Impact of functional dyspepsia on quality of life in eating disorder patients: the role of thought-shape fusion.

OBJECTIVE: The study begins by analysing the psychometric properties of the Nepean Dyspepsia Index-Short Form (NDI-SF), before moving on to study quality of life in patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) and the psychopathological features that underlie the disorder in three groups of subjects: patients with eating disorders (ED), psychiatric patients (non-ED), and a group of students, all of whom fulfilled Rome III criteria for FD. The analysis specifically focused on the relationship between thought-shape fusion (TSF) and functional dyspepsia, and hence on the potential repercussions this could have on the quality of life of patients with eating disorders. METHODS: The sample comprised 78 ED outpatients, 77 non-ED outpatients, and 90 university students, all of them with associated FD (Rome III criteria). The mental disorders (ED and non-ED) fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of DSM IV-RT. In all cases, the symptoms of dyspepsia, the related quality of life, anxiety, depression, and TSF were determined. RESULTS: Satiation and bloating were significantly higher in ED patients. Correlations between dyspepsia and TSF were initially positive and significant in all cases, but significance was only maintained in the group of ED patients after controlling for the other psychopathological variables. Regarding the ED group, the regression analysis revealed the following predictors of quality of life: dyspepsia, depressive symptomatology, TSF-conceptual, TSF-interpretative and total TSF. DISCUSSION: The cognitive distortion of TSF appears to constitute a general bias common to all eating disorders, with specific effect on the characteristic symptoms of FD.

Experimental induction of thought-shape fusion in eating disorder patients: the role of coping strategies.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to induce the thought-shape fusion (TSF) distortion experimentally, testing: a) Whether the TSF distortion could be induced by anxiety in general or if it had a specific relationship with thoughts related to the intake of fattening foods; b) Whether the TSF could be induced in non-clinical participants as well as in the eating disorder patients; c) Whether participants with more appropriate coping strategies would experience less TSF than those who showed inadequate coping strategies; and d) That TSF could have behavioural effects (e.g., neutralization of TSF and food intake) related to emotions. METHODS: The sample comprised two groups (eating disorder patients and students), with 45 participants each, aged between 18 and 25 years, 92.50% and 86.7% of women in the eating disorders group and the students group respectively. The two groups underwent three experimental conditions (TSF, anxiety, and control), measuring the results with regards to the emotional and behavioural responses. RESULTS: Participants in the TSF induction condition reported more guilt, more feelings of fatness, more likelihood of weight gain, and higher degree of moral wrong-doing compared with participants in both the anxiety and control induction conditions. The effect of the adequate coping strategies in decreasing the strength of the TSF bias was confirmed in both eating disorder patients and non-clinical participants. DISCUSSION: The study of the TSF distortion may have relevant implications in terms of treatment and prognostic of eating disorders. This distortion may be involved in the development and maintenance of eating disorder psychopathology.

Agresiones a trabajadores sanitarios en España: un estudio multicéntrico / No disponible

En los últimos años parecen haber aumentado los casos de agresiones de pacientes a trabajadores sanitarios. En Españano existen estudios científicos que hayan abordado esta cuestión. Hemos analizado los datos de una encuesta sobre agresionesen el lugar de trabajo en una muestra estratificada de 1826 profesionales de la salud procedentes de 3 hospitales y 22 centrosde Atención Primaria rurales y urbanos localizados en el noreste y este de España. Encontramos que un 11% de los trabajadoressanitarios han sido víctimas de una agresión física, 5% en más de una ocasión, mientras que un 64% se han vistoexpuestos a comportamientos amenazantes, intimidación o insultos. Alrededor de un 34% han sufrido amenazas e intimidaciónen al menos una ocasión, y 23,8% de forma repetida. En torno al 35% han sido insultados en al menos una ocasión,y 24,3% repetidamente. En general la incidencia era mayor en los hospitales grandes, con niveles muy altos en servicios como accidentes, emergencias y psiquiatría(AU)

In recent years instances of aggression by patients towards health workers appear to have become more frequent. InSpain, no scientific studies appears to have been performed so far on this question. We analyzed questionnaires on workplaceaggression from a stratified sample of 1826 health professionals at 3 hospitals and 22 rural and urban Primary Care facilitieslocated in the Northeast and East of Spain. We found 11% of health workers had been a victim of physical aggression,5% on more than one occasion, while 64% had been exposed to threatening behaviour, intimidation or insults. About34% had suffered threats and intimidation on at least one occasion, and 23.8% repeatedly. Over 35% had been subjectedto insults on at least one occasion, and 24.3% repeatedly. In general the incidence was higher in large hospitals, with veryhigh levels in services such as Accident and Emergency and Psychiatry(AU)

Aggressions against healthcare workers: an approach to the situation in Spain and the victims psychological effects.

