0000000000122037
AUTHOR
Patricia Sariñana-gonzález
Cooperation Between Strangers in Face-to-Face Dyads Produces More Cardiovascular Activation Than Competition or Working Alone
Abstract. Individual and shared goals can be achieved through social interpersonal interaction, cooperation and competition being two different yet similar strategies to reach such aims and objectives. Nevertheless, there is a gap in the literature analyzing the effect of these types of social interactions, especially in cooperation, on autonomic nervous system responses using noninvasive measures, such as heart rate (HR). The regulation of HR and other cardiovascular variables of the central nervous system offers information about how to encourage or discourage social engagement and prosocial behaviors. In fact, a more flexible engagement with the environment and efficient emotions regula…
A cognitive-behavioural intervention improves cognition in caregivers of people with autism spectrum disorder: A pilot study
Abstract As postulated by the stress process model, chronically stressed individuals, such as caregivers of people with chronic psychological disorders, have poorer cognitive performance and higher age-related cognitive decline than individuals not exposed to chronic stress. When analysing this topic in caregivers, the majority of research has been conducted in populations in which the care recipient has dementia and/or Alzheimer's disease, while relatively few studies have analysed cognition in caregivers of offspring with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The main objective of this pilot study was to analyse the effect of a cognitive-behavioural intervention on cognition in caregivers of pe…
The relationship between 2D:4D ratio and systemizing and empathy quotients in parents of people with autism spectrum disorders
IntroductionInterdigital 2D:4D ratio has been considered as an indicator of prenatal exposure to androgens, entailing then a smaller ratio more androgenisation. Although it has been related to systemizing and empathy dimensions in the general population, it has never been studied in parents of people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs).Objectives and aimsTo analyse the relationship between the 2D:4D ratio and these psychological variables in this population.MethodsThe sample was composed by parents of both genders of people with (n = 46) or without (n = 42) ASDs. The ratio was calculated as the mean of 3 measurements of each hand evaluated by 3 different researchers. Psychological dimensi…
La ratio interdigital D2:D4 y su relación con otros indicadores de androgenización en progenitores de personas con trastornos del espectro autista
The 2D:4D ratio is the quotient between the index and ring finger lengths and is a non-direct indicator of androgenisation. If prenatal testosterone levels in the amniotic fluid are high then the probability increases of developing lower ratio values. It has been suggested that people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their parents may have highly androgenised brains, and for this reason the 2D:4D ratio is used as a marker of such idiosyncrasies. This study aims to analyse if parents of people with ASD differ from the general population in several parameters of androgenisation related to the 2D:4D ratio. The sample was composed of 43 parents of offspring with ASD and 42 controls who …
A Mindfulness-Based Program Improves Health in Caregivers of People with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Pilot Study
Mindfulness-based interventions have demonstrated to be effective in reducing stress and health complaints in clinical populations. However, to our knowledge, biological health markers have not been used in studies of the effectiveness of mindfulness programs in caregivers of people with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). This study aimed to assess the effects of a mindfulness intervention on mood disturbances and health complaints in this population compared with non-caregivers. The design of the study was quasi-experimental, with repeated measures. Self-reported health, cortisol awakening response (CAR), and afternoon cortisol levels before and after a mindfulness session were assessed at …
High testosterone levels and sensitivity to acute stress in perpetrators of domestic violence with low cognitive flexibility and impairments in their emotional decoding process: A preliminary study
Hormonal and neuropsychological impairment in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators could play a role in domestic violence. For characterizing whether there is a specific psychobiological response to stress, participants who had previously been jailed for IPV and controls were compared for testosterone and cortisol levels, tested for 2D:4D ratio (as an indicator of masculinization), and given several trait questionnaires and neuropsychological tests related to executive functions and theory of mind. After performing the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), IPV perpetrators experienced decreases in salivary testosterone (T) levels, a moderate worsening of mood, slight anxiety, and a saliv…
Relación entre empatía y respuesta matutina de cortisol
Con la finalidad de prevenir la conducta antisocial, el estudio de las bases biológicas de la empatía ha cobrado especial relevancia en los últimos años. Diversos estudios han resaltado la implicación del eje hipotálamo-hipófisis-adrenal (HHA) y el cortisol en la empatía, pero son escasos los que han estudiado la relación entre esta y la respuesta matutina de cortisol (CAR, por su nombre en inglés Cortisol Awakening Response) como indicador de la actividad basal del HHA. Este estudio analiza la asociación entre la empatía, tanto cognitiva como emocional, y la CAR en 39 hombres y 91 mujeres (47 fase folicular y 44 fase lútea del ciclo menstrual). La CAR se obtuvo a partir de muestras de sali…
Caregiving increases health complaints in middle-aged caregivers of autistic offspring: the role of years caring
IntroductionCaregiving of offspring with a chronic illness is a highly stressful vital experience. Previous studies with parents of schizophrenic persons revealed that these situations increase health complaints (González-Bono et al., 2009), with the duration of caring being a relevant variable (Contell-Montaña et al., 2010). The higher age of the caregivers of schizophrenia can contribute to this health unbalance, but little is known in younger samples.Aim/objectiveTo test whether middle-aged caregivers (parents of autistic persons) present higher health disturbances than controls and to investigate the moderating role of duration of caringMethodsHealth complaints and resting levels of imm…
Psychophysiological responses to cooperation: The role of outcome and gender
Instances of sustained cooperative behaviour in humans can be considered as an adaptive strategy that enhances the probability of reaching a goal. This study investigates psychophysiological responses to cooperation in healthy subjects, while considering outcome and gender as potential moderators of these responses. Salivary cortisol levels (Csal), heart rate (HR), skin conductance level (SCL), nonspecific skin conductance responses (NSRs), and mood states were measured at different points before, during and after a Lego house-building task in undergraduate men (n = 22) and women (n = 20). Once the task was finished, the experimenter informed the participants about the outcome obtained (pos…
Electrodermal activity in response to a set of mental tasks in caregivers of persons with autism spectrum disorders
IntroductionAnalysing reactivity to laboratory stressor in lab is a valid model for understanding how people act in real-life situations. Electrodermal activity is a good index of emotionality, which has not been analysed in caregivers of persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs).Objectives and aimsThis work aims to compare the response of electrodermal activity to mental stress between caregivers of ASDs people and controls, as the former could show a different response due to their particular situation characterised by a state of continuous alert.MethodsParents of both genders of people with (n = 44) or without (n = 42) ASDs carried out a set of different mental tasks. Skin Conductanc…
Immunological and psychological responses to psychosocial stress in caregivers of autistic offspring
IntroductionCaregivers of relatives with chronic diseases has shown lower rest levels of immunoglobulin A than non-caregivers (Gallagher et al., 2008). In response to mental stress, IgA levels used to be increased in healthy population (Okamura et al. 2010). Scarce studies have been focused on immunological effects of caregiving in response to stress, and the results are controversial. To our knowledge, there are no studies stressing this field in chronically stressed populations such as caregivers of autistic offspring.Objectives and aimsEvaluate whether caregivers present different psychosocial and immunological responses to acute stress than non-caregivers, as well as what is the role of…
The 2D:4D ratio and its relationship with other androgenisation parameters in parents of individuals with autism spectrum disorders.
