Normative scores for attentional tests used by the Spanish consortium for ageing normative data (SCAND) study: Trail Making Test, Digit Symbol and Letter Cancellation.

Objective: This paper reports normative data for different attentional tests obtained from a sample of middle-aged and older native Spanish adults and considering effects of age, educational level and sex. Method: 2,597 cognitively intact participants, aged from 50 to 98 years old, participated voluntarily in the SCAND consortium studies. The statistical procedure included conversion of percentile ranges into scaled scores. The effects of age, education and sex were taken into account. Linear regressions were used to calculate adjusted scaled scores. Results: Scaled scores and percentiles corresponding to the TMT, Digit Symbol and Letter Cancellation Task are shown. Additional tables show the values to be added to or subtracted from the scaled scores, for age and education in the case of the TMT and Letter Cancellation Task measures, and for education in the case of the Digit Symbol subtest. Conclusions: The current norms provide clinically useful data for evaluating Spanish people aged 50 to 98 years old and contribute to improving detection of initial symptoms of cognitive impairment.

Protective Factors, Risk of Violence and Discrimination and Mental Health Indicators of Young LGB People.

Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people have more risk of suffering from violence and situations of discrimination than heterosexual people. The current study compares LGB people with heterosexual people in protective factors, violence, health and well-being factors. The sample comprises 609 Spanish people between 14 and 25 years old. We established a cross-sectional design. A survey including questions about sociodemographic information and protective, violence and health and well-being factors was designed ad hoc for this study. The results show that the LGB group (n = 342) is more at risk of verbal and physical violence and feels more isolated than the heterosexual participants (n = 267). In contrast, heterosexual participants report having more employment discrimination. No significant differences were found in social support or psychological health. These results are important to understand the state of social normalization and non-discrimination for LGB people in certain contexts in Spain, and its impact on psychological health.

The role of individual variables as antecedents of entrepreneurship processes: Emotional intelligence and self-efficacy.

Currently, entrepreneurship is a priority for economic, social, and technological growth. Therefore, the interest in understanding entrepreneurship processes has increased significantly. Individual variables play a fundamental role, and academic research has pointed out the influence of emotional intelligence in entrepreneurial processes; however, its relationship with other interpersonal processes and individual variables, such as personality and self-efficacy, has not been extensively studied. The aim of this research was to analyze the relationship among emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial intention, controlling for the effects of personality, gender, and age. Multiple hierarchical regression analyses were applied through a questionnaire survey of 1,593 college students to test the relationship between the constructs in the model. The results show that the personality traits are associated with entrepreneurial self-efficacy, emotional intelligence positively influences entrepreneurial intention, and self-efficacy mediates the relationship between emotional intelligence and entrepreneurial intention. Practical implications for training programs are examined, and future lines of research were discussed.

Cognitive training in adults with intellectual disability: pilot study applying a cognitive tele-rehabilitation program.

Introduction: This pilot study analyzes the effect of a cognitive training program in adults with intellectual disability (ID). Method: Twenty subjects (mean age 52.7 ± 9.77 years) with mild and moderate ID were divided in control and experimental group. Only the experimental group received the training program. This program was applied through the GNPT® (Guttmann, NeuroPersonalTrainer®) platform for people with ID. Results: The results revealed a significant improvement in the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test-2 scores (Matrices subtest) in the experimental group [Z = 2.12; p = .03] after the intervention, indicating an enhancement in fluid ability due to effect of cognitive training program. Conclusion: Findings provide evidence of the importance of applying these programs in a systematized way in adults with ID.

Spanish Consortium for Ageing Normative Data (SCAND): Semantic Verbal Fluency Tests.

OBJECTIVE: Semantic verbal fluency constitutes a good candidate for identifying cognitive impairment. This paper offers normative data of different semantic verbal fluency tests for middle-aged and older adults natives from Spain considering sociodemographic factors, and different measures for each specific category (number of words produced, errors, and words evoked every 15 s). METHOD: Two thousand and eighty-eight cognitively unimpaired subjects aged between 50 and 89 years old, community dwelling, participated in the study. The statistical procedure includes the conversion of percentile ranges into scalar scores. Secondly, the effects of age, education and gender were verified. Linear regressions are used to calculate the scalar adjusted scores. RESULTS: Scalar scores and percentiles corresponding to all semantic verbal fluency tests across different measures are shown. Additional tables, which show the points that must be added or subtracted from direct scores, are provided for Education regarding the total number of "animals" and "clothes" evoked by participants, as well as for Age and Education in case of the total number of "clothes". Gender affects the number of "clothes" produced by participants in the first two 15-second segments. CONCLUSIONS: The current norms should provide clinically useful data for evaluating Spanish-speaking natives from Spain aged from 50 to 89 years.

