Cross-Cultural Examination of Problematic Internet Use and Associated Psychological Variables: A Comparative Study in Italy, Spain, Ecuador, and Peru.

Background: Several studies focused on the escalating prevalence of Problematic Use of Internet (PUI) and its consequential impact on mental health globally. This study investigates the relationship between PUI and associated psychological variables across different cultural contexts in Italy, Spain, Ecuador, and Peru. Method: A total of 675 participants, aged 18 to 54 (M = 22.73; SD = 4.05), completed measures assessing Internet addiction, social media addiction, Fear of Missing Out, Internet Gaming Disorder, and Phubbing. Results: Significant cultural variations were found, with Italian participants showing higher levels of Internet addiction but lower levels of social media addiction compared to other countries. Fear of Missing Out was higher in Italy, while the Italian sample exhibited lower Internet Gaming Disorder levels compared to Peru. As regards the communication disturbance caused by Phubbing, the Italian sample demonstrated significantly higher scores than the Peruvian sample. Linear regression analyses revealed distinct predictors for problematic Internet use in each country, emphasizing the importance of considering the cultural context in understanding this phenomenon. Conclusions: These findings contribute valuable insights into the interplay of cultural factors, psychological variables, and problematic Internet use, guiding future research and interventions.

Person-centered care assessment tool with a focus on quality healthcare: a systematic review of psychometric properties.

BACKGROUND: The person-centered care (PCC) approach plays a fundamental role in ensuring quality healthcare. The Person-Centered Care Assessment Tool (P-CAT) is one of the shortest and simplest tools currently available for measuring PCC. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the evidence in validation studies of the P-CAT, taking the "Standards" as a frame of reference. METHODS: First, a systematic literature review was conducted following the PRISMA method. Second, a systematic descriptive literature review of validity tests was conducted following the "Standards" framework. The search strategy and information sources were obtained from the Cochrane, Web of Science (WoS), Scopus and PubMed databases. With regard to the eligibility criteria and selection process, a protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022335866), and articles had to meet criteria for inclusion in the systematic review. RESULTS: A total of seven articles were included. Empirical evidence indicates that these validations offer a high number of sources related to test content, internal structure for dimensionality and internal consistency. A moderate number of sources pertain to internal structure in terms of test-retest reliability and the relationship with other variables. There is little evidence of response processes, internal structure in measurement invariance terms, and test consequences. DISCUSSION: The various validations of the P-CAT are not framed in a structured, valid, theory-based procedural framework like the "Standards" are. This can affect clinical practice because people's health may depend on it. The findings of this study show that validation studies continue to focus on the types of validity traditionally studied and overlook interpretation of the scores in terms of their intended use.

Emotional Intelligence and Perceived Social Support: Its Relationship with Subjective Well-Being.

The well-being of people is a key aspect of the field of psychology. Hence, it is important to analyse the variables that are related to life satisfaction and happiness as perceived by individuals and that, therefore, increase their overall well-being. The main objective of this study was to analyse the predictive capacity of emotional intelligence and perceived social support on both the level of life satisfaction and perceived happiness. A total of 380 psychology students completed the Trait Meta Mood Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Subjective Happiness Scale. The results show that both emotional intelligence and social support are related to and predictive of subjective happiness and life satisfaction. The importance of developing the components of emotional intelligence and promoting an adequate social network in young people is highlighted.

Problematic Internet Use and Resilience: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Problematic Internet use has become a major problem worldwide due to its numerous negative correlates in the field of health, both mental and physical, and its increasing prevalence, making it necessary to study both its risk and protective factors. Several studies have found a negative relationship between resilience and problematic Internet use, although the results are inconsistent. This meta-analysis assesses the relationship between problematic Internet use and resilience, and analyses its possible moderating variables. A systematic search was conducted in PsycInfo, Web of Science and Scopus. A total of 93,859 subjects from 19 studies were included in the analyses. The results show that there is a statistically-significant negative relationship (r = -0.27 (95% CI [-0.32, -0.22])), without evidence of publication bias. This meta-analysis presents strong evidence of the relationship between the two variables. Limitations and practical implications are discussed.

