean age=15.82; SD=1.77; range=12-18). The results confirmed the original six-factor structure of the OCI-R (Washing, Obsessing, Hoarding, Ordering, Checking and Neutralizing), as well as the internal consistency, temporary stability, and concurrent-discriminant validity. To sum up, the OCI-R is a short and reliable instrument that measures global as well as domain-specific obsessive-compulsive symptomatology in adolescence, what is consistent with previous literature. Whether it will retain its psychometric properties in clinical samples of adolescents remains to be investigated (AU)

[The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural therapy in affective and anxiety disorders using functional neuroimaging]. / Eficacia de la terapia cognitivo-conductual en trastornos afectivos y de ansiedad mediante neuroimagen funcional.

INTRODUCTION: In the last decades psychological studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of the cognitive-behavioural therapy for most anxiety and depressive disorders. Recently, a different and complementary approach in terms of validation of cognitive-behavioural therapy has emerged: testing the efficacy of these therapies using functional neuroimaging techniques. DEVELOPMENT: Neurological studies evaluate the cerebral functioning causing the appearance of symptoms and monitoring the brain activity. In this revision study we show the implications of different brain structures (amygdala, cingulate cortex, thalamus, insula) with the characteristic symptoms of many mental disorders studied (obsessive-compulsive disorder, specific phobia, etc.) and the neurological changes after applying a cognitive-behavioural therapy. CONCLUSIONS: At the present there is a very limited number of studies due to the complexity in implementing this type of researches. However, data suggest changes in metabolic activity after cognitive-behavioural therapy at the same time as the decrease of symptoms. Future studies should control the influence of variables such as comorbidity and medication, which prevent more definitive conclusions.

Eficacia de la terapia cognitivo-conductual en trastornos afectivos y de ansiedad mediante neuroimagen funcional / The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural therapy in affective and anxiety disorders using functional

Introducción. A lo largo de las últimas décadas, los estudios psicológicos han demostrado la eficacia de la terapia cognitivo- conductual en la mayoría de los trastornos de ansiedad y depresión. Esto ha sido así hasta tal punto que en la actualidad se ha pasado a un nivel diferente y complementario en cuanto a la validación de este enfoque, es decir, se ha planteado comprobar la eficacia de dicha terapia utilizando técnicas de neuroimagen funcional. Desarrollo. Los estudios neurológicos evalúan el funcionamiento cerebral, provocando la aparición de síntomas y observando la actividad cerebral. En este estudio de revisión mostramos las implicaciones de diferentes estructuras cerebrales (amígdala, córtex cingulado, tálamos, ínsula, etc.) con los síntomas característicos de muchos trastornos mentales estudiados (trastorno obsesivo-compulsivo, fobias específicas, etc.) y los cambios neurológicos tras aplicar una terapia de tipo cognitivo-conductual. Conclusiones. En la actualidad, existe un número muy limitado de estudios, debido a la complejidad en la ejecución de este tipo de investigaciones. Sin embargo, los datos de los que se dispone indican cambios en la actividad metabólica tras la terapia cognitivo-conductual, junto con la disminución de síntomas. Futuros estudios deben controlar la influencia devariables, como la comorbilidad y la medicación, que impiden obtener conclusiones más definitivas (AU)

Introduction. In the last decades psychological studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of the cognitive-behavioural therapy for most anxiety and depressive disorders. Recently, a different and complementary approach in terms of validation of cognitive-behavioural therapy has emerged: testing the efficacy of these therapies using functional neuroimaging techniques. Development. Neurological studies evaluate the cerebral functioning causing the appearance of symptoms and monitoring the brain activity. In this revision study we show the implications of different brain structures (amygdala, cingulate cortex, thalamus, insula) with the characteristic symptoms of many mental disorders studied (obsessive-compulsive disorder, specific phobia, etc.) and the neurological changes after applying a cognitive-behavioural therapy. onclusions. At the present there is a very limited number of studies due to the complexity in implementing this type of researches. However, data suggest changes in metabolic activity after cognitive-behavioural therapy at the same time as the decrease of symptoms. Future studies should control the influence of variables such as comorbility and medication, which prevent more definitive conclusions (AU)

Psychometric properties of the Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-revised in a non-clinical sample of late adolescents / /Propiedades psicométricas del “Inventario obsesivo compulsivo-revisado” en una muestra no clínica de adolescentes mayores