Spanish consortium for ageing normative data (scand): screening tests (mmse, gds-15 and mfe) / Consorcio Español para la Obtención de Datos Normativos del Envejecimiento: Pruebas de Cribado (MMSE, GDS-15 y MFE)

BACKGROUND: Detecting cognitive impairment is a priority for health systems. The aim of this study is to create normative data on screening tests (MMSE, GDS and MFE) for middle-aged and older Spanish adults, considering the effects of sociodemographic factors. METHOD: A total of 2,030 cognitively intact subjects who lived in the community, aged from 50 to 88 years old, participated voluntarily in SCAND consortium studies. The statistical procedure included the conversion of percentile ranges into scalar scores. Secondly, the effects of age, educational level and gender were verified. Linear regressions were used to calculate the scalar adjusted scores. Cut-off values for each test were also calculated. RESULTS: Scalar scores and percentiles corresponding to MMSE, GDS-15 and MFE are shown. An additional table is provided which shows the points that must be added or subtracted from MMSE score depending on the subject's educational level. CONCLUSIONS: The current norms should provide clinically useful data for evaluating Spanish people aged 50 to 88 years old and should contribute to improving the detection of initial symptoms of cognitive impairment in people living in the community, taking into account the influence of gender, age and educational level

ANTECEDENTES: detectar el deterioro cognitivo es una prioridad del sistema sanitario. El objetivo de este estudio es la presentación de datos normativos de pruebas de cribado (MMSE, GDS y MFE) para adultos españoles de mediana edad y adultos mayores, considerando los efectos de factores sociodemográficos. MÉTODO: en los estudios realizados por el consorcio SCAND participaron voluntariamente 2.030 personas cognitivamente sanas, de 50 a 88 años, residentes en su comunidad. El procedimiento estadístico supuso la conversión de rangos percentiles en puntuaciones escalares. Posteriormente, se comprobaron los efectos de la edad, el nivel educativo y el género. Se utilizaron regresiones lineales para calcular las puntuaciones escalares ajustadas. También se calcularon los puntos de corte para cada prueba. RESULTADOS: se muestran las puntuaciones escalares y los percentiles correspondientes a MMSE, GDS-15 y MFE. Además, se presenta una tabla que muestra los puntos que deben sumarse o restarse a la puntuación del MMSE dependiendo del nivel educativo del individuo. CONCLUSIONES: los datos normativos presentados tienen una utilidad clínica para evaluar a población española de 50 a 88 años, y contribuyen a mejorar la detección de los síntomas iniciales del deterioro cognitivo teniendo en cuenta la influencia del género, la edad y el nivel educativo

Influence of the CoViD-19 Pandemic on Mental Workload and Burnout of Fashion Retailing Workers in Spain.

This study analyzed the levels of mental workload and the presence of burnout on a sample of fashion retailing workers from Spain and its relationship with the current CoViD-19 (Coronavirus disease-19) pandemic. We established a cross-sectional design. Participants (n = 360) answered an online survey including questions about sociodemographic data, perception of CoViD-19, CarMen-Q questionnaire (workload), and MBI (burnout syndrome). The survey campaign took place in October and November 2020. The results showed that participants exhibited deep concern about the CoViD-19 pandemic and its influence in the workplace. Although the mental workload was near the middle point of the scale, participants showed moderate to high burnout levels, revealing that the sample was at risk of experiencing higher burnout levels over time as the pandemic and associated economic crisis continued. The multiple regression analysis results indicated that environmental changes, work overload, somatic symptoms, insomnia, negative job expectations, and uncertainty constituted significant mental workload predictors. Insomnia, somatic symptoms, and negative job expectations constituted significant predictors for burnout. Differences between job positions and genders in mental workload and burnout were found. In conclusion, the uncertainty at work derived from the CoViD-19 pandemic harms fashion retailing workers' psychological well-being in Spain.

