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Abstract Background COVID-19 has hindered hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV screening, particularly in marginalised groups, who have some of the highest rates of these conditions and lowest rates of COVID-19 vaccination. We assessed the acceptability of combining HCV testing with COVID-19 vaccination in a centre for addiction services (CAS) in Barcelona and a mobile testing unit (MTU) in Madrid, Spain. Methods From 28/09/2021 to 30/06/2022, 187 adults from marginalised populations were offered HCV antibody (Ab) testing along with COVID-19 vaccination. If HCV Ab+, they were tested for HCV-RNA. MTU participants were also screened for HIV. HCV-RNA+ and HIV+ participants were offered treatment. Data were analysed descriptively. Results Findings show how of the 86 CAS participants: 80 (93%) had been previously vaccinated for COVID-19, of whom 72 (90%) had the full first round schedule; none had a COVID-19 vaccine booster and all received a COVID-19 vaccine; 54 (62.8%) were tested for HCV Ab, of whom 17 (31.5%) were positive, of whom all were tested for HCV-RNA and none were positive. Of the 101 MTU participants: none had been vaccinated for COVID-19 and all received a COVID-19 vaccine; all were tested for HCV Ab and HIV and 15 (14.9%) and 9 (8.9%) were positive, respectively; of those HCV Ab+, 9 (60%) were HCV-RNA+, of whom 8 (88.9%) have started treatment; 5 (55.6%) of those HIV+ had abandoned antiretroviral therapy, of whom 3 (60%) have re-started it. Conclusions The intervention was accepted by 54 (62.8%) CAS participants and all MTU participants and can be used in marginalised communities.

