Analysis of the Calls Received during the COVID-19 Lockdown by the Mental Health Crisis Helpline Operated by the Professional College of Psychology of Aragon.

COVID-19 has had a direct impact on the physical and mental health of millions of people worldwide. Therefore, a Mental Health Crisis Helpline (MHCH) was set up and offered free of charge by the Professional College of Psychology of Aragon (COPPA) during the lockdown period. This research aims to study the reasons for the calls, to describe the population segments that used it, and to analyse the possible relationships between the variables studied. A total of 1411 calls were answered and 598 were registered. The main reasons for the calls were: anxiety symptoms, concern for a relative, previous mental health problems, conflicts, and depressive symptoms. Significantly more men called for anxiety symptoms (60.8% vs. 49.5%) versus more women calling regarding a chronic physical illness (3.5% vs. 0.7%), concern about a relative (22.7% vs. 12.4%), care guidelines (6% vs. 1.3%), and bereavement (6.2% vs. 2%). Calls regarding conflict increased slightly as the lockdown period progressed (p < 0.001; r = 0.15), in contrast with calls regarding previous psychological conditions and anxiety symptoms (p = 0.035; r = −0.09; p = 0.005; r = −0.12). These results highlight the intensive use of the MHCH, confirming the need for the implementation of specific psychological care resources in times of crisis.

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a lifestyle modification programme in the prevention and treatment of subclinical, mild and moderate depression in primary care: a randomised clinical trial protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Major depression is a highly prevalent pathology that is currently the second most common cause of disease-induced disability in our society. The onset and continuation of depression may be related to a wide variety of biological and psychosocial factors, many of which are linked to different lifestyle aspects. Therefore, health systems must design and implement health promotion and lifestyle modification programmes (LMPs), taking into account personal factors and facilitators. The main objective of this protocol is to analyse the clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and cost utility of an LMP and an LMP with information and communication technologies (ICTs) as adjunctive treatment for depression in primary care patients. The secondary objectives are to analyse the clinical effectiveness in the subgroup that presents comorbidity and to analyse the correlation between personal factors on health behaviour and lifestyle patterns. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A randomised, multicenter pragmatic clinical trial with three parallel groups consisting of primary healthcare patients suffering from subclinical, mild or moderate depression. The following interventions will be used: (1) Usual antidepressant treatment with psychological advice and/or psychotropic drugs prescribed by the general practitioner (treatment as usual (TAU)). (2) TAU+LMP. A programme to be imparted in six weekly 90-minute group sessions, intended to improve the following aspects: behavioural activation+daily physical activity+adherence to the Mediterranean diet pattern+sleep hygiene+careful exposure to sunlight. (3) TAU+LMP+ICTs: healthy lifestyle recommendations (TAU+LMP)+monitoring using ICTs (a wearable smartwatch). The primary outcome will be the depressive symptomatology and the secondary outcomes will be the quality of life, the use of health and social resources, personal factors on health behaviour, social support, lifestyle patterns and chronic comorbid pathology. Data will be collected before and after the intervention, with 6-month and 12-month follow-ups. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study has been approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of Aragón (approval number: C.P.-C.I. PI18/286) and the Research Ethics Committee of the Balearic Islands (IB3950/19 PI). Data distribution will be anonymous. Results will be disseminated via conferences and papers published in peer-reviewed, open-access journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT03951350).

Sexismo, pensamientos distorsionados y violencia en las relaciones de pareja en estudiantes universitarios de Ecuador de áreas relacionadas con el bienestar y la salud / Sexism, Distorted Thoughts and Violence in Couple Relationships in Ecuadorian Universities with Students Related to Welfare and Health

Resumen Este estudio tiene como objetivo analizar las relaciones entre las actitudes sexistas, los pensamientos distorsionados sobre la mujer y el uso de la violencia y los comportamientos de violencia con la pareja, en universitarios ecuatorianos de ramas relacionas con el bienestar y la salud. La muestra está conformada por 646 alumnos de tres universidades (424 alumnas y 222 alumnos). Se aplicaron los siguientes instrumentos: Versión modificada de la Escala de Tácticas para los Conflictos, Inventario de Sexismo Ambivalente, Inventario de Pensamientos Distorsionados y Escala de Deseabilidad Social. Para la detección de diferencias estadísticamente significativas, se aplicó el test de Mann Whitney y el test de Kruskal Wallis. Para estimar el efecto de la deseabilidad social en las respuestas, se realizaron diferentes regresiones lineales. Los resultados identifican un alto nivel de sexismo y de violencia ejercida y sufrida en la muestra de universitarios, aunque estos parecen estar influidos por la deseabilidad social. Este hecho cobra especial relevancia debido al papel que juegan estos profesionales en la detección y tratamiento de violencia en la pareja. Los resultados obtenidos indican la oportunidad de trabajar en intervenciones educativas en población universitaria para minimizar los pensamientos sexistas que pueden ser fundamento de la violencia de género.

