Comparison of Emotional Processing Between Patients with Substance Use Disorder and Those with Dual Diagnosis: Relationship with Severity of Dependence and Use During Treatment.

This study analyzed, in a Spanish sample, the differences in emotional processing in patients diagnosed with substance use disorder (SUD) and patients with a dual diagnosis (DD), and tested whether alterations in emotional regulation were related to the severity of dependence and consumption during treatment. A descriptive follow-up study was conducted with 88 adult outpatients (83% men) who were receiving treatment for alcohol and cocaine SUD. Of the sample, 43.2% presented dual diagnosis according to DSM-IV-TR criteria. Emotional processing was assessed with the IAPS, and dependence severity with the SDSS. Consumption was determined with self-reports and toxicological tests. Regression analyses revealed that the DD group had more difficulties in identifying the valence and arousal of the images than patients with SUD. Patients with DD presented more difficulty in identifying images in which valence was manipulated, but not in those in which arousal was manipulated. Cocaine use during treatment was associated with difficulties in identifying unpleasant (U = 734.0; p < .05) and arousing (U = 723.5; p < .05) images. Although these results are preliminary, findings suggest that impaired emotional processing is aggravated in dual patients, although it may be a common transdiagnostic factor in SUD and other comorbid mental disorders. Findings highlight the importance of evaluating emotional regulation to better understand its possible role in the maintenance of substance use.

Changes in Drug-Related Implicit Associations during Substance Use Disorder Treatment: The Role of the Therapeutic Context.

BACKGROUND: Implicit cognition has been linked to relapse in substance use disorder (SUD). Studies on attentional bias have found different outcomes related to the therapeutic context, finding an association with relapse in inpatients but not in outpatients. There are no similar studies that use associations in semantic memory as a measure of implicit cognition. OBJECTIVES: (i) to analyze the relationship between a measure of associations in semantic memory and relapse in inpatients and outpatients; (ii) to compare the evolution of these associations between inpatients and outpatients after 3 months of treatment. METHODS: Eighty nine outpatients and 94 inpatients with SUD for cocaine and alcohol participated in this study. We employed a longitudinal design with a baseline evaluation and follow-up after three months, using the Word Association Task for Drug Use Disorder (WAT-DUD). RESULTS: The choice of drug-related words predicted relapse in cocaine (odds ratio = 1.97, z = 2.01, p = .045) and alcohol-cocaine (odds ratio = 2.39, z = 2.55, p = .011) use. Follow-up at 3 months revealed a reduction in the choice of drug-related words in inpatients (Z = 2.031, p = .042). CONCLUSIONS: A greater choice of drug-associated words in the presence of ambiguous images was related to relapse in inpatients but not in outpatients. The inpatients group showed a reduction in the semantic association with drugs during the first three months of treatment.

Coordinated treatment between addiction and mental health services vs. uncoordinated treatment for patients with dual diagnosis: higher dropout rates but lower impairement of functional disability.

Dual pathology is often found in addiction and mental health centers. Although there are integrated services for these patients, most countries have developed joint action protocols between addiction and mental health centers. The objective is to analyze the progress of patients diagnosed with dual pathology, comparing the therapeutic outcomes of those who exclusively attend either addiction or mental health centers with those patients who follow a program in which the two services are coordinated. It is hypothesized that patients assisted in coordinate manner will present a better evolution on psychopathological symptomatology, drug use and functional impairment.

Tratamiento coordinado entre centros de adicciones y salud mental vs. tratamiento no coordinado para pacientes con patología dual: mayor abandono, pero menor deterioro de la discapacidad funcional / Coordinated treatment between centres addiction and mental health centres vs. uncoordinated treatment for patients with dual pathology: greater dropout, but less deterioration of functional disability