Super Skills for Life (SSL) is a transdiagnostic program of Anglo-Saxon origin based on cognitive behavioural therapy, aimed at treating emotional problems in children. It has been translated and implemented in the Spanish population, achieving significant reductions in anxious and depressive symptoms. The objective of the current study was to examine the short- and long-term efficacy of SSL in schoolchildren with separation anxiety. The program was attended by 86 Spanish-speaking children aged 8-12 years, who were evaluated before receiving the intervention, immediately after and 12 months later. Results indicated statistically significant improvements both in the main problem, separation anxiety and other comorbid symptoms or problems (depression, behaviour problems, problems with peers, interference of anxiety in daily life, etc.). Overall, the results show that the program was more effective in the long-term than in the short-term. The findings of the study suggest that SSL can be useful for treating emotional problems in children with separation anxiety. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Introduction: Although several tools have been developed to assess general HRQoL in children, parental reports are required to supplement this information, especially in very young children. The parents version of the Kiddy-KINDL-R was developed to assess HRQoL in children aged 3–7 years through the reports of their parents or legal guardians. Objective: The aim of this study was to validate the parents version of the Kiddy-KINDL-R questionnaire and assess its psychometric properties in a sample of Spanish preschool-aged children. Method: Cross-sectional study in 283 parents or legal guardians of children aged 3–6 years that completed the Kiddy-KINDL-R questionnaire and an additional scale to assess anxiety problems. We performed confirmatory factor analysis to assess whether the original Kiddy-KINDL-R version fit the Spanish data; we assessed internal consistency by means of the ordinal alpha and the discriminant validity by means of the Preschool Anxiety Scale. Results: Although the original six-factor model showed a good fit, we propose a model consisting of 22 items and the same 6 factors for the Spanish version. The reliability was excellent, and the internal consistency values were adequate. Our results showed significant negative correlations between the Kiddy-KINDL-R and the external anxiety measure, which was evidence of discriminant validity. Conclusion: We demonstrated that the Spanish version of the Kiddy-KINDL-R had good psychometric properties and that this questionnaire is an adequate assessment tool that could be useful in clinical practice. Resumen: Introducción: A pesar de que se han desarrollado diferentes medidas para evaluar la CVRS general en menores, se necesitan los informes de los padres para complementar la información (calidad de vida relacionada con la salud), especialmente cuando son demasiado pequeños. La versión para padres y madres del Kiddy-KINDL-R se diseñó para medir la CVRS general en niños de 3 a 7 años a través de las respuestas de sus progenitores y tutores. Objetivo: El objetivo del presente estudio es validar la versión parental del cuestionario Kiddy-KINDL-R y evaluar sus propiedades psicométricas en una muestra española de menores en edad preescolar. Método: En este estudio transversal, 283 madres, padres o tutores de menores de entre 3 y 6 años respondieron al cuestionario Kiddy-KINDL-R y a otra medida de problemas de ansiedad. Se realizó un análisis factorial confirmatorio para examinar si el modelo Kiddy-KINDL-R original se ajustaba a los datos españoles; la consistencia interna se estimó utilizando α ordinal y la validez discriminante se examinó con la Escala de Ansiedad Preescolar. Resultados: El modelo original de 6 factores demostró buen ajuste, pero se propuso un modelo compuesto por 22 ítems y los mismos 6 factores para la versión española. La fiabilidad fue excelente y los valores de consistencia interna fueron adecuados. Los resultados revelaron correlaciones significativas y negativas entre Kiddy-KINDL-R y la medida de ansiedad, lo que apoya la validez discriminante. Conclusión: La versión española del Kiddy-KINDL-R demostró buenas propiedades psicométricas y constituye un instrumento adecuado que podría ser útil para la evaluación en la práctica clínica.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the quarantine undergone by children in many countries is a stressful situation about which little is known to date. Children and adolescents' behaviors to cope with home confinement may be associated with their emotional welfare. The objectives of this study were: (1) to examine the coping strategies used out by children and adolescents during the COVID-19 health crisis, (2) to analyze the differences in these behaviors in three countries, and (3) to examine the relationship between different coping modalities and adaptation. Participants were 1,480 parents of children aged 3–18 years from three European countries (nSpain = 431, nItaly = 712, and nPortugal = 355). The children's mean age was 9.15 years (SD = 4.27). Parents completed an online survey providing information on symptoms and coping behaviors observed in their children. The most frequent coping strategies were accepting what is happening (58.9%), collaborating with quarantine social activities (e.g., drawings on the windows, supportive applauses) (35.9%), acting as if nothing is happening (35.5%), highlighting the advantages of being at home (35.1%), and not appearing to be worried about what is happening (30.1%). Compared to Italian and Spanish children, Portuguese children used a sense of humor more frequently when their parents talked about the situation. Acting as if nothing was happening, collaborating with social activities, and seeking comfort from others were more likely in Spanish children than in children from the other countries. Compared to Portuguese and Spanish children, Italian children did not seem worried about what was happening. Overall, an emotional-oriented coping style was directly correlated with a greater presence of anxious symptoms, as well as to mood, sleep, behavioral, and cognitive alterations. Task-oriented and avoidance-oriented styles were related to better psychological adaptation (considered a low presence of psychological symptoms). Results also show that unaffected children or children with a lower level of impact were more likely to use strategies based on a positive focus on the situation. This study provides interesting data on the strategies to be promoted by parents to cope with the COVID-19 health crisis in children.

A common practice among clinical psychologists and other health professionals is the use of school-based sexual health promotion programs as a means for preventing sexually transmitted infections. A fundamental criterion for the designing and adaptation of these programs is the age of their target populations because limited education and language are the most relevant factors that limit the efficacy of these programs. The contribution of this paper consists of assessing both the readability of the written materials that accompany the contents of a Spanish-written school-based sexual health promotion program used in Colombia, as well as the words co-occurrence network structure of its contents. The readability of the evaluated program corresponded to its intended target population aged between 14 and 19, with the schooling of 9–13 years of education. The resulting words co-occurrence network structure of the COMPAS program also mirrored its theoretical content. These results all together are deemed as empirical evidence of the adequacy of the program.

