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Background and aims Food addiction (FA) and substance use (SU) have frequently been reported in patients with eating disorders (EDs). Our study aimed to assess the prevalence rates of FA and/or lifetime problematic alcohol and illicit... more
Background and aims Food addiction (FA) and substance use (SU) have frequently been reported in patients with eating disorders (EDs). Our study aimed to assess the prevalence rates of FA and/or lifetime problematic alcohol and illicit drug use among patients with specific ED, such as: bulimia nervosa (BN), binge eating disorder (BED), and other specified feeding and eating disorder (OSFED). We sought to identify clinical, psychopathological, and personality profiles involved in these addictive behavior-based phenotypes. Methods The total sample was 527 patients (176 BN, 115 BED, and 236 OSFED). FA was assessed through the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0. To determine lifetime SU, a semi-structured clinical interview was carried out. Results Patients with BN had the highest rates of FA both with and without SU. No gender differences were obtained for the prevalence of current FA and/or lifetime SU. Patients reporting at least one addictive-related behavior exhibited increased clinical ...
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ObjectivesTo assess the clinical significance and distinctiveness of purging disorder (PD) from other eating disorder (ED) diagnoses.MethodParticipants included 3127 women consecutively admitted to an ED treatment centre (246 PD, 465... more
ObjectivesTo assess the clinical significance and distinctiveness of purging disorder (PD) from other eating disorder (ED) diagnoses.MethodParticipants included 3127 women consecutively admitted to an ED treatment centre (246 PD, 465 anorexia nervosa restrictive [AN‐R], 327 AN‐binge purging [AN‐BP], 1436 bulimia nervosa [BN], 360 binge eating disorder [BED], 177 atypical AN and 116 unspecified feeding or eating disorder [UFED]) who were diagnosed according to DSM‐5 criteria. Additionally, 822 control participants were recruited from the community. All participants completed measures assessing ED symptoms (EDI‐2), general psychopathology (SCL‐90‐R) and personality (TCI‐R).ResultsPatients with PD, when compared to controls, scored significantly higher on the EDI‐2 and SCL‐90‐R, and most TCI‐R dimensions. Most of the significant differences between PD and the other ED diagnoses emerged between PD and AN‐R, followed by Atypical‐AN, UFED, AN‐BP and BED, with patients with PD typically re...
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Background and aims The significant increase in the prevalence of gambling disorder (GD) among young adults in recent years has attracted interest in determining therapeutic efficiency in this sector of the population. The aim of this... more
Background and aims The significant increase in the prevalence of gambling disorder (GD) among young adults in recent years has attracted interest in determining therapeutic efficiency in this sector of the population. The aim of this work was to estimate the response trajectories of gambling severity during the six-month follow-up after a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program in young adult patients and to identify the main variables associated with each trajectory. Methods The sample included n = 192 patients, aged 19–35 years old, seeking treatment for GD. Response trajectories were identified through latent class growth analysis. Results Three trajectories emerged: T1 (n = 118, 61.5%), composed of patients with severe GD at pre-treatment and good evolution to recovery; T2 (n = 62, 32.3%), with patients with moderate-high GD affectation at baseline and good evolution to recovery; and T3 (n = 12, 6.3%), with participants with severe baseline GD severity and poor evolution aft...
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Older subjects are susceptible to develop gambling problems, and researchers have attempted to assess the mechanisms underlying the gambling profile in later life. The objective of this study was to identify the main stressful life events... more
Older subjects are susceptible to develop gambling problems, and researchers have attempted to assess the mechanisms underlying the gambling profile in later life. The objective of this study was to identify the main stressful life events (SLE) across the lifespan which have discriminative capacity for detecting the presence of gambling disorder (GD) in older adults. Data from two independent samples of individuals aged 50+ were analysed: N = 47 patients seeking treatment at a Pathological Gambling Outpatient Unit and N = 361 participants recruited from the general population. Sexual problems (p < 0.001), exposure to domestic violent behaviour (p < 0.001), severe financial problems (p = 0.002), alcohol or drug-related problems (p = 0.004) and extramarital sex (p < 0.001) were related to a higher risk of GD, while getting married (p = 0.005), moving to a new home (p = 0.003) and moving to a new city (p = 0.006) decreased the likelihood of disordered gambling. The accumulated...
