Luis Albiol

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Papers by Luis Albiol

Mujeres violentas y/o delincuentes: una visión desde la perspectiva biopsicosocial

Anales de Psicología, 2015

Violence and/or delinquency in women have been masked to some extent by society. Thus, the main g... more Violence and/or delinquency in women have been masked to some extent by society. Thus, the main goal of this work is to deeply analyse the published works on these matters, in order to understand this phenomenon from a neurobiological perspective. Firstly, the theory of the cycle of violence as a facilitating mechanism of violence in women will be analysed, with a special emphasis on neuroanatomical correlates. Subsequently, the relation between drug consumption and violence in women will be explained. Finally, the main biological correlates known as facilitating mechanisms of violence in women will be exhaustively described. The main risk factors for the facilitation of violence and/or delinquency in women are mistreatment experiences during childhood and drug consumption. Furthermore, high levels of cortisol and testosterone and low levels of serotonin and oxytocin would be correlates of that violence. On the other hand, two types of aggressors have been described according to the...

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Lower Cardiovascular Reactivity to Acute Stress in Informal Caregivers of People with Autism Spectrum Disorder than in Non-Caregivers: Implications for Health Outcomes

International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology, Jan 27, 2015

Caring for offspring with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with chronic stress. Such ... more Caring for offspring with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with chronic stress. Such a situation could alter body homeostasis, and in turn, physiological systems associated with the stress response and health, such as the autonomic nervous system. The primary aim of the present study was to compare the cardiovascular response to a set of mental tasks in parents of people with (n=34) and without (n=36) ASD. The secondary aim was to explore a potential relationship between cardiovascular response and self-reported health. Caregivers had lower sympathetic activity than non-caregivers, especially during the acute stress period. Higher sympathetic activity was related to more self-reported somatic symptoms in caregivers. Further, caregivers were found to have lower sympathetic reactivity to the stressor, probably due to an adaptation mechanism. Such adaptation could be extremely important for protecting the health of caregivers.

The Impact of Exercise on Hormones Is Related to Autonomic Reactivity to a Mental Task

International Journal of Stress Management, 2001

This study examined the effects of an acute physical stressor on salivary testosterone (Tsal) and... more This study examined the effects of an acute physical stressor on salivary testosterone (Tsal) and cortisol (Csal) and their relationship with the autonomic responsiveness to a mental task in fit young men (n = 30). Salivary testosterone (Tsal) and cortisol (Csal) levels were determined before and after a maximal bicycle exercise. Heart rate (HR) and skin conductance levels (SCL) were continuously recorded before, during, and after a Stroop task. Tsal and Csal levels diminished while HR and SCL increased in response to stressors in all the sample. When subjects were distributed in function of their endocrine response to the physical stressor, high Tsal responders showed higher HR reactivity than low responders, and high Csal responders showed higher SCL reactivity and lower reaction time in the Stroop task. These results show that the influence of an acute physical stressor on hormones is associated with the autonomic responses to a mental task.

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Job Satisfaction and Cortisol Awakening Response in Teachers Scoring high and low on Burnout

The Spanish journal of psychology, 2010

The burnout syndrome is an important psychosocial risk in the job context, especially in professi... more The burnout syndrome is an important psychosocial risk in the job context, especially in professions with a strong social interaction, as in the case of teaching. High levels of burnout have been related to negative psychological indicators and hormonal alterations. This study compares job satisfaction and the cortisol awakening response (CAR) in teachers scoring high (HB) and low (LB) on burnout. HB teachers showed lower job satisfaction and no significant differences in the CAR when compared with the LB group. The results of the study suggest a general dissatisfaction with work along with a different functioning of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis in HB teachers. Although non significantly, they showed a lower magnitude of the CAR than LB teachers. When considering the whole sample, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization correlated negatively and personal accomplishment positively with each subscale of the job satisfaction questionnaire whereas cortisol levels or ...

