Maria Paz Garcia-Vera | Universidad Complutense de Madrid (original) (raw)

Papers by Maria Paz Garcia-Vera

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, Dec 1, 2004

This article examines the clinical utility of behavior therapy combined with nicotine patches as ... more This article examines the clinical utility of behavior therapy combined with nicotine patches as a smoking-cessation treatment, by presenting the results obtained at 5 years with 142 persons who attended a private center specialized in smoking-cessation treatment and who received a multicomponent program with cognitive-behavioral techniques and 24-hour nicotine patches. Abstinence rates at posttreatment and at 5-year follow-up were 58.5% (point prevalence abstinence) and 33.1% (continuous abstinence for the last 12 months), respectively (94.3% and 51.6%, taking into account only those persons who were contacted at posttreatment and at follow-up). After 5 years, the rate of cigarettes smoked per day was reduced by 7 in those persons who were unable to quit smoking. Results are discussed in the context of previous studies that examine the efficacy of behavior therapy and its combination with nicotine patches, using more fully controlled designs and conditions. It is suggested that results in clinical practice seem to be as good as those obtained in efficacy studies.

PubMed, Feb 1, 2022

Background: The Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale, Form A (DAS-A), is the reference instrument for me... more Background: The Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale, Form A (DAS-A), is the reference instrument for measuring dysfunctional attitudes which, according to Beck's cognitive theory, constitute the key vulnerability factor for depression. The psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the DAS-A have been examined in university students, but not in people with psychological disorders, despite being one of the most widely-used instruments in research and clinical practice of cognitive therapy for depression. The objective of the present study was to obtain validity evidence for the DAS-A in victims of terrorism with and without emotional disorders. Method: The DAS-A's factor structure, internal consistency, and relationship with depression were analyzed in 196 victims of terrorism with emotional disorders and 280 victims without disorders. Results: In both samples, the DAS-A exhibited a structure with three correlated factors: Achievement-Perfectionism, Dependency-Need for Approval, and Autonomous Attitude. In general, the total scale and the subscales showed good or adequate indices of internal consistency (alphas and omegas = .60 - .89) and a relationship with depression ( r =.22 - .44). Conclusions: The DAS-A provides reliable, valid measures of depressogenic dysfunctional attitudes in Spanish adults with emotional disorders and victims of terrorism.

Omega - Journal Of Death And Dying, May 26, 2022

Revista Española de Discapacidad, Jun 10, 2021

Programas de prevención del abuso sexual en personas con discapacidad intelectual y del desarroll... more Programas de prevención del abuso sexual en personas con discapacidad intelectual y del desarrollo: una revisión sistemática Sexual abuse prevention programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A systematic review Resumen Las personas con discapacidad intelectual y del desarrollo, particularmente las mujeres, son especialmente vulnerables a las situaciones de abuso sexual. El objetivo principal de esta revisión es examinar los estudios empíricos sobre la efectividad de programas de prevención del abuso sexual en esta población. Una búsqueda sistemática en PsycINFO, Web of Science y Psicodoc, identificó diez estudios publicados sobre el tema. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que la mayoría de los programas de prevención están basados en la adquisición de habilidades conductuales y que hay otros centrados en la educación sexual. Aunque existen datos que demuestran la efectividad, sobre todo, de los programas de habilidades, la mayoría de los estudios no ofrecen resultados robustos con los que juzgar la efectividad de estas intervenciones. Las conclusiones de la revisión se centran en la necesidad de aumentar la investigación sobre la población con discapacidad intelectual y del desarrollo, especialmente en mujeres y en el ámbito del abuso sexual. Palabras clave Discapacidad intelectual y del desarrollo, abuso sexual, prevención, habilidades conductuales, educación sexual.

PubMed, May 1, 2022

Background: The coronavirus pandemic has led to a situation without precedent in modern history. ... more Background: The coronavirus pandemic has led to a situation without precedent in modern history. The aim of this study is to analyse the consequences after one year of the pandemic on a group of children and adolescents assessed at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 and to determine the most effective ways of psychologically coping with this pandemic. Method: Two different, but equivalent, groups with a total of 604 (study I, 2020) and 743 (study II, 2021) children and adolescents in residential care, foster families, kinship families or family strengthening programs in Spain were evaluated using the SDQ (mental health measure), KIDSCREEN-10 index (quality of life measure) and Kidcope (coping behaviour measure). An independent sample t-test and a decision tree analysis were used. Results: The mental health of children and adolescents decreased by 9.7%, and Self-Perceived quality of life did not change after one year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonactive coping strategies predicted worse mental health and worse quality of life. Problem solving served as a protective factor. Conclusion: One year after, the COVID-19 pandemic has an effect on the psychological wellbeing of children and adolescents, and the consequences can be reduced if proper coping strategies are used.