Relationship between Problematic Smartphone Use, Sleep Quality and Bedtime Procrastination: A Mediation Analysis.

The purpose of this investigation was to study the relationship between sleep quality, problematic smartphone use (PSU) and bedtime procrastination, as well as to assess gender and age differences. A total of 313 participants, aged 18-60 (M = 30 ± 10.1; 53.2% males), completed an online survey between February and May 2023 in Spain. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version and Bedtime Procrastination Scale were used to measure sleep quality, PSU and bedtime procrastination, respectively. Additionally, smartphone use habits were evaluated through self-report questions. Pearson correlations, independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Bonferroni's post hoc tests and mediation analysis were conducted. Correlation analysis showed positive associations between the three main variables. Independent sample t-tests indicated females were more prone to PSU along with higher overall smartphone use. Post hoc analysis of one-way ANOVA exposed age differences between young adults (18-25 years old), adults (26-44 years old) and middle-aged adults (45-60 years old) in PSU and bedtime procrastination. Finally, mediation analysis revealed that PSU had indirect effects on sleep quality through bedtime procrastination, but no direct effects on sleep quality. Therefore, PSU, and especially bedtime procrastination, should be considered as targets in future campaigns or intervention programs to improve sleep quality among the young Spanish population.

Influence of Nutrition on Mental Health: Scoping Review.

The aim of this article was to carry out a scoping review of existing research on the influence of food on mental health: (1) Background: nutrition, nutrient levels or an adequate body weight seem to influence the mental health status of individuals. The consumption of psychotropic drugs also seems to contribute to overweight; (2) Methods: fifteen previous research articles were used in the review, which were read in their entirety, following PRISMA methodology and using SPIDER and GRADE tools; (3) Results: there is a relationship between diet and mental health status. Low levels of magnesium, together with high levels of calcium, provoke anxious states, and supplementation with Melissa Officinalis attenuates them. Healthy nutritional habits generally reduce depressive symptoms; while vitamin D supplementation improves mental health status; (4) Conclusion: in general, healthy and appropriate nutrition, such as the Mediterranean diet, improves mental health status. Levels of magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin B6 also seem to have an influence. As limitations of the present review, "food" was considered any form of nutrient administered as an independent variable, and it may include linguistic and publication bias.

Measurement of Prosocial Tendencies: Meta-Analysis of the Generalization of the Reliability of the Instrument.

The Prosocial Tendencies Measure (PTM) and its revised version (PTM-R) are used internationally to measure prosocial behaviors in different life situations. To obtain accumulated evidence of the report and the reliability of its scores, a meta-analysis of the reliability of internal consistency was performed. The databases of Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus were reviewed and all the studies that applied it from 2002 to 2021 were selected. Results: Only 47.9% of the studies presented the index of reliability of PTM and PTM-R. The meta-analytic results of the reliability report of the subscales that the PTM and the PTM-R have in common were: Public 0.78 (95% CI: 0.76-0.80), Anonymous 0.80 (95% CI: 0.79-0.82), Dire 0.74 (95% CI: 0.71-0.76), and Compliant 0.71 (95% CI: 0.72-0.78). Each one of them presents high levels of heterogeneity derived from the gender of the participants (percentage of women), the continent of the population, the validation design, the incentive to participate, and the form of application. It is concluded that both versions present acceptable reliabilities to measure prosocial behavior in different groups and situations, as adolescents and young people, but their clinical use is discouraged.

Health-Related, Social and Cognitive Factors Explaining Gambling Addiction.