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Effects of Chronic Treatment with Testosterone Propionate on Aggression and Hormonal Levels in Intact Male Mice

Psychoneuroendocrinology, 1998

Effects of testosterone propionate, an anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS), on aggression in gonada... more Effects of testosterone propionate, an anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS), on aggression in gonadally intact male mice were examined. Animals were given weekly injections of 3.75, 7.5, 15, and 30 mg/kg of drug or sesame oil for 10 weeks. During the last 3 weeks, behavioral tests were conducted and at the end of the experiment, body, liver and testes weight and hormonal data were collected. The treatment had minimal behavioral and endocrine effects. It resulted in shorter latencies of 'threat' only in the last agonistic encounter, increases in testosterone levels and decreases in testes weight in a non-linear dose-dependant way. The action of the treatment was different on threat and attack, the latter being unaffected. The behavioral effects in the total sample were only found in aggressive animals selected on the basis of their latency of attack in the first encounter.

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Self-reported health and cortisol awakening response in parents of people with asperger syndrome: The role of trait anger and anxiety, coping and burden

Psychology & Health, 2013

Caring for offspring with autism spectrum disorders entails high levels of stress for a long peri... more Caring for offspring with autism spectrum disorders entails high levels of stress for a long period of time and is associated with several types of health complaints. Few studies have focused on specific effects of particular disorders in the spectrum. This study was carried out with the aim of evaluating the global health of parents of people with Asperger syndrome (N = 53) compared to those of typically developing children (N = 54) through self-reported measures (medication consumption and somatic symptoms) and biological markers (cortisol awakening response [CAR]). Additionally, we analysed various psychological variables as potential predictors of caregiver health. We found that caregivers take more medication and have worse self-reported health than controls, but there were no significant differences in CAR between the groups. However, after controlling for negative affect, differences between groups in CAR reached significance. With regards to predictor variables, anxiety trait, cognitive-coping style, burden and anger temperament were significantly associated with caregiver&#39;s self-reported health. These findings underline the need to develop interventions that foster improvements in the health of caregivers, reduce their burden and enhance their quality of life.

Skin conductance rises in preparation and recovery to psychosocial stress and its relationship with impulsivity and testosterone in intimate partner violence perpetrators

International Journal of Psychophysiology, 2013

Intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators were categorized into 2 groups using Gottman et al.'... more Intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators were categorized into 2 groups using Gottman et al.'s (1995) typology depending on their skin conductance (SC) reactivity to stress. Overall, type I perpetrators tend to show autonomic underarousal, whereas type II perpetrators present a preparatory hyperreactivity to confront stress. Moreover, impulsivity traits and testosterone (T) levels may modulate SC responses to increase the risk of proneness to violence. In this study, SC response to stress was assessed by comparing IPV perpetrators with non-violent controls while performing a modified version of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Subjects with a history of IPV demonstrated higher non-specific SC responses during the recovery period than the non-violent controls. Nonetheless, there were no differences between groups in the case of mean SC levels. Furthermore, impulsivity and baseline T levels were associated with higher SC level reactivity during a preparation period only in IPV perpetrators, with both relationships being mediated by anger expression. Our results confirm that the IPV perpetrators correspond physiologically to type II and support the validity of SC as a diagnostic indicator for IPV classification. Our findings contribute to the development of effective treatment and prevention programs that could benefit from the use of biological indicators for analyzing the risk of recidivism in IPV perpetrators.

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Psychophysiological responses to the Stroop Task after a maximal cycle ergometry in elite sportsmen and physically active subjects

International Journal of Psychophysiology, 2001

Physical fitness moderates the psychophysiological responses to stress. This study attempts to de... more Physical fitness moderates the psychophysiological responses to stress. This study attempts to determine whether the degree of fitness could affect the response to physical and psychological stress after comparing two groups of men with good physical fitness. Saliva samples from 18 elite sportsmen, and 11 physically active subjects were collected to determine hormonal levels after carrying out a maximal cycle ergometry. Heart rate and skin conductance level were continuously recorded before, during, and after a modified version of the Stroop Color-Word Task. With similar scores in trait anxiety and mood, elite sportsmen had lower basal salivary testosterone, testosteronercortisol ratio, and HR before an ergometric session than physically active subjects, but no differences were found in salivary cortisol and blood pressure. Salivary testosterone and cortisol responses were lower and testosteronercortisol ratio responses higher in elite sportsmen. During the Stroop Task, elite subjects showed lower heart rate and skin conductance level over the entire measurement period, and greater heart rate recovery with respect to the baseline values than physically active subjects. The effects of two standardised laboratory stressors on a set of psychophysiological variables were different when elite sportsmen and physically active subjects were compared.

