Spanish validation of the self-evaluation of negative symptoms scale SNS in an adolescent population.

BACKGROUND: Negative symptoms (NS) may be observed in the general population in an attenuated form and in high-risk mental states. However, they have been less studied in the general population than positive symptoms, in spite of their importance at the insidious onset of schizophrenia and their appearance before positive symptoms. This study aimed to analyze the empirical structure of the Spanish version of the Self-Evaluation of Negative Symptoms (SNS) Scale and find its psychometric properties and invariance of measurement across sex and age in a sample of adolescents. METHODS: The sample consisted of 4521 adolescents (53.6% female) from 11 to 18 years of age. RESULTS: Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the SNS confirmed an internal structure of five first-order factors by the characteristic dimensions of NS: avolition, social withdrawal, diminished emotional range, anhedonia, alogia, and one second-order factor which includes the total NS score. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis showed that the scale was invariant across sex and age. Total scale reliability was adequate. A strong relationship was found between the SNS with depressive symptomatology, moderate with ideas of reference and low with aberrant salience. CONCLUSION: The results back use of the Spanish version of the SNS scale for detection of NS in the general population of adolescents.

Validation of Spanish Language Evaluation Instruments for Body Dysmorphic Disorder and the Dysmorphic Concern Construct.

Dysmorphic concern (DC) refers to excessive preoccupation with a slight or imagined defect in physical appearance with social avoidance and behavior directed at controlling the defect in appearance. This study attempted to adapt the factor structure of two instruments that cover the DC construct, the Dysmorphic Concern Questionnaire (DCQ) and the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Examination Self-Report (BDDE-SR), to Spanish and establish their psychometric properties. A total of 920 subjects (62.7% women, Mage = 32.44 years) participated. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis of both scales found adequate goodness of fit indices. A one-dimensional structure was found for the DCQ and two first-order factors (dissatisfaction/preoccupation with body image (BI) and BI avoidance behavior) were identified for the BDDE-SR. The psychometric test-retest reliability and validity properties (content, convergent, and discriminant) were satisfactory. It is suggested that the DC construct includes both cognitive and behavioral aspects and may represent a continuum of severity with Body Dysmorphic Disorder at the end.

Brief-time-series analysis of depressive symptomatology in older people.

This research shows the utility of systematic data-gathering from older people and of a statistical analysis procedure for interpreting the data. Four cases of institutionalized older people are presented, and their scores of depressive symptomatology over a period of one to two years is analyzed. Time-series analysis showed a significant positive trend of depression symptomatology in two of the cases, perhaps too subtle for detection in routine clinical check-up, but statistically verifiable. In one of these cases, none of the factors of the scale stands out, despite the fact that the general index shows a statistically significant change over the 36 observations made, so that the results obtained are related to the syndrome of depletion or exhaustion. In the second of the cases, we detect a significant change in the depressive mood factor, which may indicate a subclinical depressive form in its initial stages. Continuous registers can reveal valuable information about situations and progress in the evolution of an older person's mood, with regard to natural development, the prelude to a mood disorder, or follow-up in clinical cases.

Bienestar subjetivo en ancianos: análisis por medio de series temporales breves / Subjective well-being in old age: Analysis using brief time series

Este trabajo de investigación muestra la utilidad de la recogida sistemática de información en personas de edad avanzada así como un procedimiento de análisis estadístico para la interpretación de la misma. Se presentan cuatro casos de ancianos institucionalizados y se analizan las puntuaciones obtenidas en bienestar subjetivo durante un periodo de entre un año y un año y medio. El análisis de series temporales muestra una tendencia descendente y significativa del bienestar subjetivo en dos de los cuatro casos y, concretamente, en el componente de la satisfacción en tres de ellos. Tal vez estos cambios resultan sutiles durante las exploraciones clínicas rutinarias, pero son demostrables desde un punto de vista estadístico. Además se analizó el papel desempeñado por varios sucesos estresantes sobre las medidas consideradas. En definitiva, un registro continuado del bienestar subjetivo y de sus componentes puede revelar información valiosa acerca de lo que sucede en la evolución emocional de personas de edad avanzada y complementar adecuadamente la exploración clínica (AU)

This research shows the usefulness of systematic collection of information in aging people and includes a statistical analysis procedure for its interpretation. Four cases of institutionalized elderly people are presented and the scores obtained on subjective well-being for a period of a year to a year and a half are analysed. Time-series analysis shows a significant downward trend of subjective well-being in two of the four cases, and a similar trend in the satisfaction component of three of them. These trends may only seem subtle when identified during routine clinical checkups, but are clear when analysed with the appropriate statistical tools. The influence of several stressful events on the data is also analysed. As a conclusion, it can be said that a continuous register of subjective well-being and its components can disclose valuable information about situations and progress in the emotional development of elderly people and can successfully complement clinical exploration (AU)

Estrategias de afrontamiento y ansiedad: estudio preliminar en una muestra de mujeres con trastornos alimentarios / Coping strategies and anxiety: preliminary survey on a sample of women with eating disorders

Se estudian las estrategias de afrontamiento y la vinculación existente con los niveles de ansiedad que presentan las personas con trastornos de la alimentación. Entre los instrumentos de evaluación aplicados a una muestra de 30 mujeres (10 anoréxicas y 20 bulímicas), figuran el STAI de Spielberg y cols (1982) y el Inventario de Modos de Afrontamiento de Lazarus y Folkman (1986). Los resultados revelan la presencia de altos niveles en la dimensión Ansiedad-Estado en el grupo de Bulímincas. Además se ha encontrado que dicho grupo cuando afronta el trastorno lo hace utilizando preferentemente la Evitación y Huida en contraste con el grupo de Anoréxicas que se caracteriza por buscar más Apoyo Social y Reevaluar Positivamente la situación. Por otro lado, el análisis de los datos indica una vinculación directa entre la evitación y la dimensión ansiedad-rasgo (AU)

Uso materno de corticoides antenatal y su relacion con la morbimortalidad en prematuros extremos / The prenatal corticosteroid use and its relation to morbimortality in extremely premature infant

Con el objetivo de evaluar corticoides antenal en las madres con amenaza de parto pretermino y el efecto sobre los recien nacidos prematuros extremos, realizamos un estudio prospectivo, longitudinal y analitico entre todos los ninos nacidos vivos con edad gestacional menor de 31 semanas y que tuvieron peso inferior a 1500 gramos, ocurridos en el hospital gineco-obstetrico provincial "Justo Legon Padilla" de Pinar del Rio, desde enero de 1997 hasta julio de 1998. Se estudiaron los 53 ninos con estas caracteristicas, a los cuales se les lleno una planilla donde se recogio el uso de esteroides en las madres, asi como las enfermedades que los ninos presentaron. Los datos obtenidos se depositaron en bases de datos, para el procesamiento estadistico, aplicandoseles el test de chi cuadrado, con un nivel de significacion de p <0,05. Se uso esteroides en 32 madres. Se observo una reduccion estadisticamente significativa de la enfermedad de la membrana hialina, el uso de la ventilacion, las complicaciones y la mortalidad. No existieron diferencias estadisticamente significativas entre el grupo de estudios y el control en cuanto al sexo, a la media de la EG(29.0/28.9 sem.) y pesos (12.079/1180.0 grs)...AU