Abstract Background Colombia has one of the highest rates of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and pregnancies - both of which are influenced by lack of condom use -, among adolescent population in Latin America; however, the mechanisms underlying the inconsistent use of condoms in this population are poorly understood. This descriptive and cross-sectional study’s purpose was to examine sexual behavior and its precursors using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and considering gender-based differences. Another objective was to study the mediating effect of intention in the relationship between behavior precursors and condom use based on the TPB. Methods We recruited 1100 adolescents aged between 14 and 19 years old (M = 15.94, SD = 1.30, 54.4% female) from Bogotá and Barranquilla, two of the cities with highest adolescent birth rates among adolescents in Colombia. Sociodemographic variables, knowledge on HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HIV/AIDS-related attitudes, including attitudes toward the use of condoms, normative beliefs, perceived behavioral control, behavioral intention, and sexual behavior were assessed using self-reports. All analyses were run using SPSS v25. The indirect effect of intention to explain the relationship between precursors and the use of condoms during sexual intercourse was estimated using the PROCESS v3 macro. Results Descriptive analyses suggest a high risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies associated to inconsistent condom use, medium-low level of knowledge about sexual health, low normative beliefs regarding peers’ condom use, and a certain perceived difficulty for using condoms. Condoms are used 71% of the times they have sex, but only 22% of the participants use them consistently; girls use condoms more consistently than boys. Sexual risk characteristics differed significantly by gender. Mediation analyses indicated that condom use intention mediates the relationship between behavioral precursors and frequency of condom use, according to the TPB. Conclusions Findings provide a better understanding of sexual risk and highlight important implications for the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents. There is a need of designing and implementing protocolized sexual health promotion programs in schools with the aim of reducing sexual risk behaviors in Colombian adolescents.

BACKGROUND:The Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for children (CERQ-k) is a useful clinical and research tool to identify cognitive patterns of emotion regulation that predict the presence of emotional symptomatology. This study aimed to validate the Spanish version of the CERQ-k (the CERQ-Sk) using a sample of children from Spain, which is not available. METHODS:The sample consisted of 582 children (48.6% girls) aged between 7 and 12 years (Mage = 9.49; SD = 1.2) recruited from Alicante, Spain. Cognitive emotion regulation strategies, anxiety and depressive symptomatology were self-reported evaluated. Factor structure, internal consistency, temporal stability with the Spanish version for children were examined. Convergent validity was evaluated using Spearman correlations to examine the relationships between the CERQ-k and measures of anxiety (trait anxiety subscale of STAI-C) and depression (CDI). RESULTS:The Spanish version of CERQ-Sk had the same nine factors proposed in the original version. Ordinal alpha of the total scale was excellent (.88), and moderate indexes were found for each subscale (.56 to .75). The 8-week test-retest coefficient was adequate for the total scale (ICC = .74) and moderate for the subscales (.54 to .70). Evidence of convergent validity was provided through correlations with the CDI (depression) and trait anxiety subscale of the STAI-C (anxiety). Cognitive strategies such as Rumination, self-blame, catastrophizing, and other-blame were significantly and positively related to depressive and anxiety symptoms. Moreover, positive refocusing and planning seemed to act as strategies that have a positive effect on the prevention of depression in children. CONCLUSIONS:Results suggest that the CERQ-Sk is a reliable and valid tool that can be useful for researchers and clinicians to identify maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation patterns that may increase the risk of emotional problems, and orient treatment and prevention of mental health problems in children from Spanish-speaking countries.

Fundamentos: La obesidad es un problema con graves repercusiones para la salud física, psicológica y social que afecta a millones de niños y adolescentes en todo el mundo. Los objetivos de este estudio son obtener datos actualizados de la prevalencia de la obesidad y el sobrepeso en preadolescentes de 10 a 12 años de la provincia de Alicante, obtener información sobre los hábitos alimentarios, la actividad física y determinadas variables sociodemográficas, y examinar su relación con la obesidad y el sobrepeso infantil o el riesgo de padecerlos. Método: Participaron 623 preadolescentes, el 49,9% de sexo masculino y el 50,1% femenino. El IMC se determinó siguiendo los criterios de la WHO Child Growth Standards. Resultados: Se ha encontrado una alta prevalencia de obesidad y sobrepeso en nuestra provincia, el 20,4% y 34% respectivamente. Los resultados no mostraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre las categorías ponderales en las variables sexo, edad y nivel de estudios de los progenitores. Respecto a los hábitos de alimentación y ejercicio físico, los resultados sugieren que los niños y niñas con normopeso hacen un mayor número de comidas al día y, los niños con normopeso comen con mayor frecuencia en comedores escolares. Y apuntan a que los niños con normopeso realizan con mayor frecuencia ejercicio físico que los que presentan sobrepeso y obesidad, y que las niñas obesas utilizan más horas de ocio sedentario que las que presentan sobrepeso. Conclusión: Los resultados refuerzan la necesidad de desarrollar programas eficaces de prevención e intervención temprana para la obesidad infantil.