The 2D:4D ratio is the quotient between the index and ring fin-ger lengths and is a non-direct indicator of androgenisation. If prenatal tes-tosterone levels in the amniotic fluid are high then the probability increases of developing lower ratio values. It has been suggested that people with au-tism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their parents may have highly andro-genised brains, and for this reason the 2D:4D ratio is used as a marker of such idiosyncrasies. This study aims to analyse if parents of people with ASD differ from the general population in several parameters of andro-genisation related to the 2D:4D ratio. The sample was composed of 43 parents of offspring with ASD and 42 controls…
Disminución del cortisol y mejora del estado de ánimo tras un programa psicoeducativo en cuidadores informales de personas con trastorno de la conducta alimentaria (TCA): un estudio preliminar.
El cuidado de un familiar con un trastorno de la conducta alimentaria (TCA) repercute negativamente en el cuidador, aumentando su percepción de estrés y deteriorando su calidad de vida. Los cuidadores informales de personas con TCA presentan mayores índices de ansiedad y depresión, y un peor estado de salud general. Se analizó la efectividad de un programa de intervención psicoeducativo en esta población, formado por 12 sesiones repartidas en 6 meses, y orientado a la reducción del estrés, la ansiedad y el estado de ánimo negativo. Se evaluaron los niveles de cortisol vespertino como marcador biológico de percepción de estrés, y la ansiedad y el estado de ánimo, antes y después de 3 sesione…
Does being a Stranger make it Difficult to Cooperate?
AbstractCompetition and cooperation are two somewhat opposed strategies for interpersonal social interaction that help us to achieve both individual and shared goals. The main aim of this study was to explore which type of social interaction (cooperative or competitive) is more stressful in a face-to-face same-sex dyad in healthy young participants (n = 178), considering outcome obtained in these tasks (positive or negative) and sex as moderating variables, and performance of the task alone as a control condition. Salivary cortisol (Csal) was measured in one sample obtained before task and four obtained after the task (+0, +15, +30 and +45 minutes after). Anxiety-state was assessed before a…
Relationship between Empathy and Cortisol Awakening Response
Con la finalidad de prevenir la conducta antisocial, el estudio de las bases biológicas de la empatía ha cobrado especial relevancia en los últimos años. Diversos estudios han resaltado la implicación del eje hipotálamo-hipófisis-adrenal (HHA) y el cortisol en la empatía, pero son escasos los que han estudiado la relación entre esta y la respuesta matutina de cortisol (CAR, por su nombre en inglés Cortisol Awakening Response) como indicador de la actividad basal del HHA. Este estudio analiza la asociación entre la empatía, tanto cognitiva como emocional, y la CAR en 39 hombres y 91 mujeres (47 fase folicular y 44 fase lútea del ciclo menstrual). La CAR se obtuvo a partir de muestras de sali…
Cortisol response to stress in caregivers of offspring with autism spectrum disorder is associated with care recipient characteristics.
Providing care for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is particularly stressful and frequently associated with disturbances in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis of the caregiver. This study examined whether the stress response is modulated by factors such as age of the care recipient and number of years spent by the caregiver in providing care for the ASD individual. Caregivers of children (n = 15), adolescents (n = 12), and adults (n = 11) with ASD were exposed to two episodes of acute psychosocial stressor in a 1 day session. Salivary cortisol samples were obtained before, during, and after the stressor episodes. Psychological characteristics (states of anxiety, anger,…
La intervención cognitivo-conductual mejora la cognición de los cuidadores de personas con trastorno del espectro autista: estudio piloto
Abstract As postulated by the stress process model, chronically stressed individuals, such as caregivers of people with chronic psychological disorders, have poorer cognitive performance and higher age-related cognitive decline than individuals not exposed to chronic stress. When analysing this topic in caregivers, the majority of research has been conducted in populations in which the care recipient has dementia and/or Alzheimer's disease, while relatively few studies have analysed cognition in caregivers of offspring with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The main objective of this pilot study was to analyse the effect of a cognitive-behavioural intervention on cognition in caregivers of pe…