Measuring elderly people's quality of life through the Beck Hopelessness Scale: a study with a Spanish sample.
Hopelessness is a key element of suicidal intent. It can instill a pessimistic outlook on the future, leading an individual to believe that suicide is the only answer to their problems. Hopelessness operates as a modulating variable between depression and suicidal behavior. The aim of this study was to confirm the factor structure of the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) in a non-clinical sample.Three hundred and sixty-two Spanish individuals, aged over 60, free of cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms, completed the BHS scale. Participants were tested using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), using one-, two- and three-factor models.The one- and two-factor models presented adequate fit …
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…
Dimensional and Discrete Emotional Reactivity in Alzheimer’s Disease: Film Clips as a Research Tool in Dementia
Background: No studies have been conducted to date on the dimensional and discrete classification of emotions to study the emotional reactivity of older adults with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Additionally, the presentation of film clips with affective content is currently one of the most effective and widely used Mood Induction Procedures (MIPS). However, it has been scarcely used in AD patients. Objective: Based on the dimensional and discrete models of emotion, this study examines the emotional reactivity of older adults with AD, using a popular set of film clips to induce emotions. Methods: We compared the responses of older adults aged over 65-years with mild to moderate AD (n = 15) and …