Examinando por Autor "Gallego-Alberto, Laura"

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Longitudinal effects of ambivalent and guilt feelings on dementia family caregivers' depressive symptoms
(Wiley, 2024-03-14) Losada-Baltar, Andrés; Mausbach, Brent T.; Romero-Moreno, Rosa; Jiménez-Gonzalo, Lucía; Huertas-Domingo, Cristina; Fernandes-Pires, José A.; Barrera-Caballero, Samara; Gallego-Alberto, Laura; Martín-María, Natalia; Olazarán, Javier; Márquez-González, María
Background The world prevalence of people with dementia is increasing. Most of the care received by people with dementia is provided by family caregivers, and this prolonged activity has a significant impact on caregivers' levels of depression. Stressors and frequency of leisure are known predictors of caregivers' depressive levels. The longitudinal impact of caregivers' ambivalent and guilt feelings is unknown. Methods Participants were 177 family caregivers of relatives with dementia who were assessed three times during a 2-year period. In addition to demographic variables, psychological symptoms of the dementias, and frequency of leisure activities, caregivers' ambivalent feelings, guilt, and depressive symptoms were measured. The longitudinal association of changes in these variables with changes in caregivers' depressive symptoms over time was assessed using mixed linear models. Results Changes over time in the assessed variables predicted 48.05% of variance of changes over time in depressive symptoms. Even when variables strongly associated with increased depressive symptoms were controlled (lower caregivers' age and educational level, higher reaction to BPSD, and lower leisure activities), increases in ambivalence and guilt contributed to an increase of 9.22% of the variance of changes depressive symptoms over a 2-year period. The effects of ambivalent feelings on depression are indirect, mediated by guilt feelings. Cessation of caregiving do not seem to alter these findings. Conclusions Caregivers' ambivalent and guilt feelings are significant predictors of caregivers' mental health. Caregivers may significantly benefit from early detection of ambivalent and guilt feelings and preventive strategies targeting triggers associated with ambivalent and guilt symptoms
Profiles of Dementia Caregivers according to Psychosocial and Resource Variables. Importance of Kinship
(Cambridge University Press, 2024-05-21) Huertas-Domingo, Cristina; Losada-Baltar, Andrés; Gallego-Alberto, Laura; García-Batalloso, Inés; García-García, Laura; Márquez-González, María
The present study aims to analyze the existence of different profiles in family caregivers of people with dementia according to psychosocial and resource variables. In addition, it aims to study whether there is a greater representation of each kinship group in each of the profiles and if there are differences in emotional distress among such profiles considering the kinship with the care-recipient. Participants were 288 family dementia caregivers, divided into four kinship groups (wives, husbands, sons and daughters). Psychosocial (familism, dysfunctional thoughts and experiential avoidance), resource (leisure activities and social support) and outcomes (depressive, anxious and guilt symptomatology) variables were collected. A hierarchical cluster analysis using Ward’s method, an exploratory factor analysis of two fixed factors and contingency tables were performed. Five clusters were obtained: Low psychosocial vulnerability-High resources, Low psychosocial vulnerability-Low resources, Mixed, High psychosocial vulnerability-High resources, and High psychosocial vulnerability-Low resources. Results suggested that clusters associated with lower distress were the Low psychosocial vulnerability-High resources and the High psychosocial vulnerability-High resources. Clusters associated with higher distress were the Low psychosocial vulnerability-Low resources and Mixed. High levels of dysfunctional thoughts, familism and experiential avoidance do not always have a maladaptive function. This could depend on sociocultural and resource variables such as the kinship with the caregiver or perceived social support. The identification of profiles of family caregivers potentially needing protection and vulnerable to psychological distress could help to increase the effectiveness of interventions aimed at this population.
Psychometric properties of the Insomnia Severity Index in a sample of family dementia caregivers
(Elsevier - Sleep Medicine, 2021-04-02) Jimenez-Gonzalo, Lucía; Romero-Moreno, Rosa; Pedroso-Chaparro, María; Gallego-Alberto, Laura; Barrera-Caballero, Samara; Olazarán, Javier; Losada-Baltar, Andrés
Study objectives: Family caregivers of people with dementia frequently report sleep problems that are linked to depressive and anxious symptoms. However, data are needed regarding the psychometric properties of specific measures of sleep problems in caregiving populations. The aim of this study is to analyse the psychometric properties of the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI; Morin, 1993) in a Spanish dementia caregiver sample. Methods: 271 participants took part in face-to face interviews where, along with sociodemographic variables, caregivers' sleep problems, depressive and anxious symptoms were measured. The psychometric properties of the ISI were analysed through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and analysis of the internal consistency and convergent and criterion validity. Results: The Spanish version of the Insomnia Severity Index showed adequate indices of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha ¼ 0.78) in our sample of family caregivers of people with dementia. A onefactor structure provided a better fit to the data than two- and three-factor structures. The ISI was significantly associated with lower sleep quality, less average sleep time per day and lower selfperception of vitality, as well as with higher depressive and anxious symptoms. Differences in ISI scores were found between people with and without depressive and anxious symptoms. Statistically significant gender-based differences in sleep problems were also found, with female caregivers showing higher sleep problems. Conclusions: The ISI is a reliable and valid instrument to assess the subjective severity of sleep problems in the family dementia caregiver population and may be a useful instrument in intervention and research settings. Additional evidence was also provided of the importance of considering sleep problems in the studied population.
