Affect Balance Scale Research Articles

The Impact of Early-Life Recurrent Otitis Media in Children on the Psychological Well-Being of Caregivers.

Children with early-life recurrent otitis media (OM) will often endure pain, sleep disturbances, and other developmental setbacks that impact the surrounding family system. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychological well-being and family functioning of caregivers of children with early-life recurrent OM (rOM). Data from a longitudinal pregnancy cohort were used to categorize children into two groups: those with a history of recurrent OM (rOM group) and those without a history of rOM (reference group) by the age of 3 years. The psychological well-being of caregivers and the family functioning status were assessed using the Affect Balance Scale and the General Functioning Scale of the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD-GF), respectively, at the three-, five-, and eight-year follow-up appointments. Multiple linear regression models were used to analyze the data and were adjusted for potential confounding variables. There were significant associations between having a child with an early history of rOM and the Affect Balance Scale of caregivers for the negative affects subscale at the three- (p < 0.001) and five- (p = 0.018) year follow-ups, and the Affect Balance subscale at the three-year (p = 0.007) and the five-year follow-ups (p = 0.047). There were no significant associations measured during the 8-year follow-up period for the FAD-GF. The findings of this study further highlight the impact of caring for a child with rOM in early childhood on caregivers' psychological well-being in the first five years of a child's life. The impact, however, did not appear to influence the longer-term functioning of the family as a whole. 3 Laryngoscope, 134:1445-1449, 2024.

Effectiveness of Group Poetry Therapy of Mazza's Multidimensional Model (Based on the Romantic Debates of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh) on Response to Intrusion Memories, Automatic Thoughts and Affect Balance in Female Students with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

Objective: Iranian culture has always been mixed with Persian poetry and literature. Poetry therapy is also considered one of the complementary methods of psychotherapy. The present study aims to investigate the effectiveness of group poetry therapy of Mazza's multidimensional model (based on Shahnameh Ferdowsi's romantic debates) on Response to Intrusions, automatic thoughts, and affect balance in female students with premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Method: The research method was quasi-experimental. The statistical population included all students living in the dormitory of Farhangian University of Ardabil, and from this population, during three stages, 20 participants with premenstrual dysphoric disorder were selected as samples in two experimental and control groups. Measures including the Response to Intrusions Questionnaire, Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire, and Affect Balance Scale were performed on both groups, and the poetry therapy protocol based on Shahnameh Ferdowsi's romantic debates was performed on the experimental group. Results: The findings showed that after controlling the effects of the pre-test, the experimental group had a significant improvement in each of the factors of negative interpretation (F= 40.990, p&lt;0.01), rumination (F=23.367, p&lt;0.01), suppression (F=13.753, p&lt;0.01), distress (F=16.924, p&lt;0.01), automatic thoughts (F=28.874, p&lt;0.01), positive affect balance (F=13.892, p&lt;0.01) and negative affect balance (F=55.887, p&lt;0.01). Conclusion: Based on findings, Ferdowsi's romantic debates in the context of group therapy can lead to a reduction of PMDD symptoms by launching positive therapeutic components such as catharsis and empathy.

Job Mobility and Subjective Well-Being among New-Generation Migrant Workers in China: The Mediating Role of Interpersonal Trust.

New-generation migrant workers refers to those born in 1980 or thereafter, who become the majority of rural–urban migrants. New-generation migrant workers in Chinese cities are struggling with a lack of urban resources, which may lead to low well-being. On the basis of a questionnaire survey of 203 new-generation migrant workers, we used a multiple regression analysis to study new-generation migrant workers’ well-being and the mechanism underlying the effect of job mobility on well-being. The job mobility scale, interpersonal trust scale, and Affect Balance Scale were used. Results showed that job mobility was positively correlated with new-generation migrant workers’ subjective well-being and interpersonal trust, and interpersonal trust was positively correlated with subjective well-being. Interpersonal trust mediated the effect of job mobility on subjective well-being. In conclusion, job mobility can bring some benefits to new-generation migrant workers, that is, job mobility may increase their subjective well-being by increasing their interpersonal trust.

THE AFFECT BALANCE SCALE (ABS): PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES IN ARGENTINA

The Affect Balance Scale (ABS) was developed to assess the affective component of subjective well-being. This study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of ABS in a non-probabilistic sample composed of 2241 individuals in the general population in Argentina, ages ranging from 18 to 89 years (M = 37.53; SD = 14.80). The results suggest acceptable psychometric properties within the sample. Excellent adjustment to the data of the two-dimensional model is observed through confirmatory factor analysis. Results of the factorial invariance analysis of gender conducted indicate that both groups are equivalent in terms of the factor structure under investigation. Internal consistency was also found to be adequate. As a result, the study contributed to assessing positive and negative affect in Spanish speaking populations.