BACKGROUND: Gambling addiction was the first addictive behavior not related to substance use that was recognized by the DSM-5. It shares diagnostics and comorbidity with other addictions. Extensive studies have investigated the clinical variables involved, but there have been fewer studies of related cognitive and social variables. In this research, an integrative model was developed to advance the understanding of gambling addiction, and an explanatory model was created based on the concept of cognitive distortions. METHODS: The sample comprised 258 university students (59.5% women) with a mean age of 20.95 years (SD = 2.19). A series of questionnaires were administered to measure gambling addiction, depression, coping with stress, prosocial behavior, susceptibility to priming and cognitive distortions about gambling. In addition, correlations, multiple linear regressions and a simple mediation model of these variables were analyzed. RESULTS: The results indicated that gambling addiction was correlated with a variety of clinical, social and cognitive factors. These factors contributed to a model that predicted 16.8% of the variance in gambling addiction and another model using cognitive distortions as a predictor and the maximum bet as a mediator that predicted 34.5% of the variance. CONCLUSIONS: The study represents an advance by developing a theoretical model from an integrative perspective and providing a new explanatory model. The findings of this research are of great importance in the development of prevention and intervention programs for gambling addiction.

Psychosocial risk factors of technological addictions in a sample of Spanish University students: The influence of Emotional (Dys)Regulation, personality traits and Fear of Missing Out on internet addiction.

Perception of the need to be online can lead to the compulsive use of the Internet. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships between Internet Addiction and Social Media Addiction and some psychological variables that could influence the onset of these disorders (FoMO, Emotional Dysregulation, Personality traits). The sample was composed by 598 Spanish university students aged from 18 to 35 (471 women and 118 men; average age = 21.56; standard deviation = 2.73). Participants responded to an online questionnaire regarding the use of Internet (IAT), the use of social media (BSMAS), Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), Emotional (Dys)regulation (DERS) and personality traits (BFI-15). Correlation analysis showed a positive relationship between FoMO, Social Media Addiction, Internet Addiction, Emotional (Dys)regulation and Neuroticism dimension of Big five. Also, we observed a negative relationship between Internet Addiction and Social Media Addiction, Conscientiousness dimension of Big Five, and gender. The tested mediation model highlighted that the total effect of the DERS on the IAT score was significant as well as its indirect effect via the BSMAS and FoMO scores was positive and significant. In conclusion, we proposed a new integrated model for understanding the characteristics, predictors, and risk factors of IA.

Motives for gambling, cognitive distortions, and irresponsible gambling: Proposal for an explanatory model of gambling addiction in university students.

There are many factors that appear to be directly related to the development of gambling addiction problems, and it is important to understand these relationships from a clinical perspective in order to develop prevention and intervention programs. This research seeks to analyze the relationships these problems have with gambling motives, cognitive distortions and irresponsible gambling behavior, and proposes an explanatory model of gambling addiction. The sample was made up of 258 adults residing in the province of Valencia (59.5% women), with a mean age of 20.95 years (SD = 2.19). A series of questionnaires were applied to measure the variables involved, and bivariate correlations, simple and multiple linear regressions and a structural equation model were analyzed. The results indicated that gambling motives were positively related to cognitive distortions, acting as predictors of these. Additionally, the proposed theoretical model showed goodness of fit on various indices and explained 69% of variance in cognitive distortions, 37% of that in irresponsible gambling and 43% of that in gambling addiction. The main limitation of this research is that the sample belongs to a very specific population, who did not necessarily have gambling problems. The main contributions are uncovering some of the relationships between gambling motives and cognitive distortions and the proposal of a mediating role of irresponsible gambling in the relationship between cognitive distortions and the development of gambling problems. If the proposed model replicates, it can be of help to research and health professionals.

Prospect Theory: A Bibliometric and Systematic Review in the Categories of Psychology in Web of Science.

Prospect Theory (PT) is an alternative, dynamic explanation of the phenomenon of risky decision making. This research presents an overview of PT's history in health fields, including advancements, limitations, and bibliometric data. A systematic and bibliometric review of the scientific literature included in the psychological categories of Web of Science (WoS) was performed following the PRISMA 2020 statement for systematic reviews. A total of 37 studies (10 non-empirical and 27 empirical) were included in the sample. Bibliometric results showed thematic variability and heterogeneity regarding the production, researchers, and methodologies that are used to study PT. The systematic results highlight three main fields of PT research: preventive and screening behaviors, promotion of healthy habits, and COVID-related decision making. Personal and contextual factors which alter the usual pattern specified by PT are also described. To conclude, PT currently has an interdisciplinary character suitable for health promotion, with recent studies broadening its applicability.

