Open Access
The impact of the covid-19 pandemic on mental disorders. A critical review
(MDPI, 2021) Clemente Suárez, Vicente Javier; Martínez-González, Marina Begoña; Benítez Agudelo, Juan Camilo; Navarro Jiménez, Eduardo; Beltrán Velasco, Ana Isabel; Ruisoto Palomera, Pablo; Díaz Arroyo, Esperanza; Laborde Cárdenas, Carmen Cecilia; Tornero Aguilera, José Francisco; Ciencias de la Salud; Osasun Zientziak
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of the worldwide population. Citizens suffer the social, economic, physiological, and psychological effects of this pandemic. Primary sources, scientific articles, and secondary bibliographic indexes, databases, and web pages were used for a consensus critical review. The method was a narrative review of the available literature to summarize the existing literature addressing mental health concerns and stressors related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The main search engines used in the present research were PubMed, SciELO, and Google Scholar. We found the pandemic has had a direct impact on psychopathologies such as anxiety, increasing its ratios, and depression. Other syndromes such as burnout and post-traumatic stress disorder have increased with the pandemic, showing a larger incidence among medical personnel. Moreover, eating disorders and violence have also increased. Public authorities must prepare healthcare systems for increasing incidences of mental pathologies. Mental health apps are one of the tools that can be used to reach the general population.
Open Access
Psychological inflexibility and loneliness mediate the impact of stress on anxiety and depression symptoms in healthcare students and early-career professionals during COVID-19
(Frontiers Media, 2021) Bonilla-Sierra, Patricia; Manrique-G., Alexis; Hidalgo-Andrade, Paula; Ruisoto Palomera, Pablo; Ciencias de la Salud; Osasun Zientziak
Background: the current mental health state of healthcare professionals and students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador remains understudied and how to improve their mental health is a challenge. Objective: this study aimed to explore the anxiety and depressive symptomatology among healthcare students and professionals in Ecuador and to examine the role of psychological inflexibility, loneliness, and psychological stress as predictors of anxiety and depression symptoms. Methods: a total of 191 undergraduate and graduate healthcare students in clinical practice (early-career healthcare professionals) in Ecuador were surveyed between January and March 2021 using standardized measures of psychological stress (PSS), psychological inflexibility (AAQ), loneliness (UCLA), alcohol consumption (AUDIT-C), and anxiety and depressive symptomatology (PHQ). Macro Process for SPSS (models 4 and 7) were used to test mediation effects. Results: alcohol consumption varied between men and women and anxiety and depression symptomatology was generally low among the sample. Psychological inflexibility and loneliness mediated the impact of stress on anxiety and depressive mood in participants, regardless of gender and previous personal history of COVID-19. Discussion: implications of psychological inflexibility and the prevention and coping with stress in healthcare professionals during COVID-19 are further discussed.
Open Access
Alcohol consumption in university professors: the role of stress and gender
(2018) Ruisoto Palomera, Pablo; Vaca Gallegos, Silvia; López-Goñi, José Javier; Cacho Fernández, Raúl; Fernández Suárez, Iván; Ciencias de la Salud; Osasun Zientziak
The role of job satisfaction and other psychosocial variables in problematic alcohol consumption within professional settings remains understudied. The aim of this study is to assess the level of problematic alcohol consumption among male and female university professors and associated psychosocial variables. A total of 360 professors (183 men and 177 women) of a large private university in Ecuador were surveyed using standardized instruments for the following psychosocial measures: alcohol consumption, job satisfaction, psychological stress, psychological flexibility, social support and resilience. Problematic alcohol consumption was found in 13.1% of participants, although this was significantly higher (χ2 = 15.6; d.f. = 2, p < 0.001) in men (19.1%) than women (6.8%). Problematic alcohol consumption was reported in men with higher perceived stress and job satisfaction. However, 83.3% of women with problematic alcohol use reported lower job satisfaction and higher psychological inflexibility. Results suggest that job satisfaction itself did not prevent problematic alcohol consumption in men; stress was associated with problematic consumption in men and psychological inflexibility in women. Findings from this study support the need to assess aspects of alcohol consumption and problematic behavior differently among men and women. Intervention strategies aimed at preventing or reducing problematic alcohol consumption in university professors must be different for men and women.