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Although the role of illness perception in the clinical course of many physical diseases and certain mental disorders has been well described, little is known about illness perception in eating disorders (ED) so far. Therefore, the... more
Although the role of illness perception in the clinical course of many physical diseases and certain mental disorders has been well described, little is known about illness perception in eating disorders (ED) so far. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to extend our understanding of illness perception in different ED diagnostic types and to explore its association between clinical, psychopathological, motivational, personality, and food addiction (FA) features. The sample consisted of 104 patients with ED [(23 anorexia nervosa (AN), 39 bulimia nervosa (BN), 19 binge eating disorder (BED), and 23 other specified feeding and eating disorders (OSFED)]. Illness perception was assessed by means of the revised version of the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R). The results supported the association between illness perception and clinical, psychopathological, and personality factors. Patients with BN and BED showed greater illness perception than the other types. Improved illness perception was positively associated with a longer duration of the disorder and FA. Furthermore, a relevant finding suggests that at least half of the patients with ED did not achieve a good level of illness perception until after having the disorder for 20 years on average. Our findings suggest that higher levels of FA and longer duration of the ED are positively and directly associated with increased illness perception. This may explain the low levels of initial motivation in these patients and their high dropout rates in the early stages of treatment. Case-control analytic study.
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Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Gambling Studies, Psychopathology, Medicine, and 5 moreTourism, Population, Old Age, Gambling, and Cluster
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Background:with the DSM-5 new eating disorders (EDs) diagnostic subtypes were identified within the Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders (OSFED) category, which have so far been under-researched. Objectives of this study were to... more
Background:with the DSM-5 new eating disorders (EDs) diagnostic subtypes were identified within the Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders (OSFED) category, which have so far been under-researched. Objectives of this study were to examine differential features among OSFED subtypes, exploring short-term cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) response and identifying clinical predictors of therapy outcome.Methods:the sample included 176 female patients diagnosed with OSFED [82 atypical anorexia nervosa (atypical-AN), 57 purging disorder (PD), and 37 subthreshold bulimia nervosa (sub-BN)]. Assessment included eating-related, psychopathological and personality measures.Results:results showed similar clinical and personality profiles between the diagnostic subtypes, with hardly any differences, only observable in the core symptoms of each diagnosis. The sub-BN group was the one which showed more social impairment. Regarding treatment outcome, the three groups did not reveal significant ...
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Orexins/hypocretins are neuropeptides implicated in numerous processes, including food intake and cognition. The role of these peptides in the psychopathology of anorexia nervosa (AN) remains poorly understood. The aim of the current... more
Orexins/hypocretins are neuropeptides implicated in numerous processes, including food intake and cognition. The role of these peptides in the psychopathology of anorexia nervosa (AN) remains poorly understood. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the associations between plasma orexin-A (OXA) concentrations and neuropsychological functioning in adult women with AN, and a matched control group. Fasting plasma OXA concentrations were taken in 51 females with AN and in 51 matched healthy controls. Set-shifting was assessed using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), whereas decision making was measured using the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). The AN group exhibited lower plasma OXA levels than the HC group. Lower mean scores were obtained on the IGT in AN patients. WCST perseverative errors were significantly higher in the AN group compared to HC. In both the AN and HC group, OXA levels were negatively correlated with WCST non-perseverative errors. Reduced plasma OXA concentratio...
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Aims:To estimate trajectories of the gambling disorder (GD) severity for 12 months following a manualized cognitive-behavior-therapy (CBT) program, and to identify the main variables associated with each trajectory.Methods:Latent Class... more
Aims:To estimate trajectories of the gambling disorder (GD) severity for 12 months following a manualized cognitive-behavior-therapy (CBT) program, and to identify the main variables associated with each trajectory.Methods:Latent Class Growth Analysis examined the longitudinal changes ofn= 603 treatment-seeking patients with GD.Results:Five separate empirical trajectories were identified: T1 (n= 383, 63.5%) was characterized by the most highest baseline gambling severity levels and positive progress to recovery during the follow-up period; T2 (n= 154, 25.5%) featured participants with high baseline gambling severity and good progress to recovery; T3 (n= 30, 5.0%) was made up of patients with high gambling baseline severity and slow progress to recovery; T4 (n= 13, 2.2%) and T5 (n= 23, 3.8%) contained participants with high baseline gambling severity and moderate (T4) and poor (T5) progress in GD severity during the follow-up. Psychopathological state and personality traits discrimin...
