Laura Hernández-Guzmán

• Ph. D.
• Principal Investigator at National Autonomous University of Mexico

Students’ attributions of their grades may affect their academic performance. However, lack of evidence supporting the validity and reliability of the instruments measuring attribution is a major concern. Objective: To analyze the factor structure, convergent validity and reliability of the Academic Attributional Style Questionnaire adapted to Mexi...

This study validated in a Mexican sample (n= 987) a widely used measure of the anger that emerges while operating a motor vehicle, the Driving Anger Scale (DAS). As a result, the confirmatory factor analysis showed the original six factor structure of the DAS (33 items) did not fit the data. Exploratory factor analyses yielded five valid factors (1...

Given the relevance of affect in pathways between normal and pathological development, the need to measure it more accurately is clear, especially in children. This study aimed to test the 2-factor structure of an 8-item computerized version of the Positive and Negative Affect Scale for Children (panas-C8-I), measurement invariance across gender, i...

The purpose of this research was to contrast the categorial and dimensional approaches within the eating disorders area. Research on the eating problems categorical model reveals vast evidence against its validity: excessive comorbidity, inadequate coverage, diagnostic migration, residual categories, false positives and negatives, etc. The dimensio...

This study assessed and validated in a Mexican sample (n = 987) the Driving Anger Expression Inventory (DAX), a measure of how people express their anger on the road. As a result, confirmatory factor analysis revealed the DAX original four-factor structure did not fit the Mexican sample. Exploratory factor analyses yielded a valid, six-factor solut...

Objective. The aims of this research were to test the unidimensional model of the Emotional Dysregulation Scale, short form (EDS-short), for children and adolescents, to examine its invariance across sex and age, and to investigate its convergent validity. Method. By intentional sampling, 407 and 546 young people answered the EDS-short and the Nega...

Background: High trait anger is usually destructive for individuals and their relationships. This proneness to anger is reflected in frequent angry feelings, for longer periods of time, and with higher levels of physical arousal and negative expressions (e.g., insulting or arguing with others). Unfortunately, not all individuals with high trait ang...

Objective: To investigate the validity and internal consistency of the Mexican version of the CBCL/1.5 -5 that assesses the most common psychopathology in pre-school children in clinical and epidemiological settings. Patients and method: A total of 438 parents from two groups, clinical-psychiatric (N= 62) and community (N= 376) completed the CBC...

The purpose of this research was to study the potential association between the constructs body dissatisfaction, self-esteem and depression in girls with obesity. Participants were 231 preadolescents aged 10 to 13 years from Mexico City, who were ranked into the Obesity, Overweight and Normal Weight groups for the first analysis, and into four grou...

Few studies have analyzed theoretical model of depression through the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) in Spanish-speaking adolescents. This research had two aims: 1) to know the fit of two BDI-II factor models in community Mexican adolescents, the one-dimension model and the Beck et al. (1996)'s original model posing the Cognitive-Affective a...

This research had two goals: (1) it tested hypotheses of the State-Trait Model of anger, and (2) it explored characteristics that may distinguish individuals with high trait anger who recognize problems with their anger from those who do not recognize anger problems. Regarding the first goal, findings supported three hypotheses tested. In particula...

The aim was to develop a reliable, valid measure of angry thinking for use with Mexican adults. Exploratory factor analysis in a sample of university students (n = 757) yielded three factors: (a) 10 items involved self-instructions for anger control (e.g., I think to solve the problem); (b) five items tapped highly negative, denigrating, pejorative...

This research adapted the Multicultural Latin American Inventory of Anger Expression and Hostility (ML-STAXI; Moscoso & Spielberger, 1999; Moscoso, 2000) to Mexican youth of high school level. Sample A (n = 478, Mage = 16.09, SD = 0.91) revealed nine factors in exploratory factor analyses. Four factors replicated with the same items the original ML...

