Complicated grief, unusual perceptual experiences, and hope in widowhood / Luto complicado, experiências perceptivas incomuns e esperança na viuvez / Duelo complicado, experiencias perceptuales inusuales y esperanza en la viudez

The overall objective of this study is to assess grief in religious widows and hope, and the frequency of unusual perceptual experiences after the death of the spouse. It is hypothesized that (H1) religious widows will experience a less complicated grief, (H2) a greater hope, and (H3) a higher frequency of unusual perceptual experiences than non-religious widows. Three instruments, the Complicated Grief Inventory, the Hope Scale, and the Hallucinations Questionnaire were administered to a sample consisting of religious widows and a control group (non-religious widows). The results showed that religious widows experienced less complicated grief than non-religious widows, and fewer feelings of pessimism about the death of the loved one. Religious widows who showed higher feelings of hope, compared to non-religious ones, tended to have fewer indicators of complicated grief. Furthermore, those religious widows who displayed feelings associated with remembering the deceased tended, for example, to hear voices and smell perfumes. It is possible that these occurrences may even be functional and adaptive in order to cope with the negative feelings of grief and loss, rather than resulting in a resource deficit mechanism for dealing with pain and hopelessness.

O objetivo geral deste estudo é avaliar o luto e a esperança em viúvas religiosas, e a frequência de experiências perceptivas incomuns após a morte do cônjuge. A hipótese é que (H1) viúvas religiosas experimentarão um luto menos complicado, (H2) mais esperança e (H3) maior frequência de experiências perceptivas incomuns do que viúvas não religiosas. Três instrumentos, o Inventário do Luto Complicado, a Escala de Esperança e o Questionário de Alucinações, foram administrados a uma amostra composta por viúvas religiosas e um grupo de controle (viúvas não religiosas). Os resultados mostraram que as viúvas religiosas experimentaram um luto menos complicado do que as viúvas não religiosas e menos sentimentos de pessimismo em relação à morte de um ente querido. As viúvas religiosas que mostraram maior senso de esperança, em comparação com as viúvas não religiosas, tendem a ter menos indicadores de luto complicado. Além disso, aquelas viúvas religiosas que demonstravam sentimentos associados à memória do falecido tendiam, por exemplo, a ouvir vozes e cheirar perfumes. É possível que essas ocorrências possam até ser funcionais e adaptativas para lidar com os sentimentos negativos de luto e perda, em vez de ser um mecanismo de déficit de recursos para lidar com a dor e a desesperança.

El objetivo general de este estudio es evaluar el duelo en viudas religiosas y la esperanza, y la frecuencia de experiencias perceptuales inusuales después de la muerte del cónyuge. Se hipotetiza que (H1) las viudas religiosas experimentarán menor grado de duelo complicado, (H2) mayor esperanza y (H3) mayor frecuencia de experiencias perceptuales inusuales que las viudas no religiosas. Se administraron tres instrumentos, el Inventario de Duelo Complicado, la Escala de Esperanza, y el Cuestionario de Alucinaciones a una muestra integrada por viudas religiosas y un grupo control (viudas no religiosas). Los resultados mostraron que las viudas religiosas experimentaban menos duelo complicado que las viudas no religiosas, y menos sentimientos de pesimismo en torno a la muerte del ser querido. Las viudas religiosas que mostraron mayor sentimiento de esperanza, en comparación con las no religiosas, tendieron a menos indicadores de duelo complicado. Además, aquellas viudas religiosas que mostraban sentimientos asociados al recuerdo del difunto tendían, por ejemplo, a oír voces y oler perfumes. Es posible que estas ocurrencias puedan incluso ser funcionales y adaptativas para afrontar los sentimientos negativos del duelo y la pérdida, en lugar de resultar un mecanismo de déficit de recursos para lidiar contra el dolor y la desesperanza.