AN INDIVIDUAL’S RELATEDNESS TO OTHER PEOPLE AND FACTORS AFFECTING IT

The article examines what personal characteristics, qualities or factors contribute to the establishment of trusting relationships between people, their support, contributing to the satisfaction of the need for relatedness, in positive relationships with others, in creating a real circle of close people. The article purpose: to identify the features of relatedness estimated with two indicators - using the indicator “positive relationships with others” of C. Riff’s six-factor scales of psychological well-being by and using the test proposed by Bekker M.H.J., van Assen M.A.L. namely by the indicator “sensitivity to others” - and find personal characteristics, qualities or factors that affect these indicators. Sampling and methods. The study involved 220 respondents with average age of 33 years, students, and specialists in various professions. To study the personality traits of respondents who showed high values ​​for the studied parameters, we used the following methods: the General Self-efficacy Scale (Schwarzer, R., &amp; Jerusalem), Folkman and Lazarus' Ways of Coping Questionnaire, Wiesbaden Inventary for Positive Psychotherapy and Family Therapy (WIPPF), S. Maddi's Hardiness Scale, Test-Questionnaire of Self-Attitude of V.V. Stolyn, S.R. Panteleyev, Social behavior and the orientation inventory (B.M. Bass), Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory, Study of the quality of life of a person, N. Bradburn's Affect Balance Scale, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (E. Diener et al.). Results and conclusions. Positive relationships with others do not always correlate with personal autonomy and maintain good psychological well-being. The result depends on an individual’s position: subordinate or equal. In the first case, people try more to please their families or friends, other close people. This can be due to excessive connections with significant others or due to a lack of self-confidence. Such people are not inclined to take responsibility for their choice, shifting it to others; painfully afraid that the rejection of other’s opinions and actions at their own discretion will affect the relationship, and people will become lonely; they passively fulfils requests and orders, show blind obedience; in their actions, they rely on external or impersonal motivation. As a result, their quality of life is low, and their affect balance is rather negative and psychological well-being is bad. If relations with others are based on positions of equality, then they bring real pleasure to all sides of interaction and do not interfere with the manifestations of autonomy. An individual involved in an equal relationship is not afraid to show their love, care; is able to perceive themselves and others, in particular, their partners, as they are, to treat them positively, to trust them, to see them as a personality. At the same time, the desire to have people close in spirit does not interfere with acting on the basis of one’s own motives and views, planning one’s actions, taking responsibility for them and for one’s life path as a whole. Therefore, such relationships contribute to a feeling of psychological well-being and happiness, a high quality of life.

Elucidating mechanisms of quality-of-life disparities in Hispanic women with breast cancer: An examination of disease stage, coping, and affect.

Compared to non-Hispanic white (NHW) women, Hispanic women with breast cancer (BCa) are more likely to be diagnosed at later stages of disease and experience reduced quality of life (QOL) following diagnosis. We hypothesized that the demands of later-stage disease results in a perceived inability to cope and greater distress for Hispanic women, resulting in decreased QOL. Hispanic (51%) and NHW (49%) women (N=198) with newly diagnosed stage 0-3 BCa in Miami were enrolled in two trials between 2006 and 2019. In this cross-sectional analysis, a multiple-group structural equation modeling approach was applied to baseline measures of coping confidence (Measure of Current Status Scale), negative and positive affect (Affect Balance Scale), QOL (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Breast), and disease stage. In our model, later-stage disease was not associated with worse QOL for Hispanic or NHW women. However, there were differences between Hispanic and NHW women on the path from disease stage to (1) coping confidence, (2) positive affect, and (3) negative affect, such that later disease stage was associated with lower coping confidence (b[SE]=-1.75[0.59], p=0.002), less positive affect (b[SE]=-0.21[0.10], p=0.026), and greater negative affect (b[SE]=0.15[0.08], p=0.052) among Hispanic, but not NHW, women. In addition, an indirect effect was found from greater stage to poorer QOL via less positive affect among Hispanic women only (b[SE]=-0.49[0.24], p=0.041). This data supports our theory that Hispanic women experience worse emotional distress at later-stage disease than do NHW women, in turn impacting QOL.

