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ResumenEl deseo de control hace referencia a la motivacion por controlar los acontecimientos que suceden en la vida cotidiana. En los ultimos anos han proliferado investigaciones sobre la relacion entre el deseo de control y la supersticion. Los resultados ponen de manifiesto que las diferencias individuales en el deseo de control moderan la emergencia del pensamiento supersticioso. El objetivo de este trabajo es doble, instrumentalmente se pretende aportar evidencias de validez de la version espanola de una escala de deseo de control al relacionarla con la presencia de supersticiones. Por otro lado, se pretende abordar el estudio de las relaciones entre el deseo de control y la supersticion en facetas no estudiadas hasta el momento. Han participado 162 personas, 48 hombres y 114 mujeres, con una edad media de 30 anos. Los resultados muestran que en una situacion no amenazante, las personas con bajo deseo de control son mas supersticiosas y reconocen mas supersticiones que las personas con medio y alto de...

Drawing upon Lawton's ecological model of adaptation and old age, this study analyses the implications of the degree of adjustment (congruence) between the self-assessed functional capacity of 33 community-dwelling elderly care receivers and their functional capacity as assessed by their respective family caregivers (N=33), for the adaptation of the elderly and for their caregivers' feelings of burden, defined as their perception of how the caregiving activity is affecting their physical, psychological and social well-being. Three groups were set up on the basis of the level of congruence between caregivers' and care receivers' reports: high capacity attribution, coincidental capacity attribution, and low capacity attribution groups. No group differences were found in the care receivers' level of functional independence as perceived by their caregivers and as assessed by the Katz Index and the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scale. However, the results showed differences between the three groups in relation to both the care receivers' adaptation when viewed in terms of their psychological well-being and self-efficacy. Differences between the caregivers' perceived sense of burden and their perception of their relatives' independence were also found. As proposed by the Lawton model, the results support the psychological benefits, both for the caregiver and the care receiver, of an appropriate balance between the socio-environmental demands (caregivers' expectations regarding care receivers' competence) and the capacity of the individual.

Resumen Introduccion Los profesionales de la salud de atencion primaria y los de los servicios sociales son los principales canalizadores de la atencion a las personas mayores dependientes y sus familias, colectivo cuyo rapido incremento esta planteando una seria necesidad de ajustes en el sistema sociosanitario. Objetivo Analizar el grado en que estos profesionales valoran su grado de capacitacion y formacion para atender a las demandas y necesidades de los cuidadores. Procedimiento Se envio por correo a todos los centros de servicios sociales de la Comunidad de Madrid y a una muestra aleatoria de profesionales de los centros de salud (Area XI de Salud de Madrid) el Cuestionario para la identificacion de necesidades de los cuidadores familiares de personas mayores dependientes. El porcentaje de participacion fue del 12,5%, sobre un total de 590 cuestionarios remitidos. Se presentan los datos correspondientes a 38 profesionales de la salud y a 29 profesionales de los servicios sociales. Resultados Mientras que tres de cada 4 profesionales de la salud se sienten competentes para atender demandas relacionadas con las tareas cotidianas del cuidado, solo 5,5 de cada 10 se sienten competentes para asesorar sobre comportamientos problematicos y situaciones dificiles asociadas al cuidado, y unicamente tres de cada 10 se sienten capacitados para orientar sobre consecuencias del cuidado. Entre los trabajadores sociales, estos apenas se sienten capacitados para orientar sobre tareas cotidianas, escasamente para manejar situaciones dificiles y moderadamente sobre consecuencias del cuidado. Ambos tipos de profesionales perciben una muy elevada necesidad de formacion en este ambito (solo uno de cada 4 la ha recibido). Conclusion La optimizacion de la atencion sociosanitaria a los cuidadores debe contemplar la formacion especifica de los profesionales.