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Research Interests: Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Psychiatry, Personality, Structural Equation Modeling, and 13 morePsychopathology, Medicine, DSM, Criminal Behavior, Compulsive Gambling, Gambling Disorder, Severity, Novelty Seeking, Criminal Behaviors, DSM IV TR, Conducta criminal, Frontiers in Psychology, and Personalität
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The aim of this study was to validate a Spanish version of the Caregiver Skills scale (CASK) in a sample of eating disorder (ED) caregivers. A further aim was to examine the concordance/discrepancy between them (namely, between the... more
The aim of this study was to validate a Spanish version of the Caregiver Skills scale (CASK) in a sample of eating disorder (ED) caregivers. A further aim was to examine the concordance/discrepancy between them (namely, between the mothers and fathers of ED patients). Two hundred sixty-five ED caregivers were recruited from ED centers in Catalonia, Spain. Confirmatory factor analyses was used to test the factorial structure of the CASK scale. Cronbach's α was used to measure internal consistency of the CASK scales. A comparison of the CASK measures between respondents (mothers and fathers) was conducted using generalized estimating equations. Confirmatory factor analysis of the Spanish version of the CASK corroborated the strong factorial validity of the 6 factors of the original CASK questionnaire. Mothers and fathers did not differ significantly on CASK overall and subscale scores. There was however less concordance between parents on the bigger picture (ICC = 0.28) and biting...
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Background:DSM-5 proposed a new operational system by using the number of fulfilled criteria as an indicator of gambling disorder severity. This method has proven to be controversial among researchers and clinicians alike, due to the lack... more
Background:DSM-5 proposed a new operational system by using the number of fulfilled criteria as an indicator of gambling disorder severity. This method has proven to be controversial among researchers and clinicians alike, due to the lack of studies indicating whether severity, as measured by these criteria, is clinically relevant in terms of treatment outcome. Additionally, numerous studies have highlighted the associations between gambling disorder and impulsivity, though few have examined the impact of impulsivity on long-term treatment outcomes.Methods:In this study, we aimed to assess the predictive value of DSM-5 severity levels on response to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in a sample of male adults seeking treatment for gambling disorder (n = 398). Furthermore, we explored longitudinal predictors of CBT treatment response at a follow-up, considering UPPS-P impulsivity traits.Results:Our study failed to identify differences in treatment outcomes between patients categoriz...
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This study aimed to explore the empirical trajectories of body mass index (BMI) 1 year following bariatric surgery (BS) and to identify the risk factors for each trajectory. The study included 115 patients with severe obesity who... more
This study aimed to explore the empirical trajectories of body mass index (BMI) 1 year following bariatric surgery (BS) and to identify the risk factors for each trajectory. The study included 115 patients with severe obesity who underwent BS. Assessment included metabolic variables, psychopathological and personality measures. Growth mixture modelling identified four separated trajectories for the percentage of total weight loss course shape (namely, T1 'good-fast', T2 'good', T3 'low' and T4 'low-slow'). After adjusting for BS subtype and metabolic baseline state, T1 and T2 registered less eating and general psychopathology. T1 was characterized by the lowest scores in novelty seeking and self-transcendence, whereas T4 was defined by the highest scores in novelty seeking and the lowest scores in persistence. Our findings suggest that psychological state prior to BS is predictive of BMI trajectories during the 12 months following BS. These results co...
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Whether the executive profile is different between obesity (OB) and morbid obesity (MO) remains unclear. Recent evidence suggests that physical activity (PA) can act as a cognitive enhancer. Irisin is a recently discovered hormone... more
Whether the executive profile is different between obesity (OB) and morbid obesity (MO) remains unclear. Recent evidence suggests that physical activity (PA) can act as a cognitive enhancer. Irisin is a recently discovered hormone associated with some of the positive effects of PA. The objective of the study was to investigate the executive profile in OB and MO, and to explore the role of PA and irisin. 114 participants were included (21 OB, 44 MO and 49 healthy controls-HC) in the study and assessed with the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Stroop Color and Word Test, and Iowa Gambling Task. All participants were female, aged between 18 and 60 years. Results showed a similar dysfunctional profile on decision making in OB and MO compared with HC. Thus, no specific neuropsychological profiles between OB and MO can be clearly observed in our sample. However, a negative correlation was found between irisin and executive functioning. These results demonstrate a specific executive profile in...