Open Access
Psychophysiological and psychosocial profile of patients attending drug addiction centers
(Springer, 2021) Clemente Suárez, Vicente Javier; Ruisoto Palomera, Pablo; Isorna-Folgar, Manuel; Cancelo-Martínez, Jesús; Beltrán Velasco, Ana Isabel; Tornero Aguilera, José Francisco; Ciencias de la Salud; Osasun Zientziak
Drug treatment centres provide the highest level of rehab services for patients diagnosed with drug addictions. Most inpatient drug rehab programs focus on medical detox and mental health interventions. However, how to optimize the later remains a challenge. The aim of this study was to examine the psychophysiological and psychosocial profile of patients attending drug addiction centres in comparation with the general population. A total of 105 inpatient drug rehab patients and 50 participants from the general population were compared based on standardized psychophysiological and psychosocial measures. Results of this study suggest that patients attending drug addiction centers differ from general population in several different psychophysiological and psychosocial factors. Patients reported significantly lower levels of physical activity and increased sympathetic responsiveness, and significantly higher levels in loneliness, psychologically inflexibility and neuroticism. The results of this study highlight the importance of address healthy lifestyle behaviors such as sport practice and psychological variables such as loneliness, psychological (in)flexibility and neuroticism to improve current programs aim to prevent or reduce problematic drug consumptions.
Open Access
Inflammation in COVID-19 and the effects of non-pharmacological interventions during the pandemic: a review
(MDPI, 2022) Clemente Suárez, Vicente Javier; Bustamante Sanchez, Álvaro; Tornero Aguilera, José Francisco; Ruisoto Palomera, Pablo; Mielgo Ayuso, Juan; Ciencias de la Salud; Osasun Zientziak
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that hit the health systems worldwide hard, causing a collapse of healthcare systems. One of the main problems of this new virus is the high inflammatory response it provokes, which is the cause of much of the symptoms. Different pharmacological approaches tried to stop the advance of the pandemic, but it seems that only vaccines are the solution. In this line, different nonpharmacological approaches have been made in order to improve symptomatology, contagion, and spread of COVID-19, the principal factors being the physical activity, nutrition, physiotherapy, psychology, and life patterns. The SARS-CoV-2 virus produces a disproportionate inflammatory response in the organism of the guest and causes complications in this that can end the life of the patient. It has been possible to see how different nonpharmacological interventions based on physical activity, nutritional, psychological, and physical therapy, and lifestyle changes can be functional tools to treat this inflammation. Thus, in the present review, we aim to provide an overview of the role of inflammation in COVID-19 and the nonpharmacological interventions related to it.
Open Access
Editorial: Psychophysiology of stress
(Frontiers Media, 2022) Clemente Suárez, Vicente Javier; Nikolaidis, Pantelis T.; Knechtle, Beat; Ruisoto Palomera, Pablo; Ciencias de la Salud; Osasun Zientziak
Stress is a multifactorial complex phenomenon where organic resources are mobilized to deal with a real or perceived threat (Cohen et al., 1983). The stress response is one of the most important phylogenetic coping mechanisms that have allowed humans to successfully adapt to highly demanding and potentially dangerous contexts (Hadany et al., 2006; Korzan and Summers, 2021). The intrinsic neurobiological mechanisms involved in the stress response have not changed much in the last stages of the evolution of the human being, prominently including the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis and the autonomic nervous system (Ulrich-Lai and Herman, 2009;McEwen et al., 2015; Cohen et al., 2016). In contrast, our social context has changed dramatically recently in evolutionary terms.
Open Access
Performance of fuzzy multi-criteria decision analysis of emergency system in COVID-19 pandemic. An extensive narrative review
(MDPI, 2021) Clemente Suárez, Vicente Javier; Navarro Jiménez, Eduardo; Ruisoto Palomera, Pablo; Dalamitros, Athanasios A.; Beltrán Velasco, Ana Isabel; Hormeno-Holgado, Alberto Joaquín; Laborde Cárdenas, Carmen Cecilia; Tornero Aguilera, José Francisco; Ciencias de la Salud; Osasun Zientziak
The actual coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to the limit of emergency systems worldwide, leading to the collapse of health systems, police, first responders, as well as other areas. Various ways of dealing with this world crisis have been proposed from many aspects, with fuzzy multi-criteria decision analysis being a method that can be applied to a wide range of emergency systems and professional groups, aiming to confront several associated issues and challenges. The purpose of this critical review was to discuss the basic principles, present current applications during the first pandemic wave, and propose future implications of this methodology. For this purpose, both primary sources, such as scientific articles, and secondary ones, such as bibliographic indexes, web pages, and databases, were used. The main search engines were PubMed, SciELO, and Google Scholar. The method was a systematic literature review of the available literature regarding the performance of the fuzzy multi-criteria decision analysis of emergency systems in the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this study highlight the importance of the fuzzy multi-criteria decision analysis method as a beneficial tool for healthcare workers and first responders' emergency professionals to face this pandemic as well as to manage the created uncertainty and its related risks.
