Search

The research focuses on how new communicative designs in the digital environment influence the perception and engagement of communicative content. The study proposes two main objectives: 1) analyze how the support itself (telephone, computer, television) conditions the perception and engagement of fiction series; and 2) how these technological supports can condition the consumption. To carry out the research, the fiction "The 100" was chosen, and the differences in perception were analyzed according to the distribution channel -subject to a schedule or not- and the impact of the level of consumption according to the technological support used. The scientific method employed is the Neuromarketing Research Methodology applied to the study of communicative phenomena. The results corroborate the hypothesis that the support and the transmission device condition both the level of attention and the active follow-up (engagement) that is developed with the audiovisual content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suicidal ideation is common among individuals with first episode psychosis (FEP), with prevalence estimates up to 56.5 %. Despite its high prevalence, relatively little is known about how sociodemographic, clinical and/or developmental characteristics contribute to the experience of suicidal ideation in individuals with FEP. In this cross-sectional study (FEP n = 551 and controls n = 857), univariate logistic regression analyses were performed to study the associations of sociodemographic, clinical, and developmental factors with suicidal ideation in individuals with FEP as well as controls. Suicidal ideation was assessed using the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE). In addition, multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted based on a stepwise approach. In FEP, only depressive symptoms remained significantly associated with suicidal ideation when all correlates were integrated into one model. In the multivariate model in controls, depressive symptoms, positive symptoms, and traumatic childhood experiences were significantly associated with suicidal ideation. This study showed that depressive symptoms are an important factor relating to suicidal ideation in individuals with FEP, over and above other clinical, sociodemographic, and developmental factors. This underscores the relevance of screening for suicidal ideation in individuals with FEP, and highlights the need for a better understanding of the diagnostic uncertainty and course of mood symptoms in early psychosis. Cross-sectional study design, self-reported questionnaires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a disabling illness with a chronic course, yet data on long-term outcomes are scarce. This study aimed to examine the long-term course of OCD in patients treated with different approaches (drugs, psychotherapy, and psychosurgery) and to identify predictors of clinical outcome by machine learning. We included outpatients with OCD treated at our referral unit. Demographic and neuropsychological data were collected at baseline using standardized instruments. Clinical data were collected at baseline, 12 weeks after starting pharmacological treatment prescribed at study inclusion, and after follow-up. Of the 60 outpatients included, with follow-up data available for 5–17 years (mean = 10.6 years), 40 (67.7 %) were considered non-responders to adequate treatment at the end of the study. The best machine learning model achieved a correlation of 0.63 for predicting the long-term Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) score by adding clinical response (to the first pharmacological treatment) to the baseline clinical and neuropsychological characteristics. Limitations. Our main limitations were the sample size, modest in the context of traditional ML studies, and the sample composition, more representative of rather severe OCD cases than of patients from the general community. Many patients with OCD showed persistent and disabling symptoms at the end of follow-up despite comprehensive treatment that could include medication, psychotherapy, and psychosurgery. Machine learning algorithms can predict the long-term course of OCD using clinical and cognitive information to optimize treatment options. • After follow-up, 60 % of patients with OCD were refractory to standardized treatments. • Baseline clinical and cognitive data predicted long-term course with ML algorithms. • Prior response to pharmacological treatment constructed the most reliable algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by the presence of executive dysfunctions. As organizational strategies may play an important role as a possible endophenotype of the disorder, we decided to investigate non-verbal memory and organizational abilities in OCD. We also investigated how organization and non-verbal memory differ between responder and non-responder patients to pharmacological treatment, to test whether cognitive functions can predict the response to pharmacological treatment.Methods: In Study 1, executive and clinical functioning measures were applied to 162 OCD and 95 controls. In Study 2, clinical, intelligence and executive