Revista Puertorriquena de psicologia最新文献

Chronic depression (CD) among Hispanic/Latina(o) youths has been understudied, although chronicity is the biggest risk factor for treatment-resistant depression. We examined CD correlates and predictors among 291 youths (aged 12-18 years) living in Puerto Rico with a history of depressive symptoms. They completed the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), the Depressive Symptoms Spectrum Assessment Inventory (DSSAI), and the Brief Structured Diagnostic Measure for Depression. We explored CD correlates using Odds Ratios adjusted for CDI-Total scores. With multiple logistic regression, we identified optimal predictors of a history of chronic depressive symptoms (HCDS) or any chronic depressive disorder (HACDD). Living zone (rural), history of depressive disorder, household size (< 4), age of onset of symptoms (< 13 years), death/suicidal thoughts at the first episode, antidepressants use, and scores ≥ 84^th percentile in the DSSAI-Anhedonia subscale, accounted for 37% of HCDS variance. The latter five variables and socioeconomic status (lower-middle/low) best distinguished HACDD and episodic disorders (R ² = .331). Identifying factors that distinguish chronic and episodic depression among Hispanic/Latina(o) youths may help to improve their diagnosis, access to and quality of care, as well as treatment selection, tailoring, and outcomes.

This research assesses sociodemographic, psychosocial, and military characteristics and their role in homelessness programs readmission to provide a profile of the Caribbean Homeless Veteran of the U.S. military. We evaluated 620 healthcare records of veterans who requested services at the Homeless Program of the VA Caribbean Healthcare System from 2005 to 2014. Statistical analyses consisted of Chi square, Fisher's exact test, Wilcoxon-Rank Sum tests, and generalized linear models of regression with Poisson distribution. Homeless veterans were characterized by being male, serving in the Army, having low social support, poor house affordability, extreme poverty, unemployment, and psychiatric disorders. Veterans from Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation New Dawn conflicts exhibited more readmission prevalence risk ratio overall and when adjusted for all factors than veterans of previous conflicts. Psychosocial factors such as substance use, social isolation, legal problems, and psychiatric disorders were identified in the readmission process. Results suggest assistance beyond housing is needed to end veteran homelessness.

The Children's Depression Inventory-2 (CDI-2) was validated and standardized for U.S. children. Although some data is available on its Spanish-language 12-item short form, the psychometric properties of the Spanish full-length form (28-item) are unknown. We examined the internal consistency (alpha coefficient) and concurrent validity of the Spanish-language CDI-2 among 51 Puerto Rican youth (aged 12-18 years), recruited from a public school, a private school, and a local church. Scores on the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale-2 (RADS-2) were used as concurrent validity criteria. We found alpha coefficients of .84, .74 and .76 for the Total, Emotional Problems, and Functional Problems scores, respectively. Corrected item-total correlations from .13 (Arguments with friends) to .69 (Feeling lonely) were observed. Reliability coefficients for subscales ranged from .58 (Interpersonal Problems) to .65 (Ineffectiveness and Negative Self-Esteem). CDI-2 and RADS-2 scores correlated .87. Correlations between RADS-2 scores and CDI-2 subscales ranged from .66 to .70 (p ≤ .001). Similar validity coefficients were found for the short form (α = .68). Our initial report on the Spanish full-length CDI-2 suggest that its psychometric properties with Puerto Rican adolescents may be similar to those of the original Spanish CDI and those reported for Hispanics using the English-language CDI-2.

Accumulating evidence supports the association between cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and bipolar disorder (BD). CVD is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with bipolar disorder. However, there is a need to study the management of the risk factors in the primary healthcare context. This narrative review aims to appraise the different approaches of care that have been used in the management of these patients to address CVD risk factors in primary care. We reviewed articles from PubMed, Science Direct and other studies cited in the articles found. The keywords used for this review included "bipolar," "bipolar disorder," "cardiovascular" or "metabolic syndrome," "screening," "primary care," and "integrative" or "integrated care model" or "collaborative care model." This review includes studies published over a period of 48 months (January 2016 through December 2019). We identified 128 articles, removing two duplicates. From them, 115 articles are excluded based on the inclusion/exclusion criteria leaving eleven relevant articles. Upon full-text review, six studies were excluded. The final studies included are five. We used the study-quality assessment tools from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to assess the quality of the articles found. CVD risk factors in patients with BD and forms of other severe mental illness (SMI) are often underdetected. Primary healthcare providers need to identify these risk factors in the management of these patients to determine and recommend appropriate strategies.

