Examinando por Autor "Vazquez, Carmelo"

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Attentional biases in dysphoria when happy and sad faces are simultaneously presented.
(Elsevier, 2019-07-22) Blanco, Iván; Poyato, Natalia; Nieto, Inés; Boemo, Teresa; Pascual, Teodoro; Roca, Pablo; Vazquez, Carmelo
Background and objective Difficulties to engage attention to positive stimuli and to disengage attention from negative stimuli are typically found in depression. Yet, most of the evidence supporting these attentional biases comes from experimental paradigms in which emotional information (e.g., happy or sad faces) is simultaneously presented with neutral information. Few studies have explored attentional biases when emotional stimuli of different valence are presented simultaneously. The aim of the present study was to assess visual scan patterns of non-dysphoric and dysphoric participants when emotional information is presented simultaneously. Method Using an eye-tracker methodology, the gradient relation between attentional biases and depression scores as well as differences between groups in their attentional performance were assessed in non-dysphoric participants (N = 84) and dysphoric participants (N = 58). Three different pairs of faces were used: happy-neutral, neutral-sad, and happy-sad. Results First, we found that simultaneous presentation of emotional information (i.e., happy vs. negative faces) reduces the magnitude of attentional biases towards positive information. Second, we also found a significant negative relation between attentional biases towards positive information and depression scores. Finally, compared to non-dysphoric participants, dysphoric individuals marginally spent less time attending positive information in both happy-neutral and happy-sad trials. Limitations The cross-sectional nature of our study does not allow us to make inferences about causality. Further, only one type of simultaneous emotional faces presentation (i.e., happy-sad) was used. Conclusions These results support the need for further research on the processing of competing emotional stimuli in depression.
Attentional biases towards emotional information in chronic pain: A multilevel meta-analysis of eye-tracking studies.
(Elsevier, 2024-10-29) Robles, Elena; Nieto, Inés; Navas, Juan Francisco; Vazquez, Carmelo; Vazquez, Carmelo
Objective This meta-analysis reviewed the existing literature on attentional biases towards emotional stimuli measured with eye-tracking methodologies in individuals with chronic pain. Method Eighteen relevant studies (n = 1331 participants) were identified through three electronic databases: PubMed, PsycInfo, and Scopus. A multilevel random-effects meta-analysis was conducted by using the standardized mean difference between gaze variables for emotional and neutral stimuli with Hedge's correction as the effect size (ES). Results Between-group analyses revealed that healthy individuals make longer first fixation towards neutral stimuli compared to chronic pain patients. Within-group analyses showed that, compared to the healthy control group, the chronic pain group had more first fixations towards pain-related stimuli than to neutral ones and had shorter fixation duration towards anger-related stimuli than to neutral stimuli. A moderation effect of paradigm and type of stimuli was also found. Conclusions This is the first meta-analysis exploring attentional biases not only towards pain-related stimuli, but also towards other emotional information. Our findings revealed that chronic pain individuals tend to focus their attention firstly on pain-related information in comparison to healthy individuals. Furthermore, chronic pain individuals maintain their attention on anger-related stimuli less than on neutral ones.
Disentangling the mediating role of modifying interpretation bias on emotional distress using a novel cognitive bias modification program
(Elsevier, 2021-07-29) Nieto, Inés; Vazquez, Carmelo
Background Negative interpretation bias is a potential risk factor for emotional disorders. In this study, we tested a clinically inspired 4-session online Cognitive Bias Modification-Interpretation (CBM-IClin) program to modify negative interpretation biases. Methods We randomized one hundred and twenty-one volunteer young adults (Mean age = 21.6 years, SD = 3.5; 85 % women) with varying levels of emotional distress to either an experimental or waitlist control group. Mediation analyses were used to disentangle the associations between the intervention, changes in interpretation biases (assessed by both a self-report and an experimental task), and changes in measures of cognitive vulnerability and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Results The results showed that the CBM-IClin could change negative interpretation biases. Also, it had a direct effect on the change in negative memory bias, an indirect effect on the change in depression symptoms via the change in interpretation bias, and both direct and indirect effects on the change in self-reported dysfunctional attitudes. Limitations The study included a non-clinical sample of participants and it did not control for some potential confounding factors (e.g., attentional disorders). Furthermore, participants’ engagement during the sessions at home was not supervised. Conclusions The CBM-IClin is a potential tool to prevent and intervene in emotional disorders in young adults and could complement other traditional CBM procedures or clinical interventions.