Spanish Consortium for Ageing Normative Data (SCAND): Screening Tests (MMSE, GDS-15 and MFE).

BACKGROUND: Detecting cognitive impairment is a priority for health systems. The aim of this study is to create normative data on screening tests (MMSE, GDS and MFE) for middle-aged and older Spanish adults, considering the effects of sociodemographic factors. METHOD: A total of 2,030 cognitively intact subjects who lived in the community, aged from 50 to 88 years old, participated voluntarily in SCAND consortium studies. The statistical procedure included the conversion of percentile ranges into scalar scores. Secondly, the effects of age, educational level and gender were verified. Linear regressions were used to calculate the scalar adjusted scores. Cut-off values for each test were also calculated. RESULTS: Scalar scores and percentiles corresponding to MMSE, GDS-15 and MFE are shown. An additional table is provided which shows the points that must be added or subtracted from MMSE score depending on the subject's educational level. CONCLUSIONS: The current norms should provide clinically useful data for evaluating Spanish people aged 50 to 88 years old and should contribute to improving the detection of initial symptoms of cognitive impairment in people living in the community, taking into account the influence of gender, age and educational level.

Animals in multidimensional space: Interpreting coordinates throughout lexical-semantic features in mild cognitive impairment and control subjects.

INTRODUCTION: Semantic verbal fluency is a useful neuropsychological tool since it involves language and executive abilities that can be impaired in patients with neurodegenerative diseases in comparison to healthy controls. The present study explores retrieve and executive control processes using traditional quantitative and qualitative raw scores and examines the utility of multidimensional scaling combined with linear regression to provide new insights about the underlying semantic network in mild cognitive impairment and in healthy older adults. METHOD: A total of 165 Spanish older adults, 81 patients and 84 controls, were assessed in different cognitive domains and evoked animal names in one minute. Group differences on fluency raw scores were first explored. Regressions using tests to predict groups' fluency scores were also performed. The 12 animals that had been produced more frequently were selected to perform a multidimensional scaling analysis for each group. Four features related to animal names were extracted from normative studies and then were used as predictors in linear regression to provide an interpretation of the resulting dimensions' coordinates. RESULTS: Patients performed worse on memory and naming and produced a shorter list of animals than controls. In controls, naming and visual memory explained a small part of variance related to the total of animals produced and to the number of switches. Both groups exhibited similar semantic maps. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that patients' map is influenced by words with a dense associative neighborhood that were acquired at an early age, whereas in controls none of the predictors explained dimensions.

Trait-anxiety and job psychosocial conditions as determinants of mental health in nursing / La ansiedad rasgo y las condiciones psicosociales del trabajo como determinantes de la salud mental en la enfermería

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Job stress can have important consequences on the physical, mental or social health of the workers. A considerable number of studies have shown that the nursing community is especially vulnerable to suffering stress due to their work characteristics. The purpose of this research was to determine the relationship between perception of psychosocial risk factors at work, trait-anxiety and mental health in nursing. METHOD: Two hundred and ten nurses from various public hospitals in Madrid Province have participated in this study. The perception of psychosocial risk factors was evaluated with DECORE and NASA-TLX questionnaires, trait-anxiety was measured by STAI questionnaire and mental health by GHQ-28 questionnaire. RESULTS: The results of the multiple regression analysis revealed that trait-anxiety was the variable most related to mental health. To explore the isolated association between working conditions and nurses' mental health, partial correlations controlling the nurses' trait-anxiety level were calculated and significant correlations were found between mental health and some psychosocial risk factors like organizational support, cognitive and temporal demands and control/autonomy at work. CONCLUSION: Trait-anxiety influences the relations between working conditions and nurse's mental health, but regardless of the trait-anxiety level of nurses, the adverse psychosocial conditions of the workplace are directly associated with poorer mental health

