European Journal of Psychiatry 

About: European Journal of Psychiatry is an academic journal published by Elsevier BV. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Population & Mental health. It has an ISSN identifier of 0213-6163. Over the lifetime, 861 publications have been published receiving 7321 citations.

Social determinants of mental health: A review of the evidence

Abstract: Background and Objectives: The aim of this study is to present a non-systematic narrative review of the published evidence on the association between mental health and sociodemographic and economic factors at individual- and at area-level. Methods: A literature search of PubMed and Web of Science was carried out to identify studies published between 2004 and 2014 on the impact of sociodemographic and economic individual or contextual factors on psychiatric symptoms, mental disorders or suicide. The results and methodological factors were extracted from each study. Results Seventy-eight studies assessed associations between individual-level factors and mental health. The main individual factors shown to have a statistically significant independent association with worse mental health were low income, not living with a partner, lack of social support, female gender, low level of education, low income, low socioeconomic status, unemployment, financial strain, and perceived discrimination. Sixty-nine studies reported associations between area-level factors and mental health, namely neighbourhood socioeconomic conditions, social capital, geographical distribution and built environment, neighbourhood problems and ethnic composition. Conclusions Most of the 150 studies included reported associations between at least one sociodemographic or economic characteristic and mental health outcomes. There was large variability between studies concerning methodology, study populations, variables, and mental illness outcomes, making it difficult to draw more than some general qualitative conclusions. This review highlights the importance of social factors in the initiation and maintenance of mental illness and the need for political action and effective interventions to improve the conditions of everyday life in order to improve population's mental health.

Psychometric properties of the Spanish validation of the Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ)

Abstract: Background and Objectives: Mindfulness-based therapies have demonstrat- ed effectiveness in many clinical contexts. Various therapies that train mindfulness skills have proliferated in recent years. There is increasing interest in mindfulness-based thera- pies and in incorporating instruments that measure mindfulness in order to understand its role in clinical and basic research. The Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) is a questionnaire for measuring mindfulness; it was derived from a factor analysis of five different questionnaires that measure a trait-like general tendency to be mindful in daily life. The objective of this study is to validate the FFMQ in a Spanish sample. Methods: The FFMQ was administered to a sample of 462 subjects ranging from 18 to 63 years (X = 27.9; SD = 9.75). The sample was composed by clinical (n = 146) and non- clinical (n = 226) subsamples. Results: The internal reliability of the scales ranged from acceptable to very good. Con- vergent analysis was conducted by computing Pearson's correlations, showing high corre- lations. The factorial structure is the same as that proposed by Baer et al. Conclusions: The FFMQ proved to be an effective instrument for measuring mindful- ness in clinical and non-clinical Spanish samples.

Spanish adaptation of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11)

Abstract: Background: The 11th version of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) is widely used to measure impulsiveness, an important behavioural trait. Unfortunately, there is no Spanish version of this instrument. Method: The adaptation process included: translation, back-translation, review of both versions and administration of the resulting instrument to a bilingual sample from the target population. This process permitted the assessment of the equivalence between the English and Spanish version of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale in three stages: Linguistic equivalence, Conceptual equivalence and Scale equivalence. Results: The most important aspects of the adaptation: Linguistic equivalence, Conceptual and Scale equivalence are adequate in this Spanish version of the BIS-11. Conclusion: This adaptation of the BIS-11 is ready to be used on Spanish speaking populations.

Are individual and group treatments equally effective in the treatment of depression in adults? A meta-analysis.

Abstract: Background and Objectives: It is well-established that psychological interventions are effective in the treatment of depression. However, it is not yet clear what the optima format is in which psychological treatments should be delivered. Although several studies have examined whether individual and group treatments are equally effective in the treatment of depression, no comprehensive meta-analysis has examined this. Methods: We searched major bibliographical databased and conducted a meta-analysis of 15 studies in which individual and group therapies were compared directly to each other. Results: The mean effect size indicating the difference between individual and group therapies in depressive symptomatology at post-test was 0.20 (95% CI: [0.05 0.35]; p < 0.01), in favor of individual therapies, with a lower drop-out rate in individual interventions (OR = 0.56; 95% CI: [0.37, 0.86]; p < 0.01). At follow-up no significant differences were found. Conclusions: Although individual therapy seems to be somewhat more effective than group therapy at the short term, it is not clear whether this is relevant from a clinical point of view. Because of the small number of studies and the limited quality, more research is needed to examine whether the difference between individual and group treatment is clinically relevant.

The relationship between emotional intelligence and depression in a clinical sample

Abstract: Background and Objectives: Although depression is a commonly occurring mental illness, research concerning strategies for early detection and prophylaxis has not until now focused on the possible utility of measures of Emotional Intelligence (EI) as a potential predictive factor. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between EI and a clinical diagnosis of depression in a cohort of adults. Methods: Sixty-two patients (59.70% female) with a DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of a major affective disorder and 39 aged matched controls (56.40% female) completed self-report instruments assessing EI and depression in a cross-sectional study. Results: Significant associations were observed between severity of depression and the EI dimensions of Emotional Management (r = -0.56) and Emotional Control (r = -0.62). The results show a reduced social involvement, an increased prior institutionalization and an increased incidence of "Schizophrenic Psychosis" and "Abnormal Personalities" in the sub-group of repeated admissions. Conclusions: Measures of EI may have predictive value in terms of early identification of those at risk for developing depression. The current study points to the potential value of conducting further studies of a prospective nature.