The World Health Organization (WHO), in its last review of its International Classification of Diseases, established a new classification for chronic pain. Among the principal categories, of ...particular interest is chronic primary pain as a new type of diagnosis in those cases in which the etiology of the disease is not clear, being termed as chronic primary visceral pain when it is situated in the thorax, abdomen, or pelvis. Due to the novelty of the term, the objective of the systematic review was to examine the psychopathological and neuropsychological disorders associated with chronic primary visceral pain. We carried out a search of the scientific literature following the PRISMA directives using the Pubmed, Medline, PsycInfo and Scopus databases. A total of 33 articles were selected after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The analysis of the studies showed that most persons with chronic primary visceral pain suffer from at least one psychological disorder; the most prevalent being anxiety, depressive or somatoform disorders. The most frequent psychopathological symptoms are anxiety, depression and somatization. Similarly, the findings are insufficient to determine the existence of deficits in the domains of executive functioning, memory and intelligence. However, the existence of attention biases does seem to be clear. This review supposes a starting point for conceptualizing chronic primary visceral pain. It is necessary to continue further research so as to obtain a better understanding of this pathology and the disorders associated.
El uso de psicofármacos es frecuente en adultos con discapacidad intelectual, a menudo por conductas desafiantes en ausencia de diagnóstico de trastorno mental. Investigaciones previas cuestionan la ...eficacia de estos tratamientos a falta de una enfermedad psiquiátrica, y destacan sus efectos secundarios. El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar el uso de psicofármacos en función del diagnóstico de enfermedad mental y conducta desafiante, así como la distribución de la población según el uso de psicofármacos en 569 adultos con discapacidad intelectual que presentan enfermedad mental o conductas desafiantes. Los datos acerca de la elevada prescripción de psicofármacos y, especialmente, de antipsicóticos alertan sobre la necesidad de una profunda revisión de la práctica clínica que permita reducir el uso de esta medicación en el tratamiento de la conducta y los trastornos mentales en esta población, para garantizar una atención de calidad y el respeto de los derechos de estas personas.
This work studies the emotional and behavioural difficulties and the personal wellbeing of adolescents under protective measures. The sample is made up of 151 adolescents in residential care between ...11 and 17 years of age. The instruments used were the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI). The results indicate that a high percentage of adolescents have emotional and behavioural difficulties. We found a greater presence of behavioural rather than emotional problems in the adolescents. Similarly, we also found that females showed more emotional difficulties than the males. As for personal wellbeing, the results indicate that the adolescents are dissatisfied in several areas of their life, they feel insecure and have a pessimistic view of their future and of their achievements. Furthermore, those adolescents who were admitted to residential care due to something other than child abuse have a greater prosocial behaviour. It can be concluded that the more difficulties the adolescents experience (emotional, behavioural and with their peers), the lower the perception of their personal wellbeing will be. This study allows us to design interventions aimed at promoting psychological wellbeing among these adolescents.
Child abuse is an adverse life experience that has important physical and psychological implications. This work studies the executive functions of children who have suffered abuse and whether there ...are differences in the executive functioning due to the different types of child abuse. The participants included 74 children between seven and 16 years of age suffering maltreatment. The results indicate that those suffering any type of abuse have difficulties in executive performance for activities related to cognitive flexibility, behavioural organisation, and planning and attention. There is evidence of significant differences between victims who experience physical abuse and those who experience physical neglect. The victims of physical neglect have greater difficulties in mental flexibility, inhibition of responses and alternation. This research contributes to the knowledge base needed to propose interventions that are aimed at developing functional skills in the children and which would allow them to have effective executive functioning. Intervention could be aimed at working on their capacity to take initiative, organise and plan activities, establish goals, adapt to changes, be more thoughtful and be able to analyse situations before acting, and on their rigidity of thought.
‘Studies the executive functions of children who have suffered abuse and … differences … due to the different types of child abuse’
Key Practitioner Messages
The research shows the presence of alterations in the executive functions of victims of child abuse.
There is evidence of difficulties in mental flexibility, establishing goals and attention control.
The study highlights that the greatest problems in executive functions are found in victims of physical neglect.
This research studies the executive processes of youths under protective measures between 13 and 18years of age, as well as the emotional problems they have and the presence of behavioural problems, ...such as difficulties to control and direct attention, to control one’s own behaviour and inhibit inadequate or ineffective responses (hyperactivity-impulsiveness) and problems related to emotional regulation. In addition, we study the presence of significant differences according to the sex of the youths. We also analyse to what extent the difficulties in the executive processes are related to and can predict the emotional and behavioural problems. The instruments used were Stroop’s Colour and Word Test (Stroop), the Paths Test (TESen), and the System of Evaluation for Children and Adolescents (SENA). The results indicated that the youths had difficulties in such executive processes as execution, speed, and accuracy in carrying out tasks. Furthermore, they had emotion problems, amongst which the symptoms of anxiety are worthy of note; whilst attention deficit, hyperactivity-impulsiveness, and problems related to emotional regulation could also be observed. The data indicated greater difficulties in the executive processes for males than for females. There was a greater emotional symptomatology in the females, whilst there were greater deficits in attention and hyperactivity/impulsiveness in the males. Similarly, the deficits in the executive processes were related to and predicted emotional and behavioural problems. This research suggests the design of a structured programme focused on systematic training in real, daily situations, recommending the use of restorative techniques to work on the affected cognitive skills and techniques aimed at improving the youths’ emotion regulation.