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ObjectiveWe examined the association between lifetime nonsuicidal self‐injury (NSSI), emotion regulation, and food addiction (FA) in women (n = 220) with eating disorders (ED) compared with (n = 121) healthy controls... more
ObjectiveWe examined the association between lifetime nonsuicidal self‐injury (NSSI), emotion regulation, and food addiction (FA) in women (n = 220) with eating disorders (ED) compared with (n = 121) healthy controls (HC).MethodParticipants were assessed via face‐to‐face interviews for ED diagnosis and lifetime NSSI. FA was assessed with Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 and emotion regulation using the Difficulty in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS).ResultsThe prevalence of FA was significantly higher among women with an ED when compared with HC (75.9% vs. 4.1%, p < 0.001). Similarly, subjects presenting FA showed a high prevalence of lifetime NSSI, in both ED and HC (40.7% and 60.0%, respectively). Our predictive model revealed FA and DERS total scores as indicators of the presence of lifetime NSSI independent of group assignment, ED diagnosis, and age.ConclusionsThese findings suggest a shared aetiology between ED, NSSI, and FA, explained possibly in part by emotion‐regulation defic...
Research Interests: Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Social Sciences, Addiction, Personality, and 15 moreEating Disorders, Behavior, Medicine, Bulimia Nervosa, DSM, Risk factors, Sample, Clinical Sciences, Risk Factors, Food Addiction, Nonsuicidal self-injury, Difficulties, Emotional Dysregulation, suicide attempts, and Dysregulation
Eating disorders (EDs) are mental health diseases characterized by dysfunctional eating patterns, including restrictive eating, avoidance of foods, binge eating, and compensative behaviors to avoid weight increases and promote thinness... more
Eating disorders (EDs) are mental health diseases characterized by dysfunctional eating patterns, including restrictive eating, avoidance of foods, binge eating, and compensative behaviors to avoid weight increases and promote thinness (purging, vomiting, laxative/diuretics misuse, and compulsive exercise) [...]
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Eating disorders (ED) have frequently been described among athletes. However, their specific features and therapy responses are lacking in the literature. The aims of this article were to compare clinical, psychopathological and... more
Eating disorders (ED) have frequently been described among athletes. However, their specific features and therapy responses are lacking in the literature. The aims of this article were to compare clinical, psychopathological and personality traits between ED patients who were professional athletes (ED-A) with those who were not (ED-NA) and to explore differences in response to treatment. The sample comprised n = 104 patients with ED (n = 52 ED-A and n = 52 matched ED-NA) diagnosed according to DSM-5 criteria. Evaluation consisted of a semi-structured face-to-face clinical interview conducted by expert clinicians and a psychometric battery. Treatment outcome was evaluated when the treatment program ended. ED-A patients showed less body dissatisfaction and psychological distress. No differences were found in treatment outcome among the groups. Within the ED-A group, those participants who performed individual sport activities and aesthetic sports presented higher eating psychopatholog...
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Background and aimsSelf-exclusion in gambling disorder (GD) is considered a measure to decrease the negative consequences of gambling behavior. Under a formal self-exclusion program, gamblers request to be banned from accessing to the... more
Background and aimsSelf-exclusion in gambling disorder (GD) is considered a measure to decrease the negative consequences of gambling behavior. Under a formal self-exclusion program, gamblers request to be banned from accessing to the gambling venues or online gambling.The aims of the present study are1) to determine sociodemographic characteristics of a clinical sample of seeking-treatment patients with GD who are self-excluded before arriving at the care unit; 2) to identify personality traits and general psychopathology of this clinical population; 3) to analyze the response to treatment, in terms of relapses and dropouts.Methods1,416 adults seeking treatment for GD, who are self-excluded completed screening tools to identify GD symptomatology, general psychopathology, and personality traits. The treatment outcome was measured by dropout and relapses.ResultsSelf-exclusion was significantly related to female sex and a high sociodemographic status. Also, it was associated with a pr...
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Impulsive and compulsive behaviors have both been observed in individuals with obesity. The co-occurrence of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) is more strongly associated with impulsivity, although there are no conclusive results yet. A... more
Impulsive and compulsive behaviors have both been observed in individuals with obesity. The co-occurrence of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) is more strongly associated with impulsivity, although there are no conclusive results yet. A multidimensional assessment of impulsivity and compulsivity was conducted in individuals with obesity in the absence or presence of T2D, compared with healthy, normal-weight individuals, with highly impulsive patients (gambling disorders), and with highly compulsive patients (anorexia nervosa). Decision making and novelty seeking were used to measure impulsivity, and cognitive flexibility and harm avoidance were used for compulsivity. For impulsivity, patients with obesity and T2D showed poorer decision-making ability compared with healthy individuals. For compulsivity, individuals with only obesity presented less cognitive flexibility and high harm avoidance; these dimensions were not associated with obesity with T2D. This study contributes to the k...