Resumen En este trabajo se presenta una revision de la situacion actual de la terapia cognitivo-conductual (TCC) de la depresion en las personas mayores. La TCC se enmarca en una perspectiva biopsicosocial y, usualmente, consiste en una integracion de los modelos cognitivo y conductual en una terapia de tiempo limitado, altamente estructurada, de corte psicoeducativo, centrada en los problemas del «aqui y ahora», identificables y mensurables y basada en una fuerte alianza de trabajo. Tambien se repasan los modelos empleados de forma habitual para afrontar clinicamente la depresion, asi como su aplicacion en la poblacion mayor. Ademas, se discute la eficacia diferencial de la TCC en la vejez respecto a otras alternativas, como la terapia farmacologica. En este sentido, la evidencia empirica existente, aunque limitada, apunta a que la TCC es igual de eficaz con personas mayores que con personas mas jovenes y, al menos, igual de eficaz en las personas mayores que otro tipo de terapias (p. ej., la de tipo farmacologico). Ademas, se senalan las ventajas especificas que puede tener el empleo de la TCC para la depresion en la vejez respecto a otro tipo de terapias: filosofia optimista, estilo psicoeducativo y colaborativo, y el respeto y el reconocimiento de la experiencia y el conocimiento acumulados por la persona mayor. Finalmente, se sugieren algunas modificaciones que podrian ser pertinentes en la aplicacion de la TCC a la poblacion mayor, para adaptarse a los cambios sensoriales y cognitivos que acompanan frecuentemente al envejecimiento normal.

Various empirical and clinical findings suggest the presence of specific, socioculturally transmitted, beliefs, values and attitudes that can affect stress levels and the ability to cope in the caregivers of elderly, dependent individuals. We present a review of these beliefs, which may act as cognitive barriers against coping in an adaptive way with caregiving.

Objectives. The moderator role of guilt on the effect of leisure activities on dementia caregivers' depressive symptoms was analyzed, considering differences by kinship and guilt as a multidimensional construct.Method. Participants were 351 caregivers (58.97% daughters, 10.54% sons, 19.66% wives, and 10.83% husbands). Measures included frequency of leisure activities, depressive symptoms, and guilt (total scale and 5 factors). RESULTS: A moderator role of guilt was found only for daughters. Specifically, significant interactions between guilt and frequency of leisure activities were found for the total scale and for the Factors 1 (guilt about doing wrong by the care recipient), 2 (guilt about failing to meet the challenges of caregiving), and 3 (guilt about self-care). For those daughters who reported lower levels of leisure activities, showing higher levels of guilt was associated with higher scores in depressive symptoms, whereas those with lower levels of guilt showed lower depressive symptoms scores.Discussion. Feelings of guilt may have different consequences on caregivers' distress depending on caregivers' gender and kinship. Daughters with higher levels of guilt who do not engage in leisure activities may be especially vulnerable to suffering psychological distress.

Background: This study examines the psychometric properties of the Dysfunctional Thoughts about Caregiving Questionnaire (DTCQ). Methods: DTCQ was administered to 227 dementia family caregivers. Results: Principal components analyses resulted in a two-factor solution: Perception of Sole Responsibility and Perfectionism. The DTCQ has a strong internal consistency and an adequate temporal stability. The DTCQ score differentiated between depressed and non-depressed caregivers, although only in the female group. Construct validity was also supported by significant relationships between DTCQ scores and global dysfunctional attitudes, social support, seeking social support and number of hours per day engaged in caring. The dysfunctional thoughts about caregiving specify rigid and inappropriate contingencies to guide and assess behavior while acting as cognitive barriers that make healthy care difficult. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that such dysfunctional thoughts have a significant relationship to variables identified as mediators in caregiving stress models. The DTCQ has potential uses for both research and clinical purposes.

Familism has been pointed out as a key value in Hispanic culture that may or may not be associated with caregiver distress. Although groups included in the Hispanic identity have many common features, differences between Hispanic sub-groups in the relationship of familism with burden and depressive symptoms remain unexplored. The association of familism with burden and depressive symptomatology was examined in 48 Hispanic dementia caregivers from Los Angeles (CA, USA) and 60 from Madrid (Spain) through path analyses. Burden and depressive symptomatology were positively and significantly related in both samples. Familism was significantly correlated with lesser burden in the USA Hispanic caregiver sample, but with higher levels of depressive symptoms in the Spanish sample. Significant differences between Hispanic samples were found in the relationship between familism, burden, and depression, denoting the importance of specific cultural contexts influencing dementia caregiving in Hispanics.