Begoña Espejo

Changes in catastrophizing and kinesiophobia are predictive of changes in disability and pain after treatment in patients with anterior knee pain

PurposeThe purpose of the study was to investigate if changes in psychological variables are related to the outcome in pain and disability in patients with chronic anterior knee pain.MethodsA longitudinal observational study on 47 patients with chronic anterior knee pain was performed in a secondary healthcare setting. Pain was measured with the visual analogue scale and disability with the Lysholm scale. The psychological variables, such as anxiety, depression, pain coping strategies, catastrophizing and fear to movement beliefs, were studied by using self-administered questionnaires.ResultsAmong the pain coping strategies, only the catastrophizing subscale showed a significant reduction. Similarly, anxiety, depression and kinesiophobia were significantly reduced after treatment. Those patients who decreased the catastrophizing, kinesiophobia, anxiety and depression showed a greater improvement in pain and disability after a purely biomedical treatment. A multiple regression analysis revealed that changes in catastrophizing predicted the amount of improvement in pain severity and that changes in both catastrophizing and anxiety predicted changes in disability after treatment.ConclusionWhat has been found suggests that clinical improvement in pain and disability is associated with a reduction in catastrophizing and kinesiophobia. Therefore, co-interventions to reduce catastrophizing thinking and kinesiophobia may enhance the results.Level of evidenceProspective Cohort Study, Level I for prognosis.

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Valencia scale on attitudes and beliefs toward hypnosis: An international study.

Cognitions held about hypnosis have an important impact on areas such as initial rapport and hypnotic-treatment compliance. The Valencia Scale on Attitudes and Beliefs toward Hypnosis may be the first instrument specifically geared to the Spanish-speaking population. Besides measuring these cognitions, the scale can also help evaluate the effect of clinical and experimental manipulations on peoples attitudes and beliefs toward hypnosis. The article presents a confirmatory factor analysis using a sample from 5 different countries (N=2,402). Test-retest analyses were also carried out. The authors found statistical confirmation for an 8-factor model solution: automatism, help, personal control, interest, magical solution, collaboration, memory, and marginal.

Hypnotic treatment synergizes the psychological treatment of fibromyalgia: A pilot study

Abstract In this pilot study, we compare the efficacy for fibromyalgia of multimodal cognitive behavioral treatments, with and without hypnosis, with that of a purely pharmacological approach, with a multiple baseline N = 1 design. We randomly assigned six hospital patients to the three experimental conditions. The results suggest that psychological treatment produces greater symptom benefits than the conventional medical treatment only, especially when hypnosis is added. We conclude that hypnosis may be a useful tool to help people with fibromyalgia manage their symptomatology.

Current active and passive smoking among adults living with same sex partners in Spain

OBJECTIVE To assess the association between current active and passive tobacco smoking and living with a same-sex partner in Spain. METHODS We analysed data from two cross-sectional national surveys of the Spanish population 15 years and older (2011-Encuesta Nacional de Salud en España and 2014-Encuesta Europea de Salud en España). Analyses included only people living with their partner. Associations were calculated using multiple logistic regressions adjusting for gender, social class and age. RESULTS Current active and passive smoking were significantly associated with living with same sex partners (odds ratio: 2.71 and 2.88), and particularly strong among women. CONCLUSIONS Spanish adults living with same-sex partners are at higher risk of active and passive smoking. This risk varies by gender. Spanish national surveys should include items on sexual orientation for improved data on health disparities.