Sesgo atribucional en pacientes psiquiátricos, religiosos y un grupo control en el juicio de la experiencia alucinatoria: la tarea del White Christmas test / Attributional Biases in Psychiatric Patients, a Religious, and a Control Group in the Assessment of a Hallucinatory Experience: The "White Christmas Test"

RESUMEN El objetivo de este estudio es evaluar la experiencia alucinatoria auditiva en una muestra clínica de pacientes con historial psiquiátrico (p. ej., esquizofrénicos), practicantes religiosos (p. ej., cristianos evangélicos devotos) y un grupo control (sin trastorno mental y no religiosos devotos). La muestra estuvo integrada por individuos de ambos sexos. La muestra de pacientes se reclutó en 2 hospitales psiquiátricos de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, un grupo de practicantes religiosos (cristianos devotos) en un culto evangélico y un grupo de control no religioso y carente de síntomas psiquiátricos previos. Se aplicó el Cuestionario de Experiencias Alucinatorias y el Oxford-Liverpool Inventory Feelings and Experiences, y luego se administró el White Christmas Test, que evalúa el grado de la imaginería auditiva vívida con base en una versión del paradigma de detección de serial, en que el sujeto cree escuchar un tema musical en el trasfondo de un ruido blanco. Los pacientes mostraron mayor sesgo atribucional que los evangélicos y el grupo control, pero además los religiosos también tendieron a mostrar mayor sesgo (aunque en menor grado) que el grupo control. Además, los pacientes tendieron a mostrar más esquizotipia y experiencias alucinatorias que los evangélicos y el grupo control, pero sorprendentemente el grupo control mostró mayor esquizotipia negativa que el grupo religioso, lo cual indica que las prácticas religiosas podrían contribuir a disminuir los efectos negativos de la esquizotipia.

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the auditory hallucinatory experience in a clinical sample of patients with psychiatric symptoms (e.g. Schizophrenia), a religious group (eg. Christians) and a "control" group (with no mental disorder and non-religious). The sample consisted of individuals of both sexes. The patient sample was recruited in two psychiatric hospitals of Buenos Aires City, the religious from an evangelical cult, and people with no religious beliefs or previous psychiatric symptoms (control group). The Hallucinatory Experiences Questionnaire and the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory Feelings and Experiences were the measurement tools used. The White Christmas Test was also administered in order to assess the degree of vivid imagery hearing based on a version of signal detection paradigm in which the subjects think that they hear a song in the background of white noise. The results showed that patients showed greater attributional bias (compared with evangelicals and the control group), but the religious group also tended to show greater bias (although less) than the control group. In addition, patients tended to show greater schizotypal and hallucinatory experiences compared with the evangelicals and the control group, but surprisingly, the control group showed higher negative schizotypy than the religious group, which indicates that religious practices could help reduce the negative effects of schizotypy.

Attributional Biases in Psychiatric Patients, a Religious, and a Control Group in the Assessment of a Hallucinatory Experience: The "White Christmas Test". / Sesgo atribucional en pacientes psiquiátricos, religiosos y un grupo control en el juicio de la experiencia alucinatoria: la tarea del White Christmas test.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the auditory hallucinatory experience in a clinical sample of patients with psychiatric symptoms (e.g. Schizophrenia), a religious group (eg. Christians) and a "control" group (with no mental disorder and non-religious). The sample consisted of individuals of both sexes. The patient sample was recruited in two psychiatric hospitals of Buenos Aires City, the religious from an evangelical cult, and people with no religious beliefs or previous psychiatric symptoms (control group). The Hallucinatory Experiences Questionnaire and the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory Feelings and Experiences were the measurement tools used. The White Christmas Test was also administered in order to assess the degree of vivid imagery hearing based on a version of signal detection paradigm in which the subjects think that they hear a song in the background of white noise. The results showed that patients showed greater attributional bias (compared with evangelicals and the control group), but the religious group also tended to show greater bias (although less) than the control group. In addition, patients tended to show greater schizotypal and hallucinatory experiences compared with the evangelicals and the control group, but surprisingly, the control group showed higher negative schizotypy than the religious group, which indicates that religious practices could help reduce the negative effects of schizotypy.