Stress, cognitive fusion and comorbid depressive and anxiety symptomatology in dementia caregivers
(American Psychological Association, 2021-08-01) Barrera-Caballero, Samara; Romero-Moreno, Rosa; Del Sequeros Pedroso-Chaparro, María; Olmos, Ricardo; Vara-García, Carlos; Gallego-Alberto, Laura; Cabrera, Isabel; Márquez-González, María; Olazarán, Javier; Losada-Baltar, Andrés
Comorbid depression and anxiety is linked to worse outcomes such as increased impairment, distress, and morbidity, as well as worse treatment outcomes. Transdiagnostic variables such as cognitive fusion are considered potential factors for explaining comorbidity. The aim of this study was to analyze the differences between symptom profiles of caregivers (comorbid, depressive, anxiety, and subclinical) in terms of demographic and contextual factors, stress variables, and cognitive fusion. Individual interviews were conducted with 553 caregivers of a relative with dementia. Sociodemographic variables, stressors, cognitive fusion, and depressive and anxiety symptoms were assessed. Caregivers were grouped into four symptom profiles, comorbid (n = 303), depressed (n = 40) anxiety (n = 86), and subclinical (n = 124), based on their depressive and anxiety symptoms. The likelihood of presenting a comorbid profile relative to the subclinical profile was higher in female caregivers. In addition, higher frequency of disruptive behaviors of the care recipient was a risk factor for presenting a comorbid profile relative to the other three profiles, and higher scores in cognitive fusion were a risk factor of comorbidity relative to the other profiles (anxiety, depressive, and subclinical). The findings suggest that the likelihood of presenting comorbid symptomatology is higher for female caregivers and those reporting higher levels of cognitive fusion and higher frequency of disruptive behaviors
To pay attention or not: The associations between attentional bias towards negative emotional information and anxiety, guilt feelings, and experiential avoidance in dementia family caregivers
(Taylor and Francis - Revista Agind and Mental Health, 2021-06-13) Cabrera, Isabel; Márquez-González, María; Gallego-Alberto, Laura; del Sequeros Pedroso-Chaparro, María; Barrera-Caballero, Samara; Losada, Andrés
Caring for a relative with dementia has been linked to negative consequences for caregivers’ psychological health, such as anxiety or guilt. Cognitive theories of psychopathology propose that attentional bias towards negative stimuli contribute to the development and maintenance of emotional disorders and clinical symptomatology. However, attentional bias has scarcely been explored in dementia family caregivers. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between attentional bias and anxiety symptomatology, guilt feelings, and experiential avoidance in a sample of dementia family caregivers. Participants were 226 dementia family caregivers. Attentional bias was measured using a novel priming adaptation of the dot-probe task. The sample was divided into high and low anxiety symptomatology, guilt feelings, and experiential avoidance groups. The results revealed two opposite patterns of emotional information processing in dementia family caregivers. While anxiety was found to be associated with an attentional preference for negative information, experiential avoidance was related to attentional avoidance of this information. Although guilt was also related to an attentional preference for negative information, this relationship was no longer significant when controlling for anxiety levels. These inflexible attentional patterns may have negative clinical consequences, given that in both cases relevant information necessary for adaptive coping with the stressful situation of caregiving may be unattended to or omitted.
Validation of the Guilt associated with Self-Perception as a Burden Scale (G-SPBS)
(Cambridge University Press., 2021) Pedroso-Chaparro, María del Sequeros; Cabrera, Isabel; Márquez-González, María; Olmos, Ricardo; Romero-Moreno, Rosa; Vara-García, Carlos; Gallego-Alberto, Laura; Barrera-Caballero, Samara; Losada-Baltar, Andrés
Background: One of the main health-related worries for older adults is becoming dependent. Even healthy older adults may worry about becoming dependent, generating guilt feelings due to the anticipation of future needs that others must solve. The guilt associated with self-perception as a burden has not been studied in older adults, and there is no instrument available to measure these feelings. Aims: To adapt the Self-Perceived Burden Scale (SPBS; Cousineau et al., 2003) for the assessment of feelings of guilt for perceiving oneself as a burden for the family in older adults without explicit functional or cognitive impairment. Method: Participants were 298 older adults living independently in the community. Participants completed the assessment protocol, which included measures of guilt associated with self-perception as a burden, depressive and anxious symptomatology, self-perceived burden, and sociodemographic information. Results: Results from exploratory, parallel and confirmatory factor analyses suggest that the scale, named Guilt associated with Self-Perception as a Burden Scale (G-SPBS), has a unidimensional structure, explaining 57.04% of the variance of guilt. Good reliability was found (Cronbach’s alpha = .94). The results revealed significant (p < .01) positive associations with depressive and anxious symptomatology. Discussion: These findings suggest that the G-SPBS shows good psychometric properties which endorse its use with healthy community older adults. Also, guilt associated with perceiving oneself as a burden seems to be a relevant variable that can contribute to improving our understanding of psychological distress in older adults.