Abstract This study aims to analyze the relationships between sexist attitudes, distorted thoughts about women, the use of violence and violent behaviors in couples. The study was carried out in Ecuadorian universities with students related to Welfare and Health studies. There were 646 students from three universities (424 men and 222 women). The following tests were applied: Modified version of the Scale Conflict Tactics, Ambivalent Sexism Inventory, Inventory of Distorted Thoughts and Social Desirability Scale. The Mann-Whitney and Kruskal Wallis tests were applied to detect statistically significant differences. In order to estimate the effect of social desirability on responses it was performed different linear regressions. The results identify high levels of sexism and perpetrated and suffered violence, although these results seemed to be influenced by social desirability. This becomes especially important due to the role played by these professionals in the detection and treatment of intimate partner violence. The results show the importance to work on educational interventions in universities to minimize sexist thoughts that cause violence against women.

Responsive versus Treatment-Resistant Perpetrators in Batterer Intervention Programs: Personal Characteristics and Stages of Change.

This article aims to identify different personal characteristics in treatment-responsive and treatment-resistant perpetrators of intimate partner violence who completed a batterer intervention program (BIP). The sample consists of 105 perpetrators of intimate partner violence who were court-mandated to a community-based cognitive behavioral program. Perpetrators were classified by professionals as resistant or responsive to treatment based on the stage of change they reached upon completion of the program. The results show that before starting the intervention program, treatment-resistant perpetrators scored higher than treatment-responsive perpetrators in external responsibility attributions and attitudes toward violence in intimate relationships. No differences were found in personality disorders or psychological symptoms between the groups. However, longer program participation correlates with increasing differences between the two groups. The results suggest that targeting the personal characteristics which differentiate treatment-responsive perpetrators from treatment-resistant ones may help to increase the efficacy of BIPs.

[Femicide Across Europe COST Action, a transnational cooperation network for the study of and approach to femicide in Europe]. / Acción COST Femicide Across Europe, un espacio de cooperación trasnacional para el estudio y el abordaje del feminicidio en Europa.

Femicide or the murder of women because of their gender is a recognised public health problem as well as a serious violation of human rights. Its magnitude worldwide is still unknown, given the methodological difficulties to differentiate these murders from other female homicides. The European Union programme entitled «European Cooperation in Science and Technology¼ (COST) launched the «Femicide across Europe¼ COST Action in 2013, establishing an optimal European framework for transnational cooperation among experts addressing great social and public health challenges such as femicide. This field note describes the main objectives, the participating groups of experts and the mid-term results of this experience.

Quality of Life, Emotional Wellbeing and Family Repercussions in Dermatological Patients Experiencing Chronic Itching: A Pilot Study.

A better understanding of the psychosocial impact of chronic itching could lead to improved intervention strategies. The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence and characteristics of chronic itching in dermatological patients. The Itch Severity Scale (ISS) was completed by a sample of 201 patients from a Dermatology Outpatient Clinic in Spain and 61.69% (n = 124) of participants recorded a positive score (X = 8.89, DT = 4.06). The results indicate that chronic itching has significant psychosocial repercussions. The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) showed that the negative impact on quality of life was significantly greater for the group that experienced chronic itching (p < 0.001). Scores on the Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) revealed that the group with chronic itching had more symptoms associated with anxiety (p = 0.001). The Family APGAR found no statistically significant differences between the groups with regards to repercussions on the family dynamic.

Context of treatment and therapeutic alliance: critical factors in court-mandated batterer intervention programs.

This paper deals with the influence of the therapeutic context in batterer intervention programs. We conducted 2 complementary studies: a descriptive analysis (Study 1) and a qualitative study (Study 2) analyzing the aspects that may help to improve the operation and effectiveness of treatment in a group of men (N = 27) who participated in a program for convicted perpetrators of intimate partner violence. The results show a statistically significant relationship between the therapeutic alliance and the assessment of the usefulness of the program attended by offenders (r = .69, p < .01), and between the therapeutic alliance and the assessment of the usefulness of the program content (r = .43, p < .05). Furthermore, the results of the qualitative analysis show that aspects of the therapeutic context may play an important role for the adhesion of offenders to treatment, increasing their motivation and improving results. It is proposed that future research should provide more in-depth analysis of the elements related to the context of the intervention and therapists' skills as facilitators of change.