Efficacy of mindfulness to regulate induced emotions in the laboratory: A systematic review and meta-analysis of self-report and biobehavioral measures.
(Elsevier, 2022-12) Zangri, Rosa María; Andreu, Catherine; Nieto, Inés; Gonzalez-Garzon, Ana María; Vazquez, Carmelo
A substantial part of the research on the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions on mood regulation is conducted in the laboratory. Nevertheless, a systematic review of the results is lacking. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effects of mindfulness as an emotion regulation (ER) strategy when using mood induction procedures. A systematic search of databases was conducted and a total of 43 studies were included in the meta-analysis. We found a small significant overall effect size of mindfulness [g= −0.15 (95% CI [−0.30, −0.01], p = 0.04)], which became non-significant after removing outliers (g=−0.15, p = 0.06). We also found high levels of heterogeneity which was not explained by the moderating variables analyzed. Thus, there is limited meta-analytic evidence of the efficacy of mindfulness strategies in down-regulating or preventing heightened or chronic effects of induced mood states in well-controlled laboratory settings. We propose that this could be partially due to some limitations in laboratory methodologies and suggest some guidelines to overcome them in future primary research.
El análisis de redes en psicopatología: Conceptos y metodología
(Funveca, 2019-04-01) Blanco, Iván; Contreras, Alba; Valiente, Carmen; Espinosa, Regina; Nieto, Inés; Vazquez, Carmelo
En las últimas décadas, la validez de los sistemas diagnósticos categoriales, como el DSM o la CIE, ha sido puesta en duda. Una alternativa conceptual es el análisis de redes (AR), que concibe los problemas psicológicos simplemente como cadenas de síntomas causalmente relacionados y no como elementos emergentes de un trastorno o una enfermedad latente. El AR utiliza herramientas estadísticas para analizar los patrones de síntomas y sus dinámicas lo que permite identificar los síntomas centrales y periféricos dentro de una red sintomática y el potencial papel causal de cada síntoma dentro de la red. El AR abre nuevas vías para abordar problemas clásicos de los sistemas categoriales tales como la comorbilidad, los factores de vulnerabilidad y el análisis de las variables diferentes a los síntomas (p. ej., eventos estresantes). En definitiva, el AR en psicopatología se presenta como una alternativa prometedora a las concepciones vigentes de la psicopatología aunque aún ha de demostrar que es una herramienta útil para la clínica y la investigación.
Emotional SNARC: Emotional faces affect the impact of number magnitude on gaze patterns.
(Springer Nature, 2020-06-22) Blanco, Iván; Nieto, Inés; Vazquez, Carmelo
The Spatial-Numerical Association of Response Codes (SNARC) efect is characterised by a spatial cognitive representation of low numbers to the left side of space and high numbers to the right side of space. This efect has been found using a diversity of stimuli and experimental paradigms. However, the infuence of emotional stimuli on this efect remains unclear. In this study, the SNARC efect is analysed in relation to pairs of emotional facial stimuli (happy–neutral, sad–neutral and happy–sad pairs). Gaze patterns of 151 participants were analysed when exposed to a free-viewing eye-tracking paradigm consisting of pairs of emotional faces preceded by small and large numbers. Replicating previous results, a standard SNARC efect was found independently of the emotional expressions of the faces (i.e., there was a signifcant linear trend of number magnitude in the frequency of frst fxations of the gaze to the left side space). However, specifc slope analyses revealed that the SNARC efect was infuenced by the spatial position of each emotion presented in the emotional pairs. Specifcally, the efect disappeared in happy–neutral trials, when the happy faces were allocated in the right position and also in happy–sad trials when two emotional stimuli were simultaneously displayed. The study revealed that the SNARC efect is sensitive to the spatial position of emotional stimuli which further adds to other known limits of the phenomenon. The limitations of the study and its implications in the area of cognition and emotion are also discussed.
