Carmelo Vazquez

Complutense University of Madrid | UCM · Department of Personality, Evaluation and Clinical Psychology

Motivated reasoning, by which individuals evaluate information in a biased way to support desired conclusions, is a widespread phenomenon and has primarily been investigated with ideological beliefs. However, the socio-psychological factors influencing opinion change during motivated reasoning tasks have received less attention. We explored motivat...

Introduction. Despite the theoretical overlap between conspiracy beliefs, paranoid beliefs, and conspiracy mentality, their distinctions remain unclear. This study explored these constructs and their clinical significance during the COVID-19 pandemic within a nationally representative sample (N=1497). Materials and Methods. Sociodemographic and psy...

Objective This meta-analysis reviewed the existing literature on attentional biases towards emotional stimuli measured with eye-tracking methodologies in individuals with chronic pain. Method Eighteen relevant studies (n = 1331 participants) were identified through three electronic databases: PubMed, PsycInfo, and Scopus. A multilevel random-effect...

General Audience Summary Global estimates of diseases and mental health problems are based on self-reported retrospective questionnaires on symptoms experienced in the last weeks, months, or even years. However, retrospective reports are prone to recall biases (RBs), which can be defined as the difference in accuracy between what we originally expe...

Introduction This study examines the effects of a Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program on psychological measures and attentional patterns to pain stimuli, using eye‐tracking methods, in individuals with chronic pain. Method Thirty‐two participants with chronic pain and no prior mindfulness experience were randomly assigned to an exper...

Objectives This study aimed to investigate the effects of two meditation-based programs, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT), in a brief and intensive format on various psychological variables in a group of healthy volunteer adults attending a retreat with a crossover design. Method Participants rece...

Reasoning biases are ubiquitous and may lead to errors in daily situations. Jumping to Conclusions (JTC) is the tendency to reach decisions based on scarce data. This study examines JTC in daily life and health-related scenarios, presenting primarily positive or negative information for decision-making. Two population-based surveys containing an ex...

Positive reappraisal strategies have been found to reduce negative affect following the recall of negative personal events. This study examined the restorative effect of two mood-repair instructions (self-compassion vs benefit-focused reappraisal) and a control condition with no instructions following a negative Mood Induction Procedure by using th...

Decreased levels of positive affect (PA) are a hallmark of depression. Current models propose as potential main mechanisms a dysfunctional use of emotion regulation (ER) strategies (i.e. dampening, positive rumination), and a maladaptive activation of pro-hedonic goals. However, the role of these mechanisms in PA in daily life remains understudied....

Introduction The main objective of the study will be to evaluate the effects of two widely used standardized mindfulness-based programs [Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT)], on epigenetic, neurobiological, psychological, and physiological variables. Methods The programs will be offered in an intensi...

Commonly identified patterns of psychological distress in response to adverse events are characterized by resilience (i.e., little to no distress), delayed (i.e., distress that increases over time), recovery (i.e., distress followed by a gradual decrease over time), and sustained (i.e., distress remaining stable over time). This study aimed to exam...

El protocolo de intervención para personas adultas expuestas a eventos altamente estresantes que se propone a continuación se basa un enfoque Cognitivo Conductual Positivo. La selección de técnicas y estrategias presentes en este modelo se realizó a través de la revisión bibliográfica de intervenciones existentes en trauma desde la Terapia Cognitiv...

Background and objectives: Although the benefits of Meditation-Based Programs are well documented, the mechanisms underlying these benefits have not been fully elucidated. Therefore, we examined whether: (1) formal training in mindfulness and compassion meditation modifies the distribution of attentional resources towards emotional information; an...

Introduction The main objective of the study will be to evaluate the effects of two widely used standardized mindfulness-based programs [Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT)], on epigenetic, neurobiological, psychological, and physiological variables. Methods The programs will be offered in an intensi...

Objective This study aims to study the effect of mindfulness-based program on the psychological, biomechanical and inflammatory domains of patients with chronic low back pain. Methods A multicentre randomized and controlled clinical trial of parallel groups in patients with chronic low back pain between March 2019 to March 2020. Participants with...

