Effectiveness of tDCS to Improve Recognition and Reduce False Memories in Older Adults

Background. False memories tend to increase in healthy and pathological aging, and their reduction could be useful in improving cognitive functioning. The objective was to use an active-placebo method to verify whether the application of tDCS in improving true recognition and reducing false memories in healthy older people. Method. Participants were 29 healthy older adults (65-78 years old) assigned to active or placebo group; active group received anodal stimulation at 2mA for 20 min over F7. An experimental task was used to estimate true and false recognition. The procedure took place in two sessions on two consecutive days. Results. A mixed ANOVA of true recognition showed a significant …

Emotion recognition changes in a confinement situation due to COVID-19

Abstract The confinement situation experienced as a result of COVID-19 will have consequences at a psychological level. These consequences can affect emotion recognition because, due to isolation, interactions and social contacts have been drastically reduced. The aim of this study was to find out if there were differences in facial emotion recognition in two groups of young adults, one confined during COVID-19 and the other unconfined. One hundred and sixty-four young adults were tested twice, the first time unconfined, to obtain the baseline, then the sample was divided into two subgroups so that 84 were evaluated in a confined situation and 80 in an unconfined situation. . Ekman 60 Faces…

Personalidad y afrontamiento. ¿Qué rasgos predicen estrategias adaptativas?

¿Están los rasgos de personalidad asociados al bienestar psicológico?

espanolExiste poca informacion de como los rasgos de personalidad puede afectar al bienestar psicologico. Los estudios senalan que el neuroticismo y la extraversion son los rasgos que mayor vinculacion poseen con el bienestar psicologico. En este estudio se investigo como los rasgos de personalidad se asocian a las seis dimensiones del bienestar psicologico en una muestra de adultos mayores espanoles. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 224 adultos mayores a los que se aplicaron las escalas de bienestar psicologico y el cuestionario NEO-FFI. Se analizaron los resultados mediante regresion lineal multiple. Se obtuvieron asocia-ciones significativas en todas las dimensiones del bienestar psicolog…

Relationship between emotional coping and depressive symptomatology

IntroductionFrom the life cycle perspective, the aging is described as the strengthening of adaptive resources and the capacity for recovery or compensation for losses. These skills are grounded in the coping strategies that individuals apply in order to effectively adapt to diverse situations. Emotion-focused, passive coping strategies are considered to be maladaptive in the long term. These strategies are associated with affective disorders, being these phenomena of great impact in older adults.ObjectivesVerify if there is a relationship between emotion-focused coping strategies and depressive symptomsMethodsThe sample was composed of 418 healthy older adults, aged between 60 and 89 years…

Malestar emocional y percepción de amenaza en familiares de personas afectadas por COVID-19

Los familiares de personas afectadas por la COVID-19 pudieron experimentar mayor impacto emocional durante el confinamiento, más aún si se tenía una imagen muy amenazante del COVID-19. El objetivo fue analizar la relación entre la psicopatología y la percepción de amenaza en familiares de personas afectadas por COVID-19. Participaron 50 familiares de personas afectadas por COVID-19 (84% mujeres), de entre 20 y 63 años (M=36,88; DT=12,73). Se evaluó la psicopatología (SCL-90-R; Derogatis, Lipman y Covi, 1973) y la percepción de amenaza del COVID (BIP-Q5; Pérez-Fuentes, Molero, Oropesa et al., 2020). Observamos una afectación emocional y una percepción de amenaza moderadas. Quienes tenían enf…

El poder de la inteligencia emocional sobre la resiliencia en adultos mayores

Resumen Antecedentes y objetivo El envejecimiento implica importantes cambios adaptativos para los sujetos. La inteligencia emocional puede ser un factor clave para el desarrollo de estrategias adaptativas. Esta investigacion pretende estudiar si la inteligencia emocional puede predecir la capacidad de resiliencia de los adultos mayores. Materiales y metodos En una muestra de 214 adultos mayores se evaluo la resiliencia y las dimensiones de la inteligencia emocional. Se aplico analisis de regresion para estudiar si las dimensiones de la inteligencia emocional predecian la resiliencia. Resultados Se obtuvieron correlaciones significativas y positivas entre las dimensiones de la inteligencia …

Are the personality traits associated with psychological well-being?