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This study examines if overweight/obesity are related to higher impulsivity, food addiction and depressive symptoms, and if these variables could be modified after 1 year of a multimodal intervention (diet, physical activity, psychosocial... more
This study examines if overweight/obesity are related to higher impulsivity, food addiction and depressive symptoms, and if these variables could be modified after 1 year of a multimodal intervention (diet, physical activity, psychosocial support). 342 adults (55–75 years) with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) from the PREDIMED-Plus Cognition study were randomized to the intervention or to the control group (lifestyle recommendations). Cognitive and psychopathological assessments were performed at baseline and after 1-year follow-up. At baseline, higher impulsivity was linked to higher food addiction and depressive symptoms, but not to body mass index (BMI). Food addiction not only predicted higher BMI and depressive symptoms, but also achieved a mediational role between impulsivity and BMI/depressive symptoms. After 1 year, patients in both groups reported significant decreases in BMI, food addiction and impulsivity. BMI reduction and impulsivity improvements were h...
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Age-related neurobiological changes significantly affect hippocampal structure and function, such that the main cognitive impairments associated with aging are related to the integrity of this brain structure, including the deterioration... more
Age-related neurobiological changes significantly affect hippocampal structure and function, such that the main cognitive impairments associated with aging are related to the integrity of this brain structure, including the deterioration in spatial object recognition (SOR) memory. Previous studies have shown that intrinsic factors such as neuroinflammation, as well as lifestyle factors such as diet, can affect aging-associated brain functions and cognitive performance. In this regard, caloric restriction (CR) produces beneficial effects on health and life expectancy, although its ability to slow down age-dependent effects on cognitive decline and hippocampus (HPC) functioning remains unclear. Therefore, we set out to evaluate the effects of CR on SOR memory in aged male Wistar rats, as well as those on hippocampal neuron loss, neurogenesis and inflammation. The data show that CR in aged rats attenuates the decline in SOR memory, age-associated hippocampal neuron loss, and age-depend...
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Background and aimsMental disorders with high levels of impulsivity such as bulimic spectrum eating disorders (BSED) and gambling disorder (GD) are associated with high risk of suicidal behavior. The aim of the present study was to... more
Background and aimsMental disorders with high levels of impulsivity such as bulimic spectrum eating disorders (BSED) and gambling disorder (GD) are associated with high risk of suicidal behavior. The aim of the present study was to identify the common and differential vulnerability factors behind suicide attempts in a sample of patients with BSED compared to patients with GD.MethodsA total of 6,077 adults who sought treatment and met criteria either for BSED (n = 2,391) or GD (n = 3,686) were assessed at a specialized hospital unit. Personality traits, psychopathological symptomatology, lifetime history of suicide attempts and socio-demographic variables were evaluated.ResultsThe prevalence of suicide attempts was higher for BSED patients (26.2%) compared to GD patients (7.1%) being anorexia nervosa (Binge/Purge type) and bulimia nervosa the most affected subtypes. In the predictive model, the transdiagnostic vulnerability factors with the highest contribution to the risk of suicida...
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El trastorn de joc es caracteritza per un descontrol d'impulsos que tenen severes conseqüències negatives en l'àmbit personal, familiar i laboral de l'individu que el pateix. Normalment, aquest trastorn sol presentar-se junt a... more
El trastorn de joc es caracteritza per un descontrol d'impulsos que tenen severes conseqüències negatives en l'àmbit personal, familiar i laboral de l'individu que el pateix. Normalment, aquest trastorn sol presentar-se junt a altres problemes com l'ansietat, depressió... A més, sol relacionar-se en taxes altes de risc amb conductes suïcides. L'objectiu d'aquest paper és analitzar particularment el paper de la desregulació emocional i la impulsivitat en les conductes suïcides de persones addictes al joc com a factors de risc. Aquest plantejament podria servir pel desenvolupament de plans d'actuació eficaços i de la intervenció.El trastorno de juego se caracteriza por un descontrol de impulsos que tiene severas consecuencias negativas en el ámbito personal, familiar y laboral del individuo que lo padece. Normalmente, este trastorno suele presentarse junto a otros problemas como ansiedad, depresión... Además, suele relacionarse con altas tasas de riesgo con...
