Transdiagnostic Unified Protocol for Women with Breast Cancer: A Preliminary Study

This article aimed to explore the feasibility and clinical utility of the online Unified Protocol to improve emotional regulation with women diagnosed with breast cancer. Method. Research with a quantitative, exploratory, descriptive, and interactive approach, with a quasi-experimental design, pre-posttest for paired samples. Nine women with an average age of 53 years (SD= 9.5; range from 41 to 71) participated in a psychological intervention of 12 weekly 90-minute sessions. A statistically significant change (p < 0.05) between pre and post-test measurements in Anxiety (t= 2.777; p=.024), Quality of life (Z= -2.670; p=.008), Optimism (t= -2.785; p= .024) and Positive Affect (t= -3.834; p=.005) were found. The size of the effect was moderate in Optimism and big in Anxiety, Quality of life and Positive Affect. High levels of treatment satisfaction were found. The intervention was useful to improve the emotional regulation of women with a medical condition in a pandemic context. (AU)

Psychological Adjustment in Adult Adoptees: A Meta-Analysis / Ajuste Psicológico en Adultos Adoptados/as: un Meta-análisis

Background: Little is known about the effect adoption status has on psychological adjustment (for instance, depression, anxiety, problem behaviour, or drug misuse) in adulthood. The aim of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis to study the impact of adoption status on adult adoptees’ psychological adjustment. Method: The review included 18 quasi-experimental studies conducted between 1993 and 2019. Results: Adoptees had significantly worse psychological adjustment than non-adoptees across all outcomes, except for the obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and antisocial personality disorder (APD). The moderating analyses showed a significant effect for ethnicity and marital status. Conclusions: Our results shed light on the specific groups of adoptees at a higher risk of maladjustment. The outcomes most strongly influenced by adoptive status were angry emotions (hostility and anger), psychiatric care, drug abuse, and psychotic symptoms. These findings have clinical implications with regard to the support that practitioners can provide to adoptees and their families. (AU)

Antecedentes: sabemos poco sobre el efecto que la condición adoptiva tiene en el ajuste psicológico (por ejemplo, depresión, ansiedad, conducta problemática o abuso de drogas) en la etapa adulta. El objetivo de este estudio es realizar un meta-análisis sobre el impacto que la condición adoptiva tiene en el ajuste psicológico de adultos adoptados. Método: esta revisión incluyó 18 estudios cuasi-experimentales llevados a cabo entre 1993 y 2019. Resultados: los adultos adoptados presentaron más dificultades en todos los indicadores analizados, salvo en el trastorno obsesivo-compulsivo (TOC) y en el trastorno antisocial de la personalidad (TAP). Los análisis de moderación indicaron un efecto significativo para el grupo étnico y estado marital. Conclusiones: nuestros resultados arrojan luz sobre los grupos específicos con un riesgo más alto para las dificultades psicológicas. Los indicadores más fuertemente influenciados por la condición adoptiva fueron las emociones negativas, acceso a servicios psiquiátricos, consumo de drogas y síntomas psicóticos. Estos resultados tienen implicaciones clínicas en cuanto al apoyo que los profesionales puedan dar a las personas adoptadas y sus familias. (AU)