Relations between emotion regulation strategies and affect in daily life: A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies using ecological momentary assessments.
(Elsevier, 2022-06-16) Bohemo,, Teresa; Nieto, Inés; Vazquez, Carmelo; Sanchez-Lopez, Alvaro
motion regulation (ER) is a central target in the study of psychological and neurobiological processes of emotions for numerous psychological disorders. Ecological momentary assessments, overcoming retrospective self-reports, allow a better understanding of the relation between the use of ER strategies and daily life affective experiences. A systematic review and meta-analyses of studies testing these relations through experience sampling methods (ESM) and daily diaries were conducted. ESM studies showed significant large effect sizes in contemporaneous relations between negative affect (NA) and rumination, suppression, and worry, and in both contemporaneous and prospective relations between positive affect (PA) and reappraisal; medium effect sizes in prospective relations between NA and rumination, and PA and distraction; and a small effect size in the prospective relation between NA and suppression. Daily diary studies showed significant large effect sizes in contemporaneous relations between NA and rumination and suppression, and in both contemporaneous and prospective relations between PA and reappraisal; medium effect sizes in contemporaneous relations between PA and acceptance, and problem-solving; and a small effect size in the prospective relation between NA and reappraisal. These findings shed light on the temporal relations between the use of ER strategies and affective experiences and highlight conceptual and methodological limitations in the field.
‘Relearning how to think’: a brief online intervention to modify biased interpretations in emotional disorders—study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.
(Springer Nature, 2021-07-31) Nieto, Inés; Vazquez, Carmelo
Background: Cognitive biases play an important role in the development and maintenance of emotional disorders, such as depression and anxiety. Novel procedures, known as Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM), aim to reduce these dysfunctional information processing modes. This study develops a brief clinically based online intervention programme to modify biased interpretations in depression and anxiety (CBM-IClin), overcoming some methodological issues that have been addressed in previous literature. Methods: Volunteer participants will be recruited via social media and posters at the university. They will be randomly assigned to an experimental group or a waiting list control group. Both groups will complete two assessment sessions (before and after the intervention) consisting of questionnaires measuring cognitive and emotional variables as well as experimental tasks measuring cognitive biases (i.e. attention, memory, and interpretation). After the first assessment session, only participants in the experimental group will receive a link to follow the four CBM-IClin sessions at home. All participants will receive, via email, follow-up questionnaires 2 weeks and 3 months after the second assessment. Discussion: This study will test the 'Relearning how to think', an online programme potentially beneficial to modify cognitive biases in emotional disorders. Several limitations of previous CBM procedures are addressed, and the impact of the programme both on objective cognitive bias tasks and clinical symptoms will be explored. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03987477. Prospectively registered on June 17, 2019
Self-reported cognitive biases in depression: A meta-analysis.
(Elsevier, 2020-12) Nieto, Inés; Robles, Elena; Vazquez, Carmelo
Despite the influence of Beck's cognitive models of depression, the presence and magnitude of the specific proposed cognitive biases have not been systematically investigated. After a systematic search in PsycInfo and PubMED, studies reporting self-reported outcomes on cognitive biases and depressive symptoms in depressed and/or healthy groups were included. From a total of 4840 records, two different meta-analyses were conducted. 23 studies on 4865 participants provided data about catastrophising and depression (g = 0.95, 95% CI [0.64; 1.26]) and 40 studies on 4678 participants provided data about interpretation bias in depression (g = 0.78, 95% CI [0.43; 1.13]). Moderation analyses showed that the relationship between catastrophising and depression was higher in studies with more women, when the corresponding author was from a Western country, and when the instrument to measure depression was the DSM criteria, the SCL-90, the BDI, or the DASS. The relationship between interpretation bias and depressive symptoms was significant only in studies comparing depressed and healthy groups, and when using specific instruments to measure symptoms (DSM/RDC criteria plus a scale cut-off score) and cognitive bias (CDQ/CBQ, SCT, AST-D, other). Some limitations are acknowledged, but risk of publication bias was found to be low, and these results support the utility of some self-reported measures of cognitive biases in depression.