Youth Serial Killers: Psychological and Criminological Profiles García-Baamonde, María Elena; Blázquez-Alonso, Macarena; Moreno-Manso, Juan Manuel ...
International journal of environmental research and public health,
04/2022, Volume:
19, Issue:
9
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Serial murder is a specific type of violent crime that falls into the crime category of multicide. According to the nomenclature of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's
and Academic Researchers for ...the Classification of Violent Crimes, most serial killers are adults. However, serial murder is also committed by young people, although to a lesser extent. Young serial killers are a topic of relevance in areas such as psychology, criminology, and the justice system. Given that the study of the variables that could be the basis of such multicide criminality is not conclusive, the need for further research is evident. The homicides perpetrated by children and young people point to a social panorama that is alarming due to their young age. This issue is prevalent enough to conduct a review. The performed review concludes the importance of psychosocial factors to better understand the process by which children and young people commit crimes as serious as serial murders. The scope of the problem of serial murders perpetrated by minors is controversial because it often depends on how the number of real cases is counted. Although official statistics indicate the low prevalence of juvenile serial killers, childhood is a period in which antisocial behaviour can have its beginning. Some authors consider that it is not uncommon for the first murder of this type to occur in adolescence. It is important to consider psychopathy as an influential factor in the various forms of serial criminal conduct committed by children and young people. The research works consulted provide evidence of the special relevance of psychopathy in the generation of serious juvenile delinquency.
The aim of this article is to evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation of a psycho-educational intervention programme. The objective of this programme was to achieve optimisation of ...self-concept and basic socio-emotional skills for comprehensive development in the adolescent stage. The sample consisted of 402 students from 19 groups from public secondary schools in the province of Badajoz. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was applied with a control group using the Trait Meta-Mood Scale, Self-Concept Form 5, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The analysis showed that the programme was effective in the family and social dimensions of self-concept, while in the other dimensions, the changes were not statistically significant. The results for emotion perception, understanding and regulation show that there were no statistically significant differences in the experimental group, although there were significant differences in the control group.
This research analyses the emotional and behavioural problems, as well as the problems in the executive functions, of children in residential care under protective measures, between 8 and 12 years of ...age. We analyse the relationship between the problems with their executive functions and their emotional and behavioural problems, as well as the predictive value of the executive functions for the said emotional and behavioural problems. The instruments used were as follows: five digits test (FDT), behavioural assessment of the dysexecutive syndrome in children (BADS-C) and the system of evaluation for children and adolescents (SENA). The results indicate that the children have difficulties in their executive functions, with such problems as in attention control and regulation, impulsiveness, mental rigidity, behavioural organisation and planning and resolving problems. They also have internalising and externalising problems, as well as difficulties in controlling their emotional reactions and understanding the emotions of others. It becomes evident that the difficulties in their executive functions are related to and predict their emotional and behavioural problems. The research demonstrates the need to intervene in the problems detected through the design of therapeutic programmes and interventions in the residential context.
Equestrian therapy has been shown to be a useful instrument in the sphere of the emotional wellbeing and mental health of different population groups.
To empirically determine the effects of a ...program of equestrian therapy on quality of life and various psychosocial variables of a group of 14 pupils diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), aged from 7 to 14 years.
A quasi-experimental design, with a pre-test and a post-test, was implemented with an experimental group and a control group. The program consisted of 24 biweekly sessions, therefore lasting some 3 months. The data acquisition instruments used were: the “Behavior Assessment System for Children” (BASC) and an ad-hoc quality of life questionnaire.
The results deriving from the teachers' responses and the different scales of the BASC showed no significant group differences, but for the experimental group there was an improvement in the indicator corresponding to interpersonal relationships in the quality-of-life questionnaire.
It would seem that it is currently possible to recommend this activity, for this target population, as a sporting activity that provides similar benefits to other physical activities, but which is still far from being able to be recognized as a therapeutic activity.
Psychosocial Adaptation of Young Victims of Physical Neglect Moreno‐Manso, Juan Manuel; García‐Baamonde, Mª Elena; Guerrero‐Barona, Eloísa ...
Child abuse review (Chichester, England : 1992),
September/October 2017, 2017-09-00, 20170901, Volume:
26, Issue:
5
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
This research analyses the level of psychosocial adaptation of young victims of physical neglect who are under care orders for their protection and in residential care centres. The aim was to ...determine the relationships between the different levels of competence and/or functioning in the various areas of adaptation. Young people between the ages of 12 and 14 years participated in the study. The instruments used to evaluate their psychosocial adaptation were the Inventory of Behavioural Adaptation and the Multifactorial Self‐evaluation Child Adaptation Test. The results indicate that young people suffering from physical neglect have difficulties in various areas of psychosocial adaptation. There is evidence of greater problems in the personal, social and school context than in the family context. The study stresses the importance of programmes applied in residential care centres and individualised educational treatments for the psychosocial adjustment of these young people, while also taking into account the personal, social and family circumstances that surround them.
‘Analyses the level of psychosocial adaptation of young victims of physical neglect who are under care orders’
Key Practitioner Messages
This research analyses psychosocial adaptation of young victims of physical neglect under care orders or institutionalised in residential care centres.
The sample was made up of young people institutionalised in residential care centres.
Results point to difficulties in various areas of psychosocial adaptation.
There is evidence of greater problems in the personal, social and school context than in the family context.
The study stresses the importance of the programmes applied in the residential care centres.
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