Anxiety, depression, quality of life and patient satisfaction in acne patients treated with oral isotretinoin.

Oral isotretinoin is effective in the clinical control of acne, but the relationship between this treatment and its psychosocial impact on the patient has not been completely clarified. The aim of this study was to determine if the use of oral isotretinoin in total accumulated doses of 120 mg/kg in a sample of 346 patients with moderate acne was useful in controlling symptoms of anxiety and/or depression and improving quality of life. A further objective was to ascertain the level of patient satisfaction with the treatment. After 30 weeks, there was a significant reduction in clinical symptoms (p < 0.001). The negative impact on quality of life, measured with the Dermatology Life Quality Index and the Health Survey Short-Form-36 (p < 0.001), showed a significant reduction, as did the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale scores for anxiety (p < 0.001) and depression (p < 0.005). At the end of the study, the mean level of patient satisfaction with improvement of symptoms was 84.4%.

Male abuser: type of violence and perception of the relationship with the victim.

This article explores violent behavior within a relationship from the male abuser's perspective. A systemic approach was used, combining qualitative and quantitative information in two parallel studies. The first (Study 1) is a descriptive analysis of a group of men (N = 220) who participated in a program to address violence within the couple. In the second (Study 2), a subgroup of 8 participants was interviewed in-depth for describing and analyzing their perceptions of violence. The data analysis suggest that relationship violence (a) begins in the early stages of the relationship, (b) is long-term, (c) rarely includes serious physical aggression, (d) is dominated by a growing hostility and isolation, (e) is characterized by a lack of awareness and responsibility for the violent behavior, and (f) includes intentional and strategic use of violent behavior.

Tipología de hombres condenados por violencia de género en un contexto de intervención psicológica en la comunidad / Typology of Men Convicted of Intimate Partner Violence in Psychological Treatment in a Community Setting

Este estudio analiza una muestra de 61 hombres que participaron en un programa de intervención psicológica en la comunidad dirigido a sujetos condenados por un delito de violencia de género. El objetivo es clasificar a los participantes en grupos homogéneos con el fin de detectar sus diferencias y semejanzas, y en particular determinar si valoran de manera distinta el programa de intervención. La información sobre los integrantes de la muestra ha sido obtenida a través de una entrevista semiestructurada, una valoración de sus expectativas ante el tratamiento y la utilidad de éste, y mediante la aplicación de los cuestionarios SCL-90-R, IRI, BDHI, IPDMV, MCMI-II y CTS-2. La clasificación de los sujetos se ha realizado mediante análisis clúster y los resultados evidencian la existencia de 2 grupos con una fuerte cohesión interna. Uno lo forman individuos más estables emocionalmente, con menor consumo de sustancias y una expresión de la violencia de menor intensidad. El otro lo constituyen sujetos que reconocen un mayor número de agresiones físicas menores (CTS-2) y que obtienen puntuaciones significativamente superiores en las escalas de personalidad antisocial, pasivo-agresiva y esquizotípica y en las de abuso de sustancias (MCMI-II). Sin embargo, no se observan diferencias significativas entre ambos grupos respecto a su valoración del programa de intervención psicológica.

This paper presents the study a sample of 61 convicted male batterers who participated in a psychological intervention program provided in the community. The aim is to classify the participants in homogeneous groups in order to detect their differences and similarities and, in particular, those concerning their evaluation of the intervention program. Data from the participants were collected by means of a semi-structured interview, an evaluation based on their expectations and the usefulness of the program, together with the administration of the following instruments: SCL-90-R, IRI, BDHI, IPDMV, MCMI-II and CTS-2. The batterers were classified using cluster analysis and the results suggest the existence of 2 clusters with a strong internal consistency. One cluster is composed by male batterers who are emotionally more stable, with lower drug use rates and a less intense expression of violence. The other group is composed by men who recognized a higher number of minor physical aggressions (CTS-2), with highest scores in the antisocial, passive-aggressive and schizotypal personality dimensions, and also the highest scores in drug use (MCMI-II). However, we have not found statistically significant differences between both clusters with respect to their assessment of the psychological intervention program.