The three-factor structure of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), which comprises the dimensions of rumination, magnification and helplessness, has been studied in diverse populations. However, since they strongly correlate, the multidimensional nature of the construct has been questioned and alternatively proposed as a second order process, enco...

colombiana de psicología vol. 22 n.º 1 enero-junio 2013 issn 0121-5469 impreso | 2344-8644 en línea bogotá colombia pp. 151-161 A r t í c u l o d e i n v e s t i g a c i ó n c i e n t í f i c a R e c i b i d o : 7 d e m a y o d e 2 0 1 2 -A c e p t a d o : 1 9 m a r z o d e 2 0 1 3 * This research project was funded with resources allocated to the...

The Beck Depression Inventory, IA (BDI-IA) has been shown to have good psychometric properties for the past forty years. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the factor structure and provide evidence of the psychometric properties of the BDI-IA for Mexican adolescents. Three hundred eighty five adolescents in two samples (general community,...

The Beck Depression Inventory, IA (BDI-IA) has been shown to have good psychometric properties for the past forty years. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the factor structure and provide evidence of the psychometric properties of the BDI-IA for Mexican adolescents. Three hundred eighty five adolescents in two samples (general community,...

This study compared three groups of people: (a) high trait anger individuals who recognized personal anger problems (HR); (b) high trait anger individuals who did not recognize personal anger problems (HNR); and (c) low trait anger individuals not reporting personal anger problems (LNR). Compared to LNR participants, HR and HNR groups reported more...

The present study intended to explore construct validity of the Self-esteem Test for Adolescents and update psychometric properties found in previous studies. 1581 Mexican students (850 women and 731 men) of a public high school in Mexico City responded to the scale. The sample was split randomly in half. EFA was applied using one sample's data, an...

In this article, eight psychologists from different parts of the world (Argentina, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Turkey, and the United States) comment on the international significance of the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists. The most common themes expressed about the Canadian Code were the value of the foundationa...

The categorical model of psychopathology has failed to define unequivocal boundaries among disorders. Practical usefulness of constructs such as comorbidity, which does not solve overlapping between disorders, is scarce. Most of the problems posed by the categorical model could be solved if a dimensional explanation of psychopathology were adopted....

The categorical model of psychopathology has failed to define unequivocal boundaries among disorders. Practical usefulness of constructs such as comorbidity, which does not solve overlapping between disorders, is scarce. Most of the problems posed by the categorical model could be solved if a dimensional explanation of psychopathology were adopted....

Background: Mexican Child Psychiatry Hospitals and Primary Health Services need validated reliable instruments for identifying autism spectrum disorders. The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) questionnaire is a brief measure available in Spanish which needs to be tested and validated for use in Mexican population. Objectives:...

The present study intended to explore construct validity of the Self-esteem Test for Adolescents and update psychometric properties found in previous studies. 1581 Mexican students (850 women and 731 men) of a public high school in Mexico City responded to the scale. The sample was split randomly in half. EFA was applied using one sample's data, an...

The initial contact with the patient is a crucial element in determining whether he/she will return to therapy. Patients often make their first impressions of their therapists after the intake interview, and then decide if they will return (or not) for more sessions. However, the decision made by patients has not been fully explored with regard to...

Psychology has been taught in Mexico since the late nineteenth century, but professional training did not begin until the 1960s, and licenses were initially issued in the early 1970s. Professional training programs prepare psychologists at the licentiate level. Licentiate level students take courses exclusively in psychology for approximately five...

A fin de contribuir al estudio de las variables autoestima, establecimiento de metas, habilidades de estudio, adaptación escolar, asertividad y consumo de sustancias en el rendimiento académico de estudiantes de bachillerato en México, se propuso la presente investigación. Participaron 1581 estudiantes de una institución de educación media superior...

Five hundred and fifty four school children, 8 to 12 years of age, completed the Spanish version of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS), the ITA-UNAM, which measures anxiety in children, and the CES-D measuring depression. The study investigated the structural model of the SCAS found by Spence. Two models were tested using confirmatory facto...