The increasing prevalence of alcohol consumption at early ages has led to major efforts to identify alcohol drinking habits within this highly vulnerable group, and individuals with hazardous patterns of alcohol consumption. The aim of... more
The increasing prevalence of alcohol consumption at early ages has led to major efforts to identify alcohol drinking habits within this highly vulnerable group, and individuals with hazardous patterns of alcohol consumption. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Alcohol Positive and Negative Expectations Scale (APNE; a new screening tool developed to identify expectations toward alcohol), and to examine the patterns of alcohol drinking in young adults. The sample included n = 1309 participants (college students) with age range 20 to 25 years. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) performed through Generalized Structural Equation Models (GSEM) verified the structure of the APNE, correlational models evaluated convergent-discriminant validity, and logistic regression assessed the discriminative ability to identify harmful drinking. The bifactor structure for the APNE was confirmed (positive and negative expectations toward alcohol drinking), with adequat...
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Avui en dia existeixen molts tipus d'addicció. Un dels tipus és l'addicció conductual que s'associa a comportaments compulsius i incontrolables. De fet, cada cop més estudis epidemiològics alerten d'un increment en la... more
Avui en dia existeixen molts tipus d'addicció. Un dels tipus és l'addicció conductual que s'associa a comportaments compulsius i incontrolables. De fet, cada cop més estudis epidemiològics alerten d'un increment en la prevalença d'aquesta en els dos sexes i diferents edats, en la qual interactuen múltiples factors bio-psico-socials. Es per això que en el següent estudi s'ha analitzat en quin grau el sexe dels pacients, l'edat d'inici i la duració de la conducta addictiva influeixen en el perfil clínic. Els resultats indiquen que l'associació entre sexe, edat i duració amb el perfil clínic està vinculat al subtipus d'addicció conductual.Hoy en día existen muchos tipos de adicción. Uno de los tipos es la adicción conductual que se asocia a comportamientos compulsivos e incontrolables. De hecho, cada vez más estudios epidemiológicos alertan de un incremento en la prevalencia de estas en ambos sexos y diferentes edades, en las cuales interactúan m...
L'addicció al joc és un trastorn clínic que es manifesta en diferents formes i per tant, com el diagnòstic i el tractament seran diferents segons les seves característiques, és important identificar bé quins són els diferents fenotips... more
L'addicció al joc és un trastorn clínic que es manifesta en diferents formes i per tant, com el diagnòstic i el tractament seran diferents segons les seves característiques, és important identificar bé quins són els diferents fenotips del trastorn. En aquest estudi s'ha analitzat una mostra de 2570 subjectes diagnosticats amb trastorn de joc, dels quals s'han identificat tres fenotips amb diferències en indicadors sociodemogràfics, psicopatològics, de personalitat i en la modalitat de joc preferent. Un d'ells, caracteritzat per ser el grup més jove i amb major nivell educatiu, és el que ha generat més alerta per la seva creixent prevalença i alarma sobre la necessitat de dissenyar nous programes terapèutics específicament orientats al seu fenotip clínic
El fenotip de la compra patològica comparteix similituds amb el trastorn de joc i els trastorns de la conducta alimentària, i s'inclou amb ells dins de l'espectre impulsiu-compulsiu. No obstant això, a causa d'una absència de... more
El fenotip de la compra patològica comparteix similituds amb el trastorn de joc i els trastorns de la conducta alimentària, i s'inclou amb ells dins de l'espectre impulsiu-compulsiu. No obstant això, a causa d'una absència de definició clínica consensuada per aquesta addicció, no es disposen d'instruments estandarditzats específics per a la seva avaluació. En aquest context, en aquest estudi s'han avaluat les característiques psicomètriques de l'escala PBS com a instrument d'avaluació, a més de l'associació del grau de severitat per compra compulsiva amb l'estat psicopatològic global i amb el perfil de personalitat dels subjectes. Els resultats han confirmat la fiabilitat i validesa de l'escala PBS per ser utilitzada en la població espanyola, fet que suposa implicacions en diagnòstiques i terapèutiques en les addiccions conductuals.El fenotipo de la compra patológica comparte similitudes con el trastorno de juego y los trastornos de la conduct...