Aggression against healthcare workers is a problem of important consequences which is becoming a focus of research. However, its possible effects on psychological health have not been studied sufficiently in spite of the fact that they may be of importance even in the absence of physical aggression [Winstnaley S, Whittington R. Aggression towards health care staff in a UK general hospital: variation among professions. J Clin Nurs 2004;13:3-10,[1]].

Cuestionario de adaptación militar / Military adaptation questionnaire

El objetivo del presente trabajo consiste en analizar las propiedades psicométricas del Cuestionario de Adaptación Militar (CAM) diseñado para medir la adaptación al ámbito militar del soldado profesional. Se aplicó el CAM junto a otras pruebas emocionales, de estrés psicosocial y de saluda una muestra de 379 soldados profesionales (19-28 años). La estructura factorial del cuestionario sugiere tres factores relacionados con las siguientes facetas de la adaptación al entorno militar: 1) Adaptación a tareas y deberes, 2) Adaptación en la relación con iguales/superiores y expectativas profesionales y 3) Adaptación al puesto táctico. El análisis de fiabilidad del CAM se efectuó tanto a nivel de la escala total como a nivel de los tres factores aislados. En general, el cuestionario posee buenas propiedades psicométricas, tanto respecto a la fiabilidad como a la validez

The aim of this paper was to analyse the psychometric properties of the Military AdaptationQuestionnaire (CAM). The CAM was designed to measure adaptation of professional soldiers to their military enviroment. A sample of 379 soldiers (ranging in age from 19 to 28 years) completed the CAM together with other emotional, psychosocial stress and health tests. The factorial structure of the test suggests three elements related to the following aspects of adaptation to military life: 1)Adaptation to tasks and duties, 2) Adaptation to relationships with equals/superiors and to professional prospects and 3) Adaptation to a tactical position. Reliability of the CAM was analysed on both total scale and subscale dimensions. The CAM is shown to have sound psychmetric properties for both reliability and validity

Validation of the Spanish version of the Perceived Stress Questionnaire.

OBJECTIVE: To validate in Spanish the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ), a questionnaire to assess stress for research purposes in psychosomatic patients. METHOD: The test was administered to a healthy population (N=174) of nursing students and health workers and to a clinical sample (N=80) of patients attending a psychiatric outpatient consultation. RESULTS: Concurrent validity: General and Recent PSQ scores correlated high with trait anxiety (r=.65), moderate with depression (r=.46) and psychological disturbance (r=.51) and poor with state anxiety (r=.22). Predictive validity: PSQ scores were higher in "psychiatric cases" than in "psychiatric noncases" (P<.01), and correlated highly with somatic symptoms of psychological origin (r=.62) in the clinical subsample. Internal consistency was 0.9 for the General and 0.87 for the Recent PSQ. Test-retest reliability of the General PSQ was 0.80. DISCUSSION: The Spanish version of PSQ presents good psychometric properties and it seems to be a valuable instrument for psychosomatic researchers.

Negative life events and adolescent suicidal behavior: a critical analysis from the stress process perspective.

In the present review we examine empirical evidence concerning relationships between negative life events and adolescent suicidal behavior. Separate critical analyses were made for suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and completed suicide, suggesting common and differential aspects. Although there is evidence supporting the hypothesis that life events may comprise a risk factor for adolescent suicidal behavior, their contribution tends to be moderate or weak. A problem with past research is that it has not adequately incorporated mediating and moderating variables into pathways that link psychosocial stressors and suicidal outcomes. A stress process model is presented as a possible alternative to better understanding the relationships between stress and suicide, and to provide a conceptual and heuristic framework for future research.