functioning measures were applied to 72 OCD responders and 63 OCD non-responder patients.Results: OCD patients and controls from Study 1 differed in copy organization (p < 0.01) and delayed recall (p = 0.048). In Study 2, the OCD responders displayed better copy organization (p = 0.013) and lower depressive, anxious and OCD symptoms (p < 0.01 in the three cases). Scores in the following instruments were found to predict the response to pharmacological treatment: HDRS, Y-BOCS, Raven progressive matrices, and Direct digit subtest from the Wechsler's scale (p < 0.01 in all four cases).Limitations: In Study 1, the imbalance of the sample can be considered a limitation, whilst in Study 2, some of the levels of pharmacological resistance were not represented.Conclusions: In this study, non-verbal memory and organization was affected in OCD. Responder patients also displayed better executive functioning and fluid intelligence. Organizational ability is a predictor of pharmacological response to SSRI monotherapy in a predictive model controlling for anxious symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotions are considered distractions that often prompt subsequent actions. In this way, the aim of this work was to examine the role of distracting stimuli on the relationship of RT and accuracy. In order to do that, a word recognition task was carried out in which emotional valence was manipulated. More precisely, a mediational model, testing how changes in distracting stimuli mediate RT predicting accuracy across emotional conditions, was carried out. The results suggest that changes in task demands should distract from the secondary task to the extent that these task demands implicate and affect accuracy. Moreover, the distracting task seems to mediate between accuracy and the target task under emotional stimuli, showing the negative distracting condition to be the most remarkable effect. Furthermore, neutral distracting latencies did not affect accuracy. Understanding the mechanisms by which emotion impairs cognitive functions has important implications in several fields, such as affective disorders. However, the effects of emotion on goal-directed cognitive processing remain unclear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotions are considered distractions that often prompt subsequent actions. In this way, the aim of this work was to examine the role of distracting stimuli on the relationship of RT and accuracy. In order to do that, a word recognition task was carried out in which emotional valence was manipulated. More precisely, a mediational model, testing how changes in distracting stimuli mediate RT predicting accuracy across emotional conditions, was carried out. The results suggest that changes in task demands should distract from the secondary task to the extent that these task demands implicate and affect accuracy. Moreover, the distracting task seems to mediate between accuracy and the target task under emotional stimuli, showing the negative distracting condition to be the most remarkable effect. Furthermore, neutral distracting latencies did not affect accuracy. Understanding the mechanisms by which emotion impairs cognitive functions has important implications in several fields, such as affective disorders. However, the effects of emotion on goal-directed cognitive processing remain unclear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This study was performed to identify the predictive factors of functional capacity assessed by the Spanish University of California Performance Skills Assessment (Sp-UPSA) and real-world functioning assessed by the Spanish Personal and Social Performance scale (PSP) in outpatients with schizophrenia. Methods Naturalistic, 6-month follow-up, multicentre, validation study. Here, we report data on 139 patients with schizophrenia at their baseline visit. Assessment: Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S), Sp-UPSA and PSP. Statistics: Pearson's correlation coefficient ( r ) was used to determine the relationships between variables, and multivariable stepwise linear regression analyses to identify predictive variables of Sp-UPSA and PSP total scores. Results Functional capacity: scores on the PSP and PANSS-GP entered first and second at P < 0.0001 and accounted for 21% of variance ( R 2 = 0.208, model df = 2, F = 15.724, P < 0.0001). Real-world functioning: scores on the CGI-S ( B = −5.406), PANSS-N ( B = −0.657) and Sp-UPSA ( B = 0.230) entered first, second and third, and accounted for 51% of variance (model df = 3, F = 37.741, P < 0.0001). Conclusion In patients with schizophrenia, functional capacity and real-world functioning are two related but different constructs. Each one predicts the other along with other factors; general psychopathology for functional capacity, and severity of the illness and negative symptoms for real-world functioning. These findings have important clinical implications: (1) both types of functioning should be assessed in patients with schizophrenia and (2) strategies for improving them should be different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Tobacco use has been associated with more excitement and