Brief Telephonic Motivational Interviewing for People Living with HIV with Follow-up Problems.

Motivational interviewing (MI)-based interventions can be effective for people living with HIV (PLWHIV) with medical follow-up problems. This study aimed to assess the stage of motivation to attend medical appointments of PLWHIV with medical follow-up problems and to evaluate a single telephone session MI intervention directed to engage them in care. The change in stage was evaluated before and after the intervention, and attending medical appointments was monitored for six months. Thirty-nine PLWHIV participated; 51.3% were in precontemplation/contemplation and 49.7% in preparation/action stage. Most (excluding those in the action stage from the beginning) (n = 22, 71.0%) advanced to another stage after the intervention (z = - 4.235, p < .001), and most did not miss the following appointments. Brief and remote MI interventions could be useful in low-resource settings, especially for those in the early stages of change, to explore motivations related with missing medical appointments.

Association of positive psychological variables with disease activity, functional disability and erythrocyte sedimentation rate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a preliminary study.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease which has shown positive correlations between negative psychological variables and disease activity in transversal studies and in the follow-up. However, the association of positive psychological variables with disease parameters including disease activity (DAS-28), functional disability (HAQ) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) has not been investigated. Patients with RA attending the external consultation of a third level hospital were invited to participate and fill in a questionnaire with personal, disease and psychological variables; body mass index was also obtained as well as ESR. A total of 49 patients were included. The three dependent variables correlated among them, with the highest correlation for DAS-28 and HAQ (r=0.645, p<0.01), followed by somatization and HAQ (r=0.614, p<0.01) or DAS-28 (r=0.537, P<0.01). In addition, HAQ showed negative correlations with environmental mastery (r=- 0.366, p<0.01), personal growth (r=-0.292, p<0.05) and monthly extra money (r=-0.328, p<0.05), and borderline negative correlations with emotion perception (r=-0.279, p=0.053) and self-acceptance (r=-0.250, p=0.08). ESR showed a significant negative correlation with emotion perception (r=-0.475, p<0.01). In conclusion, we observed important correlations of positive psychological variables with disease activity, functional disability and ESR that could be addressed in order to prevent or treat these disease features.

[Development and psychometric properties of a brief instrument to measure the stigma of aggressiveness in schizophrenia]. / Desarrollo y propiedades psicométricas de un instrumento breve para evaluar el estigma de agresividad en la esquizofrenia.

INTRODUCTION: Schizophrenia has been object of stigmatization throughout history. A critical component of stigma in schizophrenia is the perception that patients are extremely dangerous. The assessment of this concept in general population by the use of reliable and valid instruments will allow the development of programs aimed to reduce it. OBJECTIVE: To develop an assessment instrument of the public conception of aggressiveness in schizophrenia and to determine its reliability and validity in a community sample of Mexico City. METHOD: A total of 258 subjects completed the Public Conception of Aggressiveness Questionnaire (CAQ) which is made up of a brief clinical vignette and specific questions that assess subjective conceptions about aggressiveness and mental disorders in patients with schizophrenia. RESULTS: More than 40.0% of the sample considered that the patient with schizophrenia is aggressive and dangerous. The CAQ had an adequate internal consistency (alpha=0.74). The results of the factorial analysis showed that the two factors that explained 61.0% of the variance. DISCUSSION: The items of CAQ showed two major areas that evaluate: a) perception of presentation of aggressive behaviors and, b) mental illness recognition and social aspects of the stigma of dangerousness. The CAQ is an instrument with adequate psychometric properties that could be useful to evaluate the perception of aggressiveness in schizophrenia among general population.