Sleep Disturbance in Older Adults With or Without Mild Cognitive Impairment and Its Associated Factors Residing in Rural Area, China.

To evaluate the prevalence of sleep disturbance in older adults with or without mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and associated factors among residents in rural central China. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in adults in rural areas of the Hunan province aged≥60 years. Study participants (N = 1213) included 479 individuals meeting the criteria for MCI and 734 with normal cognitive abilities. The participants completed the Athens Insomnia Scale, Stress Resilience Quotient Scale, Affect Balance Scale and Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Scale. Chi-square test, Wilcoxon rank sum analyses and multiple logistic regression were used in this study. A total of 60.33% of participants with MCI demonstrated sleep disturbance (60.33%, 95% CI: 0.559-0.649), which was significantly higher than in the non-MCI group (43.73%, 95% CI: 0.759-0.838). Multiple logistic regression conducted separately in the populations of older adults with or without MCI showed that age, drinking habits, affect balance and activities of daily life were correlates of self-reported sleep disturbance in rural older adults with MCI (B = -5.469), whereas age, ADL, living arrangement and resilience were the main influencing factors in older adults without MCI (B = 2.991). Sleep disturbance is more common in older adults with MCI than without MCI in rural areas of China. The factors influencing sleep disturbances vary between older adults with or without MCI, with age and ADL representing common factors influencing sleep disturbance in both groups. Interventions focusing on the age, drinking habits, affect balance and ADL may improve sleep quality in MCI older adults.

The Practice of Biblical Lament as a Means Towards Facilitating Authenticity and Psychological Well-Being

Biblical lament provides a vital way of maintaining a healthy relationship with God when one’s life experience does not match up with one’s beliefs. Not to lament in such a situation is to deny authenticity. And, as the psychological theories of authenticity indicate, this leads to a person having reduced self-esteem and a lower sense of personal well-being. In this study, women (and a few men) from a poor community in Cape Town, South Africa, were invited to study some psalms of lament and then to compose their own laments. A validated measure of authenticity (the Authenticity Index) was administered to them before and after the lament exercise, as well as Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale and two measures of personal well-being (the Affect Balance Scale and the Satisfaction with Life Scale). It became apparent that the opportunity to express themselves using the form of biblical lament led to a greater sense of authenticity for participants. Their responses on the other scales also indicated that they found the opportunity to lament led to an enhanced sense of self-esteem and well-being. This suggests that those committed to facilitating psychological healing for those who have suffered trauma will do well to provide space for pain-bearers to lament following the biblical pattern.

Happiness among dentists: a multi-scale, multi-national study from 21 countries

The extent to which dentists are happy with their profession and their life has not been well studied. The present study aimed to explore the level of happiness, satisfaction with life and psychological well-being among a sample of dental professionals from 21 countries. The sample comprised 2,200 dentists from 21 countries. Three scales - Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), and Affect Balance Scale (ABS) - were used to measure the subjective responses. Data related to demographic and social characteristics were recorded. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used as appropriate. Scales were correlated, and multiple linear regression analyses were employed to identify the independent determinants of SHS, SWLS and ABS. Data were analysed using the SPSS software program; a value of P <0.05 was considered significant. The overall mean scores of SHS, SWLS and ABS were 18.53±5.06, 23.06±6.25 and 1.26±2.40, respectively, with significant differences found across countries: dentists working in Croatia, Peru and Serbia recorded the highest scores, unlike dentists practicing in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq, who recorded the lowest scores. There were significant, moderately positive correlations between the various scales: SHS and SWLS: r=0.535, P<0.001; SHS and ABS: r=0.58, P<0.001; and SWLS and ABS: r=0.533, P<0.001. Country of practice, age, qualification and monthly income were the significant independent predictors of SHS, SWLS and ABS. Country of residence and social characteristics were associated with dentists' responses regarding their feelings and subjective well-being.

