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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.

Mental health in families has been affected by COVID-19 stressors. Parental stress and emotion regulation can moderate the emotional effects on their children. This study analyzes the role of parental stress as a mediating variable between parents’ emotion regulation and children’s symptoms. Participants were 214 parents of youth aged 3-17 years, who completed an online survey providing information about parental variables and symptoms in their children. The results show that parental stress mediates the relationship between parental emotion regulation and children’s psychological symptoms. Thus, parents who used cognitive reappraisal strategy less frequently reported more psychological symptoms in their children and higher parental stress. Parents who used expressive suppression more frequently also reported more psychological symptoms in their children and higher parental stress. The present study provides novel information by relating parental psychological variables with psychological variables in youth during a period characterized by the most significant psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

La pandemia por coronavirus ha provocado una situación de alerta sanitaria inesperada que ha resultado muy estresante tanto para niños como para adultos. Sin embargo, escasos estudios han explorado en qué medida la gestión emocional de las familias durante el confinamiento ha podido influir en la salud mental de los menores. Por ello, el objetivo del presente estudio fue analizar si el nivel de estrés de los padres, su satisfacción con la crianza y sus estrategias de regulación emocional estaban relacionadas con la sintomatología de sus hijos. La muestra de este estudio se compuso de 219 padres de niños españoles con edades comprendidas entre 3 y 18 años (M = 8,30; DT = 4,35). Los participantes completaron un formulario online para medir su satisfacción con la crianza (KPS), su estrés percibido (EEP-10) y sus estrategias de regulación emocional (ERQ) durante el confinamiento por la pandemia. Los resultados indicaron que existía una relación significativa entre las dificultades psicológicas de los niños y el estrés de sus padres, siendo el estrés parental un predictor de mayor sintomatología infantil. Asimismo, el estrés parental estuvo asociado con el menor uso de la reevaluación cognitiva y mayor uso de la supresión expresiva como estrategias de regulación emocional. El uso de la supresión expresiva como estrategia de regulación emocional estuvo relacionado con mayor sintomatología en los niños. Por otra parte, la mayor satisfacción parental con la crianza se asoció a un menor estrés parental y sintomatología en los niños. En conclusión, los hallazgos del estudio sugieren que el estrés de los padres debido a la situación del COVID-19 tuvo repercusiones negativas en el estado emocional de sus hijos. Por tanto, es necesario aportar recursos a las familias para facilitar el afrontamiento de estas situaciones estresantes y favorecer un mayor bienestar familiar.

The main objective of this research was to validate the parents’ version of the Children’s Separation Anxiety Scale (CSAS-P), which assesses separation anxiety symptoms in pre-adolescence, the stage with the highest incidence of anxiety disorder due to separation. In Study 1, 1,089 parents, those children aged between 8 and 11 (M = 9.59, SD = 1.11), 51.7% girls, were selected by random cluster sampling, who completed the CSAS-P to obtain the factorial structure. Exploratory factor analysis identified four related factors: Worry, Opposition, Calm, and Distress, which explained 42.93% of the variance. In Study 2, 3,801 parents, those children aged between 8 and 11 (M = 9.50, SD = 1.10), 50.2% girls, completed the CSAS-P, and their children completed the Children’s Separation Anxiety Scale (CSAS). The four related-factor model from Study 1 was validated by confirmatory factor analysis. The CSAS-P had adequate internal consistency (α = 0.84), temporal stability (r = 0.72), and invariance across children’s age and gender and the parent who completed the scale. Age and gender differences were small: older children scored higher on Worry and younger children on Distress; the girls scored higher on all factors. Small differences were also found depending on the parent who completed the scale without finding a clear pattern. Parents scored significantly lower than the child on all four factors of the scale. The results support the reliability and validity of the CSAS-P, an instrument that complements the child’s self-report in the framework of the multi-source assessment.

As this is the first time that a pandemic has occurred in our recent history, preventive interventions for children´s emotional problems during confinement were not planned. A main goal of Super Skills for Life Program (SSL) is to provide children with skills to build emotional resilience and coping strategies for daily and difficult life situations, so examining how the program may help children to face the COVID-19 situation could be appropriate. The aim of this research was to compare parents’ perception of immediate psychological reactions to confinement and coping styles in children who received the SSL program before home confinement (n = 48) with an equivalent sample of children who did not attend the program (n = 48). Another objective was to study the relationship between children’s immediate psychological reactions to confinement and their coping styles. Parents (n = 96) completed an online survey providing information on sociodemographic variables, children’s immediate psychological reactions (anxiety/activation, mood, sleep, behavioral alterations, eating and cognitive alterations), and children’s coping styles (task-oriented, emotion-oriented, and avoidance-oriented strategies). Results indicated that the control group presented more symptoms of anxiety (p ≤ .001), worse mood (p ≤ .001), more sleep problems (p ≤ .01), and more cognitive alterations (p ≤ .01) during home confinement than children who received the program. Children in the control group were also more likely to use emotion-oriented strategies (p = .001), which were associated with presenting more psychological alterations. Although the SSL program was not created specifically for coping with the COVID-19 situation, it seems to provide children with skills to cope with this unexpected event.