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Psychophysiological responses to cooperation: The role of outcome and gender

International Journal of Psychology, 2013

I nstances of sustained cooperative behaviour in humans can be considered as an adaptive strategy... more I nstances of sustained cooperative behaviour in humans can be considered as an adaptive strategy that enhances the probability of reaching a goal. This study investigates psychophysiological responses to cooperation in healthy subjects, while considering outcome and gender as potential moderators of these responses. Salivary cortisol levels (Csal), heart rate (HR), skin conductance level (SCL), nonspecific skin conductance responses (NSRs), and mood states were measured at different points before, during and after a Lego house-building task in undergraduate men (n ¼ 22) and women (n ¼ 20). Once the task was finished, the experimenter informed the participants about the outcome obtained (positive or negative). Cooperation produces an increase in HR, SCL, and NSR responses. When the outcome is positive it produces a gradual diminution in Csal levels, but when the outcome is negative there is a significant increase in Csal levels after the task followed by a progressive decrease. Men with positive outcomes showed a lower area under curve (AUC) in Csal than women with a negative outcome. Men had more NSR responses in all periods other than the rest period. Several mood states are differently affected by the combined effect of outcome and gender. Our laboratory results can be generalized to other situations in which negotiation, mediation, and cooperative strategies are relevant for taking decisions and/or solving problems.

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P03-425 - Electrodermal activity in response to a set of mental tasks in caregivers of persons with autism spectrum disorders

European Psychiatry, 2011

IntroductionAnalysing reactivity to laboratory stressor in lab is a valid model for understanding... more IntroductionAnalysing reactivity to laboratory stressor in lab is a valid model for understanding how people act in real-life situations. Electrodermal activity is a good index of emotionality, which has not been analysed in caregivers of persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs).Objectives and aimsThis work aims to compare the response of electrodermal activity to mental stress between caregivers of ASDs people and controls, as the former could show a different response due to their particular situation characterised by a state of continuous alert.MethodsParents of both genders of people with (n = 44) or without (n = 42) ASDs carried out a set of different mental tasks. Skin Conductance Level (SCL) was continuously registered before, during, and after the tasks. Skin Conductance Responses (SCR) were obtained from SCL levels using Acqknowledge software.ResultsFor SCL, a significant effect of “gender” and of “period x group” and “period x group x gender” interactions was observed...

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P03-410 - Immunological and psychological responses to psychosocial stress in caregivers of autistic offspring

European Psychiatry, 2011

IntroductionCaregivers of relatives with chronic diseases has shown lower rest levels of immunogl... more IntroductionCaregivers of relatives with chronic diseases has shown lower rest levels of immunoglobulin A than non-caregivers (Gallagher et al., 2008). In response to mental stress, IgA levels used to be increased in healthy population (Okamura et al. 2010). Scarce studies have been focused on immunological effects of caregiving in response to stress, and the results are controversial. To our knowledge, there are no studies stressing this field in chronically stressed populations such as caregivers of autistic offspring.Objectives and aimsEvaluate whether caregivers present different psychosocial and immunological responses to acute stress than non-caregivers, as well as what is the role of gender in these responses.Methods38 caregivers of persons with autism and 35 non-caregivers were exposed to a psychosocial laboratory stress. IgA levels were measured before, during and after a set of several mental tasks, while the state of mood was evaluated before and after the stressors.Resul...

