Exploring Biopsychosocial Stress Markers in Women With Fibromyalgia.

BACKGROUND: Identification of fibromyalgia has been a challenge for healthcare professionals due to the lack of a clinical biomarker. A well-supported integrative hypothesis holds that this condition is a chronic pain problem partly caused by long-term dysregulation of stress response. Therefore, stress assessment from a biopsychosocial perspective may be a useful approach to recognizing fibromyalgia. PURPOSE: A cross-sectional case-control study was conducted to explore stress markers from a multidimensional perspective, including heart rate variability (as a biomarker of stress) as well as psychological distress and social stress. METHODS: Forty-seven women with fibromyalgia were recruited from support groups and another 47 were recruited as matched pain-free controls. Comparison and discriminant function analyses were performed. RESULTS: The data support the goodness of biopsychosocial stress markers in women with fibromyalgia, resulting in the identification of between 70% and 74.5% of fibromyalgia cases (sensitivity) and 85%-87% pain-free controls (specificity), with medium-high levels of fit (λ = 0.58 and λ = 0.59; p < .00). Women with fibromyalgia were characterized by high levels of psychological distress, social stress (disorder levels), and autonomic dysregulation. Although distress and social stress had a greater weight in discriminant functions, dysregulation in terms of low parasympathetic activity and high sympathetic activity at rest was also relevant. CONCLUSIONS: A biopsychosocial approach to stress with an objective biomarker such as heart rate variability may be a useful tool to identify and manage FM.

Social Comparison and Stress Appraisal in Women with Chronic Illness.

(1) Background: The present study examined how social comparison orientation, stress appraisal and different social comparison strategies interact in women facing chronic illness. (2) Methods: Assessments were conducted by a trained professional in face-to face semistructured interviews (n = 179 women with chronic illness). Main outcome measures included social comparison scales and a stress appraisal questionnaire. The mediation model, by a bootstrapping procedure, was used to analyze the interaction among variables. (3) Results: Regarding the relationships among variables studied, they were related to each other except for a downward contrast, which allowed us to propose our hypothetical mediation model. Results showed that stress appraisal fully mediates between social comparison orientation and social comparison strategies except for the upward identification strategy. (4) Conclusions: Our results suggest that uncertainty, feelings of threat and low control over one's illness or, in general, stress appraisal, had an important mediating effects over social comparison processes in patients with chronic illnesses. Therefore, by understanding the stress appraisal process, and the variables that might modify it, we could improve the use of social comparison as a favorable coping strategy.

Social identity and engagement: an exploratory study at university / La identidad social y el compromiso: estudio exploratorio en la universidad

Within the framework of research on students' active performance in their study habits, the aim of this study is to analyze a model predicting the effect of social identity and personal initiative on engagement in university students. We conducted a cross-sectional study on 266 students from different Spanish universities. The resulting data were analyzed using SPSS Macro MEDIATE. Evidence was found for the proposed model. Only group-identity predicted personal initiative and engagement. Analysis revealed the mediating role of proactive behavior on engagement in university students. It is concluded that the university management may intervene, from an organizational-culture approach, promoting guidelines to reinforce students' sense of belonging by enhancing initiative and autonomous problem solving in learning behaviors (AU)

Dentro del marco de investigación sobre desempeño activo de estudiantes, el objetivo de este trabajo es analizar un modelo predictor del efecto de identidad social e iniciativa personal en el compromiso de estudiantes universitarios. Se llevó a cabo un estudio transversal con 266 alumnos de diversas universidades españolas. Los datos se analizaron con la Macro MEDIATE de SPSS. Se encontraron pruebas para el modelo propuesto. Sólo la identidad grupal predecía la iniciativa personal y el engagement. El análisis mostró el papel mediador de la iniciativa personal en el engagement de estudiantes universitarios. Entre las conclusiones se destaca la posibilidad de promover desde la Universidad el sentido de pertenencia para generar iniciativa personal y la solución autónoma de problemas en los comportamientos de aprendizaje (AU)

La Escala de Ansiedad y Depresión Hospitalaria (HAD) en fibromialgia: análisis de sensibilidad y especificidad / Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) in fibromyalgia: sensitivity and specificity analysis