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.

Teens tend to identify with social groups that characterize their lifestyles, interest in different musical styles and preference in specific activities. Previous studies conclude that group identification is a significant prospective predictor of drug use and other problematic behaviors but may not operate the same way in all cultures. There are no such studies that have been conducted in Spanish adolescents. This study examines the prevalence of self-identified group name research among Spanish adolescents, and its relationship between substance use and psychosocial constructs. The sample consisted of 791 Spanish adolescents from six secondary schools, aged between 14 to 18 years (M = 15.03; SD = 1.01). The results support the existence of group self-identification by youth. The High risk group reported significantly higher monthly cigarette and alcohol use, and the Others group reported higher monthly marijuana use. Regarding psychosocial correlates, youth with higher drug use report greater sensation seeking preference and higher levels of depression. Group self-identification is a consistent phenomenon among teens in different countries but, contrary to previous work, those youth not falling into a clearly defined group (“Others”) were the most likely to use marijuana.

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. Abstract: 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 to 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 to 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.

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.

The COVID-19 quarantine has affected more than 860 million children and adolescents worldwide, but to date, no study has been developed within Western countries to examine the psychological impact on their lives. The present study aims to examine for the first time the emotional impact of the quarantine on children and adolescents from Italy and Spain, two of the countries most affected by COVID-19. Participants were 1,143 parents of Italian and Spanish children aged 3 to 18 years who completed a survey providing information about how the quarantine affects their children and themselves, compared to before the home confinement. Results show that 85.7% of the parents perceived changes in their children’s emotional state and behaviors during the quarantine. The most frequent symptoms were difficulty concentrating (76.6%), boredom (52%), irritability (39%), restlessness (38.8%), nervousness (38%), feelings of loneliness (31.3%), uneasiness (30.4%), and worries (30.1%). Spanish parents reported more symptoms than Italians. As expected, children of both countries used monitors more frequently, spent less time doing physical activity, and slept more hours during the quarantine. Furthermore, when family coexistence during quarantine became more difficult, the situation was more serious, and the level of stress was higher, parents tended to report more emotional problems in their children. The quarantine impacts considerably on Italian and Spanish youth, reinforcing the need to detect children with problems as early as possible to improve their psychological well-being.

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.

Most teenagers and young people do not consistently use condoms during sex, exposing themselves to HIV. Early diagnosis of the virus increases the survival rate and reduces new infections. Attitude towards HIV testing (HT) and the main barriers to testing remain unknown. The main objective of the study was to explore the attitude towards HT and identify the main barriers of those who had never undergone HT before. This study involved 992 adolescents (16-20 years), who were recruited from 4 autonomous regions of Spain. The mean age was 16.84 (SD=.92) and 54.6% were women. The attitude towards HT was very favorable, especially in women. 79.2% of sexually active participants did not consistently use condoms during sex; however only 1% (n=11) reported having undergone HT. The main perceived barriers were related to not having received the offer to get tested (49%), low risk perception (32.6%) and trust between sexual partners (29.1%). Facilitating access of the HIV screening test to adolescents with high sexual risk is crucial to the success of early detection campaigns, and curb the spread of the HIV.

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.

BACKGROUND:Numerous studies have evaluated the efficacy of interventions to reduce risk for sexually transmitted infections in adolescents in recent years, but their global effects remain unknown since 2008, the last date of a comprehensive review of prior studies. AIMS:This study aims at evaluating the efficacy of interventions to promote sexual health, reduce STIs and unplanned pregnancies targeted to adolescents available after 2008; and analyzing the moderators of their global efficacy. METHODS:We searched electronic databases and manual searches of some journals focused on STIs in May 2016. The studies evaluated the efficacy of interventions to reduce sexual risk in adolescents (age range: 11-19) anywhere in the world. Effect size of the relevant outcomes for sexual risk was calculated for every study. Analyses incorporated random-effect assumptions for each outcome. The homogeneity in the results was examined with the I2 statistic and its associated 95% confident interval. RESULTS:Data from 63 studies (59,795 participants) were analyzed for behavioral and non-behavioral outcomes. In the short term, interventions had a positive impact in sexual health-related knowledge (Hedges'g = 1.01), attitudes (g = 0.29), self-efficacy toward condom use (g = 0.22), intention to refuse sex (g = 0.56), condom use intention (g = 0.46), and condom use (g = 0.38). In the medium term, positive effects observed at the short-term were maintained, although effect size significantly decreased in all variables. In the long term, interventions improved condom use (g = 0.47). Moderators of the efficacy are discussed. CONCLUSIONS:Sexual health promotion interventions are effective to promote sexual health through increasing condom use. Effects on non-behavioral variables tend to decrease over time, while condom use increased in the long-term. Interventions should focus on the long-term efficacy, especially in behavioral and biological measures.