A possible hormonal influence in language development has been suggested in the recent years. The 2D:4D finger ratio is an indirect measure for prenatal androgen exposure. It is negatively related to prenatal testosterone and positively related to prenatal estrogen, resulting in a lower ratio for men and a larger ratio for women. It can be explored...

Seventeen children with social phobia, 7 to 12 years of age, were randomly assigned to three conditions: (a) children exposed to "Intervención en Adolescentes con Fobia Social" (Olivares, 2005), (b) a combination of the aforementioned protocol applied to children and information about the disorder provided to their parents, and (c) waiting list con...

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the psychometric properties, construct validity and internal consistency, of the Spanish version of the Cognitive- Behavioral Avoidance Scale (CBAS), proposed originally in English by Ottenbreit and Dobson (2004). Also, it intended to test if the structural model found by these authors was confirmed. 340...

Participaron 17 niños, entre 7 y 12 años, con fobia social asignados aleatoriamente a 3 condiciones: (a) niños bajo el protocolo Intervención en Adolescentes con Fobia Social (IAFS; Olivares, 2005), (b) el mismo protocolo a los niños e información a sus padres sobre el trastorno, y (c) lista de espera. En evaluaciones de pretest, postest, 3 y 6 mes...

Este estudio se propuso evaluar las propiedades psicométricas, validez de constructo y consistencia interna, de la Escala de Evitación Cognitivo-Conductual (CBAS), propuesta originalmente en inglés por Ottenbreit y Dobson (2004). Además pretendía indagar si se confirmaba el modelo estructural hallado por estos autores. 340 estudiantes de ambos sexo...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of the combination of parental training in behavioral management techniques in children with aggressive behavior along with cognitive behavioral treatment applied to children, as compared to the sole treatment of children. The effects of both type of treatments (combined and treatment alo...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of the combination of parental training in behavioral management techniques in children with aggressive behavior along with cognitive behavioral treatment applied to children, as compared to the sole treatment of children. The effects of both type of treatments (combined and treatment alo...

Este estudio se propuso explorar el efecto del tratamiento de una sesión conductual de la fobia específica, diseñado por Öst, sobre las conductas de acercamiento y manipulación de las arañas por parte de niños con diagnóstico de fobia específica y su ansiedad, según la percepción de sus padres, una semana, tres y seis meses después del tratamiento....

Even though many Latin American universities date as far back as the 16th century and professions such as law or medicine have been regulated since the beginning of the 20th century, the teaching and practice of professional psychology is rather new and socioeconomic conditions hinder fast progression and consolidation as compared to in the United...

The detection of autism is very important because the lack of recognition of this disorder has elevated costs for the families, health care and education providers. Diagnosis is made frequently four or five years after parents notice the first signs. The reasons for this delay are many, but a common one is the lack of recognition of key symptoms th...

"La detección del autismo en México es muy importante ya que la falta de reconocimiento de este trastorno tiene costos muy elevados paralas familias y los prestadores de servicios de salud y educación. Muy a menudo el diagnóstico de autismo se realiza cuatro o cinco añosdespués de que los padres observan los primeros síntomas. Las razones para este...

Introducción: La crianza se define como la responsabilidad asumida por los padres respecto al crecimiento físico y desarrollo emocional y social de un hijo. Existen datos científicos sólidos que sugieren que los ambientes de crianza ejercen efectos importantes sobre una variedad de desenlaces, que incluyen desde variaciones en el contexto del funci...

Introduction: Childrearing or parenting is the assumption of responsibility for the emotional, social and physical growth and development of a child. Research literature has identified three related components commonly associated to rearing or parenting: a) spontaneous emotions and attitudes that are non-goal directed parental behaviors such as ges...