Emotional Intelligence as a Predictor of Prosocial Behaviors in Spanish and Colombian Older Adults Based on Path Models.

Emotional intelligence (EI), empathy, and prosocial behavior (PB) are widely studied in the early stages of life, up to adolescence. However, there have been few studies in older adults. Using a multivariate methodology, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were applied with structural equation models (SEM) in 271 older adults in Colombia, along with a Spanish sample made up of 139 adults over 60 years of age, for a total sample of 411 older adults. The results confirmed that EI, as measured with the WLEIS, scale is the best predictor of PB, with excellent adjustment criteria (GFI = 0.99; CFI = 0.98; RMSEA = 0.064; PCLOSE = 0.28; SRMR = 0.023; AIC = 57.30). It is concluded that the path model yielded a reliable predictive explanation of PB, including EI as a key variable that explains prosocial tendencies.

Resilience and prosocial behaviour in Spanish care professionals of dependent persons.

Professional residential care providers face several stressors due to the burden of caring for dependent people. This burden may affect the way in which care is carried out. Resilience, as personal strengths, may help them to be more effective in their workplace and in their interaction with patients, and this may be related to the development of participation skills and prosocial behaviours. A total of 125 professional's caregivers from Spain responded to the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale Resilience Scale and the PB new Prosocial Conduct Scale over the years 2018 and 2019. We checked the predictive power of resilience as well as other predictors (sex, type of contract and total months worked in professional caregiving) on prosocial behaviour in caregivers' professionals with multiple regression analysis. Results showed resilience as the only significant predictor, explaining 21% of the variance in prosocial behaviour (R2  = 0.21, F(5, 115) = 6.16, p < 0.001). This indicates that resilience is a variable prediction of prosocial behaviour in health and social professionals. Resilience gets in the individual the capacity to be attentive to give answers in certain situations, being a predictor of great relevance of the prosocial behaviours. Thus, it is necessary to deepen the research on professional caregivers to be able to train and empower them in skills that improve their quality of life and by strength, that of dependent people.

Variables Impacting the Quality of Care Provided by Professional Caregivers for People with Mental Illness: A Systematic Review.

People with mental illness may need the support of caregivers in certain areas of their lives, and there is an increasing need for quality care for people with mental health problems by qualified health professionals. Often, these professionals may develop so-called burnout syndrome, although some authors point out that positive emotions may also arise. In addition, several variables can act as both protectors and stressors. Therefore, the main aim of the current study is to identify variables related to the professional care of people with mental illness (i.e., protective or stressor variables) through a systematic review. The review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines with a final selection of 20 articles found in the Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect and Dialnet databases between the months of October and November 2019, and updated in June 2022. The results show that job satisfaction is a strong predictor of the quality of care, and that congruence between personal and organizational values is a very important factor. Meanwhile, working in the same job for successive years, working in community mental health teams and experiencing burnout act as stressors and reduce the quality of care provided.

Sense of Coherence and Work Stress or Well-Being in Care Professionals: A Systematic Review.

Job-related stress affects the physical and psychological health of professionals dedicated to care. This work is a systematic review that aims to determine the relationships between a sense of coherence (SOC) and work stress and well-being perceived by care professionals. The review was carried out following the PRISMA guidelines, and the search was carried out using the Web of Science (WoS), PubMed, and Scopus databases, obtaining a final selection of 41 articles. The results indicate that stress, depression, burnout, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) negatively correlate with SOC; in contrast, job satisfaction, well-being, and quality of life positively correlate with SOC. It is concluded that SOC could act as a mediating variable and as a predictor variable of these health problems.

Reliability Generalization Meta-Analysis of Internet Gaming Disorder Scale.

