Person:
Chaves Vélez, Covadonga

First Name

Covadonga

Last Name

Chaves Vélez

Faculty

Educación y Psicología

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Now showing 1 - 7 of 7

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on perinatal mental health in Spain: Positive and negative outcomes.
(Women and Birth, 2022) Chaves Vélez, Covadonga; Marchena Giráldez, Carlos Alberto; Palacios, Beatriz; Salgado, Alfonso; Duque, Almudena
Background Previous studies have shown that perinatal distress has a negative influence on pregnancy outcome and the physiological development of the baby. Objective The aim of this study was to describe the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal perinatal mental health in Spain. Methods Seven hundred and twenty-four women (N = 450 pregnancy, N = 274 postpartum) were recruited online during the pandemic. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and the Satisfaction With Life Scale were administered. Variables related to sociodemographic information, the COVID-19 pandemic, and perinatal care were also assessed. Findings The results showed that 58% of women reported depressive symptoms. Moreover, 51% of women reported anxiety symptoms. On the other hand, a regression analysis for life satisfaction showed that besides the perception about their own health, marital status or being a health practitioner were also significant predictors during pregnancy. However, perception about baby’s health and sleep, perception about their own health, and marital status were significant predictors of life satisfaction during the postpartum stage. Discussion Women assessed during the COVID-19 pandemic reported high rates of psychological distress. Conclusion These results highlight the need of clinical support during this period. Knowing the routes to both distress and well-being may help maternity services to effectively cope with the pandemic.
Comparing the acceptability of a positive psychology intervention versus a cognitive-behavioral therapy for clinical depression.
(Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 2017) López Gómez, Irene; Chaves Vélez, Covadonga; Hervás, Gonzalo; Vázquez, Carmelo
There is growing evidence on the efficacy of positive psychology interventions (PPI) to treat clinical disorders. However, very few studies have addressed their acceptability. The present study aimed to analyze two key components of acceptability (i.e., client satisfaction and adherence to treatment) of a new PPI programme, the Integrative Positive Psychological Intervention for Depression (IPPI-D), in comparison to a standard CBT programme in the treatment of clinical depression. One hundred twenty-eight women with a DSM-IV diagnosis of major depression or dysthymia were allocated to a 10-session IPPI-D or CBT group intervention condition. Results showed that both interventions were highly acceptable for participants. Attendance rates were high and there were no significant differences between conditions. However, the IPPI-D condition showed significantly higher client satisfaction than the CBT condition. Moreover, acceptability did not differ based on participants’ severity of symptoms, regardless of condition. These findings encourage further investigations of the applicability of PPI in clinical settings in order to broaden the range of acceptable and suitable therapies for depressed patients.
Predicting optimal interventions for clinical depression: moderators of outcomes in a positive psychological intervention vs. cognitive-behavioral therapy.
(General Hospital Psychiatry, 2019) López Gómez, Irene; Luaces, Lorenzo; Chaves Vélez, Covadonga; Hervas, Gonzalo; DeRubeis, Robert J.; Vázquez, Carmelo
Identifying differences in the clinical response to specific interventions is an important challenge in the field of Clinical Psychology. This is especially true in the treatment of depression where many treatments appear to have comparable outcomes. In a controlled trial, we compared a positive psychology group intervention, the Integrative Positive Psychological Intervention for Depression (IPPI-D; n = 62) to a cognitive-behavioral therapy group intervention (CBT; n = 66) for depression. No statistically or clinically-significant differences between the treatments were found, but a slight advantage was observed, on average, for IPPI-D. The aim of the present study was to identify and combine moderators of the differential efficacy of these two psychological interventions for clinical depression. For this purpose, a secondary analysis using the Personalized Advantage Index (PAI) was performed to identify the intervention predicted to produce the better outcome for each patient. Six of the 21 potential moderators were found to predict differential efficacy between the treatments. IPPI-D was predicted to be the optimal treatment for 73% of the sample. Baseline features that characterized these individuals were: mental and physical comorbidity, prior antidepressant medication, higher levels of negative thoughts, and higher personal growth. The 27% who were predicted to achieve better outcomes in CBT than in IPPI-D tended to have these baseline features: no comorbidities, no prior antidepressant medication, lower levels of negative thoughts, and lower personal growth.
Perinatal Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study.
(Clínica y Salud, 2023) Chaves Vélez, Covadonga; Mezei, Ioana; Marchena Giráldez, Carlos Alberto; Duque, Almudena