ANTECEDENTES: El estrés experimentado en el ámbito laboral puede tener importantes consecuencias para la salud tanto física como mental y/o social de los trabajadores. Un número considerable de investigaciones han demostrado que el colectivo de enfermería es especialmente vulnerable al estrés debido a las características particulares de su labor. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar las relaciones entre la percepción de riesgos psicosociales, la ansiedad rasgo y la salud mental en profesionales de la enfermería. MÉTODO: En este estudio han participado 210 profesionales de enfermería de varios hospitales de la Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid. La percepción de los factores psicosociales de riesgo se ha evaluado mediante los cuestionarios DECORE y NASA/TLX, el nivel de ansiedad rasgo se ha valorado con el cuestionario STAI y la salud mental, con el cuestionario GHQ-28. RESULTADOS: El resultado del análisis de regresión múltiple ha revelado que la variable con mayor correlación con la salud mental fue la ansiedad rasgo. Para evaluar la relación, independientemente de la ansiedad rasgo, entre las condiciones laborales y la salud mental de las/los enfermeras/os, se calcularon las correlaciones parciales, controlando el nivel de ansiedad rasgo, y se encontraron correlaciones significativas y positivas entre una peor salud mental y la mayor presencia de factores psicosociales de riesgo, tales como menor apoyo organizacional, demandas cognitivas y temporales más altas y peor nivel de control en el trabajo. CONCLUSIONES: La ansiedad rasgo influye en la relación entre las condiciones laborales y la salud mental del personal de enfermería, pero independientemente del nivel de ansiedad rasgo, las condiciones laborales adversas se relacionan de forma directa con un peor nivel de salud mental

Los hábitos de sueño como predictores de la salud psicológica en profesionales sanitarios / Sleep habits as predictors of psychological health in healthcare professionals

El objetivo de la investigación fue estudiar los hábitos de sueño y la salud psicológica de profesionales del sector sanitario, así como analizar las relaciones entre ambas variables. La muestra contó con 511 trabajadores de hospitales públicos de la Comunidad de Madrid. La salud psicológica fue evaluada con el Cuestionario GHQ-28; los hábitos de sueño a través del Cuestionario CHAS, además, se recogieron datos sociodemográficos como edad, sexo, puesto de trabajo, categoría profesional. Los resultados mostraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en síntomas somáticos, salud psicológica y estabilidad en hábitos de sueño. Los análisis de regresión indicaron que calidad del sueño y somnolencia diurna son las variables más relacionadas con las dimensiones de salud, especialmente con la ansiedad/insomnio y síntomas somáticos. Estos los resultados ponen de manifiesto las diferencias entre hábitos de sueño y salud percibida en personal de enfermería y facultativos. En conclusión, la población sanitaria presenta mayor prevalencia en malestar psicológico, peor calidad de sueño e inestabilidad en las horas de sueño. Deterioro del sueño, somnolencia y síntomas somáticos son más frecuentes en personal de enfermería que en el resto de profesionales sanitarios

The aim was to study the sleep habits and the psychological health of professionals in the health sector, as well as to analyze the relationships between both variables. The sample consisted of 511 workers from public hospitals in the Community of Madrid. Psychological health was evaluated using the GHQ-28 Questionnaire; and sleep habits with the CHAS Questionnaire. In addition, sociodemographic data were collected, such as age, sex, job position, professional category. The results showed statistically significant differences in somatic symptoms, psychological health and stability in sleep habits. Regression analysis indicated that sleep quality and daytime sleepiness are the variables most related to health dimensions, especially with anxiety/insomnia and somatic symptoms. These results reveal the differences between sleep habits and perceived health in nursing staff and physicians. Finally, the health workers present a higher prevalence of psychological distress, and poor sleep quality and instability in sleep hours. Sleep impairment, somnolence and somatic symptoms are more frequent in nursing staff than in other health professionals

Prevalencia del Síndrome de Burnout en médicos residentes venezolanos y su relación con el contexto de crisis sanitaria en Venezuela / Prevalence of Burnout Syndrome in venezuelan resident physicians and their relationship with the context of the health crisis in Venezuela