Objetivo: El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar la fiabilidad y validez de un cuestionario que evalúe de forma específica el conocimiento sobre el VIH y otras infecciones de transmisión sexual en una muestra de adolescentes españoles. Diseño: Estudio descriptivo transversal para la validación de un cuestionario. Emplazamiento: 17 centros escolares de cinco provincias españolas. Participantes: 1.570 adolescentes entre los 13 y los 17 años escolarizados en institutos. Intervenciones: Se estableció un banco de 40 ítems relativos a conocimiento sobre VIH y otras infecciones de transmisión sexual. Este banco fue sometido a un juicio de expertos, para detectar posibles errores. Seguidamente, se administró a un grupo piloto, con las mismas características sociodemográficas de la muestra, para garantizar la comprensión. Mediciones principales: Análisis de ítems, consistencia interna, test-retest y análisis factorial exploratorio Resultados: Cinco factores explicaban el 46% de la varianza total: conocimiento general sobre el VIH, del preservativo como método protector, de las vías de transmisión del VIH, de las medidas de prevención del VIH y sobre otras infecciones de transmisión sexual. La fiabilidad oscila desde 0,66 hasta 0,88. La correlación test-retest fue de 0,59. Existen diferencias de conocimientos en función del sexo. Conclusiones: Estos factores tienen una adecuada consistencia interna y una correlación test-retest aceptable. A nivel teórico encajan adecuadamente respecto al contenido de los ítems. Entre los factores se observa una relación moderada, lo que indica que el tener un elevado grado de conocimiento respecto a un aspecto, no garantiza el tener conocimiento general elevado. El disponer de un cuestionario para evaluar el conocimiento de las infecciones de transmisión sexual es de gran ayuda para evaluar programas preventivos.

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.

In Spain, 44% of 14-18-year-olds have smoked, and 12.5% have smoked cigarettes in the last 30 days. Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances, and can lead to serious addiction in adulthood with adverse consequences to one’s health. School plays a relevant role in health promotion and preventing risk behaviors such as tobacco consumption. Despite the fact that some school-based tobacco cessation and prevention interventions prove to be effective for their purposes, there is a lack of understanding as to why these programs succeed or fail. This longitudinal study aims to test the nicotine dependence (ND) as a mediator of Project EX’s effect – a tobacco-use cessation program developed for high school youth to reduce tobacco consumption in scholars. Six high schools located in the Mediterranean coast were randomized for the participation of the program (Spanish version of Project EX) or a waiting-list group with baseline, immediate-posttest, and 12-month follow-up assessments. At baseline, 1,546 adolescents aged 14-21 years old (mean age: 15.28; SD = 1.20; 46% were women) were evaluated by self-administered tests on tobacco consumption and nicotine dependence. A biomarker of smoke inhalation – a measurement of exhaled carbon monoxide (ECM) – was used. Participants who were smokers (N= 501; 32%) were selected for this study. Mediation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS v2.12 macro for Windows. The significant criterion was p ≤.05, and 5,000 samples were used for bias-corrected bootstrap confidence intervals. Results indicated that Project EX indirectly decreased the number of cigarettes smoked in the last month, the number of cigarettes smoked within the last 7 days, the number of daily cigarettes, and ECM level at 12-month follow up through decreasing the level of ND in the short-term. This is the first Spanish study that explores ND as a mediator of the long-term efficacy of Project EX to reduce tobacco consumption in adolescents. Results suggest that interventions that reduce ND at short-term are more likely to be successful to decrease tobacco use at long-term.

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.