Introducción: Los pacientes con patología dual son generalmente tratados en centros de salud mental y adicciones.Aunque hay servicios integrados para estos pacientes, lo máscomún es desarrollar protocolos de actuación conjunta entreestos centros. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar el progreso terapéutico de pacientes diagnosticados de patologíadual, comparando los resultados de pacientes atendidos enlos centros de adicciones exclusivamente, de salud mentalo bien atendidos de manera coordinada entre ambos servicios. La hipótesis es que los pacientes atendidos de maneracoordinada presentarán una mejor evolución en términos dela sintomatología psicopatológica, consumo de drogas y discapacidad funcional.Método. La muestra está formada por 182 pacientesatendidos en centros de adicción (n = 62), de salud mental (n= 51) y tratados a través del protocolo de actuación conjunta(n = 62). Los instrumentos administrados fueron la WHODAS2.0, BSI-18 y la SDSS.Resultados. No se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre la evaluación basal y el seguimiento ni en la WHODAS 2.0 ni en el BSI-18. Se encontróun incremento del consumo de cocaína en los tres grupos,aunque fue estadísticamente significativa en los pacientesde adicciones y de salud mental. Hubo una mayor tasa deabandono del tratamiento en los pacientes atendidos de manera coordinada. En términos de cambio fiable, entre los pacientes atendidos de manera coordinada hubo más pacientesque mejoraron en la WHODAS 2.0.Conclusiones. Los hándicaps de asistir a dos redes asistenciales pueden estar explicando el mayor abandono de lospacientes que siguen el protocolo de actuación conjunta. Sinembargo, los pacientes que se mantienen en esta modalidadterapéutica muestran un menor deterioro de la funcionalidad en comparación con las otras dos modalidades. (AU)

Background: Dual pathology is often found in addictionand mental health centers. Although there are integratedservices for these patients, most countries have developedjoint action protocols between addiction and mental healthcenters. The objective is to analyze the progress of patientsdiagnosed with dual pathology, comparing the therapeuticoutcomes of those who exclusively attend either addictionor mental health centers with those patients who followa program in which the two services are coordinated. It ishypothesized that patients assisted in coordinate mannerwill present a better evolution on psychopathological symptomatology, drug use and functional impairment. Methods. The sample was 182 dual pathology patientstreated in addictions centers (n=62), mental health centers(n=51) and treated in a coordinated manner (n=62). The instruments administered was WHODAS 2.0, BSI-18 and SDSS.Results. In general, no statistically significant differences were found between baseline and follow up inWHODAS and BSI-18. More cocaine use was found inthree groups but was statistically significant in patientsattended by addictions center and mental health centers.High percentages of abandonment were found in patientsattending coordinate services. In terms of reliable change, among those receiving the coordinated treatment,there were more patients who showed improvements inthe WHODAS 2.0 dimensions.Conclusions. The inconvenience caused by going to different treatment networks may partially explain these resultsrelated with abandonment. However, patients who remain intreatment in coordinated services, show lower functionalitydeterioration than patients in other modalities. (AU)

Impairments in Executive Functioning in Patients with Comorbid Substance Use and Personality Disorders: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the evidence for impaired executive functioning in patients diagnosed with a dual pathology of personality disorder (PD) and substance use disorder, and to identify whether differences exist in comparison to those with a single diagnosis. Methods: A systematic search was conducted to identify studies using measures of executive functioning in patients with PD-substance use disorder dual pathology. Sixteen studies were selected. Results: The results indicate that dual pathology patients with Cluster C personality disorder do not differ from controls, and that the presence of dual pathology does not influence the updating domain of executive functioning. The findings were inconclusive with regard to dual pathology patients with Cluster B personality disorders. Whilst the various studies consistently show that these patients show worse performance than the control groups, here are contradictory results with regard to whether Cluster B personality disorders add more alterations in executive functioning to those that already appear in substance use disorder. Conclusions: The results suggest the need for further research that more adequately controls variables such as time in treatment, medication, and sample size, whilst there is also a need to employ longitudinal designs that include more patients from Clusters A and C.

Personality Traits and Impulsivity Tasks Among Substance Use Disorder Patients: Their Relations and Links With Retention in Treatment.

BACKGROUND: Various authors have described the elements of impulsive approach and inhibitory control in drug users. These two components have been studied in terms of personality traits, performance on tasks that measure impulsive behavior, and neurophysiology. However, few studies have analyzed the association between these constructs. Thus, the aim of the present study is to analyze the associations between personality traits and performance on impulsivity tasks. METHODS: A follow-up study was conducted with a baseline assessment at the beginning and end of treatment. The sample was composed of 121 patients undergoing treatment in therapeutic communities. Personality domains were evaluated through the PID-5. The impulsivity tasks employed were the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), Delay Discounting Test (DDT), Go/No-Go and Stroop test. RESULTS: A correlation was found between DDT scores and the domains of detachment (r = -.315; p<.01), antagonism (r = -.294; p<.01), and disinhibition (r = .215; p<.05). Performance on the Stroop task was significantly associated with psychoticism (r = .232; p<.05) and negative affect (r = .212; p<.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that IGT scores and negative affect predict retention in treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These findings partially support the hypothesized association between sensation-seeking personality traits and detachment with impulsive choice tasks; and the relationships between negative affect and psychoticism traits with performance on inhibitory control tasks. Further, impulsive choice task scores and negative affect are both shown to predict retention in treatment.