La sociedad española de Reumatología (SER) (rivera et al., 2006) recomienda la escala de ansiedad y Depresión Hospitalaria (Hospital anxiety and Depression Scale - HADS, Zigmond y Snaith, 1983) para la evaluación clínica de ansiedad y depresión en Fibromialgia (FM). sin embargo, no constan índices de sensibilidad/especificidad ni puntos de corte en FM. Con el objetivo de comprobar aplicabilidad, propiedades psicométricas y sensibilidad/especificidad del HAD en FM, se evaluó a 131 pacientes ambulatorios del Hospital de san Vicente (alicante, España), utilizando como criterios externos BDI y STAI-E. se analizaron ítems, consistencia interna y estructura factorial mediante análisis confirmatorio y puntos de corte con curvas ROC. Se replicó la estructura de dos factores. La fiabilidad es adecuada (HADA=.80, HADD=.85). Se muestran diferentes puntos de corte con sensibilidad/especificidad superior al 70 por ciento para cada subescala. El Had presenta propiedades psicométricas óptimas en población FM, mostrándose útil como instrumento de "screening" de sintomatología ansioso-depresiva en esta población.

Spanish Society of Rheumatology (SER) (Rivera et al., 2006) suggests the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS, Zigmond y Snaith, 1983) for clinical assessment of anxiety and depression in fibromyalgia (FM). However, there is no HAD-FM cut-off yet. Aiming to assess applicability, psychometric properties and sensitivity/specificity of HADS in FM, 131 outpatients were assessed at San Vicente Hospital (Fibromyalgia service, Alicante, Spain), using like external criteria BDI and STAI-E. Item analysis was performed, calculating the internal consistency and factor structure study by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The cut-off points were found by ROC curves. Two-factor structure was replicated. Reliability is adequate (HADA=.80, HADD=.85). Several cut-off points are showed with sensitivity and specificity levels >70 percent for both subscales. HADS has optimal psychometric properties in FM and its useful as a screening tool to assess anxious-depressive symptoms in FM patients.

Revisión de estudios de la Escala de Ansiedad y Depresión Hospitalaria (HAD) en muestras españolas / Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) review in Spanish Samples

Introducción: La escala de Ansiedad y Depresión Hospitalaria (HADS-Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Zigmond y Snaith, 1983) se ha convertido en un popular instrumento clínico diseñado para evaluar ansiedad y depresión, encontrándose evidencias de que aplicado a diversas poblaciones parece tener tan buenas propiedades de detección cómo otros instrumentos. Numerosos trabajos en muestra española comprueban sus propiedades psicométricas y puntos de corte. Nuestro objetivo es unificar los resultados de estudios realizados en muestras españolas para concretar directrices que orienten en la aplicabilidad e interpretación de sus puntuaciones. Método: Revisión bibliográfica. Resultados: Se seleccionaron 15 artículos, a) se confirma que las propiedades psicométricas del HAD en diferentes muestras son óptimas, b) se presenta cierta variabilidad de puntos de corte para cada población y c) determinados ítems muestran débil carga factorial e ítem-test. Discusión: se plantea qué ítems deben reconsiderarse para un HAD abreviado. Se sugiere valorar la escala total de distrés

Introduction: The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS, Zigmond and Snaith, 1983) has become a popular clinical instrument designed to assess anxiety and depression. Evidence of HADS’ good screening properties applied to several samples has been found. HADS seems to be as good screening properties as other tools. Different studies in Spanish sample tested its psychometric properties, including also their cut-offs points, specificity and sensitivity. Our aim is to unify the results of studies in Spanish population specifying guidelines regarding their applicability and interpretation of their cut-off points. Material and method: bibliographic review. Results: 15 articles were selected, a) HADS confirms its optimal psychometric properties in different groups, b) HADS shows some variability in proposed cut-off points for different groups, c) A number of items shown weak factor loading and item-test. Discussion: These items should be reconsidered for new proposals of a shortened final scale. We suggest attending at distress total scale

Adaptation and validation of the Spanish version of the Social Comparison Scale in chronic illness patients.

This study examined the Social Comparison Scale in Spanish chronic illness context and analyzed its psychometric properties. The article presented the results of two studies. The first explored the test's dimensional structure in a sample of 202 patients in a range of several chronic illnesses. The second study examined the instrument's structure in a sample of 186 patients with specific chronic illness. The results replicated the original structure of the scale and proved to be valid for use with optimum reliability.

Social identity, passion and well-being in university students, the mediating effect of passion

Research on positive emotions associated with the performance of an activity, such as work or study, has increased exponentially in recent years. Passion is understood as an attitude and intense emotion in the performance of an activity, and it has shown both positive and negative consequences for well-being. A link between social identity and positive emotions through social category membership has been described. The aim of this work is to study the relationship between social identity, the dimensions of passion and the positive impact on university responses. A quasiexperimental design was used on a sample of 266 university students from different Spanish universities (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Universidad Miguel Hernández and Universidad de Alicante). Descriptive analyzes were performed on the study’s variables using SPSS 18. Structural equation modeling was carried out with AMOS 18 and the mediational analysis with MODMED macro developed by Preacher, Rucker, and Hayes (2007). The results show that the identity of the studies had an indirect effect on positive responses mediated by passion for the studies (RMSEA = .07; CFI = .97; NFI = .96; TLI = .92). It is observed that the harmonious and obsessive dimensions of passion differ in the mediating effect on happiness and satisfaction with studies. Practical and theoretical implications for well-being are discussed (AU)

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Social identity, passion and well-being in university students, the mediating effect of passion.

