Roberto Nuevo

The Three-Item Loneliness Scale (TIL Scale) is a widely used brief instrument for the assessment of loneliness. The aim of this study was to analyse the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the TIL Scale with data from two different studies. In Study 1, 1,536 adults between 18 and 88 years old completed a survey during the lockdown period due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Study 2, 314 older adults between 60 and 92 years old were assessed prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Significant factor loadings were obtained through confirmatory factor analyses for both samples. Acceptable internal consistency was found for the scale in both samples. Positive associations between the TIL Scale and a single item measuring loneliness and depressive and anxious symptomatology were found. The findings provide support for the use of the TIL Scale with Spanish-speaking populations.

Introducción. Una de las principales funciones de la música es la expresión y comunicación de emociones. El aprendizaje de las habilidades centradas en esta comunicación es una parte central en la formación de los intérpretes y, el estudio de las concepciones de profesores y alumnos sobre los modos adecuados de mejorar la expresividad puede considerarse una de las tareas prioritarias para la investigación psicoeducativa. Por ello, este trabajo está dirigido a: a) validar un instrumento para su evaluación; b) conocer la valoración de diferentes estrategias de enseñanza-aprendizaje de la expresividad emocional en la música, en profesores y alumnos de niveles superiores de educación musical y c) comparar esas valoraciones en ambos grupos. Método. Para ello, 229 personas (170 estudiantes y 59 profesores) del Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid completaron un cuestionario sobre la mejora de la expresividad con cuatro estrategias distintas de enseñanza-aprendizaje. Resultados. Se encontraron algunas diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre grupos respecto a las preferencias de dichos modelos. Se pueden destacar las diferencias en intra-grupo: la estrategia basada en el uso de instrucciones técnicas fue la mejor valorada mientras que el modelado recibió la peor valoración. Estos efectos fueron independientes del sexo y la edad. La estructura factorial teórica tuvo un excelente ajuste a los datos (CFI=.95). Discusión y conclusiones. En conclusión, ambos grupos difieren en sus concepciones sobre las estrategias óptimas para trabajar la expresividad, pero coinciden en las preferencias sobre una u otra estrategia, valorando especialmente el uso de instrucciones técnicas. Se discuten las posibles implicaciones pedagógicas y se propone este cuestionario como herramienta para su uso en contextos educativos.

Objective Little is known about persistence of or recovery from chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) in adolescents. Previous studies have small sample sizes, short follow-up or have focused on fatigue rather than CFS/ME or, equivalently, chronic fatigue, which is disabling. This work aimed to describe the epidemiology and natural course of CFS/ME in adolescents aged 13–18 years. Design Longitudinal follow-up of adolescents enrolled in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Setting Avon, UK. Participants We identified adolescents who had disabling fatigue of >6 months duration without a known cause at ages 13, 16 and 18 years. We use the term ‘chronic disabling fatigue’ (CDF) because CFS/ME was not verified by clinical diagnosis. We used multiple imputation to obtain unbiased estimates of prevalence and persistence. Results The estimated prevalence of CDF was 1.47% (95% CI 1.05% to 1.89%) at age 13, 2.22% (1.67% to 2.78%) at age 16 and 2.99% (2.24% to 3.75%) at age 18. Among adolescents with CDF of 6 months duration at 13 years 75.3% (64.0% to 86.6%) were not classified as such at age 16. Similar change was observed between 16 and 18 years (75.0% (62.8% to 87.2%)). Of those with CDF at age 13, 8.02% (0.61% to 15.4%) presented with CDF throughout the duration of adolescence. Conclusions The prevalence of CDF lasting 6 months or longer (a proxy for clinically diagnosed CFS/ME) increases from 13 to 18 years. However, persistent CDF is rare in adolescents, with approximately 75% recovering after 2–3 years.

BACKGROUND: In the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) birth cohort, chronic disabling fatigue lasting ≥6 months affected 1.3% of 13-year-olds, was equally common in boys and girls, and became more prevalent with increasing family adversity. METHODS: ALSPAC data were used to estimate the prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) at age 16 years, defined by parental report of unexplained disabling fatigue lasting ≥6 months. We investigated gender and a composite 14-item family adversity index as risk factors. School absence data were obtained from the National Pupil Database. Multiple imputation was used to address bias caused by missing data. RESULTS: The prevalence of CFS was 1.86% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.47 to 2.24). After excluding children with high levels of depressive symptoms, the prevalence was 0.60% (95% CI: 0.37 to 0.84). Authorized school absences were much higher (mean difference: 35.6 [95% CI: 26.4 to 44.9] half-day sessions per academic year) and reported depressive symptoms were much more likely (odds ratio [OR]: 11.0 [95% CI: 5.92 to 20.4]) in children with CFS than in those without CFS. Female gender (OR: 1.95 [95% CI: 1.33 to 2.86]) and family adversity (OR: 1.20 [95% CI: 1.01 to 1.42] per unit family adversity index) were also associated with CFS. CONCLUSIONS: CFS affected 1.9% of 16-year-olds in a UK birth cohort and was positively associated with higher family adversity. Gender was a risk factor at age 16 years but not at age 13 years or in 16-year-olds without high levels of depressive symptoms.

