Miguel Ángel Pérez

Effectiveness of an early cognitive-behavioral treatment in patients with work disability due to musculoskeletal disorders.

OBJECTIVEnTo evaluate whether an early cognitive-behavioral treatment complementary to a rheumatologic care program, for patients with recent-onset temporary work disability caused by musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) is effective.nnnMETHODSnPatients with an MSD-related temporary work disability episode from 3-8 weeks duration who were in a rheumatologic care program were randomized into a control group (rheumatologic care program) or an intervention group (rheumatologic care program plus cognitive-behavioral treatment). Enrollment lasted 24 months and followup lasted 6-24 months. Efficacy variables included duration of temporary work disability episodes, total number of work days saved, relative efficacy, and relative rate to return to work. An economic evaluation was also performed.nnnRESULTSnOne hundred eighty-one patients were included (66 control and 115 intervention patients), generating 222 episodes of MSD-related temporary work disability. Episodes tended to be shorter in the intervention group than in the control group (mean 98 versus 127 days; P = 0.053), with a relative efficacy of 22.9%. There were no differences in duration of the first episode between groups (mean 105 versus 110 days; P = 0.79), but relapse episodes were significantly shorter in the intervention group (mean 63 days versus 197 days; P = 0.0002). Costs were also lower in the intervention group. To save 1 day of temporary work disability,

The Effect of Mortality Salience and Type of Life on Personality Evaluation

13.50 had to be invested in the program. Each dollar invested generated a benefit of

Diferencias en el reconocimiento de las emociones en niños de 6 a 11 años

4.08. The program had a net benefit of

Papel de la experiencia en la neurología de la expresión facial de las emociones

172,607.nnnCONCLUSIONnEarly cognitive-behavioral treatment complementary to a rheumatologic care program is cost-effective, adds >20% efficacy to the rheumatologic care program, and reduces the duration of relapses.

La expresión facial de las emociones: Historia y aplicaciones

Mortality salience, or awareness of the inevitability of one’s own death, generates a state of anxiety that triggers a defense mechanism for the control of thinking that affects different human activities and psychological processes. This study aims to analyze the effect of mortality salience on the formation of impressions. The sample comprised 135 women who made inferences about a woman’s personality from information about her life (type of life, LT: positive, negative), provided through five words, all positive or negative, that appeared surrounding a photograph, together with a sixth word that indicated whether she was “dead” or “alive” at the time (mortality manipulation, MM: dead, alive). The results pointed to a more negative assessment of life (Dead M - Alive M = -1.16, SE = .236, p < .001), emotional stability (Dead M - Alive M = -1.13, SE = .431, p = .010), and responsibility (Dead M - Alive M = -1.14, SE = .423, p = .008) only when the participants had access to negative information about the person assessed, and she was known to be dead. We discuss the results within the framework of Terror Management Theory, and analyze the different effects that the manipulation of mortality has on the formation of impressions depending on the type of information available.

The neural networks of facial expression

The ability to recognize emotions is necessary for the normal childs adjustment to the social and educational environment, and to identify disorders including autism, anxiety and depression in the early stages of development. An experiment was performed to understanding this process. The participants were 47 children distributed in three groups (6-7, 8-9. 10-11 years). Children had to see pictures of facial and corporal expressions of happiness, sadness, anger and fear. Participants were than asked to say if they recognized the facial and corporal expressed emotion, from a labels related to these basic emotions and represented by emoticons. The results showed enhanced recognition of facial and corporal expressions of fear in children of 811 years olds compared to those of 6-7 years olds (p .50). On the other hand, the result showed significant differences (p .50), between children of 6-7 and 8-11 years olds, in the recognition of facial expressions of anger than the corporal expressions of anger. Children of 6-7 years olds showed enhanced recognition of facial expression of anger than corporal expression of anger. These differences were reversed in children of 8-11 years olds. One may conclude that anger and fear facial expressions recognition is an important indicator of the proper development of children. Emotional learning from 7 years olds, will ensure better emotional regulation, and a beneficial effect on the childs performance in school.