L'Orexina-A i l'Orexina-B són un tipus de neuropèptids que es troben relacionats amb diferents funcions com per exemple la ingesta de menjar i beguda o determinats processos cognitius. Per això, se sospita que contribueixen al... more
L'Orexina-A i l'Orexina-B són un tipus de neuropèptids que es troben relacionats amb diferents funcions com per exemple la ingesta de menjar i beguda o determinats processos cognitius. Per això, se sospita que contribueixen al fenotip clínic de l'anorèxia nerviosa, tot i que es desconeixen el seu rol i els mecanismes subjacents. En aquest article, s'explora la relació entre la concentració d'Orexina-A i el funcionament neuropsicològic en pacients diagnosticades amb aquesta malaltia. Els resultats han evidenciat que una baixa concentració d'Oxerina-A en les pacients es correlacionava amb un pitjor resultat de flexibilitat cognitiva i presa de decisions.Las Orexina-A y Orexina-B son un tipo de neuropéptidos que se encuentran relacionados con diferentes funciones como por ejemplo la ingesta de comida y bebida o determinados procesos cognitivos. Por ello, se sospecha que contribuyen al fenotipo clínico de la anorexia nerviosa, aunque se desconoce su rol y los mec...
El fàcil accés a noves i múltiples plataformes (com Internet) ha contribuït a un increment de la freqüència de joves adolescents amb addició al joc, la qual pot associar-se amb altres condicions clíniques a mesura que va evolucionant. De... more
El fàcil accés a noves i múltiples plataformes (com Internet) ha contribuït a un increment de la freqüència de joves adolescents amb addició al joc, la qual pot associar-se amb altres condicions clíniques a mesura que va evolucionant. De fet, la impulsivitat és un tret de la personalitat que s'hi troba molt relacionat. En aquest estudi, s'ha valorat la capacitat predictiva de la severitat del trastorn de joc i les diferents dimensions de la impulsivitat durant intervenció i seguiment posterior. Els resultats indiquen la importància de la impulsivitat en la intervenció psicoterapèutica a curt i llarg termini.El fácil acceso a nuevas y múltiples plataformas (como Internet) ha contribuido a un incremento de la frecuencia de jóvenes adolescentes con adicción al juego, que puede asociarse con otras condiciones clínicas a medida que va evolucionando. De hecho, la impulsividad es un rasgo de la personalidad que está muy relacionado. En este estudio se ha valorado la capacidad predi...
El joc patologic es caracteritza per un comportament disfuncional de tipus recurrent i persistent envers el joc que provoca deteriorament clinic de caracter biopsicosocial. Un estudi recent ha analitzat l'eficacia terapeutica del... more
El joc patologic es caracteritza per un comportament disfuncional de tipus recurrent i persistent envers el joc que provoca deteriorament clinic de caracter biopsicosocial. Un estudi recent ha analitzat l'eficacia terapeutica del tractament d'aquest trastorn, explorant les variables que poden predir les recaigudes i els bandonaments durant els dos anys posteriors a la finalitzacio de la intervencio, que poden arribar a un 50%, i la relacio entre el sexe dels pacients i el resultat del tractament.
Research Interests: Humanities and Art
Mitjancant un estudi realitzat al Servei de Psiquiatria de l'Hospital de Bellvitge i CIBERobn, sota la direccion del Dr. Fernando Fernandez-Aranda i la Dra. Roser Granero-Perez (UAB), s'ha valorat en quin grau una terapia... more
Mitjancant un estudi realitzat al Servei de Psiquiatria de l'Hospital de Bellvitge i CIBERobn, sota la direccion del Dr. Fernando Fernandez-Aranda i la Dra. Roser Granero-Perez (UAB), s'ha valorat en quin grau una terapia cognitiu-conductual millora les dificultats en la regulacio emocional presents en les pacients amb qualsevol dels subtipus diagnostics que s'inclouen en el grup de trastorns de la conducta alimentaria (anorexia nerviosa, bulimia nerviosa, trastorn per afartament i altres problemes alimentaris.
Research Interests: Psychology and Humanities
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Few studies have analyzed the clinical profile of treatment-seeking patients with the comorbid presence of schizophrenia (SCZ) and gambling disorder (GD), which warrants new research to assess the network structure of this complex mental... more
Few studies have analyzed the clinical profile of treatment-seeking patients with the comorbid presence of schizophrenia (SCZ) and gambling disorder (GD), which warrants new research to assess the network structure of this complex mental condition. The aim of this study was to explore the organization of the symptoms and other clinical correlates of SCZ with GD. Network analysis was applied to a sample of N = 179 SCZ patients (age range: 19–70 years, mean=39.5, SD=9.9) who met clinical criteria for gambling disorder-related problems. Variables included in the network were the core GD symptoms according to the DSM-5, psychotic and paranoid ideation levels, global psychological distress, GD severity measures (debts and illegal behavior related with gambling), substances (tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs), and personality profile. The nodes with the highest authority in the network (variables of highest relevance) were personality traits and psychological distress. Four empirical mo...