agitation symptoms, greater severity of global psychopathology as measured by the Clinical General Impression (CGI) Scale, and psychotic symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. Aim To assess the effects of nicotine abstinence versus nicotine maintenance on the clinical symptoms of a sample of outpatients smokers diagnosed with schizophrenia. Methods Sample: 81 outpatients with schizophrenia [72.8% males; mean age (SD) = 43.35 (8.82)] currently smoking tobacco [no. of cigarettes (SD) = 27.96 (12.29)]. Desing: non-randomized, open-label, 6-month follow-up and multi-center study conducted at 3 sites in Spain (Oviedo, Santiago de Compostela and Orense). Instruments: Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Clinical Global Impression for Schizophrenia (CGI-SCH), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). Antropometric measures: Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. Vital sings: heart rate. Procedure: Patients were assigned to 2 conditions: – control group = patients continuing their tobacco use; – experimental group = patients participated in vareniclina or nicotine patches treatment for smoking cessation. Patients were evaluated at baseline (all patients smoking) and after 3 and 6 months. Results No significant differences ( P >.05) were found between groups at baseline evaluation. Likewise, there were no significant differences between smokers and non-smokers after treatment (3 and 6 months follow-up) in their clinical symptomatology (according to PANSS, HDRS and CGI-SCH), anthropometric measures and heart rate. Conclusions No significant differences were found in the clinical symptoms after a period of nicotine abstinence. Therefore, clinicians should motivate and help their patients to quit smoking (CIBERSAM - FIS PI11/01891). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Spatial patterns of mortality could help us to focus research to achieve prevention. On the other hand, recent research has shown an association between unemployment and suicide, but the mediating factors in this relationship are still unknown. Objectives We investigated the provincial spatial patterns of suicide mortality in Spain, and the effect of unemployment and economic recession on suicide mortality rates in the Spanish region of Galicia that has high suicide rates. Method To describe regional suicide mortality in Spain and to assess its association with recession and unemployment in Galicia, we calculated age-standardized suicide rates in men and women throughout 1975–2012 by region and performed a time-trend Generalized Additive Model using mortality data provided by National Statistics Institute and employment data collected from Statistics Institute of Galicia. Results In Spain, during the study period, there were 105,134 suicides with an age-adjusted rate of 10.2 and 3.02 per 100,000 population in men and women, respectively. There is a high variability in mortality rates across Spanish provinces. Madrid had the lower rates and Asturias and Galicia the higher ones. In Galicia, suicide rates were 13.7 in men and 4.3 in women per 100,000 and we found that economic recession and unemployment interacted with regards to suicide rates ( P = 9.80E-4) and after stratifying by sex, the effect was confirmed only among men ( P = 8.70E-3). Conclusions In Spain, suicide mortality varies greatly by region and in Galicia that is one of Spanish regions with higher suicide rates, unemployment was related with suicide during economic recession periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction The self-medication hypothesis suggests that patients diagnosed with schizophrenia might smoke as an attempt to self-medicate theirsymptoms. As a consequence, smoking cessation could worsen their clinical status. Objectives To assess the clinical changes associated with tobacco cessation in a sample of smoking outpatients with schizophrenia. Methods Sample: 63 smoking outpatients with DSM-IV Schizophrenia from three Mental Health Centers located in Northern Spain [77.0% males; mean age (SD) = 43.90 (8.72); average daily cigarette use (SD) = 27.99 (12.55)]. Instruments: (1) Clinical symptoms: Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Clinical Global Impression (CGI). (2) Pattern of tobacco use: n° cigarettes/day; Expired carbon monoxide (CO ppm). Design: A quasi-experimental design with two groups was implemented: control group (GC − 18 patients not willing to stop smoking), and treatment group [TG − 45 patients in smoking cessation supported by nicotine patches or vareniclina (12 weeks)]. Patients were evaluated at baseline and at week 11 (end of program). Paired sample t-test was used to detect changes in clinical symptoms from baseline to follow-up. Results 23.1% stopped smoking (from TG). No significant differences were found between baseline and follow-up scores (p>.05) among smokers and abstinent in PANSS subscales, HDRS and CGI. Conclusions Tobacco cessation did not have a significant effect on the clinical symptoms of this group of patients. Further studies should analyze the stability of these outcomes at longer follow-ups to confirm our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]