El síndrome de desgaste profesional o burnout es un fenómeno específico del trabajo que surge como respuesta a estresores crónicos emocionales e interpersonales en el entorno laboral. Considerando las consecuencias que puede tener el síndrome, resulta relevante estudiar cómo la situación de crisis sanitaria en Venezuela, que ha sido documentada ya por años, ha impactado a los profesionales de la salud del país. Objetivos: explorar la relación entre la crisis del sistema sanitario y la salud laboral de una muestra de 82 residentes de medicina interna a nivel nacional. se buscó esclarecer la relación del desabastecimiento de insumos médicos básicos y fallas en el servicio eléctrico con las puntuaciones en burnout obtenidas. Métodos: Se utilizó la versión MBI-HSS versión en español. Se realizo una prueba de correlación de Pearson entre las variables y una prueba de Chi-cuadrado para determinar si existían diferencias en el grado de las dimensiones de burnout según el auto-reporte de desabastecimiento de medicinas y fallas en el servicio eléctrico. Resultados: Se obtuvo una correlación significativa entre las fallas en el servicio eléctrico y el burnout, pero no fue así con el desabastecimiento ni se pudieron establecer diferencias en grado de las dimensiones según autoreporte de deficiencias. Conclusión: Se hacen necesarios más estudios con muestras mayores, más representativas y de mayor experiencia para seguir estudiando los posibles impactos de la crisis sanitaria en Venezuela sobre los profesionales de la salud(AU)

The burnout syndrome is a work-specific phenomenon that arises as a response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors at the the workplace. Considering the consequences of this work-related syndrome, it is relevant to study how the health crisis in Venezuela, which has been documented for years now, has impacted health professionals in the country. The present study aimed to explore the relationship between the long-standing Venezuelan health crisis and the work- related health of a sample of 82 internal medicine residents at a national level. More concretely, the goal was to explore the relationship between medical supplies shortages and power system failures and the scores obtained in burnout as measured by the MBI-HSS in its Spanish version. A Pearson correlation test was performed between the variables along with Chi-Square tests for determining if there were differences in degree of burnout dimensions according to self-reports in medical supplies shortages and power outages. A significant relationship was found between power system failures and burnout. However, that was not the case for medicine shortages nor for the differences in degree of burnout dimensions according to self-reported medical supplies shortages and power failures. More studies with larger more representative and experienced samples are needed to keep studying the possible impacts that the health crisis in Venezuela is having on healthcare professionals(AU)

How cognitive reserve influences older adults' cognitive state, executive functions and language comprehension: A structural equation model.

Cognitive reserve has been defined as the individuals' ability to tolerate age-related and neurodegenerative changes in the brain without developing clinical symptoms or signs of disease. Formal education, occupational attainment, and knowledge of other languages have been assessed as the most relevant factors determining cognitive reserve. The main objective of this study was to develop a structural equation model that reflects the direct influence of cognitive reserve on old adults' general cognitive status and executive functioning, and indirectly on sentence comprehension performance through executive functions mediation. One hundred and fifty eight Spanish-speaking older adults, cognitively intact, were assessed to obtain cognitive reserve data, general cognitive status, executive functioning (inhibitory control, working memory and cognitive flexibility), and sentence comprehension measures. High indicators of adjustment of the proposed model were obtained. The most related factors to cognitive reserve were education and occupational attainment. As we hypothesize, cognitive reserve had a higher direct significant relation to cognitive status and, in a lesser extent, to executive functioning. Participants' general cognitive status and executive function were high and directly related. Furthermore, cognitive reserve has an indirect positive relation to sentence comprehension via executive functions' mediation.

Carga mental y satisfacción laboral: un estudio comparativo entre trabajadoras sociales, educadoras sociales y profesoras de enseñanza primaria / Mental workload and job satisfaction: A comparative study amongst social workers, social educators and primary school teachers

ANTECEDENTES Y OBJETIVO: El trabajo social se considera una profesión con alto riesgo de sufrir estrés laboral debido a la carga mental y emocional que implica. Pero aunque el estrés ha sido comparado numerosas veces en profesiones como la enfermería y, en menor medida, con la docencia, aún no se ha tenido en cuenta la carga mental. El propósito de este estudio consistió en comparar el grado subjetivo de carga mental y de satisfacción laboral en 3 grupos de mujeres profesionales: trabajadoras sociales, educadoras sociales y profesoras de educación primaria, todas del ámbito público. MÉTODO: Participaron voluntariamente en este estudio 88 mujeres (22 trabajadoras sociales, 18 educadoras sociales y 48 profesoras de enseñanza primaria), quienes completaron un cuestionario sociodemográfico, el Cuestionario de Carga Mental (CarMen-Q) y la Escala de Satisfacción Laboral (JSS). RESULTADOS: Se observó una mayor puntuación en el cuestionario de carga mental en las trabajadoras sociales en comparación con las profesoras de primaria, especialmente respecto a la percepción de demandas cognitivas, demandas temporales y exigencias de rendimiento. Por otro lado, tanto las trabajadoras sociales como las educadoras sociales mostraron una menor puntuación en la escala de satisfacción laboral en contraste con las profesoras de primaria. CONCLUSIONES: Es necesario un conocimiento más profundo de la carga mental y de la satisfacción laboral en profesiones asistenciales en la medida en que ello pueda repercutir en un mejor diseño de los puestos de trabajo