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Background: The risk for behavioral addictions is rising among women within the general population and in clinical settings. However, few studies have assessed treatment effectiveness in females. The aim of this work was to explore latent... more
Background: The risk for behavioral addictions is rising among women within the general population and in clinical settings. However, few studies have assessed treatment effectiveness in females. The aim of this work was to explore latent empirical classes of women with gambling disorder (GD) and buying/shopping disorder (BSD) based on the treatment outcome, as well as to identify predictors of the different empirical groups considering the sociodemographic and clinical profiles at baseline. Method: A clinical sample of n = 318 women seeking treatment for GD (n = 221) or BSD (n = 97) participated. Age was between 21 to 77 years. Results: The four latent-classes solution was the optimal classification in the study. Latent class 1 (LT1, good progression to recovery) grouped patients with the best CBT outcomes (lowest risk of dropout and relapses), and it was characterized by the healthiest psychological state at baseline, the lowest scores in harm avoidance and self-transcendence, and...
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Motherhood has been proposed as an internal facilitating factor for the recovery of women with mental disorders. However, at the same time, there are significant barriers that may be interfering with the access and adherence to treatment... more
Motherhood has been proposed as an internal facilitating factor for the recovery of women with mental disorders. However, at the same time, there are significant barriers that may be interfering with the access and adherence to treatment for these women. The present longitudinal study aimed to deepen the sociodemographic and clinical profile of women with children and compulsive buying–shopping disorder (CBSD), and to explore the association between motherhood and response to treatment. The total sample included 77 women with a diagnosis of CBSD (n = 49 mothers) who received cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for 12 weeks. No association between psychopathology and motherhood was observed. The group of mothers reported an older age of onset of the CBSD, a lower amount of money spent per compulsive-buying episode, and a higher likelihood of family support for the CBSD. Moreover, this group showed lower risk of relapse. The findings support the theoretical proposal that considers moth...
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Impulsivity has been associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and may negatively impact its management. This study aimed to investigate impulsive personality traits in an older adult population with T2D and their predicting role in long-term... more
Impulsivity has been associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and may negatively impact its management. This study aimed to investigate impulsive personality traits in an older adult population with T2D and their predicting role in long-term weight control and glycemic management, through glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), following 3 years of intervention with a Mediterranean diet. The Impulsive Behavior Scale (UPPS-P) was administered as a measure of impulsive traits at baseline. Results showed higher total baseline scores of UPPS-P, and higher positive urgency in individuals with T2D, compared with those without T2D. The regression analysis in patients with T2D showed that sensation seeking and lack of perseverance predicted weight loss at follow-up. By contrast, impulsive traits did not predict follow-up levels of HbA1c. In conclusion, the present findings suggest that higher impulsive traits in individuals with T2D seem to affect long-term weight control, but not glycemic control.
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Hi ha diferències sociodemogràfiques i clíniques entre pacients amb trastorn de compra compulsiva i els que presenten addicció al joc, a Internet o al sexe? La resposta és sí, segons un estudi realitzat per investigadors de l'Hospital... more
Hi ha diferències sociodemogràfiques i clíniques entre pacients amb trastorn de compra compulsiva i els que presenten addicció al joc, a Internet o al sexe? La resposta és sí, segons un estudi realitzat per investigadors de l'Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge i la UAB, el què requereix i tractar-lo com una entitat psiquiàtrica, independent d'altres trastorns de comportaments addictius o de control d'impulsos. Dona, amb una edat major, que s'inicia més tard en el trastorn i amb nivells més alts de depressió i d'ansietat són algunes de les característiques predominants en aquest tipus de pacients.¿Existen diferencias sociodemográficas y clínicas entre pacientes con trastorno de compra compulsiva y los que presentan adicción al juego, Internet o al sexo? La respuesta es sí, según un estudio realizado por investigadores del Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge y la UAB, lo que requiere tratarlo como una entidad psiquiátrica independiente de otros trastornos de compor...