The objective of this study was to carry out a reliability generalization meta-analysis of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale (IGDS) to find out if it presents adequate values that justify its application in its four versions: original and abbreviated with dichotomous or ordinal response. A systematic review including 26 studies that apply this instrument from 2015 to June 2022 was conducted. For each version, a reliability generalization meta-analysis was performed with the random coefficients (RC) and varying coefficients (VC) model. Results showed reliability levels > 0.80 in the ordinal versions (IGDS9P and IGDS27P) and in the dichotomous 27-item version (IGDS27D), while the dichotomous 9-item version (IGDS9D) produced levels > 0.70. High heterogeneity was found in all versions (I2 > 95%; Rb > 90%). Cronbach's α means with both models (RC-VC) did not differ significantly except for the IGDS9D version. It is concluded that, considering the dependence of the results on sample size, abbreviated versions do not guarantee that reliability remains acceptable, and dichotomous versions may provide limited but acceptable reliability. Finally, IGDS27P version is recommended in contexts where high precision is required.

Social Support and Resilience as Predictors of Prosocial Behaviors before and during COVID-19.

The objective of this research was to analyze the relationship between social support and resilience with prosocial behavior before and during the confinement caused by COVID-19. Materials and Methods: The participants were divided into a confined group (228 women and 84 men) and an unconfined group (153 women and 105 men), all of whom were university students. Instruments were applied to measure the variables proposed. Results: Social support predicted 24.4% of the variance in prosocial behavior among women and 12% among men in the confined group; no evidence of this relationship was found in the unconfined groups. Resilience predicted 7% of the variance in prosocial behavior among confined women, 8.4% among confined men, 8.8% among unconfined women, and 5.1% in unconfined men. Discussion and Conclusion: The results show the importance of social support and resilience in prosocial behaviors, which are key elements for the proper functioning of society, especially in the face of a crisis such as COVID-19.

Careless responses and construct validity of Wong-Law Emotional Intelligence Scale.

Careless response in the investigation of emotional intelligence has not been explicitly addressed. In a sample of 180 Spanish adults responding to the Wong-Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, a small prevalence (7.2%) was detected. The impact was small on the psychometric parameters, but they were less inflated, more realistic, and precise.

Reliability Generalization Study of the Person-Centered Care Assessment Tool.

The so-called Person-Centered Care (PCC) model identifies three fundamental principles: changing the focus of attention from the disease to the person, individualizing care, and promoting empowerment. The Person-Centered Care Assessment Tool (P-CAT) has gained wide acceptance as a measure of PCC in recent years due to its brevity and simplicity, as well as its ease of application and interpretation. The objective of this study is to carry out a reliability generalization meta-analysis to estimate the internal consistency of the P-CAT and analyze possible factors that may affect it, such as the year of publication, the care context, the application method, and certain sociodemographic properties of the study sample. The mean value of α for the 25 samples of the 23 studies in the meta-analysis was 0.81 (95% CI: 0.79-0.84), with high heterogeneity (squared-I = 85.83%). The only variable that had a statistically significant relationship with the reliability coefficient was the mean age of the sample. The results show that the P-CAT gives acceptably consistent scores when its use is oriented toward the description and investigation of groups, although it may be affected by variables such as the age of participants.

A Reliability Generalization Meta-analysis of the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS).

BACKGROUND: The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) is one of the most widely used screening instruments for evaluating addiction to gambling. METHOD: The main objective of this study is to analyze whether the SOGS is a reliable instrument and what characteristics of studies on the SOGS are linked to its reported reliability. RESULTS: A meta-analysis was carried out with 63 studies including 65 independent samples. The mean value of a was .86 (95% CI of .84­.88), with high heterogeneity (I2 = 98.27%). The variables that explain the most heterogeneity were the continent where the study was performed (R2 = .61), application to participants with or without clinical problems (R2 = .58), the form of administration of the questionnaire (R2 = .56), and the standard deviation in the SOGS score (R2 = .13). CONCLUSIONS: The results show that the SOGS is a reliable instrument for evaluating gambling addiction. However, the meta-analysis highlights the need to report the reliability values for each empirical study and to provide a set of recommendations for researchers and professionals who use this instrument.