Existe una carencia de instrumentos para la evaluación de síntomas obsesivo-compulsivos en niños y adolescentes. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar las propiedades psicométricas y la estructura factorial del “Inventario obsesivo compulsivo-revisado” (Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Revised, OCI-R) en una muestra no clínica de 269 adolescentes (M= 17,04 años; DT= 0,74). Un análisis factorial confirmatorio replicó la estructura original del seis factores del OCI-R (Lavado, Obsesión, Acumulación, Orden, Comprobación y Neutralización), pero los índices de ajuste fueron ligeramente más bajos de lo esperado. El OCI-R total y sus subescalas originales mostraron una consistencia interna moderada. En general, no se encontraron diferencias significativas en las variables sexo o edad. El OCI-R parece apropiado para su uso en muestras adolescentes. La cuestión de si sería también apropiado para personas incluso más jóvenes requiere ser examinada en futuras investigaciones (AU)

There is a paucity of instruments for the assessment of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in children/adolescents. The goal of this study was to assess the psychometric properties and factor structure of the Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R) in a non-clinical sample of 269 late adolescents (M= 17.04 years old; SD= 0.74). A confirmatory factor analysis replicated the original six-factor structure of the OCI-R (Washing, Obsessing, Hoarding, Ordering, Checking and Neutralizing), but the fit indices were generally slightly lower than expected. The OCI-R total and its original subscales showed moderate internal consistency. In general, no significant gender or age differences were found. The OCI-R seems appropriate for its use in adolescent samples. Whether it will also be suitable for even younger people remains to be examined.

Emociones negativas y su impactoen la salud mental y física / Negative emotions impact on mental physical health

El miedo, la tristeza, la ira y el asco son estados emocionales que, cuando son intensos y habituales, afectan negativamente la calidad de vida de las personas. En consecuencia, las emociones negativas constituyen actualmente uno de los principales factores de riesgo para contraer enfermedades físicas y mentales. Este artículo pretende, en primer lugar, delimitar los conceptos y las características principales de cada emoción; y segundo, sintetizar los hallazgos científicos que avalan la influencia de las emociones negativas clásicas en el proceso salud-enfermedad. Estos fenómenos psicofisiológicos se han asociado a las enfermedades mentales y físicas como variables influyentes en su inicio, desarrollo y mantenimiento. Por lo tanto, se revisan algunos de los vínculos entre las cuatro emociones negativas y los trastornos mentales. También, se repasan las evidencias que respaldan la influencia de las emociones negativas en el desarrollo de comportamientos de riesgo para la salud física. Por último, se describen algunos datos que apoyan el impacto de la activación psicofisiológica emocional en los sistemas orgánicos, como la inmunidad, los procesos tumorales, etcétera.

Fear, sadness, anger and disgust are considered affective states, that when they become frequentand intense, adversely affect the quality of life. Consequently, negative emotions are regarded as one of the key risk factors in physical and mental illness. Firstly, this article aims to define precisely concepts and key features of each emotion. The second objective of this paper is to show a synthesis of scientific findings supporting the influence of emotional factors, especially classic negative emotions in the process of health and disease. These psychophysiological phenomena have been associated with mental and physical illness as influencing variables in its initiation, development and maintenance. Therefore, the paper reviews some of the links between these four negative emotionsand mental disorders. It also reviews the evidence supporting the influence of negative emotions in the development of risk behaviors to physical health. Finally, we describe some data supporting the impact of psychophysiological activation of emotions in organic systems, such as, for instance, immunity, tumor processes and so on.

Implicaciones de la inteligencia emocional en la salud y el bienestar emocional / Emotional intelligence (EI) implications in health and emotional welfare

En este artículo hemos intentado agrupar los resultados de distintas investigaciones en relación a la IE y a la salud física y mental. Una de las conclusiones que obtenemos es que tanto la IE percibida mediante autoinforme (TMMS, etc.) como la IE de ejecución (MSCEIT) están relacionadas con la salud y el bienestar de las personas. Del mismo modo, las medidas de las puntuaciones globales del MSCEIT para diferentes poblaciones clínicas (Esquizofrenia, SIDA, Depresión, etc.) nos dan una visión del continuo normalidad-psicopatología, siendo las puntuaciones más altas en IE del MSCEIT de las que se asocian positivamente a salud personal y estado emocional estable.