The network structure of the VIA-120 inventory of strengths: an analysis of 1,255,248 respondents.
(Taylor & Francis, 2022-08-09) Diez, Gustavo; Roca, Pablo; Nieto, Inés; McGrath, Robert; Vazquez, Carmelo
Traditional factor analyses used to analyze the structure of psychological strengths have yielded different solutions, not always confirming the original structure of 24 strengths corresponding to six virtues as proposed by Peterson and Seligman in their initial model. In contrast with previous factorial approaches, this study used network analysis to explore the map of strengths, assessed with the VIA Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS), in a large sample of individuals (N = 1,255,248) from the general population in the United States, Australia, Canada, and UK. The network analysis revealed four different communities (i.e., groups of strengths): Discernment, Interpersonal, Responsibility, and Energy. The strength most connected to other strengths was Gratitude, whereas Love of Learning was the least connected node. These results open a new way to conceptualize psychological strengths as a complex network of mutually interconnected strengths. These findings complement results from factor analyses that future research should replicate and validate.
The quality of research on mental health related to the COVID-19 pandemic: A note of caution after a systematic review.
(Elsevier, 2020-08-02) Nieto, Inés; Navas, J. F, Juan Francisco; Vazquez, Carmelo
Background and aims SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has spurred scientific production in diverse fields of knowledge, including mental health. Yet, the quality of current research may be challenged by the urgent need to provide immediate results to understand and alleviate the consequences of the pandemic. This study aims to examine compliance with basic methodological quality criteria and open scientific research practices on the mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method and results Twenty-eight studies were identified through a systematic search. Most of them met the requirements related to reporting key methodological and statistical information. However, the widespread use of convenience samples and the lack of a priori power analysis, coupled with low compliance with open science recommendations, such as pre-registration of studies and availability of databases, raise concerns about the validity, generalisability, and reproducibility of the findings. Conclusions While the importance of offering rapid evidence-based responses to mitigate mental health problems stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic is undeniable, it should not be done at the expense of sacrificing scientific rigor. The results of this study may stimulate researchers and funding agencies to try to orchestrate efforts and resources and follow standard codes of good scientific practice.
The study of psychopathology from the network analysis perspective: A systematic review
(Karger Publishers, 2019-03-19) Contreras, Alba; Nieto, Inés; Valiente, Carmen; Espinosa, Regina; Vazquez, Carmelo
Background: Network analysis (NA) is an analytical tool that allows one to explore the map of connections and eventual dynamic influences among symptoms and other elements of mental disorders. In recent years, the use of NA in psychopathology has rapidly grown, which calls for a systematic and critical analysis of its clinical utility. Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review of published empirical studies applying NA in psychopathology, between 2010 and 2017, was conducted. We included the literature published in PubMed and PsycINFO using as keywords any combination of "network analysis" with the terms "anxiety," "affective disorders," "depression," "schizophrenia," "psychosis," "personality disorders," "substance abuse" and "psychopathology." Results: The review showed that NA has been applied in a plethora of mental disorders in adults (i.e., 13 studies on anxiety disorders; 19 on mood disorders; 7 on psychosis; 1 on substance abuse; 1 on borderline personality disorder; 18 on the association of symptoms between disorders), and 6 on childhood and adolescence. Conclusions: A critical examination of the results of each study suggests that NA helps to identify, in an innovative way, important aspects of psychopathology like the centrality of the symptoms in a given disorder as well as the mutual dynamics among symptoms. Yet, despite these promising results, the clinical utility of NA is still uncertain as there are important limitations on the analytic procedures (e.g., reliability of indices), the type of data included (e.g., typically restricted to secondary analysis of already published data), and ultimately, the psychometric and clinical validity of the results.