Manuel Fernández-Alcántara

Feelings of loss and grief in parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

BACKGROUND Various authors have reported feelings of loss and grief in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. However, no previous studies have investigated the structure of these feelings. AIMS To analyze in depth the feelings of loss in parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. METHOD A qualitative study was conducted based on grounded theory. Twenty parents participated through purposive sampling. PROCEDURE Semi-structured interviews were conducted, asking about different emotional aspects of the upbringing of a child with autism spectrum disorder. Atlas.ti 6.2 program was used for open, axial, and selective coding. RESULTS The core category that explained the feelings of these parents was unexpected child loss, associated with shock, negation, fear, guilt, anger, and/or sadness. Two processes were identified, one associated with the resolution of grief and the other with obstacles to overcoming it. IMPLICATIONS Feelings of loss play an important role in explaining the complex emotions experienced by these parents. Different intervention strategies are proposed.

Experiencias y cambios en los padres de niños con parálisis cerebral infantil: estudio cualitativo

Background: The diagnosis of Infant Cerebral Palsy (ICP) is a traumatic event that can provoke multiples effects and changes in the family. The objective of the study is to discover the difficulties that parents face in the process of parenting, specially soon after the birth. Method: A qualitative study was carried out through semi-structured interviews. 16 mothers and fathers whose children were diagnosed with cerebral palsy participated in the study. Data analysis was performed with the software Atlas.ti 6.2 following a strategy of open coding. Results: The reception of the diagnosis is perceived as an unexpected event that makes parents to change the expectations and hopes related to their children. The mode of relation with the child with ICP is different from other children, because parents are more focused on the possibility of improvement and the prognosis for the future. Changes in different aspects of life of these parents are shown, as the demands of time, the economical and labour situation, as well as the couple relationship. Conclusions: Have into account the problematic of the parents, specially soon after the diagnosis is vital in the attention to children with cerebral palsy. The process of parenting a child with cerebral palsy has many changes in the family so a global perspective is needed to organize the interventions.

Needs Perceived by Parents of Preterm Infants: Integrating Care Into the Early Discharge Process.

UNLABELLED The birth of a preterm infant can have a great emotional impact on the parents when the length of stay is long. Early discharge programs facilitate the transition to the home and have beneficial effects on both the parents and children. However, only a few studies have been conducted to identify the real needs of parents of preterm infants and to determine whether early discharge programs meet such needs. The main objective of this study was to identify the experiences and obstacles, during hospitalization and after discharge, of fathers and mothers of preterm infants who did or did not participate in an early discharge program. METHOD A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was performed and included 23 parents of preterm infants. Thematic analysis was performed with the assistance of Atlas.ti 6.2 software. RESULTS Two main themes were identified: the emotional experience and obstacles to care during hospitalization and the emotional experiences and obstacles at home related to the early discharge program. The results indicated that preterm birth initially has a deep emotional impact on parents. DISCUSSION There is a remarkable lack of coordination regarding the information provided to parents on their infants health status. Being first-time parents seems to be an important factor, although further evidence supporting this notion should be provided. CONCLUSION Parents considered early discharge programs to be very useful in addressing the emotional aspects of hospitalization and the acquisition of neonatal care skills. Parents claim that the coordination and the information provided should be improved.

Assessment of Emotional Experience and Emotional Recognition in Complicated Grief

There is substantial evidence of bias in the processing of emotion in people with complicated grief (CG). Previous studies have tended to assess the expression of emotion in CG, but other aspects of emotion (mainly emotion recognition, and the subjective aspects of emotion) have not been addressed, despite their importance for practicing clinicians. A quasi-experimental design with two matched groups (Complicated Grief, N = 24 and Non-Complicated Grief, N = 20) was carried out. The Facial Expression of Emotion Test (emotion recognition), a set of pictures from the International Affective Picture System (subjective experience of emotion) and the Symptom Checklist 90 Revised (psychopathology) were employed. The CG group showed lower scores on the dimension of valence for specific conditions on the IAPS, related to the subjective experience of emotion. In addition, they presented higher values of psychopathology. In contrast, statistically significant results were not found for the recognition of emotion. In conclusion, from a neuropsychological point of view, the subjective aspects of emotion and psychopathology seem central in explaining the experience of those with CG. These results are clinically significant for psychotherapists and psychoanalysts working in the field of grief and loss.

