Understanding pedestrians’ cognitive processes in traffic environments is crucial for developing strategies to enhance safety and reduce accidents. This study assesses the efficacy of virtual reality (VR) in evaluating pedestrian behavior in simulated road-crossing scenarios. It investigates VR’s capability to realistically mimic the cognitive load experienced in real-world settings. It examines the technical integration of VR with psychophysiological recording to capture cognitive demand indicators accurately. Utilizing a dedicated VR application and electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements, this research aims to elicit significant Event-Related Potentials (ERP), like P3 and Contingent Negative Variation (CNV), associated with decision-making processes. The initial results demonstrate VR’s effectiveness in creating realistic environments for investigating cognitive mechanisms and the balance between induced immersion and experienced discomfort. Additionally, the tasks involving time-to-arrival estimations and oddball scenarios elicited the anticipated components related to attentional and decision-making processes. Despite increased discomfort with extended VR exposure, our results show that it did not negatively impact the cognitive workload. These outcomes highlight VR’s efficacy in replicating the cognitive demands of real-world settings and provide evidence to understand the neurophysiological and behavioral dynamics of vulnerable road users (VRUs) in traffic scenarios. Furthermore, these findings support VR’s role in behavioral and neurophysiological research to design specific safety interventions for VRUs.

Early maladaptive schemas (EMS), dysfunctional patterns of thought and emotions originated during childhood, latent in most mental disorders, might play a role in the onset of alcohol use disorder (AUD), although their impact on prognosis remains unknown. Our aim is to determine the presence of EMS in patients with AUD and their role in the psychopathology and course of addiction (relapse and withdrawal time). The sample included 104 patients and 100 controls. The diagnosis of AUD was made according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5) criteria, EMS were determined with the Young Schema Questionnaire in its Spanish version (YSQ–S3) and psychopathology with Symptom Checklist–27 (SCL–27). AUD group showed significantly higher scores in emotional deprivation, confused attachment, emotional inhibition and failure schemas. In addition, vulnerability schema correlated (> 0.500) with all subscales of SCL–27. Whereas social isolation, insufficient self-control and grandiosity schemas correlated with a higher number of relapses. But it was the grandiosity and punishment schemas that correlated with shorter abstinence time. These findings suggest that EMS are overrepresented in the AUD population and some correlate with psychopathology and worse AUD outcomes.

El bienestar es un elemento clave de las definiciones actuales de recuperación en el trastorno por uso de alcohol (TUA). No obstante, es preciso desarrollar un marco unificado para conceptualizar la recuperación, caracterizar sus elementos y los mecanismos para lograrla. El objetivo del estudio fue proponer un modelo que relacionara las dimensiones psicológicas implicadas en la recuperación del TUA. Se evaluó a 348 participantes con diferentes períodos de abstinencia (rango:1 mes-28 años), mediante autoinformes de bienestar psicológico, calidad de vida, emocionalidad negativa y estrategias de afrontamiento. El análisis estadístico contó con un análisis factorial exploratorio (AFE) para identificar las dimensiones subyacentes a los indicadores evaluados y un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales (SEM) que las interrelacionó. El AFE identificó 3 factores que explicaron el 54,95% de la varianza: i) Afrontamiento; ii) Malestar Funcional (gestión emocional y capital de recuperación); iii) Salud Mental Positiva (bienestar y calidad de vida). El SEM mostró buenos índices de ajuste (GFI = 1,00, SRMR = ,137) y explicó el 85% de la varianza en Salud Mental Positiva (R2 = ,85). Los resultados muestran que el tiempo de abstinencia se asocia con el aumento del empleo de estrategias de afrontamiento, lo que contribuye a la mejora del malestar funcional, y esto favorece la salud mental positiva. Esta investigación representa la primera propuesta metodológicamente sólida realizada en España para un modelo clínico de recuperación centrado en el bienestar, que redefine la comprensión de la recuperación en el TUA y proporciona soporte para intervenciones clínicas y evaluaciones más efectivas.

Antecedentes: Uno de los principales desafíos en el tratamiento del trastorno por uso de alcohol (TUA) es la falta de adherencia terapéutica, siendo clave la percepción de la enfermedad. La asistencia a grupos de ayuda mutua (GAM) mejora la adherencia y protege contra recaídas. Objetivos: Identificar los factores que influyen en la falta de adherencia de los pacientes atendidos en el programa del Hospital Universitario 12 de octubre para acudir a los GAM, así como, identificar qué variables del cuestionario de percepción de la enfermedad son más relevantes para no acudir a los GAM. Metodología: La muestra incluía 100 pacientes. El diagnostico TUA se realizó según criterios DSM-5, los motivos para no acudir a GAM se recogieron mediante una entrevista semiestructurada elaborada (ad hoc) y la percepción de enfermedad se evaluó mediante el Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R). Resultados: el estudio reveló que el 72,3% de los motivos de inasistencia a los GAM se debía a una baja conciencia sobre los requerimientos del tratamiento. Las principales variables que predecían la inasistencia fueron: a) percepción de que la enfermedad no es crónica y el tratamiento es poco útil, y b) creencia de que el control de la enfermedad depende de ellos mismos. Conclusiones: Estos hallazgos sugieren la importancia de trabajar aspectos relacionados con la conciencia de enfermedad desde el inicio del tratamiento en pacientes TUA, así como poner de manifiesto la relevancia de acudir a los GAM para complementar el programa de tratamiento del alcohol del Hospital 12 de Octubre.

Time-to-arrival (TTA) estimation tasks offer valuable insight into temporal processing and the cognitive-motor preparatory processes involved in pedestrian safety. Using EEG and virtual reality (VR), we explored the event-related potentials (ERPs) associated with TTA estimation, focusing on the contingent negative variation (CNV) and P2 components, in a road-crossing virtual scenario. Seventeen participants completed four experimental conditions crossing two factors: vehicle speed (processed at two levels, slower vs. faster) and vehicle disappearance time (processed at two levels, shorter vs. longer). This design allowed us to examine the effects of urgency demands and interval timing on cognitive processes. Results revealed that P2 latencies decreased with shorter interval timing and increased with longer interval timing, while P2 amplitudes were higher in faster-speed conditions and lower in slower-speed ones. CNV components showed distinct modulations depending on the experimental factors. Early-CNV was primarily influenced by urgency demands, showing earlier onsets and higher amplitudes in slower-speed conditions. Furthermore, Total-CNV and Late-CNV amplitudes were higher in shorter timing intervals. While correlations between EEG parameters and behavioural performance did not reveal clear patterns, we were able to observe different trends that suggest how the difficulty of the task and associated cognitive effort were related to the psychophysiological process. Overall, less demanding conditions displayed a more efficient neurophysiological responses and greater accuracy compared to more demanding conditions. In conclusion, our findings provide new insights into the neural mechanisms underlying temporal processing and the complex cognitive-motor preparatory processes involved in timing tasks. By examining the interplay between temporal and urgency demands, we contribute to a deeper understanding of how these processes are integrated at the neural level, with broader implications for understanding the neurophysiological basis of decision-making in road safety contexts.