A substantial part of the research on the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions on mood regulation is conducted in the laboratory. Nevertheless, a systematic review of the results is lacking. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effects of mindfulness as an emotion regulation (ER) strategy when using mood induction procedures. A system...

Commonly identified trajectories of psychological distress in response to adverse events, like the COVID-19 pandemic, include Resilience, Delayed distress, Recovery and Sustained distress. The current study aimed to analyse these four distinct response patterns during the pandemic using network analysis. Anxiety and depression symptom data collecte...

Job loss is a stressful event that increases the risk of experiencing depression and anxiety, especially during the initial months of unemployment. This study examined differences in psychological symptoms and resilient functioning accounted by employment status. The results pointed out that recently unemployed compared to currently employed indivi...

Traditional factor analyses used to analyze the structure of psychological strengths have yielded different solutions, not always confirming the original structure of 24 strengths corresponding to six virtues as proposed by Peterson and Seligman in their initial model. In contrast with previous factorial approaches, this study used network analysis...

This study analyzed a predictive model of posttraumatic growth (PTG) in a cohort of 244 workers affected by an occupational accident. A longitudinal design with three points in time (i.e., 1, 6, and 12 months after the accident) was used. PTG, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), subjective severity of the event, deliberate rumi-nation, and seekin...

This is Supplementary information on the meta-analyzed studies in our paper Relations Between Emotion Regulation Strategies and Affect in Daily Life: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Studies Using Ecological Momentary Assessments (2022)

This study analyzed a predictive model of posttraumatic growth (PTG) in a cohort of 244 workers affected by an occupational accident. A longitudinal design with three points in time (i.e., one month, six months and twelve months after the accident) was used. PTG, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), subjective severity of the event, deliberate rum...

Emotion regulation (ER) is a central target in the study of psychological and neurobiological processes of emotions for numerous psychological disorders. Ecological momentary assessments, overcoming retrospective self-reports, allow a better understanding of the relation between the use of ER strategies and daily life affective experiences. A syste...

Paranoid ideas are the most common abnormal beliefs in the schizophrenia spectrum, are also prevalent in non-clinical populations, and are highly correlated with other mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and low levels of well-being. Two previous studies with the same British population sample used confirmatory factor analysis and ne...

Introduction Healthcare workers usually deal with several risk factors that make them prone to some psychological problems, such as anxiety, depression, burnout, or even PSTD. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this situation worsened, so many studies were conducted to highlight the impact of the pandemic on healthcare professionals’ mental health. Howe...

ANTECEDENTES: Los eventos estresantes pueden provocar consecuencias negativas para la salud mental. Las intervenciones preventivas son escasas y la mayoría se centra en reducir sintomatología. OBJETIVO: Desarrollar e implementar de manera piloto un protocolo de intervención breve para prevención de problemas de salud mental en personas expuestas a...

Background The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) are self-report measures of major depressive disorder and generalised anxiety disorder. The primary aim of this study was to test for differential item functioning (DIF) on the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 items based on age, sex (males and females), and country....

This paper serves to alert IJPDS readers to the availability of a major new longitudinal survey data resource, the COVID-19 Psychological Research Consortium (C19PRC) Study, which is being released for secondary use via the Open Science Framework. The C19PRC Study is a rich and detailed dataset that provides a convenient and valuable foundation fro...

Objectives This paper outlines fieldwork procedures for Wave 4 of the COVID‐19 Psychological Research Consortium (C19PRC) Study in the UK during November–December 2020. Methods Respondents provided data on socio‐political attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours, and mental health disorders (anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress). In Phase 1, ad...

As difficulties in managing the anticipation of situations is one of the characteristics of emotional problems, the study of regulatory strategies during anticipatory period anticipation is important. In the present study, attentional patterns during the anticipation period were studied. The ability of those attentional patterns to regulate mood af...

The aim of this study was to test a cognitive model of post-traumatic symptoms (PTS) and post-traumatic growth (PTG) during the confinement caused by the COVID-19 epidemic. It was hypothesised that the severity of PTS might be associated with ideas of suspiciousness and intolerance to uncertainty whereas PTG might be associated to beliefs of living...