PubMed, May 1, 2021

Background: Terrorism remains one of the most serious global problems, affecting a very large num... more Background: Terrorism remains one of the most serious global problems, affecting a very large number of people, a significant percentage of whom can suffer psychological disorders arising from a terrorist attack. The purpose of this article is to describe the current state of scientific knowledge about these psychological disorders and their treatment. Method: Systematic narrative or meta-analytical reviews of the scientific literature on the subject published between 2010 and 2020 were searched for in PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and PTSDpubs. Results: The search located 16 systematic reviews whose findings were analyzed, leading to ten conclusions about the most common psychological disorders and their progression, the type and percentage of victims who will be most affected by them, and the most effective and useful treatments for those disorders during the various phases following an attack. Conclusions: After a terrorist attack, both direct and indirect victims will need short- and mid-term psychological care and follow up. Direct victims, the direct relatives of any deceased, and other victims significantly exposed to the attack or its consequences, will also need long- and very long-term care and follow up. Currently, trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapies are the treatment of choice for victims in the rescue, recovery, and return-to-life phases.

Frontiers in Psychology, Aug 5, 2021

The main objective of this study was to systematically and meta-analytically review the scientifi... more The main objective of this study was to systematically and meta-analytically review the scientific literature on the prevalence of psychopathy in the general adult population. A search in PsycInfo, MEDLINE, and PSICODOC identified 15 studies published as of June 2021. Altogether, 16 samples of adults totaling 11,497 people were evaluated. Joint prevalence rates were calculated using reverse variance heterogeneity models. Meta-regression analyses were conducted to examine whether the type of instrument, sex, type of sample, and country influenced prevalence. The meta-analytical results obtained allow us to estimate the prevalence rate of psychopathy in the general adult population at 4.5%. That being said, this rate varies depending on the participants' sex (higher in males), the type of sample from the general population (higher in samples from organizations than in community samples or university students), and the type of instrument used to define psychopathy. In fact, using the PCL-R, which is currently considered the "gold standard" for the assessment and definition of psychopathy, the prevalence is only 1.2%. These results are discussed in the context of the different theoretical perspectives and the existing problems when it comes to defining the construct of psychopathy.

Spanish Journal of Psychology, Mar 1, 2012

In order to characterize a typical clinical context, as opposed to an academic or research contex... more In order to characterize a typical clinical context, as opposed to an academic or research context, this article will analyze the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients who turn to a psychology clinic in need of professional help. This study was conducted using an initial sample of 1,305 patients at the

Clínica y Salud, Nov 1, 2015

En este trabajo se presentan dos técnicas para el análisis de datos de los diseños de caso único ... more En este trabajo se presentan dos técnicas para el análisis de datos de los diseños de caso único en la investigación de los tratamientos psicológicos: los índices de no solapamiento de datos para estimar el tamaño del efecto del tratamiento (o magnitud del cambio terapéutico) y la aproximación estadística de Jacobson y Truax (1991) para estimar la significación clínica del efecto. A partir del caso de una víctima del terrorismo que sufría de trastorno por estrés postraumático, trastorno depresivo mayor y trastorno de angustia con agorafobia y que recibió terapia cognitivo conductual centrada en el trauma, se ejemplifica el cálculo y aplicación del porcentaje de datos no solapados (PND), el porcentaje de datos que exceden la mediana (PEM), el no solapamiento de todos los pares (NAP) y la aproximación estadística a la significación clínica y se discuten sus ventajas y limitaciones como complemento al análisis visual de los datos.

PubMed, Aug 1, 2023

Background: The Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3) is the reference instrument for measuring anx... more Background: The Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3) is the reference instrument for measuring anxiety sensitivity. The psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the ASI-3 have been examined in university students but not in adults from the general population. Whether the ASI-3 subscales provide relevant information has not yet been examined either. Method: The ASI-3's factor structure, internal consistency, temporal stability, and relationship with neuroticism were examined in a Spanish community sample of 919 adults. Results: In two subsamples of participants, the ASI-3 presented a structure of three correlated factors (physical, cognitive, and social concerns) that loaded on a higher-order factor, but the three factors did not explain much item variance. The total scale and subscales of the ASI-3 showed excellent or good indices of internal consistency (alphas and omegas = .81 – .91), and adequate indices of test-retest reliability at two months ( r = .57 – .73) and the relationship with neuroticism and its facets ( r = .19 – .52). Conclusions: The ASI-3 provides reliable, valid measures of anxiety sensitivity in Spanish adults, but its subscales are not very useful beyond the information provided by the total scale.

Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, Sep 3, 2022

People exposed to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) may develop distinct symptom patterns, whic... more People exposed to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) may develop distinct symptom patterns, which may require different therapeutic approaches. We aimed to identify classes of people exposed to PTEs based on the presence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) clusters, anxiety, and depression and to explore which cognitive factors (rumination, worry, and negative cognitions) are associated with class membership. Latent class analyses were conducted to identify subgroups of 258 PTE-exposed Spanish adults. A three-class solution emerged: a resilient class with low odds of all symptoms (n = 188); a partial PTSD class, characterized by partial PTSD clusters, moderate anxiety, and low depression (n = 36); and a high symptom class, characterized by high PTSD, moderate anxiety, and low depression (n = 34). These classes related meaningfully to rumination, worry, and negative cognitions. Distinct symptom patterns of PTSD clusters, anxiety, and depression can be distinguished in people exposed to PTEs and relate to cognitive risk factors of psychopathology.