Open Access
Psychometric properties and factor structure of an Ecuadorian version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in college students
(Public Library of Science, 2019) López, Víctor; Paladines Costa, María Belén; Vaca Gallegos, Silvia; Cacho Fernández, Raúl; Fernández-Montalvo, Javier; Ruisoto Palomera, Pablo; Ciencias de la Salud; Osasun Zientziak
Background: the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is the gold standard in assessing harmful alcohol intake, which is responsible for substantial morbidity and mortality. Objective: the goal of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties and factor structure of an Ecuadorian adaptation of a Spanish translation of the AUDIT in a large sample of college students in Ecuador. Methods: a total of 7905 students, including 46.26% males, and 53.75% females, from 11 universities in Ecuador, were surveyed. The questionnaire was tested for two- and three-factor structures, reliability, and correlations with other health related measures. Results: the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test for sampling adequacy was satisfactory (.0885), and Bartlett´s test for sphericity was significant (p < .001). Although both models showed a good fit to the data, the two-factor model was preferred based on the high correlations between the factors 2 and 3 within the three-factor model (.86 for the total sample, .77 for females, and .91 for males). The reliability for the two-factor model was good, as indicated by Cronbach´s α = .806 (factor I) and .716 (factor II) for the total sample, .808 (factor I) and .667 (factor II) for females, and .787 (factor I) and .728 (factor II) for males. Additionally, the AUDIT scores positively correlated with several health-related measures: stress, psychological inflexibility, loneliness and depression/anxiety symptomatology. Conclusion: the Ecuadorian adaptation of the Spanish version of the AUDIT has good reliability, and internal consistency and correlates with other health related measures, proving to be a reliable tool that can be used by researchers and clinicians to screen hazardous alcohol intake in college students.
Open Access
Gender differences in risk factors for Stice’s bulimia in a non-clinical sample
(Cambridge University Press, 2015) Ruisoto Palomera, Pablo; Cacho Fernández, Raúl; López-Goñi, José Javier; Real Deus, José Eulogio; Vaca Gallegos, Silvia; Mayoral, Paula; Psicología y Pedagogía; Psikologia eta Pedagogia
Some females are at an increased risk of developing bulimia. However, etiological factors and their interplay remain controversial. The present study analyzed Stice’s Model for eating disorders in a non-clinical population by examining gender differences with respect to the following risk factors: body mass index (BMI), body dissatisfaction, perceived social pressure to be thin, body-thin internalization, and dieting behavior. A sample of 162 American college students (64 males and 91 females) was surveyed, and validated scales were used. The Stice’s model was tested using Structural Equation Modeling. Our results supported Stice’s Dual Pathway Model of bulimic pathology for females but not for males. The results of this study fail to support the role of BMI as a predictor of dietary restraint in females, the main risk factor of eating disorders. Males may abstain from dietary restraint to gain muscular volume and in turn increase their BMI. Implications are discussed.
Open Access
Gender differences in problematic alcohol consumption in university professors
(MDPI, 2017) Ruisoto Palomera, Pablo; Vaca Gallegos, Silvia; López-Goñi, José Javier; Cacho Fernández, Raúl; Fernández Suárez, Iván; Psicología y Pedagogía; Psikologia eta Pedagogia
The role of job satisfaction and other psychosocial variables in problematic alcohol consumption within professional settings remains understudied. The aim of this study is to assess the level of problematic alcohol consumption among male and female university professors and associated psychosocial variables. A total of 360 professors (183 men and 177 women) of a large private university in Ecuador were surveyed using standardized instruments for the following psychosocial measures: alcohol consumption, job satisfaction, psychological stress, psychological flexibility, social support and resilience. Problematic alcohol consumption was found in 13.1% of participants, although this was significantly higher (χ2 = 15.6; d.f. = 2, p < 0.001) in men (19.1%) than women (6.8%). Problematic alcohol consumption was reported in men with higher perceived stress and job satisfaction. However, 83.3% of women with problematic alcohol use reported lower job satisfaction and higher psychological inflexibility. Results suggest that job satisfaction itself did not prevent problematic alcohol consumption in men; stress was associated with problematic consumption in men and psychological inflexibility in women. Findings from this study support the need to assess aspects of alcohol consumption and problematic behavior differently among men and women. Intervention strategies aimed at preventing or reducing problematic alcohol consumption in university professors must be different for men and women.