El propósito del presente estudio fue explorar en qué medida algunas variables personales predicen el rendimiento académico de estudiantes de bachillerato. Participaron 1581 estudiantes de una institución pública de educación media superior en la Ciudad de México, con edades que fluctuaban entre los 15 y los 23 años, quienes respondieron a instrume...

The purpose of the present study was to analyse possible developmental trends in sustained attention through the pre‐school period, as well as the influence of social and physical distractions. Three samples of children, one per each pre‐school grade, were observed during learning activities required by the teacher. Children’s behaviour was coded a...

Even though the teaching of psychology in Mexico dates back to the late 19 century, it was only in the 1960's that it was taught as a profession and licenses were issued until the early 70's. Accreditation of psychology programs at the federal level is done mainly by two instances: a governmental committee jointly coordinated by the Ministry of Edu...

The purpose of this study was to adapt, instrument and evaluate a training program of coping skills and prosocial communication, whose goals were to decrease achievement, personal, and home problems. Participants were seven teenagers between the ages of 16 and 21, two men and five women with a homeless history, low achievement and family disfunctio...

Published uninterruptedly since 1984, the Mexican Journal of Psychology (MJP) has been recognized as one of the most important periodicals in Spanish-language psychology. After coping with financial impediments and a lack of scientific contributions, the significance of the MJP emerged. The journal remains vital in the development of Latin American...

This study examined the role of pubertal development on depression, externalizing behavior problems, self-esteem, and body-image of 951 Mexican early adolescents. The 5th through 7th grade students were assessed at the beginning and end of the school year. The main finding of this study is that the acute experience of menarche adversely affected Me...

The study examined the effect of guided imagery on overt social behavior of children during free play. Forty withdrawn and rejected first-graders (6 to 8 years of age) were randomly assigned to one of five conditions. Four of them were guided imagery conditions: mastery plus peer acceptance, mastery with no social contingency, coping, and gradual r...

Two studies served as basis for transforming and updating the Ethics Code of the Mexican Psychological Society, first published in 1984. Due to its obsolescence and deficiencies detected throughout seventeen years, its modification and updating were unavoidable tasks. As an alternative to the mere arbitrary discussion by an ad hoc committee, about...

Self-esteem theoretical explanatory models tend to agree concerning the identification of self-esteem's underlying psychological dimensions, including its development and expression. Self-esteem is thus considered a central self-assessing action, which affects the individual's behaviors, cognitions and emotions. Such action, in turn, draws feedback...

The present study aimed at developing an instrument to measure children's perception of maternal child rearing practices. Participating children reacted to each of 32 non-verbal graphic items (two of them training items) representing four hypothetical situations linked to specific rearing styles: authoritarian, authoritative, permissive and indiffe...

This study examined gender differences in the effects of menarche in females and voice change in males, specifically with regard to depression, self-esteem, body image, and externalizing problems (i.e., behavioral disturbances). In addition, possible modifying variables (relationship with parents, social-emotional adjustment, level of parental educ...

Teacher ratings and peef nominations were oompared to direct observation of social behavior during free play, in 40 first grade elementary students, ages 6 to 8 years. No significant correlations were found between teacher ratings, peer nominations and direct observation of children's social interaction. The implications for interpretations of stud...

The influence of the extended family on child development has been traditionally ignored by professional psychologists in Latin-American countries, where a high percentage of households include one or more extended family members, usually grandparents. Psychological assessment, diagnosis, and intervention will necessarily have to take into account...

The CES-D (Center for Epidemiological Study Depression Scale) is an instrument designed to measure the current level of depressive symptomatology in English speaking adults from the general population, which has been used in numerous studies in the last decades. The instrument has been adapted for use in the Spanish speaking population and with chi...

On the basis of consistent antecedents linking anxiety and maladaptive problems such as school failure, substance abuse, and somatic complaints, a retrospective study was conducted in order to gain understanding of more specific parenting variables related to anxiety in 3,432 Mexican adolescents. Data were collected through the application of the H...

Evaluación de la efectividad de un manual en situaciones de desastre.