[Temperament and character profile of persons with suicide attempt]. / Perfil de temperamento y carácter de personas con intento suicida.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to establish the association between temperament and character personality traits with attempted suicide patients. METHOD: Consecutive male and female adults subjects, between 18-65 years old, presenting a suicide attempt and hospitalized in the Psychiatric Service of Civil Hospital of Guadalajara, Jalisco (Mexico), were evaluated based on Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and compared with the Mexican normative data. RESULTS: A total 63 subjects, with a mean age of 28.25 +/- 9.28 years old, 54 % of whom were women, were enrolled. Personality traits associated with suicide attempt in comparison with general population included: temperament: elevation in "novelty seeking" (22.9 +/- 6.0 vs 20.2 +/- 5.1; t = 3.30, df = 83, p = 0.01), "harm avoidance" (19.0 +/- 4.8 vs 12.6 +/- 7.1; t = 8.54, df = 132, p < 0.001), and "self-transcendence" (19.1 +/- 5.6 vs 16.4 +/- 6.2; t = 3.41, df = 100, p = 0.0009); and character: decrease in "self-directedness" (26.8 +/- 6.2 vs 29.9 +/- 10.8; t = -3.02, df = 161, p = 0.002), and "cooperativeness" (26.0 +/- 4.5 vs 28.2 +/- 9.9; t = -2.59, df = 214, p = 0.01). Finally, males with suicide attempt showed higher "harm avoidance" than females (20.37 +/- 5.3 vs 17.82 +/- 4.1; t = -2.14, df = 61, p = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS: Temperament traits associated with suicide attempt in the present study are related with serotoninergic and noradrenergic deregulation previously involved in the phenomena, and the sum of the character personality dimensions explains the complex relationship between biological and learned factors of suicide behavior.

Evaluation of suicide risk in children: psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Risk of Suicide Questionnaire (RSQ).

INTRODUCTION: Risk of Suicide Questionnaire (RSQ) is a useful self-administered tool to assess suicide risk among children. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to translate RSQ into Spanish and determine its validity and reliability among Mexican children. METHOD: After a culturally sensitive RSQ items translation, all fifth and sixth grade elementary school students of both genders, from a private educational Institution in Guadalajara (Mexico) whose parents gave informed consent to participate, completed the RSQ Spanish version and the Beck's Depression and Hopelessness Inventories. The parents of the children who had a suicide risk were contacted and invited to come with their child to a subsequent appointment for evaluation and free treatment in the Jalisciense Mental Health Institute. For correlation analysis, item number 9 related to suicide was eliminated. RESULTS: A total sample of 88 students participated. Their mean age was 11.23 +- 0.78 years old, and 55.7 % were male. Mean total scales were as follows: RSQ: 8.3 +- 9.05; depression: 7.4 +- 6.7, and hopelessness: 18 +- 3.3. Cronbach's alpha for RSQ was 0.68. Intra class coefficients correlations between RSQ and depression and hopelessness inventories were 0.74 and 0.52, respectively. Only one of the 56 minors considered to have a certain suicide risk (n=56) came to a professional evaluation with their parents. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of the RSQ showed adequate validity and reliability in Mexican students.

[Study of translation and reliability of the Wisconsin personality disorders inventory (WISPI-IV)]. / Estudio de traducción y fiabilidad del Inventario de trastornos de la personalidad de Wisconsin (WISPI-IV).

INTRODUCTION: The Wisconsin personality disorders inventory (WISPI-IV) is a self report instrument for the assessment of DSM-IV personality disorders. The aim of this study was to translate the WISPI-IV into Spanish and report its internal consistency and temporal stability. METHODS: The Spanish version was obtained by translation and back translation method, using two independent translators. Then 270 subjects of both genders, between 18 nd 65 years of age, who knew how to read and write and accepted to participate voluntarily were selected and answered the instrument. A subgroup of 20 subjects completed the instrument for the second time, at fifteen days of the first application. The analysis of internal consistency and coefficients of temporal stability were calculated with Cronbach's alpha coefficients and Pearson's correlation, respectively. RESULTS: All Spanish version WISPI-VI scales mean scores and internal consistency coefficients were similar to their original counterparts (alphas=0.64-0.86). Except for avoidant personality disorder scale, test-retest coefficients were also moderate to high and statistically significant (r = 0.46-0.92). CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of the WISPI-IV behaved similarity with the English version, and demonstrated adequate internal consistency and temporal stability coefficients to evaluate the presence of personalisty disorders.

[Cognitive constructs related to depression in children]. / Evaluación de constructos cognitivos relacionados con la depresión en niños.