Capacidad discriminativa del deterioro funcional del Inventario de Personalidad DMS-5 Short Form en pacientes con trastorno por uso de sustancias / Discriminative capacity for functional impairment of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 Short Form in patients with substance use disorder

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Reliability and validity evidence of a new interpretation bias task in patients diagnosed with drug use disorder: a preliminary study of the Word Association Task for Drug Use Disorder (WAT-DUD).

Background: Interpretation bias tasks such as word association tests have shown a moderate relation with substance use, but most studies have been conducted in nonclinical samples and these tasks are difficult to rate. Objectives: To provide: (1) reliability evidence of the Word Association Task for Drug Use Disorder (WAT-DUD), a novel and easy-to-rate instrument for measuring interpretation bias and (2) validity evidence based on the relationship between the WAT-DUD and variables associated with patterns of drug use and treatment outcomes. Methods: 186 patients (67 outpatients and 119 inpatients, 90% males) participated in the study. The task consisted of a simultaneous conditional discrimination where an image (either explicit or ambiguous) was the sample and two words (drug-related or not) served as comparison stimuli. The Substance Dependence Severity Scale, the Cocaine Craving Questionnaire-Now, and the Multidimensional Craving Scale were also used. Results: The ambiguous images items showed adequate reliability in terms of internal consistency (α = .80) and test-retest reliability (79.7% on average). The interpretation of images as drug-related was positively correlated with craving for cocaine (r = .20; p = .029), alcohol (r = .30; p = . 01), and alcohol withdrawal (r = .31; p = .01) along with severity of alcohol dependence (r = .23; p = .04). No relationship was found with the severity of cocaine dependence, or its symptoms of abstinence. Conclusion: WAT-DUD shows psychometric properties that support its use in research contexts, although more research is needed for its use in the clinical setting.

Relations between facets and personality domains with impulsivity: New evidence using the DSM-5 Section III framework in patients with substance use disorders.

Section III of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition proposes an alternative diagnostic model for personality disorders based on the identification of pathological personality facets. Despite the existing evidence for the relationship between personality disorders and impulsivity in patients with substance use disorders, no study has yet been conducted within this framework. Thus, using a sample of 110 patients with substance use disorders, the present work aims to (a) analyze the relationship between the different personality facets and domains evaluated by the Personality Inventory for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (PID-5) and impulsivity and (b) explore the relationships between severity of dependency and personality facets and dimensions of impulsivity. With respect to PID-5 domains, except for sensation-seeking, antagonism and disinhibition showed correlations higher than .30 with the following dimensions: urgency, premeditation, perseverance, sensation-seeking, and positive urgency (UPPS-P). The domains of detachment and psychoticism showed weaker correlations with different UPPS-P dimensions. The risk-taking PID-5 facet explains 49% variability of the sensation-seeking dimension of UPPS-P, whereas the impulsivity facet was significant on regression models computed with lack of premeditation, positive urgency, and negative urgency dimensions. Heroin and cocaine severity of dependence were moderately related to different personality facets. Lower relationships between alcohol and cannabis severity of dependence, impulsivity, and PID-5 facets were found. As a conclusion, the relationships between personality domains and impulsivity behave similarly to their five-factor equivalents for some dimensions but not for negative urgency, which might indicate the lack of specificity of this dimension of impulsivity on this type of patients. (PsycINFO Database Record

Navegación espacial en niños en un laberinto circular: la interacción entre diferentes marcos geométricos de referencia / Spatial Navigation in Children in a Circular Maze: he Interaction between different frames of reference

Diversas teorías intentan explicar las estrategias de navegación que utilizan los niños menores de 6 años, siendo el uso de la geometría el principal tema de debate. El objetivo del estudio fue estudiar los sistemas de navegación espacial en niños de 3 y 6 años y su utilización de diversos marcos de referencia geométricos y de la guía proximal. Los niños emplearán la geometría como predice la teoría de la combinación adaptativa. Dos grupos de 20 niños de 6 y 3 años, respectivamente. Se utilizó un laberinto circular donde los niños tenían que buscar un objeto escondido. Se formaron dos grupos: desorientados respecto a la habitación exterior y no desorientados. Los niños de 3 años necesitaron la información geométrica de la habitación exterior, los de 6 años también son capaces de emplear la guía proximal y pueden usar la geometría del recinto experimental si su aprendizaje se ha realizado en presencia de la geometría de la habitación. Los resultados apoyan la teoría de la combinación adaptativa, en lugar de la de módulos geométricos. Por otro lado, la presencia de marcos de referencia geométricos fiables facilita la utilización de otros tipos de claves que en su ausencia no son empleadas.