This paper serves to alert IJPDS readers to the availability of a major new longitudinal survey data resource, the COVID-19 Psychological Research Consortium (C19PRC) Study, which is being released for secondary use via the Open Science Framework. The C19PRC Study is a rich and detailed dataset that provides a convenient and valuable foundation fro...

Objective: The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) are self-report measures of major depressive disorder and generalised anxiety disorder. The primary aim of this study was to test for differential item functioning (DIF) on the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 items based on age, sex (males and females), and country.M...

Background Negative interpretation bias is a potential risk factor for emotional disorders. In this study, we tested a clinically inspired 4-session online Cognitive Bias Modification-Interpretation (CBM-IClin) program to modify negative interpretation biases. Methods We randomized one hundred and twenty-one volunteer young adults (Mean age = 21.6...

Background Cognitive biases play an important role in the development and maintenance of emotional disorders, such as depression and anxiety. Novel procedures, known as Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM), aim to reduce these dysfunctional information processing modes. This study develops a brief clinically based online intervention programme to modi...

The Spatial-Numerical Association of Response Codes (SNARC) effect is characterised by a spatial cognitive representation of low numbers to the left side of space and high numbers to the right side of space. This effect has been found using a diversity of stimuli and experimental paradigms. However, the influence of emotional stimuli on this effect...

Background: The mental health impact of the COVID-19 crisis may differ from previously studied stressful events in terms of psychological reactions, specific risk factors, and symptom severity across geographic regions worldwide. Objective: To assess the impact of COVID-19 on a wide range of mental health symptoms, to identify relevant risk factors...

ABSTRACT Background: The mental health impact of the COVID-19 crisis may differ from previously studied stressful events in terms of psychological reactions, specific risk factors, and symptom severity across geographic regions worldwide.Objective: To assess the impact of COVID-19 on a wide range of mental health symptoms, to identify relevant risk...

Objectives The COVID‐19 Psychological Research Consortium (C19PRC) Study aims to assess the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic in the adult population in multiple countries. This paper describes the third wave of the UK survey (the ‘parent’ strand of the Consortium) during July‐August 2020. Methods Adults (N = 2025) who participated in the baseline a...

Research traditions on cognition and depression focus on relatively unconnected aspects of cognitive functioning. On one hand, the neuropsychological perspective has concentrated on cognitive control difficulties as a prominent feature of this condition. On the other hand, the clinical psychology perspective has focused on cognitive biases and repe...

Objectives We aimed to examine how a standardized compassion meditation program would induce changes in the patterns of interactions among psychological variables. Methods We conducted network analyses on psychological variables before and after 96 participants completed an 8-week Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) program. Results After the C...

Objectives: The COVID-19 Psychological Research Consortium (C19PRC) Study aims to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the adult population in multiple countries. This paper describes the design and execution of the fourth wave of the UK survey (the ‘parent’ strand of the Consortium) during November-December 2020. Methods: This survey prio...

Background: Cognitive biases seem to play an important role in the development and maintenance of emotional disorders such as depression and anxiety. Novel procedures, known as Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM), aim to reduce these dysfunctional information processing modes. This study develops a brief online intervention program to modify biased i...

Un análisis de los efectos iniciales psicológicos de la pandemia, en términos de síntomas y dificultades pero también en relación a los esquemas mentales que pueden tambalearse.

In the midst of the COVID–19 epidemic, Spain was one of the countries with the highest number of infections and a high mortality rate. The threat of the virus and consequences of the pandemic have a discernible impact on the mental health of citizens. This study aims to (a) evaluate the levels of anxiety, depression and well-being in a large Spanis...

Background. In the absence of a universal definition on resilience, it has been suggested that this is best conceptualised as healthy and stable functioning in the face of potentially traumatic events. However, most research on resilience and other patterns of response when facing adversity has focused on self-assessment of resilience in cross-sect...

Both hedonic and eudemonic components of well-being have been related to different variables such as mental and physical health, or social and economic factors. However, and despite the growing interest in the study of well-being, there is scarce evidence on the role that these components play in high cognitive processes such as attentional deploym...

A synthetic review of the concept and measurement of life satisfaction

Background : The general aim of the study was to examine the relative effectiveness and mediators of change in standardized mindfulness and compassion interventions. Methods : A sample of 431 participants enrolled in a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program (MBSR = 277) and a Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT = 154). The assessment before a...