In this article, we are tried to group the results from different researches related to EI and physic and mental health. One of the conclusions we have is that EI perceived through report (TMMS, etc.) as well as EI executed (MSCEIT) are related to people’s health and welfare. Likewise, the average of MSCEIT grades for different clinic group of people (schizophrenia, AIDS, Depresion, etc.) and non – clinic groups of people (university students, students, etc.), give us a vision of psychopathology- normal continuum, being the highest grades in EI of MSCEIT the ones which are positively related to personal health and stable emotional state.

Emoción y cognición: implicaciones para el tatamiento / Emotion and cognition: implications for treatment

El objetivo principal del presente artículo es clarificar el término "Emoción" y analizar hasta qué punto las cogniciones son parte esencial en su entendimiento. Para este motivo se realizó una revisión de estudios relacionados con la emoción desde las perspectivas biológica y cognitiva. Desde nuestro punto de vista, existe cierta confusión en el uso del término: por un lado no existe una definición unánimemente aceptada por los teóricos que trabajan en este campo y, por otro, las personas mencionan a menudo "estar emocionados" refiriéndose a situaciones vitales completamente diferentes, por lo que se efectuó además un repaso de la clasificación de las emociones y se concluye resaltando las implicaciones que todo esto tiene en un contexto terapéutico, pues el dominio de estos aspectos puede ayudar a escoger en un momento dado un tipo de terapia u otro (p.ej., exposición versus terapia cognitiva). Finalmente, también se propone la importancia de la "Psicoeducación" centrada en los mecanismos de la respuesta de ansiedad y su relación con las cogniciones como técnica cognitiva.

The main objective of this paper is to clarify the term "Emotion" and analyze to what extent cognitions are central in its understanding. For this reason, a review of studies related to emotion from biological and cognitive perspectives was made. From our point of view, there is some confusion in the use of this construct. On the one hand, there is no universally accepted definition by theorists working in this field. On the other hand, people often mention feeling "emotionated" referring to completely different life situations. Thus, a review of the classification of emotions also was done and it concludes by emphasizing the implications of all this in a therapeutic setting, as the mastery of these issues could help to select, at any given time, the more efficient therapy modality (i.e. exposure versus cognitive therapy). Finally, it is also proposed the importance of "Psychoeducation" focused on the mechanisms of anxiety response and its relationship with cognitions as a cognitive technique.

Ansiedad, depresión y salud / Anxiety, depression and health

En este artículo se ha intentado mostrar una síntesis de los datosrelativos a la influencia de los factores emocionales, específicamentela ansiedad y la depresión, en el proceso de salud-enfermedad.Estos factores se han asociado con las enfermedades crónicas comovariables influyentes en el inicio, desarrollo y mantenimiento. Sehan hipotetizado básicamente dos vías explicativas generales. Laprimera hace referencia a la influencia de la ansiedad y de la depresión en la conducta, de manera que interfieren en los hábitos saludablesy fomentan el desarrollo de conductas inadecuadas que ponenen peligro nuestra salud. El segundo mecanismo se refiere a larepercusión de la activación psicofisiológica en los sistemas orgánicos, afectando a la inmunidad, por ejemplo. Pero no sólo existe unarelación en el curso de la enfermedad, sino que también se conoceuna alta comorbilidad de estas enfermedades con los trastornosansiosos y depresivos, frecuentemente como consecuencia del padecimientode las mismas. Por último, también se han revisado las intervenciones que han demostrado su eficacia en el tratamiento de la sintomatología ansiosa y depresiva en enfermos crónicos.

This article has tried to show a synthesis of data on the influence of emotionalfactors, specifically anxiety and depression, in the process of health anddisease. These factors have been associated with chronic diseases such asvariables influencing the initiation, development and maintenance. We havebasically two ways to hypothesize this issue in a general explanatory way.The first refers to the influence of anxiety and depression in the behavior, so that interfere with healthy habits and encourage the development ofinappropriate behavior that endanger our health. The second mechanism relatedto the impact of psychophysiological activation in organic systems, affectingimmunity, for example. But not only there is a relationship in the course of the disease, but also knows a high comorbidity of these disorders with anxious and depressive disorders, often as a result of the suffering of the same.Finally, we have also revised the interventions that have proven effective in the treatment of symptoms of anxiety and depression in chronically ill.