Various theories attempt to explain the strategies of navigation used by children under 6 years old, principle amongst which is the use of geometry. The aim of this study was the spatial orientation applied by 3 and 6-year-old children and their use of different geometric frames of reference and the proximal guide. Children use geometry as the theory of the adaptive combination predicts. 20 six-year-old children and 20 three-year-old children. The experimental study used a circular maze in which the children had to find a hidden object. The children were split into two groups: those who were disoriented with respect to the outer room, and those who were not disoriented. The 3-year-old children need the geometric information of the outer room, the 6-year-old are also able to use the proximal guide and can use the geometry of the experimental enclosure when their learning has made available the geometry of the room. The results support the theory of adaptive combination, rather than the geometric modules. Furthermore, the presence of reliable geometric frames of reference facilitates the use of other types of keys that are not used in their absence.

La parálisis cerebral como una condición dinámica del cerebro: un estudio secuencial del desarrollo de niños hasta los 6 años de edad / Cerebral Palsy as a Dynamic Condition of the Brain: A Sequential Study of the Development of Children up to 6 Years of Age

La parálisis cerebral es un trastorno motor debido a inmadurez cerebral con numerosos déficits asociados, incluidos los adaptativos, sociales, motores, cognitivos y de la comunicación, y con gran impacto en el desarrollo. El objetivo del presente estudio fue estudiar el desarrollo durante un año de niños con parálisis cerebral de uno a seis años. El método empleado fue un diseño ex post facto evolutivo secuencial. Se utilizó la prueba de screening del Inventario de Desarrollo de Battelle en un pretest y en un postest transcurrido un año. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 41 niños de entre 1 y 6 años de edad con diagnóstico de parálisis cerebral infantil. Los niños mostraban puntuaciones en el postest significativamente superiores en todas las áreas estudiadas. Se observó una mejora generalizada en las capacidades de la mayoría de los sujetos. Se discuten las posibles influencias que contribuyen a estas mejoras en los cocientes de desarrollo en la obtención de estos resultados.

Cerebral palsy is a motor disorder due to brain immaturity associated with deficit including adaptive deficits, social, engines, cognitive and communication and with great impact on development. The aim was to study the development during a year of children with cerebral palsy from one to six years. The method was a sequential evolutionary ex post facto design. We utilized the screening test of the Battelle Developmental Inventory in a pre-test and a post-test after one year. The sample consisted of 41 children aged between 1 and 6 years of age diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Children in the posttest scores showed significantly higher in all areas studied. There has been an overall improvement in the capabilities of most subjects. Are discussed the possible influences contributing to these improvements in the ratios of development to obtain these results.

Perfil cognitivo de los pacientes con traumatismo craneoencefálico grave: un estudio a los dos años de evolución / Cognitive profiles of patients with severe traumatic brain injury: study at two years follow-up

Las alteraciones cognitivas de los sujetos con traumatismos craneoencefálicos (TCE) han sido estudiadas ampliamente en fase aguda y post-aguda. El objetivo del presente trabajo es obtener el perfil cognitivo de los pacientes con TCE graves a los dos años de evolución. La muestra de estudio estuvo compuesta por 42 sujetos adultos con TCE cerrado grave, a los que se les realizó una evaluación neuropsicológica que abarcó un amplio número de funciones cognitivas. Se comparó la ejecución de los sujetos con las puntuaciones estándar para la población normal. Los resultados mostraron una disminución generalizada de todas las funciones cognitivas evaluadas: inteligencia general, atención, visuopercepción y razonamiento visual, memoria, aprendizaje, funciones verbales, destrezas académicas, visuoconstrucción y funciones ejecutivas. La atención compleja es, con diferencia, la función más afectada. Esto tiene repercusiones importantes en la rehabilitación cognitiva de estos pacientes.

Cognitive impairments of the patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) have been studied in the first year of evolution extensively. The objective of this work is to study the cognitive deficits of the TBI after two years at follow up. We analyzed 42 adult patients with severe closed TBI that underwent a neuropsychological assessment of a wide range of cognitive functions. We compared the performance of the patients with the scores standard for the normal population. The results show a decrease in performance of all cognitive functions: general intelligence, attention, visual visuoperception and reasoning, memory, learning, verbal functions, aca-demic skills, and executive functions. The lowest scores are given on the function of complex attention. This has important implica-tions for cognitive rehabilitation of patients with closed TBI.