Research on positive emotions associated with the performance of an activity, such as work or study, has increased exponentially in recent years. Passion is understood as an attitude and intense emotion in the performance of an activity, and it has shown both positive and negative consequences for well-being. A link between social identity and positive emotions through social category membership has been described. The aim of this work is to study the relationship between social identity, the dimensions of passion and the positive impact on university responses. A quasi-experimental design was used on a sample of 266 university students from different Spanish universities (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Universidad Miguel Hernández and Universidad de Alicante). Descriptive analyzes were performed on the study's variables using SPSS 18. Structural equation modeling was carried out with AMOS 18 and the mediational analysis with MODMED macro developed by Preacher, Rucker, and Hayes (2007). The results show that the identity of the studies had an indirect effect on positive responses mediated by passion for the studies (RMSEA = .07; CFI = .97; NFI = .96; TLI = .92). It is observed that the harmonious and obsessive dimensions of passion differ in the mediating effect on happiness and satisfaction with studies. Practical and theoretical implications for well-being are discussed.

Estudiar con pasión: relación con la iniciativa personal y el engagement / Studying with passion: personal initiative and engagement relationship

Los objetivos de este trabajo son, la adaptación al castellano de las escalas de pasión armoniosa y pasión obsesiva de Vallerand y otros y la propuesta de un modelo exploratorio que analice la relación ente ambos tipos de pasión y la iniciativa personal, el engagement y el aprendizaje percibido. En el estudio han participado una muestra de 266 estudiantes de titulaciones superiores de tres universidades (UNED, UMH y UA). Los resultados muestran relaciones estadísticamente significativas entre todas las variables del estudio, reproducen la estructura factorial del cuestionario original y confirman el modelo propuesto. Los resultados están en la línea de trabajos previos que identifican que experimentar pasión armoniosa en una actividad se relaciona con comportamientos positivos tales como persistencia, vigor y dedicación y un mejor rendimiento. Asimismo, se contrasta la independencia entre el engagement y el concepto de pasión. Las implicaciones teóricas y prácticas así como las limitaciones son discutidas en el trabajo.

This article studies the Spanish adaptation of the harmonious passion and obsessive passion scale (Vallerand et al. 2003) and the proposal of an exploratory model capable of analize the harmonious passion and obsessive passion; the personal initiative; the engagement; and perceibed learning. A sample of 266 students of higher degrees from three colleges (UNED, UMH and UA) participated in this study. The outcomes show significant statistic relationships among all the variables of this study, the factorial structure of the original questionaire is reproduced and the proposed model is confirmed. The outcomes match previous studies that show that experiencing harmonious passion in an activity is related with positive behaviours such as persistence, vigor, dedication, and better performance. From this perspective, the independence between engagement and the passion concept is compared. The theorical implications and practices along with limitations are discussed in this study.

[Use and abuse of the Internet in university students]. / Uso y abuso de Internet en jovenes universitarios.

AIM: To adapt a questionnaire for assessing the use and abuse of Internet, as well as the relationship between this resource and psychosocial profile in a group of university students. METHOD: 391 students filled out the questionnaires; 26.1% were men and 73.9% were women, with a mean age of 19.59 years (DT = +/- 2.83; Range: 18-47 years). We used a sociodemographic questionnaire, Social skills questionnaire (Caballo, 1993, EMES-C and EMES-M), Personality questionnaire (E.P.I., Eysenck and Eysenck, 1982), and an Internet and Use and Abuse of Internet questionnaire (adapted from Bruner, 1997, Suler, 1996 and Young, 1996a, Garcia del Castillo y Terol, 2007). RESULTS: 73.91 % of students connect for an average of 84.81 minutes (DT = +/- 2.05) per week. Except for one subscale of the Internet use and abuse questionnaire, all the subscales showed reliability coefficients > or = . 70 and mean scores lower than the average of the score range. Internet use and abuse showed a relationship with psychosocial variables such as cognitive social skills (r =.14; p =.016) and neuroticism (r =.-13, p =.01).