Asociaciones entre la calidad dormital, esquizotipia y experiencias perceptuales inusuales / Associations between slep quality, schizotypy and unusual perceptual experiences (PPE)

Existen diferencias en términos de la necesidad de dormir en la población general. Algunos estudios sugieren que quienes duermen poco son propensos a generar alucinaciones, de modo que parece haber una posible relación entre la duración del sueño, las alucinaciones y otras experiencias anómalas diurnas. El presente estudio se centra en la comprensión de la etiología de ciertas experiencias perceptuales inusuales (EPIs), mediante la exploración de las relaciones entre la duración del sueño, la esquizotipia, y la calidad del sueño. Se clasificó a una muestra de la población general en la duración del sueño en tres grupos: período corto (n = 202, 46%), mediano (n = 103, 23%) y largo (n = 131, 30%) mediante un ítem del Índice de Calidad de Sueño. También completaron el Inventario de Sentimientos y Experiencias Oxford-Liverpool (O-LIFE) y el Cuestionario de Experiencias Perceptuales Inusuales. Los resultados sugieren que individuos con un período corto de sueño experimentan menor recuerdo y nitidez de las imágenes oníricas, aunque un aumento de experiencias perceptuales inusuales diurnas. La calidad del sueño está directamente relacionada con ciertas experiencias inusuales y la esquizotipia, las cuales parecen estar parcialmente moduladas por la duración del sueño.

There are differences in terms of the need to sleep in the general population. Some studies suggest that short sleepers are likely to produce hallucinations, and that seems to have a possible relationship between sleep duration, hallucinations and other anomalous experiences during daytime. This study focuses on understanding the aetiology of certain unusual perceptual experiences (PPE), by exploring the relationship between sleep duration, schizotypy, and sleep quality. We classified a sample of the general population in sleep duration into three groups: short period (n = 202, 46%), medium (n = 103, 23%) and long (n = 131, 30%) by means of a Pittsburgh Scale item. They also completed the Inventory of Feelings and Experiences Oxford-Liverpool (O-LIFE) and the Unusual Perceptual Experiences Questionnaire. The results suggest that individuals with a short sleep period experience less memory and sharpness of images of dreams, albeit they have an increase in daytime unusual perceptual experiences. Sleep quality is directly related to some unusual experiences and schizotypy, which appears to be partially modulated by sleep duration.

Experiencias perceptuales inusuales, experiencias anómalo/paranormales y propensión a la esquizotipia / Unusual perceptual experiences, anomalous/paranormal experiences and proneness to schizotypy

Parece haber similitudes entre el trastorno esquizotípico de personalidad (TEP) y las experiencias paranormales. De hecho, algunos de los síntomas en el TEP en el Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) coinciden con un número de experiencias anómalo/paranormales. La esquizotipia positiva, que incluye pensamiento mágico, alucinaciones y otras experiencias perceptuales inusuales, también ha estado relacionada con experiencias y creencias paranormales. Sin embargo, las experiencias paranormales difieren de las experiencias psicóticas en la población no clínica. Para examinar diferencias en síntomas positivos y negativos de esquizotipia se comparó un grupo de individuos interesados en temas paranormales (N = 121) con uno de estudiantes universitarios (N = 588). Como estaba previsto en las hipótesis, las personas interesadas en temas paranormales puntuaron más alto en el subtotal de síntomas positivos de esquizotipia en comparación con los estudiantes, sin diferencias en síntomas negativos. Los síntomas positivos se presentan también en estudiantes que indican tener experiencias paranormales en comparación con aquellos sin experiencias, con una diferencia marginalmente significativa en los síntomas negativos entre ambos grupos.

There seems to be similarities between schizotypal personality and paranormal experiences, in fact, some of the symptoms of PTSD in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) match a number of anomalous/paranormal experiences. Positive schizotypy, including magical thinking, hallucinations and other unusual perceptual experiences, has also been associated with paranormal experiences and beliefs. However, paranormal experiences differ from psychotic experiences in nonclinical populations. In order to establish differences between positive and negative symptoms of schizotypy, we compared a group of believers in the paranormal (N = 121) and a sample of undergraduate students (N = 588). The hypothesis that believers would have higher scores in schizotypy positive symptoms was confirmed. There was a significant difference in positive symptoms of schizotypy among the group of students with and no experiences, although not significant for negative symptoms.