Effectiveness of comprehensive oral care on Bradburn scale of psychological well-being among young adult smokers and tobacco chewers: A prospective clinical study

Aim: To assess the benefits of comprehensive oral care in improving the psychological well-being of young adult smokers and tobacco chewers. Materials and Methods: A prospective, clinical study of 60 young adult smokers/tobacco chewers or both were carried out. This study was conducted to assess the psychological well-being at the first dental visit, and then after the completion of comprehensive oral care using Bradburn scale of psychological well-being (Affect Balance Scale). Comprehensive oral care included oral prophylaxis, simple restorative care, preventive procedures, and health education. Health education was given before the appointment, during the stage of diagnosis and treatment planning, in the operatory during the various stages of treatment. Results: A total of 60 males were participated in this clinical study, with a minimum age of 18 years to the maximum age of 25 years. A total of 20 (33.3%) were using both smokeless and smoking tobacco. The majority of them were school educated (74%) and semi-skilled (86%). The overall oral hygiene status was fair. The mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) ranged from 0 to 9. The Bradburn scale of psychological well-being score was 1.55 ± 2.54 at the first visit to the dentist and after completing the comprehensive oral care there was an improvement in the score (3.20 ± 1.29). This was statistically significant. Conclusion: This study findings showed improvement in the psychological well-being of young adult smokers and tobacco chewers after the completion of comprehensive oral care.

Validation of an mHealth App for Depression Screening and Monitoring (Psychologist in a Pocket): Correlational Study and Concurrence Analysis.

BackgroundMobile health (mHealth) is a fast-growing professional sector. As of 2016, there were more than 259,000 mHealth apps available internationally. Although mHealth apps are growing in acceptance, relatively little attention and limited efforts have been invested to establish their scientific integrity through statistical validation. This paper presents the external validation of Psychologist in a Pocket (PiaP), an Android-based mental mHealth app which supports traditional approaches in depression screening and monitoring through the analysis of electronic text inputs in communication apps.ObjectiveThe main objectives of the study were (1) to externally validate the construct of the depression lexicon of PiaP with standardized psychological paper-and-pencil tools and (2) to determine the comparability of PiaP, a new depression measure, with a psychological gold standard in identifying depression.MethodsCollege participants downloaded PiaP for a 2-week administration. Afterward, they were asked to complete 4 psychological depression instruments. Furthermore, 1-week and 2-week PiaP total scores (PTS) were correlated with (1) Beck Depression Index (BDI)-II and Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression (CES-D) Scale for congruent construct validation, (2) Affect Balance Scale (ABS)–Negative Affect for convergent construct validation, and (3) Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) and ABS–Positive Affect for divergent construct validation. In addition, concordance analysis between PiaP and BDI-II was performed.ResultsOn the basis of the Pearson product-moment correlation, significant positive correlations exist between (1) 1-week PTS and CES-D Scale, (2) 2-week PTS and BDI-II, and (3) PiaP 2-week PTS and SWLS. Concordance analysis (Bland-Altman plot and analysis) suggested that PiaP’s approach to depression screening is comparable with the gold standard (BDI-II).ConclusionsThe evaluation of mental health has historically relied on subjective measurements. With the integration of novel approaches using mobile technology (and, by extension, mHealth apps) in mental health care, the validation process becomes more compelling to ensure their accuracy and credibility. This study suggests that PiaP’s approach to depression screening by analyzing electronic data is comparable with traditional and well-established depression instruments and can be used to augment the process of measuring depression symptoms.

A Comparison of Emotion Regulation Difficulties, Distress Tolerance and Affect Balance among Imprisoned Women Accused of Fraud and Ordinary Women

Background: Differences among ordinary and imprisoned people are in terms of both physiologic and biologic properties and mental and social characteristics.Objectives: This study aims to compare the emotion regulation difficulties, distress tolerance and affect balance between ordinary and imprisoned women accused of fraud to clarify the importance of emotion regulation and the recognition of people's excitement in improving the quality of healthy life.Methods: This research is an applied work conducted by the causal-comparative method. The statistical universe of this study consists of 120 individuals including 50 imprisoned women accused of fraud in Rey Prison as well as 70 ordinary women without any criminal records that were randomized from Tehran. The research tools are as follows: Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) and Affect Balance Scale (ABS). Results: The results show a difference between the difficulties of emotion regulation, distress tolerance and affect balance of women accused of fraud and ordinary people. Our results show that women accused of fraud compared to ordinary women according to the value (t = 37.11) at a significance level of 0.01 are at a lower level in their emotional settings. Also due to the amount (t = -11.68), a higher level of distress and stress tolerance of ordinary women compared to the defendants was shown and according to the value (t = -4.83), there is a significant difference in the affectwhere female fraudsters are at a lower level versusordinary ones.Conclusion: The imprisoned women should be paid specially into attention in terms of emotion regulation, distress tolerance and affect balance.

Resilience and affect balance of empty-nest older adults with mild cognitive impairment in poor rural areas of Hunan province, China.