Uso y abuso de Internet en jóvenes universitarios / Use and abuse of the Internet in university students

El objetivo del trabajo es describir el uso y/o abuso de Internet con un cuestionario adaptado de Brenner, (1997); Suler, (1996) y Young, (1996), así como, la relación entre frecuencia de uso y determinadas variables psicosociales de jóvenes universitarios. Método: Participaron 391 estudiantes, 26,1% son hombres y el 73,9% son mujeres de media de edad de 19.59 años (DT=±2.83; Rango: 18-47 años) Utilizamos un cuestionario de variables sociodemográficas, el Cuestionario de Expresión Social (Caballo, E.V., 1993, EMES-C y EMES-M), Cuestionario de personalidad (E.P.I. Eysenck y Eysenck, 1982), y un Cuestionario de Internet y de Uso y Abuso de Internet (adaptado de Bruner, 1997, Suler, 1996 y Young, 1996a, Garcia del Castillo y Terol, 2007). Resultados: Un 73,91% de la muestra se conecta semanalmente con un tiempo medio de 84.81 minutos (DT=±42.05). Excepto en una de las subescalas del cuestionario de uso y abuso de Internet, todas muestran coeficientes de fiabilidad ≥70, y puntuaciones medias inferiores a la media del rango. El uso y abuso de Internet se relacionó con el componente cognitivo de las habilidades sociales (r=.14; p=.016) y el neuroticismo (r=.-13, p=.01)

Aim: To adapt a questionnaire for assessing the use and abuse of Internet, as well as the relationship between this resource and psychosocial profile in a group of university students. Method: 391 students filled out the questionnaires; 26.1% were men and 73.9% were women, with a mean age of 19.59 years (DT = ± 2.83; Range: 18-47 years). We used a sociodemographic questionnaire, Social skills questionnaire (Caballo, 1993, EMES-C and EMES-M), Personality questionnaire (E.P.I., Eysenck and Eysenck, 1982), and an Internet and Use and Abuse of Internet questionnaire (adapted from Bruner, 1997, Suler, 1996 and Young, 1996a, Garcia del Castillo y Terol, 2007). Results: 73.91 % of students connect for an average of 84.81 minutes (DT = ± 2.05) per week. Except for one subscale of the Internet use and abuse questionnaire, all the subscales showed reliability coefficients ≥ 70 and mean scores lower than the average of the score range. Internet use and abuse showed a relationship with psychosocial variables such as cognitive social skills (r =.14; p =.016) and neuroticism (r =.-13, p =.01)

Percepción de control, observancia del tratamiento y resultados de la rehabilitación física / Control perception, treatment observance and physical rehabilitation

Este trabajo presenta los resultados obtenidos en un estudio realizado con 158 pacientes que ha seguido un tratamiento de rehabilitación física en 4 hospitales de la provincia de Alicante. El objetico que nos planteamos fue analizar cómo los factores cognitivos están relacionados con la observancia del régimen terapéutico, así como con la evaluación de su estado de salud. La evaluación de los resultados fue medida tanto a través de la evaluación de los resultados desde el punto de vista de los propios pacientes, como de los médicos. Los resultados muestran que las variables cognitivas utilizadas, la competencia percibida en salud, es un buen predictor de los resultados de los tratamientos y las expectativas de resultados son un predictor apropiado de la observancia de los tratamientos de rehabilitación. Como conclusión se sugiere la valoración para futuras investigaciones en el ámbito de la psicología de la salud, de las variables cognitivas en sus diferentes niveles de especificidad como predictores tanto de la observancia como de los resultados de los tratamientos (AU)

Diferencias en la calidad de vida: un estudio longitudinal de pacientes de cáncer recibiendo tratamiento de quimioterapia / Differences in quality of life: longitudinal study with cancer patients receiving chemotherapy treatment

El impacto del diagnóstico y tratamiento del cáncer provoca una serie de respuestas psicosociales que afectan a la calidad de vida del paciente. El objetivo de este trabajo es evaluar y comparar la calidad de vida y el Estado emocional, (ansiedad y depresión) de 21 pacientes oncológicos entrevistados en dos momentos de su enfermedad, al inicio y en sus últimos ciclos de quimioterapia. Los resultados mostraron que la calidad de vida global y la condición física percibida se asociaron entre sí y con la depresión. Sólo la Condición Física se diferenciaba significativamente entre las fases de estudio. En ambas fases, los Síntomas de Enfermedad, y el Impacto Económico se asociaron, bien con la ansiedad o con la depresión. El Impacto Social se relacionó con la depresión y la ansiedad en la primera fase, y la Discapacidad funcional con la Calidad de vida global, en la segunda. (AU)