Resumen Existe poca información de cómo los rasgos de personalidad puede afectar al bienestar psicológico. Los estudios señalan que el neuroticismo y la extraversión son los rasgos que mayor vinculación poseen con el bienestar psicológico. En este estudio se investigó cómo los rasgos de personalidad se asocian a las seis dimensiones del bienestar psicológico en una muestra de adultos mayores españoles. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 224 adultos mayores a los que se aplicaron las escalas de bienestar psicológico y el cuestionario NEO-FFI. Se analizaron los resultados mediante regresión lineal múltiple. Se obtuvieron asocia-ciones significativas en todas las dimensiones del bienestar psicoló…

Can we improve emotional skills in older adults?. Emotional intelligence, life satisfaction, and resilience

ABSTRACT Emotional intelligence has been shown to be a relevant resource associated with better personal and social adaptation. In older adults, it has been associated with constructs such as life satisfaction and resilience, which are of interest in the field of gerontology because of their impact during the aging process. The objective of this study is to test an intervention based on emotional intelligence in order to find out whether the levels of these abilities improve, and whether the intervention has an effect on resilience and life satisfaction. The sample was composed of 125 healthy older adults (treatment, n = 57 and control, n = 68). The variables studied were homogeneous betwee…

Effectiveness of tDCS at Improving Recognition and Reducing False Memories in Older Adults

Background: False memories tend to increase in healthy and pathological aging, and their reduction could be useful in improving cognitive functioning. The objective of this study was to use an active–placebo method to verify whether the application of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) improved true recognition and reduced false memories in healthy older people. Method: Participants were 29 healthy older adults (65–78 years old) that were assigned to either an active or a placebo group

Emotional intelligence intervention in older adults to improve adaptation and reduce negative mood.

AbstractObjectives:Emotional intelligence (EI) is a strong predictor of negative mood. Applying emotional skills correctly can help to increase positive emotional states and reduce negative ones. This study aims to implement EI intervention designed to improve clarity, repair EI dimensions and coping strategies, and reduce negative mood in older adults.Design:Participants were randomly assigned to the treatment or control group.Setting:Participants were evaluated individually before and after the intervention.Participants:Participants included 111 healthy older adults; 51 in the treatment group and 60 in the control group.Intervention:An EI program was implemented. The program was administe…

Las estrategias de afrontamiento: relación con la integridad y la desesperación en adultos mayores

Resumen Antecedentes y objetivo Adaptarse con exito al envejecimiento facilita la consecucion de la integridad. Las estrategias de afrontamiento son clave en este proceso de adaptacion, y dependiendo del tipo de estrategias que se apliquen, se puede conseguir la integridad o bien caer en la desesperacion. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la relacion entre las estrategias de afrontamiento y la edad con las dimensiones de integridad y desesperacion en una muestra de adultos mayores. Materiales y metodos Se evaluaron las estrategias de afrontamiento, la integridad y la desesperacion en una muestra de 325 adultos mayores sanos. Se realizaron regresiones lineales multiples para estudiar …

Coping and Life Satisfaction in Colombian Older Adults

Background. Effective coping strategies facilitate older adults’ optimal adaptation and contribute to their well-being. Problem-focused strategies are associated with active styles and enhance well-being. This study analyzes the role of coping strategies in Colombian older adults’ subjective well-being (SWB) using structural equation modelling. Additionally, Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the Life Satisfaction Scale and Coping Strategies Questionnaires are performed. Method. A cross-sectional study is conducted with 455 Colombian older adults, ranging from 65 to 92 years old. Results. The results show that problem-focused coping has a positive effect on SWB, whereas emotion-focused coping …

The regulation of emotions: Gender differences

IntroductionEmotional regulation, understood as the emotional ability to repair emotional states, is a skill closely linked to adaptation during aging. People who are capable to manage their emotions have greater control over moods, applying adaptive regulation strategies that allow them to maintain positive moods and modify or regulate negative ones. It has been observed that gender can be a relevant variable related to emotional regulation. In this sense, it is considered that women may be more skillful than men to emotional regulation strategies, benefiting from more successful emotional management strategies.ObjectivesVerify if there are differences in the ability of emotional regulatio…