To evaluate the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) within the empty-nest older adults population in poor rural areas of the Hunan province of China, and to explore the effects of resilience and affective balance on cognitive functioning within this specific population. A cross-sectional, multistage, random cluster survey was administered to participants from March 2013 to December 2014 in the Hunan province. There were a total of 1164 participants. These participants were empty-nest older adults who were residing in poor rural areas of the Hunan province. The data was collected in two stages. In stage 1, the participants were administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment for screening cognitive impairment. In stage 2, the participants were screened for any potential cognitive impairment, were administered a series of neuropsychological tests and received a definitive diagnosis for MCI, if the criteria were met. Resilience and affect balance were assessed by the Chinese modified version of the Stress Resilience Quotient and the Affect Balance Scale. The prevalence of MCI was 38.40% within this empty-nest older adult population. Significant differences were found between MCI and non-MCI empty-nest older adults specific to resilience and affect balance. Path analysis showed that resilience mediated the relationship between MCI and affect balance. Resilience and affect balance were less prominent within the MCI empty-nest older adults than those in the non-MCI group. The results suggest that resilience is a mediating variable between MCI and affect balance. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 222-227.

Abstract # 2062 Affective status and immune responses to influenza vaccine in older persons living in South Florida

Background Psychosocial factors predict poor influenza vaccine (IV) response. Aging and negative affect (NA) may dampen IV response by reducing class switch recombination (CSR), a B-cell process primed by IV. We examined whether greater positive affect [PA] and less NA pre- and post-IV relates to greater antibody responses and CSR in older persons receiving IV. Method Older healthy persons (>60 yrs) completed the Affect Balance Scale (ABS) for NA and PA pre and post-IV in two separate Flu seasons. They received trivalent IV (H1N1, H3N2, B), and were re-assessed at 7 (t7)and 28 days (t28) for HAI titers and % switched B-cells (IgG+/IgA+CD27+) to quantify CSR. Results Season 1: greater PA was associated with greater HAI titer Fold increase and greater CSR at t28. NA at t28 correlated with less CSR (p’s Conclusion Optimizing affect pre- and post-IV may improve health in older persons.

The Relationship Between Quality of Life, Psychological Wellbeing, Satisfaction with Life and Acculturation of Immigrants in Greece.

Few studies have examined the quality of life of immigrants in Greece and its relations to acculturation. This study explored the quality of life, psychological wellbeing and satisfaction with life among Albanian immigrants, Pontic Greeks in comparison to native Greeks. Furthermore, the relationship between quality of life, psychological wellbeing, satisfaction with life and acculturation of Albanian immigrants and Pontic Greeks was investigated. The study was based on 520 participants from broader area of Athens, 58.3% (303 people: 150 men and 153 women) native Greeks, 21.9% (114 people: 57 men and 57 women) Albanian immigrants and 19.8% (103 people: 50 men and 53 women) Pontic Greeks. Quality of life was measured by WHOQOL BREF-while wellbeing was measured with Satisfaction With Life Scale and The Affect Balance Scale. An adapted a version of Vancouver Index of Acculturation was used to assess acculturation of immigrants. The findings indicated three important factors contributed to quality of life and wellbeing of immigrants: ethnicity, heritage dimension of acculturation and gender. Albanian immigrants and Pontic Greeks scored lower on quality of life and satisfaction with life than native Greek.

Differential psychological effects of cognitive-behavioral stress management among breast cancer patients with high and low initial cancer-specific distress

ObjectiveCognitive-behavioral stress management (CBSM) improves adaptation to primary treatment for breast cancer (BCa), evidenced as reductions in distress and increases in positive affect. Because not all BCa patients may need psychosocial intervention, identifying those most likely to benefit is important. A secondary analysis of a previous randomized trial tested whether baseline level of cancer-specific distress moderated CBSM effects on adaptation over 12 months. We hypothesized that patients experiencing the greatest cancer-specific distress in the weeks after surgery would show the greatest CBSM-related effects on distress and affect. MethodsStages 0-III BCa patients (N = 240) were enrolled 2–8 weeks after surgery and randomized to either a 10-week group CBSM intervention or a 1-day psychoeducational (PE) control group. They completed the Impact of Event Scale (IES) and Affect Balance Scale (ABS) at study entry, and at 6- and 12- month follow-ups. ResultsLatent Growth Curve Modeling across the 12-month interval showed that CBSM interacted with initial cancer-related distress to influence distress and affect. Follow-up analyses showed that those with higher initial distress were significantly improved by CBSM compared to control treatment. No differential improvement in affect or intrusive thoughts occurred among low-distress women. ConclusionCBSM decreased negative affect and intrusive thoughts and increases positive affect among post-surgical BCa patients presenting with elevated cancer-specific distress after surgery, but did not show similar effects in women with low levels of cancer-specific distress. Identifying patients most in need of intervention in the period after surgery may optimize cost-effective cancer care.