UNLABELLED: Hopelessness, anhedonia and automatic thoughts have all been related to major depression and depressive symptoms. Few research has been done on these constructs in children, specially together. AIM: The aim of this study was to translate into Spanish and validate the hopelessness scale for children, the pleasure scale for children, the automatic thoughts scale and the Kovak's child depression inventory, and then to relate the cognitive constructs to depressive symptoms in a sample of normal children. METHODS: Children were recruited from the Federal Primary School Mexican Air Forces of Mexico City. All Children from the 3rd to 6th grades were included. RESULTS: 256 children were included, 53% male and 46% female, mean age 9.8 1.15 years. Internal consistencies for instruments were as follows: anhedonia scale 0.91, hopelessness scale 0.63, automatic thoughts 0.87 and depression 0.80. The factor structures of the translated versions were similar to those reported by their original authors. Interinstruments correlations ranged from 0.17 to 0.39. Automatic thoughts and depressive symptoms reached the highest significant value (r= 0.39). 6th graders rated significantly lower in all instruments than their 5th and 3rd peers. CONCLUSIONS: All measures studied demonstrate moderate to high internal reliability and the factor structures predicted. Depressive symptoms among normal children related weakly but significantly to the cognitive constructs studied, just as seen in normal adults.

[Beliefs About Voices Questionnaire (BAVQ): Spanish translation and psychometric properties]. / Estudio de traducción al español y propiedades psicométricas del cuestionario de creencias acerca de las voces (BAVQ).

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to translate into Spanish and to determine the inner reliability and consistency of the Beliefs About Voices Questionnaire (BAVQ) in a sample of Mexican patients diagnosed of schizophrenia and/or schizoaffective disorder under the DSM-IV criteria. METHOD: In order to do this, a diagnosis confirmation based on the semistructured interview format SCID was applied. The Spanish version of the BAVQ and Beck's anxiety and depression inventories were also implemented with a total of 55 persons, including males and females between 18 and 65 years old consecutively referred by the Mental Health Care Centers belonging to Mental Health Institute of Jalisco which forms a part of the governmental Health Care System in Mexico. RESULTS: The inner consistency indicators from the Spanish version ranged from 0.74 to 0.88, similar to those reported in the original version reviewed. The total score in the Malevolence and Resistance subscales were positively correlated and were statistically significant with depressive symptoms evaluated with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) (r = 0.29, p = 0.04; r = .35, p = 0.01, respectively), as well as the "omnipotence" subscale with the presence of anxiety symptoms according to the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) (r = 0.35; p = 0.01). The factorial structure was similar to that reported for the original version of the instrument reviewed. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of the BAVQ is a valid and reliable instrument to evaluate beliefs about identity, power, purpose, and consequences of obeying auditory hallucinations or "voices" in the Spanish speaking population.

[Assessment of drug attitudes in patients with schizophrenia: psychometric properties of the DAI Spanish version]. / Evaluación de actitudes al medicamento en pacientes con esquizofrenia: propiedades psicométricas de la versión en español del DAI.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the present study was to translate into Spanish and evaluate interrater reliability, internal consistency, and convergent validity with the Insight Treatment Questionnaire (ITAQ) and Buchanan's compliance measure, and their relation with sociodemographic and clinical variables of the Spanish version of the Drug Attitudes Inventory (DAI). METHODS: The sample was made up of 80 patients diagnosed of schizophrenia, between 15 and 65 years old, of both genders, who voluntarily accepted to participate in the study and were informed and whose clinical conditions made the evaluation possible. Convergent validity with ITAQ was calculated in a subsample of 60 subjects and interrater reliability was evaluated in 20 cases. RESULTS: The men and all those who received concomitant treatment with anxiolytic and/or antidepressants obtained a higher score on the DAI. Interrater reliability coefficient was 0.61 (p<0.001), and Chronbach's alpha=0.57. Correlation between DAI and ITAQ was r=0.476, p<0.01, and patients with poor compliance according to Buchanan's classification obtained less score in DAI than those with medium and high treatment compliance. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of the DAI demonstrated convergent validity and moderate reliability to evaluate treatment compliance in a Mexican sample of schizophrenic patients.