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Social Work is considered a profession with high risk of suffering work stress due to the mental and emotional workload involved. But although stress has been compared numerous times in social work with professions such as nursing, and to a lesser extent with teaching, mental workload has not yet been taken into account. The purpose of this study was to compare the subjective degree of mental workload and job satisfaction in three groups of professional women: social workers, social educators, and primary school teachers, all from the public sphere. METHODS: Participants were 88 women (22 social workers, 18 social educators and 48 primary school teachers), who completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Cuestionario de Carga Mental (CarMen-Q) and the Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS). RESULTS: A higher score was observed in the CarMen-Q among social workers compared to primary teachers, especially regarding the perception of cognitive demands, temporary demands and performance demands. In addition, both social workers and social educators showed a lower score on the job satisfaction scale in contrast to the primary teachers. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to have a deeper knowledge of the mental workload and job satisfaction in social work insofar as this can have an impact on a better design of the jobs

Health and Well-Being of Cisgender, Transgender and Non-Binary Young People.

Young transgender and non-binary individuals (TNBI) are exposed to situations of discrimination and have a greater risk of violence. The purpose of this study is to analyze which protective, violence and health and well-being factors have more influence on TNBI compared to cisgender people. The sample comprised 856 youth between 14 and 25 years old. A survey including questions about sociodemographic information and protective, violence and health and well-being factors was designed ad hoc for this study. The results show the non-binary group received the least support from family and friends, higher risk of suffering cyberbullying, and many feel isolated and unhappy. TNBI have suffered more verbal attacks both inside and outside their school and physical attacks at school than cisgender young. These results are important because they may contribute to the promotion of public policies and clinical interventions that favor the integration of TNBI in our society.

Factors Explaining Language Performance After Training in Elders With and Without Subjective Cognitive Decline.

The present study explores if cognitive reserve, executive functions, and working memory capacity are predictive of performance in the language domain (specifically in sentence comprehension and naming) after a cognitive training intervention. Sixty-six Spanish older adults voluntarily participated in the study, classified either as older adults with subjective cognitive decline according to Jessen et al.'s (2014) criteria (n = 35; 70.94 ± 4.16 years old) or cognitively intact (n = 31; 71.34 ± 4.96 years old). Written sentence comprehension and visual confrontation naming were assessed both immediately after recruitment (at the baseline), and then 6 months later, once each participant had completed his/her cognitive training (a well-known program in Spain, called UMAM; English translation: Madrid City Council Memory Unit Program). Cognitive reserve, executive functions (cognitive flexibility and controlled interference efficiency), and working memory capacity were measured for all participants at the baseline. Results pointed out that the subjective cognitive decline group presented greater benefits in the language domain than cognitively intact participants. We also observed that lower executive functioning and working memory capacity at the baseline predicted larger benefits in language performance after training, but only in the group of cognitively intact older adults. However, selected predictors hardly explained subjective cognitive decline participants' results in language performance after training.

Efficacy of Cognitive Training in Older Adults with and without Subjective Cognitive Decline Is Associated with Inhibition Efficiency and Working Memory Span, Not with Cognitive Reserve.

The present study explores the role of cognitive reserve, executive functions, and working memory (WM) span, as factors that might explain training outcomes in cognitive status. Eighty-one older adults voluntarily participated in the study, classified either as older adults with subjective cognitive decline or cognitively intact. Each participant underwent a neuropsychological assessment that was conducted both at baseline (entailing cognitive reserve, executive functions, WM span and depressive symptomatology measures, as well as the Mini-Mental State Exam regarding initial cognitive status), and then 6 months later, once each participant had completed the training program (Mini-Mental State Exam at the endpoint). With respect to cognitive status the training program was most beneficial for subjective cognitive decline participants with low efficiency in inhibition at baseline (explaining a 33% of Mini-Mental State Exam total variance), whereas for cognitively intact participants training gains were observed for those who presented lower WM span.