Attitudes toward sexuality are a key variable for sexual health. It is really important for psychology and education to have adapted and validated questionnaires to evaluate these attitudes. Therefore, the objective of this research was to adapt, validate and calculate the equivalence of the Colombia Sexual Opinion Survey as compared to the same survey from Spain. To this end, a total of eight experts were consulted and 1,167 subjects from Colombia and Spain answered the Sexual Opinion Survey, the Sexual Assertiveness Scale, the Massachusetts General Hospital-Sexual Functioning Questionnaire, and the Sexuality Scale. The evaluation was conducted by online and the results show adequate qualitative and quantitative properties of the items, with adequate reliability and external validity and compliance with the strong invariance between the two countries. Consequently, the Colombia Sexual Opinion Survey is a valid and reliable scale and its scores can be compared with the ones from the Spain survey, with minimum bias.

Pain is one of the most common symptoms and more disabling in childhood cancer. Some medical treatments and diagnostic procedures are very intrusive and children with cancer consider them even more painful than the disease. The aim of this paper is to carry out a review on the pain in pediatric patients with cancer, stating the most common assessment procedures and techniques of psychological intervention. The characteristics and implementation procedure of breathing control, relaxation training, distraction, visualization, contingency management and hypnosis are reviewed. Therefore, several studies about the efficacy of each psychological technique for reducing pain in children with cancer are considered.

El objetivo de este estudio cuasi-experimental es examinar los miedos escolares en una muestra española de 95 hijos de padres divorciados con edades comprendidas entre 8 y 12 años, comparándolos con un grupo de niños de edades y género similares cuyos padres no se han separado. Los resultados muestran que los niños que han vivido una ruptura conyugal presentan puntuaciones ligeramente superiores en miedos escolares, excepto en los relacionados con el fracaso y el castigo escolar, mayores en los niños cuyos padres permanecen unidos. El análisis de regresión logística reveló una probabilidad de presentar miedos relacionados con el fracaso y castigo escolar 0,42 veces mayor en los niños que no han experimentado una ruptura conyugal. Los cambios en las pautas de crianza y la falta de supervisión, frecuente en los padres después de una ruptura, pueden explicar que los niños que proceden de una familia rota presenten menos miedos en este factor. Se discuten las implicaciones clínicas de estos hallazgos, destacando la importancia de unas pautas educativas coherentes y comunes en la crianza de los hijos.

La recuperación natural es la vía preferente de salida de las adicciones entre los que abandonan o reducen el consumo de alcohol y otras sustancias, aunque se desconoce si dicha mejoría presenta diferencias relevantes en función de la sustancia consumida o del contexto cultural de los adictos. El objetivo de este estudio ex post facto fue investigar las posibles variaciones tanto en el proceso como en los determinantes del autocambio entre dos grupos de autocambiadores españoles. Utilizando fundamentalmente anuncios de prensa, se reclutaron 29 autocambiadores que llevaban al menos 1 año recuperados, de los cuales 17 lo eran de alcohol y 12 de drogas ilegales. A todos ellos se les evaluó en una única sesión en aspectos relacionados con la adicción y la recuperación. Los resultados mostraron diferencias significativas en variables relacionadas con el proceso adictivo como son la gravedad de la dependencia o el policonsumo y en algunas de las razones que motivaron el cambio y las estrategias de mantenimiento. A la vista de los resultados se concluyó que el estudio de las diferencias entre grupos de autocambiadores con problemas de adicción a varias sustancias puede ser muy útil para la mejora y especialización de las estrategias terapéuticas para cada tipo de problema adictivo.