Are psychological measures and actuarial data equally effective in discriminating among the prison population? Analysis by crimes

The ability of a wide range of psychological and actuarial measures to characterize crimes in the prison population has not yet been compared in a single study. Our main objective was to determine if the discriminant capacity of psychological measures (PM) and actuarial data (AD) varies according to the crime. An Ecuadorian sample of 576 men convicted of Robbery, Murder, Rape and Drug Possession crimes was evaluated through an ad hoc questionnaire, prison files and the Spanish adaptation of the Personality Assessment Inventory. Discriminant analysis was used to establish, for each crime, the discriminant capacity and the classification accuracy of a model composed of AD (socio-demographic and judicial measures) and a second model incorporating PM. The AD showed a superior discriminant capacity, whilst the contribution of both types of measures varied according to the crime. The PM generated some increase in the correct classification percentages for Murder, Rape and Drug Possession, but their contribution was zero for the crime of Robbery. Specific profiles of each crime were obtained from the strongest significant correlations between the value of each explanatory variable and the probability of belonging to the crime. The AD model is more robust when these four crimes are characterized. The contribution of AD and PM depends on the crime, and the inclusion of PM in actuarial models moderately optimizes the classification accuracy of Murder, Rape, and Drug Possession crimes.

Specific emotional schema of death-related images vs unpleasant images / Esquema emocional específico de imágenes relacionadas con la muerte frente a imágenes desagradables

Abstract Understanding the specific emotional responses elicited by death and how it differs from other unpleasant stimuli is essential for understanding people’s behaviour. In study I, 113 students viewed a set of unpleasant images or images of death. Death images rated lower arousal (p = .020, d = 0.31, CI [−.06 to .80]) and lower control (p = .015, d = 0.68, 95% CI [.23 to .93]) than unpleasant pictures. The results also indicated that viewing death-related images did not induce a state of anxiety; in study II, 84 students (42 participants with prior experience related to death) viewed pleasant, neutral, unpleasant and death images. The participants with prior experience reported lower arousal for death-related images (p = .004, d = 0.87, 95% CI [.45 to 1.36]). In both studies, images of death induced a specific emotional schema according to Izard’s theory that can be modulated by having previous experience.

Assessment of different components of executive function in grief

BACKGROUND Intense and complex symptoms of grief seem to be related to a series of biases and difficulties in areas such as attention, autobiographical memory and problem solving. However, studies of neuropsychological performance have reported contradictory evidence. The role of executive function (EF) in bereaved individuals has not been systematically studied by differentiating between its components. METHOD A total of 38 participants who had experienced the death of a loved one participated in this study. They were divided into two groups based on the intensity of their symptoms. They underwent neuropsychological assessments that included measures of flexibility, inhibition, working memory and emotional decision-making. RESULTS Group differences were found in the parts of the emotional decision-making task that assessed decisions made under risk. Considering each participant’s level of education and emotional variables, the symptoms of grief predicted a substantial variance in their performance in the decision-making task. CONCLUSION Intense symptoms of grief seem to be related to poorer emotional decision-making performance but not to flexibility, inhibition or working memory.

Effects of lifestyles and the Mediterranean diet on elderly people’s quality of life according to gender / Efectos de los estilos de vida y la dieta mediterránea en la calidad de vida en personas mayores en función del género

Abstract Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has been associated with certain eating habits, such as the Mediterranean diet (MD) and lifestyles. However, the specific role of gender in this association is not yet known. The objective of this study was to analyse the relationship between the consumption of the MD essential foods and lifestyle (tobacco and alcohol consumption and exercise) with the HRQoL of 340 elderly people aged over 60 living in the Spanish Mediterranean area. The results show a better HRQoL in males. Compared to females, the lifestyles of males include a moderate consumption of alcohol and tobacco in addition to a greater frequency of physical activity. The predictive models of HRQoL were also different between males and females, as the influence of lifestyles and MD were greater in males. These results are clinically useful for the designing of programmes that promote successful ageing as they can be specified for sex.

The concept of death in children aged from 9 to 11 years: Evidences through inductive and deductive analysis of drawings

Abstract The objective of the research was to analyze children’s conceptualization of death through drawings, using a mixed approach, which combines deductive and inductive qualitative analysis. The sample consisted of 99 children aged 9–11 years, who were asked to elaborate a drawing about their idea of death and to explain it to the researchers. Drawings were coded basing on Tamm and Granqvist’s model (deductive analysis) and codes and categories were created and modified (inductive analysis). Three main categories were identified in the analysis and four sub-categories were modified and/or created: causes of death, good death, anxiety-fear and symbolization.