Objetivos: Analizar las diferencias en calidad de vida relacionada con la salud en función de la categoría ponderal basada en el índice de masa corporal en niños y niñas de 8 a 12 años de edad. Métodos: Estudio transversal descriptivo con 678 escolares de 8 a 12 años de la provincia de Alicante (España). Se compararon las puntaciones en las dimensiones de calidad de vida relacionada con la salud, evaluada mediante la versión española del Child Health and Illness Profile-Child Edition, en función de las categorías ponderales (siguiendo los World Health Organization Child Growth Standards) y del sexo. Resultados: El 28,2% y el 15,3% presentaron sobrepeso y obesidad, respectivamente. No se hallaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas (p > 0,05) entre las categorías ponderales en las dimensiones de calidad de vida relacionada con la salud. Conclusiones: La falta de conciencia en los niños pequeños sobre el impacto de la obesidad en la calidad de vida plantea la necesidad de intervenciones centradas en dicha salud percibida desajustada.Objective: To analyze differences in health-related quality of life across weight categories based on body mass index in boys and girls aged 8 to 12 years old. Methods: A cross-sectional study with 678 schoolchildren aged between 8 and 12 years from the province of Alicante (Spain) was conducted. The scores on the dimensions of health-related quality of life, assessed by the Spanish version of the Child Health and Illness Profile-Child Edition, across the weight categories (according to the World Health Organization Child Growth Standards) and sex, were compared. Results: Overweight or obesity was found in 28.2% and 15.3% of the sample, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) across the weight categories on the distinct dimensions of health-related quality of life. Conclusions: Children are unaware of the impact of obesity on quality of life. Interventions to increase knowledge of this issue are required.

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 fobia a la oscuridad es uno de los motivos de consulta más frecuentes en la práctica clínica con niños y adolescentes. Aunque se han publicado numerosos trabajos sobre la evaluación de la ansiedad y miedos en la infancia, hasta el momento no existe ninguna publicación que revise específicamente los instrumentos utilizados para la evaluación de la fobia a la oscuridad en la infancia. El objetivo de este artículo es llevar a cabo una revisión de los diferentes procedimientos de evaluación empleados en niños y adolescentes que reciben tratamiento para su fobia a la oscuridad. Para ello se revisan los estudios publicados y se clasifican los instrumentos de evaluación utilizados en: a) entrevistas, b) inventarios de miedos, c) escalas de estimación, d) pruebas de observación y e) registros psicofisiológicos. El estudio teórico recoge una descripción de cada instrumento así como una revisión de su aplicación en los estudios seleccionados. De la revisión realizada se desprende la existencia de múltiples pruebas de evaluación, pero la mayoría de ellas no están estandarizadas, lo que pone de manifiesto la importancia de la normalización de dichas pruebas para facilitar la práctica clínica.

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.

El objetivo de este estudio ex post facto fue analizar la relación entre variables de personalidad, ansiedad social, conducta prosocial, conducta antisocial y consumo de tabaco y alcohol en la adolescencia. La muestra se compuso de 352 estudiantes de 2º a 4º de Enseñanza Secundaria Obligatoria. Los coeficientes de correlación de Pearson mostraron que el consumo de tabaco correlacionó positiva y significativamente con las puntuaciones en conducta antisocial, extraversión y neuroticismo, mientras que el consumo de alcohol correlacionó positiva y significativamente con las puntuaciones de psicoticismo, extraversión y conducta antisocial. El análisis de regresión logística reveló que los predictores del consumo de tabaco fueron las puntuaciones en conducta antisocial (OR = 1,03; IC 95% = 1,01¿1,05), extraversión (OR = 1,11; IC 95% = 1,02¿ 1,21) y neuroticismo (OR = 1,07; IC 95% = 1,01¿1,13), mientras que los predictores del consumo de alcohol fueron las puntuaciones en conducta antisocial (OR = 1,04; IC 95% = 1,02¿1,07) y extraversión (OR = 1,12; IC 95% = 1,03¿1,24).

La agorafobia se define como el temor intenso a los espacios abiertos y otras situaciones relacionadas, como las multitudes, comercios y centros públicos en los que circula gran cantidad de personas. El sujeto teme sufrir un ataque que atribuye generalmente a un problema de salud. Se preocupa por el riesgo de morir, la imposibilidad de recibir ayuda y de escapar a un lugar seguro, o por el juicio de los demás. La mayor parte de los afectados son mujeres y el trastorno comienza generalmente al principio de la etapa adulta. Suele ser progresivo, llegando a incapacitar seriamente a quien lo padece. En este experimento de caso único se presenta el caso clínico de una mujer de 24 años que padecía trastorno de pánico con agorafobia. El tratamiento se desarrolló durante 12 sesiones semanales de 1 hora. Los objetivos del tratamiento se establecieron a partir de la hipótesis explicativa que incide en los principios del condicionamiento clásico y operante en la adquisición y el mantenimiento del problema. Se aplicó un programa multicomponente combinando estrategias cognitivocomportamentales y exposición en vivo. La terapia se centró en el afrontamiento de situaciones fóbicas graduadas. Las técnicas empleadas fueron la educación, la exposición a estímulos interoceptivos, el entrenamiento en control de la ansiedad, el entrenamiento en distracción y la exposición gradual. Se discuten los resultados de la intervención, que confirman la eficacia del tratamiento.

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.