Few studies have shown the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on new mothers’ health, but the long-term consequences of the crisis are yet unknown. This study aimed at evaluating the changes experienced in perinatal mental health 6 months after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. Women (n = 176, average age = 33.80) were recruited during the pandemic. Participants completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the Satisfaction With Life Scale and Positive, and the Negative Affect Schedule. Results showed a decrease in depressive symptoms, t(174) = 2.58, p = .01, d = 0.02, whereas anxiety symptoms remained high, t(174) = 1.31, p = .19. In terms of psychological well-being, the results showed a decrease in life satisfaction, t(175) = 2.58, p = .011, d = 0.16, and negative affect, t(175) = 3.15, p = .002, d = 0.26, and an increase in positive affect, t(175) = -4.45, p < .001, d = 0.35. This study is expected to shed light on the design of future interventions aimed at the prevention of symptoms and to enhance life satisfaction during the perinatal stage.
The Integrative Positive Psychological Intervention for Depression (IPPI-D).
(Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 2019) Chaves Vélez, Covadonga; López Gómez, Irene; Hervas, Gonzalo; Vázquez, Carmelo
Despite the variety of empirically supported treatments for depression, many available evidence-based treatments do not satisfactorily promote or maintain clinically significant changes in patients. Moreover, treatments for depression have been primarily focused on reducing patients' symptoms or deficits and less concerned with building positive resources that seem to be of interest to depressed individuals. This paper describes a manualized protocol of a new empirically-validated positive psychological intervention for depression, which incorporates a balance between hedonic and eudaimonic components and a combination of in-session exercises and homework. The protocol is a 10-session program, in a group format, and includes interventions that have been shown to be effective in increasing well-being or alleviating depressive symptoms. The rationale for developing this protocol, the underlying theoretical framework and some general guidelines for its application are presented. Furthermore, the implications of this protocol are discussed, demonstrating how it overcomes some of the limitations of current, evidence-based psychological treatments for depression.
The impact of economic recessions on depression and individual and social well-being: The case of Spain (European Social Surveys 2006 and 2013).
(Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2018) Chaves Vélez, Covadonga; Castellanos, Tamara; Abrams, Matthew; Vázquez, Carmelo
Purpose. Although there is abundant evidence about their impact of economic crises on depression and other mental health problems, little is known about the protective role of variables linked to positive functioning (i.e., psychological well-being). Methods. We analyzed data from Spain, one of the European countries most affected by the 2008-2013 economic recession, collected in Round 3 (R3, 2006) and Round 6 (R6, 2013) of the European Social Survey interviews. Both surveys included measures of psychological well-being, social well-being and depression. Both samples were nationally representative of the general population (R3: 1877 participants, 49.2% men; R6: 1889 participants, 48.9% men). Results. Data from the R6 survey showed that, compared to data gathered in R3 (i.e., before the onset of the recession), Spanish citizens showed significantly less life satisfaction (95% CIs .37 to .63), less personal optimism (95% CIs .03 to .15), less social optimism (95% CIs .75 to .85), and higher levels of depressive symptoms (95% CIs -.74 to -.19). Structural equation modeling revealed that protective factors for depression changed in both rounds. In R3 (2006), social optimism and social trust were significant mediators between well-being and depression. Yet, both buffering variables were no longer significant in R6 (2013). In R6, psychological well-being was directly related to depression with no further mediation. Conclusions. Economic crises are associated with a significant increase of depressive symptoms. Furthermore, financial crises seem to have a corrosive impact on mental health by reducing the buffering effects of positive beliefs regarding the good nature of society.
CBT and positive psychology interventions for clinical depression promote healthy attentional biases: an eye-tracking study.
(Depression and Anxiety, 2018) Vázquez, Carmelo; Duque, Almudena; Blanco, Iván; Pascual, Teodoro; Poyato, Natalia; López Gómez, Irene; Chaves Vélez, Covadonga
Background: Although there is a growing interest in the role of attentional biases in depression, there are no studies assessing changes in these biases after psychotherapeutic interventions. Methods: We used a validated eye-tracking procedure to assess pre–post therapy changes in attentional biases toward emotional information (i.e., happy, sad, and angry faces) when presented with neutral information (i.e., neutral faces). The sample consisted of 75 participants with major depression or dysthymia. Participants were blindly assigned to one of two 10 weekly sessions of group therapy: a cognitive behavior therapy intervention (N = 41) and a positive psychology intervention (N = 34). Results: Both treatments were equally efficacious in improving depressive symptoms (p = .0001, 𝜂�2 = .68). A significant change in attentional performance after therapy was observed irrespective of the intervention modality. Comparison of pre–post attentional measures revealed a significant reduction in the total time of fixations (TTF) looking at negative information (i.e., sad and angry faces) and a significant increase in the TTF looking at positive information (i.e., happy faces)—all p < .02. Conclusions: Findings reveal for the first time that psychotherapeutic interventions are associated with a significant change in attentional biases as assessed by a direct measure of attention. Furthermore, these changes seem to operate in the same direction typically found in healthy populations (i.e., a bias away from negative information and a parallel bias toward positive information). These findings illustrate the importance of considering attentional biases as clinical markers of depression and suggest the viability of modifying these biases as a potential tool for clinical change.