Development of the Carmen-Q Questionnaire for mental workload assessment / Desarrollo del cuestionario CarMen-Q para evaluar la carga mental de trabajo

Background: Mental workload has emerged as one of the most important occupational risk factors present in most psychological and physical diseases caused by work. In view of the lack of specific tools to assess mental workload, the objective of this research was to assess the construct validity and reliability of a new questionnaire for mental workload assessment (CarMen-Q). Method: The sample was composed of 884 workers from several professional sectors, between 18 and 65 years old, 53.4% men and 46.6% women. To evaluate the validity based on relationships with other measures, the NASA-TLX scale was also administered. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis showed an internal structure made up of four dimensions: cognitive, temporal and emotional demands and performance requirement. The results show satisfactory evidence of validity based on relationships with NASA-TLX and good reliability. Conclusions: The questionnaire has good psychometric properties and can be an easy, brief, useful tool for mental workload diagnosis and prevention (AU)

Antecedentes: actualmente la carga mental ha surgido como uno de los factores de riesgo laboral más importantes presentes en la mayoría de las enfermedades psicológicas y físicas causadas por el trabajo. Ante la falta de herramientas específicas para evaluar la carga mental, el objetivo de esta investigación fue evaluar la validez de constructo y la fiabilidad de un nuevo cuestionario (CarMen-Q) para la evaluación de la carga mental de trabajo. Método: la muestra estuvo formada por 884 trabajadores de diversos sectores profesionales, de entre 18 y 65 años de edad, de los cuales el 53,4% fueron hombres y el 46,6% mujeres. Para evaluar la validez basada en las relaciones con otras medidas también se administró la escala NASA-TLX. Resultados: el análisis factorial confirmatorio mostró una estructura interna formada por cuatro dimensiones: demandas cognitiva, temporal y emocional y requisitos de rendimiento. Se encontró evidencia satisfactoria de validez basada en las relaciones con la escala NASA-TLX y adecuados índices de fiabilidad. Conclusiones: el cuestionario tiene buenas propiedades psicométricas y es una herramienta sencilla y breve, útil para el diagnóstico y la prevención de la carga mental (AU)

Development of the CarMen-Q Questionnaire for mental workload assessment.

BACKGROUND: Mental workload has emerged as one of the most important occupational risk factors present in most psychological and physical diseases caused by work. In view of the lack of specific tools to assess mental workload, the objective of this research was to assess the construct validity and reliability of a new questionnaire for mental workload assessment (CarMen-Q). METHOD: The sample was composed of 884 workers from several professional sectors, between 18 and 65 years old, 53.4% men and 46.6% women. To evaluate the validity based on relationships with other measures, the NASA-TLX scale was also administered. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis showed an internal structure made up of four dimensions: cognitive, temporal and emotional demands and performance requirement. The results show satisfactory evidence of validity based on relationships with NASA-TLX and good reliability. CONCLUSIONS: The questionnaire has good psychometric properties and can be an easy, brief, useful tool for mental workload diagnosis and prevention.

Academic context and perceived mental workload of psychology students

The excessive workload of university students is an academic stressor. Consequently, it is necessary to evaluate and control the workload in education. This research applies the NASA-TLX scale, as a measure of the workload. The objectives of this study were: (a) to measure the workload levels of a sample of 367 psychology students, (b) to group students according to their positive or negative perception of academic context (AC) and c) to analyze the effects of AC on workload. To assess the perceived AC, we used an ad hoc questionnaire designed according to Demand-Control- Social Support and Effort-Reward Imbalance models. Using cluster analysis, participants were classified into two groups (positive versus negative context). The differences between groups show that a positive AC improves performance (p < .01) and reduces feelings of overload (p < .02), temporal demand (p < .02), and nervousness and frustration (p < .001). Social relationships with peers and teachers, student autonomy and result satisfaction were relevant dimensions of the AC (p < .001 in all cases) (AU)

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