BackgroundTobacco use prevalence rates are high among Spanish adolescents. Programming to counteract tobacco use is needed.Methods and findingsThe current study provides a one-year follow-up outcome evaluation of Project EX, an eight-session classroom-based curriculum. The intervention was tested using a randomized controlled trial with 1,546 Spanish students, involving three program and three control schools. Compared to the control condition, the program condition revealed a greater reduction in nicotine dependence (p < .05) and CO ppm levels (p < .001), and lower consumption of cigarettes at last month (p = .03).ConclusionsLong-term outcomes of the Project EX classroom-based program are promising for adolescent prevention and possibly cessation in Spain.

Se presentan los resultados de un experimento simple que pretende comprobar la eficacia del programa de escenificaciones emotivas para el tratamiento de la fobia a la oscuridad, aplicado mediante entrenamiento a padres y el mantenimiento de la ganancia terapéutica en el tiempo. Los participantes fueron 45 niños, con una edad media de 6 años y medio aproximadamente, y un ligero predominio del género masculino. Fueron asignados aleatoriamente a un grupo de tratamiento en el que, después de haber sido entrenados, los padres aplicaron el programa en el hogar durante 12 sesiones de 30 minutos de duración, y a un grupo de control que permaneció en lista de espera durante 6 meses. Se hallaron diferencias significativas entre las dos condiciones experimentales. El programa de escenificaciones emotivas redujo la fobia a la oscuridad de los niños de forma significativa y se observó una mejoría en los seguimientos llevados a cabo a los 3, 6 y 12 meses después del tratamiento. Los niños del grupo de control continuaron mostrando conductas de temor y evitación de la oscuridad al finalizar el periodo de espera. Se discuten las implicaciones clínicas de los hallazgos.

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo examinar las repercusiones psicológicas del cáncer infantil y revisar las principales intervenciones que los psicólogos pueden aplicar al paciente oncológico y su familia durante el diagnóstico, el curso de la enfermedad y el tratamiento médico. Se presentan las técnicas psicológicas más eficaces dirigidas a reducir los síntomas de la enfermedad y algunos efectos secundarios del tratamiento, tales como: las náuseas y vómitos condicionados, el dolor, la fatiga y el sueño. También se recogen las intervenciones más utilizadas para reducir y/o evitar problemas de ansiedad y depresión en el niño enfermo de cáncer y diversas pautas de mejora de la adherencia a los tratamientos médicos. Por último, se incluyen ciertas medidas para conseguir que la calidad de vida del paciente que ha vencido al cáncer sea óptima, así como algunas directrices para, en su caso, ayudar a los familiares a enfrentarse con la muerte del niño.

La fobia a las inyecciones es un subtipo de fobia específica caracterizada por respuestas de miedo intenso y por conductas de evitación ante la situación de recibir una inyección. En este trabajo se presenta el caso clínico de una mujer de 28 años que padecía de forma crónica este trastorno, sufriendo desmayos de forma recurrente. El tratamiento se desarrolló durante 6 sesiones semanales de una hora. Los objetivos del tratamiento se establecieron a partir de la hipótesis explicativa de la respuesta de ansiedad ante la sangre. La terapia se centró en enseñar a la paciente a controlar la frecuencia cardiaca y a identificar los síntomas previos al desvanecimiento. Se aplicó un programa multicomponente que combinaba la técnica de la tensión aplicada y estrategias cognitivo-conductuales para el control de la activación anticipatoria y el afrontamiento de la situación fóbica. Las técnicas empleadas fueron la exposición en imaginación enriquecida, exposición en vivo, afrontamiento simbólico, autoinstrucciones y respiración profunda. Se discuten los resultados de la intervención, que confirman la eficacia del programa aplicado.

This study describes the psychometric properties of the Children's Separation Anxiety Scale (CSAS), which assesses separation anxiety symptoms in childhood. Participants in Study 1 were 1,908 schoolchildren aged between 8 and 11. Exploratory factor analysis identified four factors: worry about separation, distress from separation, opposition to separation, and calm at separation, which explained 46.91% of the variance. In Study 2, 6,016 children aged 8-11 participated. The factor model in Study 1 was validated by confirmatory factor analysis. The internal consistency (α = 0.82) and temporal stability (r = 0.83) of the instrument were good. The convergent and discriminant validity were evaluated by means of correlations with other measures of separation anxiety, childhood anxiety, depression and anger. Sensitivity of the scale was 85% and its specificity, 95%. The results support the reliability and validity of the CSAS.