obtenidos con una muestra de 305 pacientes ambulatorios con diversos diagnósticos psicopatológico... more obtenidos con una muestra de 305 pacientes ambulatorios con diversos diagnósticos psicopatológicos según el DSM-IV. El coeficiente alfa de fiabilidad fue alto (alfa = 0,89). Las correlaciones con otras medidas autoaplicadas y heteroaplicadas de depresión fueron elevadas y significativamente mayores que la correlación con una medida de ansiedad, lo que avala la validez convergente y discriminante del BDI-II, respectivamente. Respecto a la validez de criterio, los resultados demostraron que los pacientes diagnosticados con un trastorno

Frontiers in Psychology, Oct 28, 2022

The main objective of this work is to examine the prevalence of psychopathy in the general adult ... more The main objective of this work is to examine the prevalence of psychopathy in the general adult population from the main currently existing theoretical perspectives of psychopathy, using for this purpose the five-factor or Big Five model as a common language that allows the comparison and integration of the personality traits considered as defining psychopathy by these different perspectives. The NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO PI-R) was applied to a sample of 682 adults of the general Spanish population. The prevalence of clinical and subclinical psychopathy was calculated according to six different definitions of these two constructs based on Hare's, Lilienfeld's, triarchic, and DSM-5-hybrid models, and the simultaneous presence of a minimum number of personality traits that differed from the sample mean by one standard deviation. Prevalence rates for the different definitions were consistently low, indicating that the prevalence of clinical psychopathy in the general Spanish population is around 0.55%, and that of subclinical psychopathy is around 1.65%. There were no significant sex differences in the prevalence of psychopathy. These results question the alarmist claims that warn about the existence in society of a very high number of people with psychopathy who can cause many social, economic, physical, and psychological damage to others.

Spanish Journal of Psychology, 2008

This is the first study that provides normative, reliability, factor validity and discriminant va... more This is the first study that provides normative, reliability, factor validity and discriminant validity data of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI; Beck, Epstein, Brown, & Steer, 1988) in the Spanish general population. Sanz and Navarro's (2003) Spanish version of the BAI was administered to 249 adults. Factor analyses suggested that the BAI taps a general anxiety dimension comprising two related factors (somatic and affective-cognitive symptoms), but these factors hardly explained any additional variance and, therefore, little information is lost in considering only full-scale scores. Internal consistency estimate for the BAI was high (α = .93). The BAI was correlated .63 with the BDI-II and .32 with the Trait-Anger scale of the STAXI 2, but a factor analysis of their items revealed three factors, suggesting that the correlations between the instruments may be better accounted for by relationships between anxiety, depression, and anger, than by problems of discriminant validity. The mean BAI total score and the distribution of BAI scores were similar to those found in other countries. BAI norm scores for the community sample were provided from the total sample and from the male and female subsamples, as females scored higher than males. The utility of these scores for assessing clinical significance of treatment outcomes for anxiety is discussed.

Frontiers in Psychology

Abundant scientific literature shows that exposure to traumatic situations during childhood or ad... more Abundant scientific literature shows that exposure to traumatic situations during childhood or adolescence has long-term psychopathological consequences, for example, in the form of a higher prevalence of emotional disorders in adulthood. However, an evolutionary perspective suggests that there may be differential vulnerabilities depending on the age at which the trauma was suffered. As there are no studies on the psychopathological impact in adulthood of attacks suffered during childhood or adolescence, the objective of this study was to analyze the influence of the age at which a terrorist attack was suffered in the presence of emotional disorders many years after the attack. A sample of 566 direct and indirect victims of terrorist attacks in Spain was recruited, of whom 50 people were between the age of 3 and 9 when they suffered the attack, 46 were between 10 and 17 years old, and 470 were adults. All of them underwent a structured diagnostic interview (SCID-I-VC) an average of ...

Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma

Anales de Psicología

El objetivo principal de este trabajo fue revisar el estado de la investigación psicopatológica d... more El objetivo principal de este trabajo fue revisar el estado de la investigación psicopatológica del duelo complicado en población adulta de España. Una búsqueda sistemática en PsycINFO, PsycArticles, PTSDpubs y PSICODOC identificó 13 estudios en los que, en conjunto, se había evaluado a 1,655 adultos. Los resultados de esta revisión ponen de manifiesto que no existe consenso en el diagnóstico de duelo complicado, en el uso de instrumentos de detección ni en los factores de riesgo y protección del duelo complicado. La prevalencia media ponderada basada en 6 de los estudios revisados fue de 21,53%. Tomando en consideración el tipo de instrumento de medida del duelo utilizado, se obtuvo una prevalencia de 7,67-10,68% en aquellos estudios que utilizaban instrumentos diagnósticos y de 28,77% en los instrumentos sintomáticos. Los resultados indican que el duelo complicado se relaciona con: un menor nivel socioeconómico y situación laboral desfavorable, la pérdida de un hijo o cónyuge, men...