Lack of Effects of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids on Locomotor Activity in Intact Male Mice

Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1999

Anabolic-androgenic steroid abusers have reported hyperactivity euphoria, and decreased fatigue, ... more Anabolic-androgenic steroid abusers have reported hyperactivity euphoria, and decreased fatigue, among other behavioral effects. It has been suggested that the effects of these substances on the central nervous system are similar to those of psychostimulants; however, the influence of steroids on general locomotor activity in laboratory animals is not well understood, especially how noncastrated male rodents are affected. In this study, spontaneous locomotor activity displayed by gonadally intact male mice submitted to several experimental conditions was analyzed. Different housing conditions (individual or cohabiting with a female), diverse steroids (testosterone propionate, nandrolone decanoate, and a mixture of both steroids) and single or repeated injections were employed. At 24 hours after the injection (after the three last injections in the case of chronic treatment) spontaneous locomotor activity was registered on an activity recorder for one 15-min. period. No effects due t...

Social Skills and Psychological Disorders: Converging and Criterion-Related Validity for YSR and IHSA-Del-Prette in Adolescents at Risk

Universitas Psychologica, 2011

This study evaluated indexes of converging and criterion-related validity for the Social Skills I... more This study evaluated indexes of converging and criterion-related validity for the Social Skills Inventory for Adolescents (IHSA-Del-Prette) and the Youth Self-Report (YSR) in two samples: one referring to clinical service (CLIN), with 28 adolescents (64.3% boys), 11 through 17 years old (M = 13.75; SD = 1.74), and the other referring to a psycho-educational program (PME = 46.2%), mainly composed of boys (91.7%) aged 13 through 17 (M = 15.33; SD = 1.47). Both samples completed the two inventories. Results showed a high incidence of psychological disorders in both samples (between 4% and 79% in the borderline or clinical range on YSR scales) and accentuated deficits in the general and subscale scores of IHSA-Del-Prette, especially on the frequency scale (25% to 58%). The correlations between the instruments in the two groups supported criterion-related and converging validity. Some issues concerning the differences between the samples and about the construct of social competence, unde...

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Disminución del cortisol y mejora del estado de ánimo tras un programa psicoeducativo en cuidadores informales de personas con trastorno de la conducta alimentaria (TCA): un estudio preliminar

El cuidado de un familiar con un trastorno de la conducta alimentaria (TCA) repercute negativamen... more El cuidado de un familiar con un trastorno de la conducta alimentaria (TCA) repercute negativamente en el cuidador, aumentando su percepcion de estres y deteriorando su calidad de vida. Los cuidadores informales de personas con TCA presentan mayores indices de ansiedad y depresion, y un peor estado de salud general. Se analizo la efectividad de un programa de intervencion psicoeducativo en esta poblacion, formado por 12 sesiones repartidas en 6 meses, y orientado a la reduccion del estres, la ansiedad y el estado de animo negativo. Se evaluaron los niveles de cortisol vespertino como marcador biologico de percepcion de estres, y la ansiedad y el estado de animo, antes y despues de 3 sesiones del programa de intervencion (pre-intervencion, intermedia y post-intervencion). Los resultados indicaron una mejora significativa del estado de animo y la ansiedad al finalizar el programa. Ademas, hubo una reduccion de los niveles de cortisol vespertino en cada una de las sesiones evaluadas. E...

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Is Low Empathy a Reason to Refuse to Cooperate with Strangers

Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 2017

A previous study analyzed how being forced to cooperate or compete without contemplates participa... more A previous study analyzed how being forced to cooperate or compete without contemplates participants’ preferences or skills between strangers in a face-to-face same-gender dyad affects their salivary cortisol (Csal) or stress response to a laboratory task. Moreover, during the tasks participants were not allowed to talk, they should communicate with facial expressions. This research demonstrated that cooperation is more stressful (high salivary cortisol levels) than competition. Nevertheless, it was not explored how empathy and cooperativeness explain participants’ Csal response. Hence, this study aims to analyze how these socio-cognitive variables predict Csal response to a cooperative and a competitive task. Participants were 115 healthy young adults (mean age of 20 years, 51% females). Csal was measured in 5-point times (before and after the task). The results point out that being forced to cooperate with strangers was stressful for those individuals with low empathy and cooperat...