Women Veterans are one of the fastest growing groups among homeless people. Previous studies on race, ethnicity and homelessness have emphasized the important differences on predictors, health risks, behaviors, and service outcomes between different groups. These differences are crucial to inform policy makers and program developers in order to solve this social issue. This research assesses sociodemographic, psychosocial and military characteristics and their role in service-connected disabilities to provide a profile of the Caribbean Homeless Women Veteran of the U.S. military. We evaluated 46 healthcare records of women Veterans who requested services at the Homeless Program of the VA Caribbean Healthcare System (VACHS) from 2005 to 2014. Statistical analyses consisted of Chi square, Fisher's exact test, Wilcoxon-Rank Sum tests, and Logistic Regression. Extreme poverty, unemployment, unaffordable housing, psychological disorders and low social support were the most prevalent characteristics. Women with psychological disorders had eight times higher the odds of having a service-connected disability than women without psychological conditions. Implications of study results are discussed for VACHS and future research with this population.

Explore how nursing professionals handle the death of a pediatric patient with cancer under their care and identify needs that they face in the workplace. An exploratory qualitative design was used, under the phenomenological framework and the Model of Information, Motivation and Behavioral Skills (IMHB). The data was obtained through semi-structured interviews with a sample of ten pediatric oncology nursing professionals. Each interview was transcribed and analyzed to identify thematic axes in the narrative of the participants. The findings revealed four categories that alluded to professional experiences in the face of the death of a patient and their handling of the grieving process. These were: Perception of nursing professionals about cancer; management of the pediatric patient in the terminal phase, coping strategies and areas of professional need. According to the findings, limitations were identified in knowledge about the subject of death and the grieving process of these health professionals. These limitations reflect being an obstacle in their clinical skills and in their capacity for assertive management. It is essential to educate these professionals about Thanatology and its benefits; as well as, to enable them access to psychological interventions for emotional management.

The identification and reduction of manifestations of stigma associated with HIV/ AIDS among health professionals continues facing significant challenges. Some of these are the measurement of stigma in complex setting such as clinical scenarios. However, with the emergence of mobile technology in recent years, such as smartphones and tablets, possibilities for exploration and reduction of stigma manifestations are enhanced. This article aims to reflect on the ability of the iPad to help assess manifestations of stigma associated with HIV/AIDS within a controlled clinical setting with medical students. It is based on a research experience that was carried out to measure behavioral manifestations of stigma associated with HIV/AIDS among medical students in Puerto Rico. The study integrated the use of iPad in the data's collection, storage and analysis. This article highlights the use of existing applications (Apps) for iPad for the implementation of digital tools to measure stigma towards HIV/AIDS. In discussing the experience of researchers, the iPad's potential and it applications for research on stigma are highlighted. Also, implications for the use of mobile technology in social research are discussed.

In this exploratory study, the PASS Reading Enhancement Program (PREP) was implemented individually as a cognitive modification program on five Puerto Rican children between 7 and 9 years old with reading difficulties and Attention Deficit Disorder and Hyperactivity - Combined Type. The PREP is based on the Planning, Attention, Simultaneous and Successive processing (PASS) theory and its purpose is to improve reading achievement. Results suggest that cognitive modification was possible, even in children with attention and hyperactivity problems. There was improvement in successive processing, and its relationship with decoding skills was evidenced. The PREP also contributed to optimize children's performance in comprehension skills. The results of this study may improve the academic performance of students with these or similar characteristics and increase their overall academic achievement. This in turn may contribute to advance collaboration between researchers and educators to reduce the gap between scientific research and educational practices.

In Puerto Rico, during the period 1990 to 2010, the incidence of all types of cancer had a statistically significant gradual increase of a rate of 0.3% per year. Similarly there was an increase in survival rates of 1% to 2%. This meant an increase in the demand for integrated services given its importance and its role in the survival process. Currently the treatment for the cancer condition is more specialized and complex. Hence, there is a great need to train qualified professionals to address the psychosocial needs of cancer patients and survivors. However, in Puerto Rico, training resources in psycho-oncology are scarce. A total of 113 graduate students participated in an online survey about research training needs. The results suggest that this is the first study in documenting these needs. The results demonstrate a high level of interest in clinical practice and research in psycho-oncology (80.2%, n = 81), but there is poor general knowledge and opportunities in specialized training (13.6%, n = 14) for students interested in the field of psycho-oncology. These results demonstrate the need to create new training opportunities in the area of psycho-oncology.

The assessment of biomarkers related to HIV and chronic stress increases opportunities for the design of more comprehensive research and intervention efforts on the health of transwomen within the context of Health Psychology. In this paper, we present data from a study implemented in Puerto Rico that aimed to: document the feasibility/acceptability of collecting biomarkers for chronic stress and HIV among transwomen; qualitatively document the factors related to the collection of biomarkers in this population; and explore the feasibility of collecting other types of biological specimens from transwomen in future studies. We implemented an exploratory mixed-method study with a sample of 10 transwomen. Quantitative information was gathered via saliva and hair biomarkers for chronic stress and HIV, while qualitative data was obtained via in-depth interviews. Twenty percent had positive results for HIV antibodies and 30% had hair cortisol levels that exceeded the normal range. The main motivations behind the provision of biomarkers were the desire to know about their health; contributing to a better understanding of health in the transgender community; and having previous positive experiences with our research team. We discuss the incorporation of biomarkers as powerful tools to better describe and understand the health of transwomen.