Is acceptance and commitment therapy helpful in reducing anxiety symptomatology in people aged 65 or over? A systematic review

Anxiety-related mental health problems constitute a health challenge, especially in the elderly population. At present, there are few psychological treatments to reduce anxiety adapted to this group. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature to determine the therapeutic effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on anxiety in older adults, using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol. Two blinded reviewers participated in the search, selection and methodological quality assessment processes; reaching satisfactory levels of agreement between reviewers (κ > 0.70). The search was performed in PubM…

Especificidad de la memoria autobiográfica: comparación entre adultos mayores sanos y demencia tipo Alzheimer

Differential effects of faces and words in cognitive control in older adults with and without major depressive disorder: An emotional Stroop task study

Aging and major depressive disorders have been associated with impaired cognitive control. These deficits are also influenced by the affective valence and by the type of stimulus processed. Using an emotional Stroop task, the current study aims to examine cognitive control deficits and their association with emotion regulation in depression and the influence of the type of stimulus (words and faces) in this association. A total of 26 older patients with a major depressive disorder (MDD) (19 women; age range: 65-84 years) and 26 older healthy controls (18 women; age range: 65-80 years) participated in the study. The results showed that MDD individuals presented greater Stroop effects than th…

Effects of a simple reminiscence intervention program on the reminiscence functions in older adults

ABSTRACTObjectives:Reminiscence promotes the acceptance of oneself and others, a sense of meaning, and the integration of the present and the past. The currently accepted classification contains eight reminiscence functions grouped in three broader functions: self-positive functions (identity, problem-solving, and death preparation); self-negative functions (bitterness revival, boredom reduction, and intimacy maintenance); and prosocial functions (conversation and teach-inform). The main objective of this study was to investigate how the eight dimensions change over time in a sample of healthy older adults after an intervention based on simple reminiscence and subsequent follow-up.Design:Pa…

Emotional intelligence in older adults: psychometric properties of the TMMS-24 and relationship with psychological well-being and life satisfaction.

ABSTRACTBackground:Aging is a process during which important changes occur in different areas of development and emotional intelligence plays an essential role. The objective of this study was twofold: first, to validate the TMMS-24 in an older population; and second, to examine the mediating role of life satisfaction in the relationship between emotional intelligence and psychological well-being.Methods:The sample consisted of 215 older adults (60.15% women) with a mean age of 69.56 (SD = 6.42), without cognitive impairment. Data on emotional intelligence, satisfaction with life, and psychological well-being were obtained through the TMMS-24, the SWLS, and Ryff's psychological well-being s…

A Longitudinal Study of Episodic and Semantic Autobiographical Memory in aMCI and Alzheimer’s Disease Patients

Background: The main objective of this study was to analyze the evolution of autobiographical memory (both episodic and semantic) in patients with mild cognitive impairment, patients with Alzheimer’s disease, and a healthy control group. We compared these groups at two time points: first, at baseline, and in a follow-up after 18 months. Method: Twenty-six healthy older adults, 17 patients with mild amnestic cognitive impairment, and 16 patients with Alzheimer’s disease, matched on age and educational level, were evaluated at both time points with the Autobiographical Memory Interview. Results: The results showed significant longitudinal deterioration in episodic and semantic autobiographica…

Personality and Emotional Intelligence in Older Adults: A Predictive Model Based on Structural Equations Modeling

Recent research on emotions in aging points to emotional intelligence (EI) as a factor that plays an important role in this process, and different conceptualizations of EI show that this construct is closely linked to personality in the general population. The main purpose of this study was to find out whether findings obtained in the general population indicating a predictive relationship between personality and EI are also confirmed during the aging process. A sample of 233 healthy older subjects between 60 and 90 years old was used. Participants answered two self-report scales on EI and personality, respectively. Structural equation modeling was used to test the predictive role of person…