Objective To investigate differences between young children, adolescents and adults with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME). Study design Comparison of clinical cohorts from 8 paediatric and 27 adult CFS/ME services in the UK and a paediatric randomised controlled trial from the Netherlands. Outcome measures include: fatigue (the UK—Chalder Fatigue Scale); Disability (the UK—SF-36 physical function subscale; the Netherlands—CHQ-CF87); school attendance, pain, anxiety and depression (the UK—Hospital Anxiety & Depression Scale, Spence Children's Anxiety Scale; the Netherlands—Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children, Children's Depression Inventory); symptoms; time-to-assessment; and body mass index. We used multinomial regression to compare younger (aged Results Younger children had a more equal gender balance compared to adolescents and adults. Adults had more disability and fatigue, and had been ill for longer. Younger children were less likely to have cognitive symptoms (OR 0.18 (95% CI 0.13 to 0.25)) and more likely to present with a sore throat (OR 1.42 (1.07 to 1.90). Adolescents were more likely to have headaches (81.1%, OR 1.56 (1.36% to 1.80%)) and less likely to have tender lymph nodes, palpitations, dizziness, general malaise and pain, compared to adults. Adolescents were more likely to have comorbid depression (OR 1.51 (1.33 to 1.72)) and less likely to have anxiety (OR 0.46 (0.41 to 0.53)) compared to adults. Conclusions Paediatricians need to recognise that children with CFS/ME present differently from adults. Whether these differences reflect an underlying aetiopathology requires further investigation. Trial registration numbers FITNET trial registration numbers are ISRCTN59878666 and NCT00893438. This paper includes secondary (post-results) analysis of data from this trial, but are unrelated to trial outcomes.

Background/Aims: Alcohol-related problems are relevant in the elderly, particularly in developed countries, but there is a lack of cross-country comparisons. The present work aims to examine the frequency and patterns of alcohol consumption in older adults across different European countries, and to analyze the relationship between socioeconomic status and gender with alcohol consumption. Methods: General population-based household surveys of randomly selected adults over 60 years of age in 14 European countries. Participants: 10,119 subjects [mean age: 70.4 (SD = 7.1)], 61.9% women. Results: There are marked differences in alcohol consumption across countries. Except for three countries from eastern regions, most people in all countries present moderate consumption regarding the amount of alcohol and pattern of use. However, there are marked gender differences, with a higher intake in men (effect sizes ranging from 0.57 to 1.27), although these differences are relatively proportional across countries. Finally, a higher socioeconomic status is positively related (B = 0.845, 95% CI: 0.30/1.40) with alcohol consumption after controlling for gender, age, health-functioning status and the country's development level. Conclusions: There are marked differences in consumption of alcohol in the elderly between the different countries, and male gender, as well as a higher SES, were associated with higher alcohol consumption.

Detection of elder abuse risk is a critical issue because a lot of cases remain hidden. Screening tools can be used to detect elder abuse. However, few tools have been developed for use with caregivers. The purpose was to develop a translation and adaptation of a Spanish version of the Caregiver Abuse Screen (CASE) and to assess its validity and reliability. The CASE was then used with 211 primary caregivers. Validity and reliability were evaluated, as well as the factorial structure of the instrument. This version showed good psychometric properties. It was found to have strong internal consistency and split-half reliability as well as allowing for a good replication of the original factorial structure. Additionally, several variables related to elder abuse were linked to the CASE such as depression, burden, frequency, and reactions to problem behaviors. The version developed showed sufficient validity and reliability and could be considered as a suitable instrument to assess risks of elder abuse in a Spanish-speaking context.

This study explored whether physical health problems are related to psychotic symptoms independently of a mental disorder diagnosis. A total of 224,254 subjects recruited for the World Health Organization World Health Survey were subdivided into those with both a lifetime diagnosis of psychosis and at least one psychotic symptom in the 12 months prior to the evaluation, those with at least one psychotic symptom in the past 12 months but no lifetime diagnosis of psychosis, and those without psychotic symptoms in the past 12 months and without a lifetime diagnosis of psychosis. The three groups were compared for the presence of medical conditions, health problems, and access to health care. Medical conditions and health problems (angina, asthma, arthritis, tuberculosis, vision or hearing problems, mouth/teeth problems, alcohol consumption, smoking, and accidents), medication consumption, and hospital admissions (but not regular health care visits) were more frequent in individuals with psychotic symptoms but no psychosis diagnosis, compared to those with no symptoms and no diagnosis. The number of medical conditions increased with the number of psychotic symptoms. Given the sample analyzed, this trend seems to be independent from the socio-economic development of the country or the specific health care system.