Browsing by Author "Cañabate Ros, Montserrat"

Emotional dysregulation, age, gender, and obesity are transdiagnostic risk factors for the development and maintenance of eating disorders (EDs). Previous studies found that patients with ED had less meaning in life than the non-clinical population, and that meaning in life acted as a buffer in the course of ED; however, to the data, there are no studies about the mediator role of meaning in life in association between the emotional dysregulation and the ED psychopathology. Objective: To analyze the mediating role of meaning in life in the relationship between emotional dysregulation and the ED psychopathology in three samples with diverse risk factors for ED. Method: Sample 1, n = 153 undergraduate young women; sample 2, n = 122 participants with obesity; and sample 3, n = 292 participants with ED. Multiple mediation analysis was performed. Results: Sample 1: meaning in life showed a mediation effect between emotional dysregulation and the ED psychopathology (direct effect b = 0.390, p < 0.05) (indirect effect b = 0.227, p < 0.05), body satisfaction (direct effect b = −0.017, p < 0.05) (indirect effect b = −0.013, p < 0.01), and depression symptoms (direct effect b = 1.112, p < 0.001) (indirect effect b = 0.414, p < 0.001); sample 2: meaning in life showed a mediation effect between emotional dysregulation and binge eating and purging behaviors (direct effect b = 0.194, p < 0.01) (indirect effect b = 0.054, p < 0.05) and depression symptoms (direct effect b = 0.357, p < 0.001) (indirect effect b = 0.063, p < 0.05); sample 3: meaning in life showed a mediation effect between emotional dysregulation and the ED psychopathology (direct effect b = 0.884, p < 0.001) (indirect effect b = 0.252, p < 0.007), body satisfaction (direct effect b = −0.033, p < 0.05) (indirect effect b = −0.021, p < 0.001), borderline symptoms (direct effect b = 0.040, p < 0.001) (indirect effect b = 0.025, p < 0.001), and hopelessness (direct effect b = 0.211, p < 0.001) (indirect effect b = 0.087, p < 0.001). Conclusions: These studies suggest the importance of considering meaning in life as a variable in the onset and maintenance of ED.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of an animal-assisted-therapy (AAT) program in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and substance-use disorders in residential treatment in order to intervene in the remission of negative and positive symptoms and improve quality of life and adherence to treatment, favouring the clinical stabilization of patients who participate in the AAT program, within the context of a mental-illness-treatment device. This was a quasi-experimental prospective study with intersubject and intrasubject factors. The sample comprised 36 patients (21 in the experimental group and 15 in the control group) who were evaluated at three time points (in the 3rd, 6th, and 10th sessions). The program lasted 3 months and consisted of 10 sessions that were implemented once a week, with a maximum participation of 10 patients per group. The participants were evaluated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for schizophrenia and the Life Skills Profile-20 (LSP-20) questionnaire. We observed a decrease in the positive symptoms of psychosis (F: 27.80, p = 0.001) and an improvement in functionality (F: 26.70, p < 0.001) as the sessions progressed. On the basis of these results, we concluded that AAT seems to be valid as a coadjuvant therapy as part of the rehabilitation processes of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and addiction-spectrum disorders (dual diagnosis).