Psychosocial Intervention estational surrogacy : Psychosocial aspects icolás

Innovation in assisted reproductive technologies together with increased infertility and new fami... more Innovation in assisted reproductive technologies together with increased infertility and new family structures are increasing the use of gestational surrogacy as a means to have children. Before, during and after the process, it is necessary to study the psychosocial characteristics of triad members: the gestational surrogate, intended parents, and offspring. Research has indicated positive adaptation to the process and benefits for all members of the triad. Altruism is the main motivation of surrogates. Notably, psychological well-being has been found to be higher in individuals who have become parents through surrogacy than in those who have used egg donation or have followed a natural process of conception. Moreover, no differences in psychosocial characteristics have been observed in the offspring, compared with children born through natural conception or egg donation. Results highlight the positive aspects of surrogacy. Future research should investigate psychosocial factors th...

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[The genetics of human violence]

Revista de neurologia, 2010

INTRODUCTION In the last decade a great amount of progress has been made in the field of the neur... more INTRODUCTION In the last decade a great amount of progress has been made in the field of the neurobehavioural genetics of aggression and violence. AIM To analyse and summarise the main genetic influences related with these behaviours in human beings. DEVELOPMENT The importance of genetic factors in the variation of aggressive behaviour in children, teenagers and adults is highlighted. The genetic and environmental origins of stability in the development of aggressive behaviour are then discussed. The article concludes by reporting on several studies focused on the search for aggressiveness genes. CONCLUSIONS Although considerable progress has been made in our understanding of the role played by genes in aggressive, violent and antisocial behaviour, as well as the interaction between genetic and environmental factors, today the exact mechanisms by which genetic factors contribute to these behaviours are still not fully understood. Genetic aspects probably influence biological factors...

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Estudio de la respuesta psicofisiológica a estresores de laboratorio en deportistas

Efectos del ejercicio físico agudo sobre las respuestas psicofisiológicas y sobre la ansiedad 88 ... more Efectos del ejercicio físico agudo sobre las respuestas psicofisiológicas y sobre la ansiedad 88 3.2.2. Entrenamiento y condición física. Fatiga crónica o síndrome de sobreentrenamiento 93 3.2.3. Indicadores hormonales de la adaptación al esfuerzo físico y de la respuesta al estrés 99 3.2.3. l.Testosterona índice 6. CARACTERÍSTICAS DESCRIPTIVAS Y RESPUESTA PSICOLÓGICA, HORMONAL Y ELECTROFISIOLÓGICA EN DEPORTISTAS 6.1. Características psicológicas 6.2. Características antropométricas y cardiovasculares 6.3. Niveles hormonales básales 6.4. Medidas en la ergometría 6.4

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Mejora De La Empatía Cognitiva y El Bienestar Psicológico en Estudiantes De Psicología Tras Una Intervención en Mindfulness

Los psicoterapeutas eficaces se caracterizan por su capacidad para empatizar y no dejarse arrastr... more Los psicoterapeutas eficaces se caracterizan por su capacidad para empatizar y no dejarse arrastrar por el sufrimiento ajeno. En los ultimos anos, el mindfulness se esta convirtiendo en una herramienta ampliamente estudiada por sus beneficios en la salud fisica y psicologica, entre los cuales se encuentra la mejora de las relaciones interpersonales. El objetivo de esta investigacion es contribuir a la busqueda de estrategias que permitan mejorar la formacion de los estudiantes de Psicologia, mediante el desarrollo de competencias personales que favorezcan su practica profesional. Para ello, se analiza el efecto de un programa de entrenamiento en mindfulness sobre la empatia y el bienestar psicologico en un grupo de estudiantes de Psicologia. Se ha utilizado un diseno longitudinal de tipo cuasi experimental de comparacion de grupos, con medidas antes y despues de la intervencion. Los resultados muestran un incremento en la empatia cognitiva y el bienestar psicologico de los participa...