Objectives: The COVID-19 Psychological Research Consortium (C19PRC) Study aims to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the adult population in multiple countries. This paper describes the execution of the third wave of the UK survey (the ‘parent’ strand of the Consortium) during July-August 2020. Methods: Adults (N=2025) who previously par...

Objectives The C19PRC study aims to assess the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic in the adult population of the UK, Republic of Ireland, and Spain. This paper describes the conduct of the first two waves of the UK survey (the “parent” strand of the Consortium) during March–April 2020. Methods A longitudinal, internet panel survey was designed to ass...

The C19PRC Study aims to assess the psychological, social, and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK, Republic of Ireland, and Spain. This paper describes the the first two waves of the UK survey (the ‘parent’ strand of the Consortium) during March-April 2020. A longitudinal, internet panel survey assessed: (1) COVID-19 related knowled...

Despite the influence of Beck’s cognitive models of depression, the presence and magnitude of the specific proposed cognitive biases have not been systematically investigated. After a systematic search in PsycInfo and PubMED, studies reporting self-reported outcomes on cognitive biases and depressive symptoms in depressed and/or healthy groups were...

In this article, Chris Brewin and colleagues draw on their experiences of managing the mental health consequences of major incidents, including in the case of pandemics, and highlight how responses in this area tend to be inadequately planned and funded.

Background and aims SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has spurred scientific production in diverse fields of knowledge, including mental health. Yet, the quality of current research may be challenged by the urgent need to provide immediate results to understand and alleviate the consequences of the pandemic. This study aims to examine compliance with basic metho...

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has spurred scientific production in diverse fieldsof knowledge, including mental health. Yet, the quality of current research may bechallenged by the urgent need to provide immediate results to understand and alleviatethe consequences of the pandemic. This systematic review aims to examine compliancewith basic metho...

Although positive psychology interventions increase well-being and reduce depression, little is known about whether they facilitate a reorganization of the connections between psychological elements. We used Network Analysis (NA) to explore the topography of changes in psychological elements after a Positive Psychology Intervention (PPI) and a Cogn...

Objectives To efficiently handle the continuous flow of information to which the attentional system is exposed, humans are equipped with filters like the attentional blink (i.e., a failure to detect a second target when it is presented between 200 and 500 ms after the first one). The aim of this study was to examine whether the practice of two stan...

Psychological adjustment in Spain during the COVID-19 pandemic: Positive and negative mental health outcomes in the general population

Background: Cognitive biases seem to play an important role in the development and maintenance of emotional disorders such as depression and anxiety. Novel procedures, known as Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM), aim to reduce these dysfunctional information processing modes. This study aims to develop a brief online intervention program to modify b...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01935.].

Objectives Retreats are a usual component of mindfulness practice. There is robust evidence in favor of their beneficial effects on mental health and mood regulation. Yet, there is much less evidence on changes in key psychological mechanisms associated with retreats. During retreats, participants engage in intensive meditation practices focused on...

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 re...

If the brain is a complex network of functionally specialized areas, it might be expected that mental representations could also behave in a similar way. We propose the concept of ‘psychonectome’ to formalize the idea of psychological constructs forming a dynamic network of mutually dependent elements. As a proof-of-concept of the psychonectome, ne...

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 Positi...

In recent decades, the validity of categorical diagnostic systems, like the DSM or the ICD, has been seriously questioned. Network analysis (NA), which conceives of psychological problems simply as chains of causally related symptoms and not as emerging elements of a latent disorder or illness, has been proposed as a conceptual alternative to those...

Background: Network analysis (NA) is an analytical tool that allows one to explore the map of connections and eventual dynamic influences among symptoms and other elements of mental disorders. In recent years, the use of NA in psychopathology has rapidly grown, which calls for a systematic and critical analysis of its clinical utility. Methods: Fol...

Objective: Occupational accidents are highly stressful events that frequently occur and impact both the physical and mental health of workers. The aim of this study was to longitudinally assess a predictive model of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in workers who have suffered a recent accident. Method: Two hundred and forty-four workers (77...