No abstract

Ideas of reference are common in human beings, but they are frequent in certain psychopathological disorders, mainly those concerning the psychotic spectrum. The purpose of this study was to attempt to construct a model predicting the appearance of ideas of reference and to test the relationship of personality (based on the Gray model), emotional, and self-consciousness variables. Five-hundred and seventy-four participants (287 patients with several different psychopathological diagnoses) filled in the Referential Thinking Scale (REF), the GHQ-28, the Self-Consciousness Scale (SCS-R), and the SPSRQ Scale. The resulting model found full mediation of sensitivity to punishment, sensitivity to reward, depression, and public self-consciousness between anxiety and ideas of reference, regardless of the group they were in (patients vs. nonpatients). This result, based on the appearance of anxiety symptomatology, explains 43% of the variance in scores, showing the presence of ideas of reference and therefore enables prediction of a set of vulnerabilities (established with self-reports) which could lead to a psychological state of high general pathological risk and proneness to psychosis in particular.

In previous works we demonstrated the utility of the REF scale for the assessment referential thinking (Rodríguez-Testal et al., 2001) although it wasn´t specific for patients with psychotic disorder (Rodríguez-Testal et al., 2008). Objectives and hypotheses: We analyzed the psychometric properties of reliability and validity of the REF scale. We compared the differences in referential thinking between subjects with and without psychopathology. In the patient group we will not obtain differences in referential-thinking between diagnosis types of Axis I, Axis II, or patients with diagnoses on both axes. Methods: Participants: 120 subjects, 70 patients attending a private center of clinic psychology, 64.3% women, mean age = 35.21 (SD = 10.5) and 50 controls selected from the normal population, 54 % women, mean age = 33.48 (SD = 10.83). It was applied a cross design for a correlation method of comparison between groups. All the analysis were accepted at p< .05. Results: We reached adequate internal consistency (Cronbach´s alpha= .90, split-half reliability= .83 and .82). The test-restest reliability was significant (mean interval of 44 days). There are significant differences in referential thinking between subjects with and without psychopathology (t=3.8; p=.001). There are significant differences in referential thinking between types of diagnoses (F=3.99; p=.001). Conclusions: The REF scale has adequate psychometric properties (reliability and validity). It discriminated between patients and no-patients, and between the different types of diagnoses, especially for those who suffer psychotic disorders.

The aim of this study is the analysis of different descriptors and reactions related to the experience of fatigue. Two groups were compared: a clinical sample (n = 92, 31 males, mean age = 38.87) and a non-clinical (n = 225, 135 males, mean age = 32.45) sample. The total sample was composed of 317 participants (52% males), ranging in age from 18 to 76 years. Findings show the experience of fatigue was mainly related to somatic terms (76% of the total sample). Specific results were found only for the clinical group: (a) significant relationships between fatigue and anxiety, χ2(1) = 34.71, p < .01; tension, χ2(1) = 16.80, p < .01; and sadness, χ2(1) = 24.59, p < .01; (b) higher intensity of fatigue (F = 84.15, p = .001), and predominance of the cognitive components of fatigue. Results showed that fatigue in subjects with a clinical disorder (versus those without) was associated both, to negative emotional states, and to a higher intensity of fatigue, especially in its cognitive elements. Important clinical implications for its assessment and intervention are discussed.

AntecedentsIn a previous study (Senín-Calderón et al., 2010) we observed that the REF scale of referential thinking (Lenzenweger et al., 1997) didn’t discriminate among different mental disorders.Objectives and hypothesesWe try to verify if self-references in various disorders are related to the severity of psychopathology (patients from public hospital and a private clinical). We predict that there will be differences between patients and controls, but not between the clinical samples. Psychotic disorders will be characterized by a significantly greater presence of self-references.MethodsParticipants: 287 subjects, 47 patients from a private clinical center, 57.4% women (mean age = 35.02, SD = 12.69), 30 patients from a public hospital, 53.3% women (38.36 years, SD = 9.53), and 210 controls selected from the general population, 50.5% women (33.80 years, SD = 11.79). Cross-sectional design, correlation method. All analysis were accepted at p < .05.ResultsThere are significant differences in self-references between patients and controls in frequency (t (285) = 2.33, p = . 021) and intensity (t (83.98) = 3.59, p = . 001). No significant differences between patients groups (p>.05) (REF-intensity without homogeneity, p < .05). No significant differences in self-references between types of diagnoses except psychotic patients versus adjustment disorder (frequency and intensity).ConclusionsSelf-references are highlighted in psychosis but, with the exception of adjustment disorders, doesn’t discriminate between personality, mood or anxiety disorders. Differences are more related to the clinical severity (BPRS) than with referential thinking.