Personality, coping strategies and emotional adjustment among Chinese cancer patients of different ages.

Literature has documented personality and coping strategies as valuable intrapersonal resources for cancer adjustment among Caucasians. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether these personal characteristics operate in a similar manner among cancer patients of different ages and cultural backgrounds. This study examined the association between personality traits and affects, their underlying mechanism (i.e. coping strategies) and how these relations differed by age among Chinese cancer survivors, an understudied population. A sample of 234 Chinese cancer survivors in Beijing, China completed the five factor inventory, affect balance scale, ways of coping checklist and medical and demographic information. The results indicated that neuroticism was associated with negative affect, which was explained by avoidance coping strategies. Extraversion and neuroticism were associated with positive affect, and these associations were explained by approach coping strategies. Conditional process (i.e. moderated mediation) analyses demonstrated that conscientiousness was more strongly related to positive affect directly and indirectly through approach coping strategies among older survivors than among younger survivors. The findings highlight the importance of personality traits for emotional adjustment to breast cancer and the critical role of approach coping strategies in explaining the linkage of personality to positive affect for survivors of different age.

Social Support and Psychological Well-being among Delinquents in Rehabilitation Centers in Malaysia

This paper demonstrate the relationship between social support and psychological well-being of 240 delinquents in six rehabilitation centers in Klang Valley and Melaka. 113 males and 127 females delinquents aged between 10-18 years old were involved in this study. Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) (Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet & Farley, 1988) and Affect Balance Scale (Bradburn, 1969) were used to assess respondents social support and psychological well- being. Findings showed that majority of the respondents exhibit high level of perceive social support and moderate level of psychological well-being. Further analysis showed that social support were found to have a significant correlation with psychological well-being.

A Comparative Study of Factors Associated with Relapse in Alcohol Dependence and Opioid Dependence.

Background:Alcohol and opiates are among the most addictive substances posing significant public health problems due to the biopsychosocial impact that they have on individuals. Research shows that majority of abstinent alcohol and/or opioid dependence subjects relapse within 1 year. It has also been estimated that 26–36 million people worldwide abuse opiates, with exceptionally high-relapse rates. The purpose of this study was to compare the sociodemographic factors and correlates relapse in alcohol dependence and opioid dependence.Methodology:This research uses a cross-sectional comparative study design with a sample size of 60 drawn from a population of clinically diagnosed patients of alcohol dependence (n = 30) or opioid dependence (n = 30) and seeking treatment for relapse. In addition to collecting sociodemographic data, other factors such as craving, affect, self-efficacy, and expressed emotions were measured using standardized instruments including brief substance craving scale, Bradburn affect balance scale, drug avoidance and self-efficacy scale and family emotional involvement, and conflict scale. The data were statistically analyzed.Results:Disparity in sociodemographic factors was seen in both the groups with opioid group being more likely to be single, unemployed, belonging to lower socioeconomic status, and having a criminal record (P = 0.025). Among factors associated with relapse, the opioid group scored significantly higher on craving, perceived criticism (P = 0.0001), and lower on self-efficacy (P = 0.016). Most common reason cited for relapse in both the groups was desire for positive mood.Conclusion:This study highlights the role of social determinants in drug dependence and relapse. Relapse was found to be a complex multifactorial phenomenon. Despite differences in presentation, somewhat similar relapse mechanisms were seen in both groups.

El autoconcepto y el bienestar subjetivo en función del sexo y del nivel educativo en la adolescencia

This study analyzes the relationships between self-concept and subjective well-being (satisfaction with life, positive affect, and negative affect). Participants were 1,250 students of secondary education (mean age=13.72, SD=1.09) randomly selected. Three assessment instruments were administered: the Dimensional Self-concept Questionnaire (AUDIM), the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWL), and the Affect-Balance Scale (ABS). The results indicated that adolescents with high self-concept showed significantly higher scores in satisfaction with life and positive affect and lower scores in negative affect. This pattern of results was the same for the total sample and for gender and educational level groups.