Stress and suicide risk among adolescents: the role of problematic internet use, gaming disorder and emotional regulation.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have associated videogame playing and social media use with suicidal behaviors together with lower stress coping or poor emotion regulation strategies. Due to the inconclusive evidence regarding the factors associated with suicidal behavior, the present study aimed to overcome the limitations of previous research and explored the relationship between adolescent stress, problematic internet use (PIU), gaming disorder (GD), and emotional regulation (ER) in a cross-section design. It was hypothesized that stress would have a direct effect on suicide risk (SR) as well as being mediated by PIU, GD, and ER. METHODS: The participants comprised 430 adolescents (58.4% male) aged between 16 and 19 years. They completed an online survey including the Mobile-Related Experiences Questionnaire, Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form, Meta-Mood Trait Repair Scale, and Spanish version of the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 34.2% of the adolescents (N = 147) were at risk for SR. Results also indicated that 30,7% had experienced suicidal ideation at some point in their life, 12.1% had at least one plan to die by suicide, and 5.1% had attempted suicide. Results of path analysis confirmed that stress appeared to be a risk factor for suicide, but that its effects were not mediated by PIU. However, ER and GD mediated the effect of stress on SR. The results suggest that stress is a main risk factor for suicide, especially among adolescents with poor emotional regulation or problematic gaming. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the prevalence of suicide among adolescents, the results of the present study suggest that suicide prevention programs should include emotional regulation strategies, stress coping, and videogaming management skills in the early stages of high school. Providing these protective resources to adolescents will help them face the stressful and changing situations typical of adolescence and will help them to attain greater well-being and satisfaction with life.

The suicidal behaviors questionnaire-revised. Spanish form.

This study consists of a translation, intercultural adaptation and analysis of the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of Suicide Behavior Questionnaire Revised using a sample of 325 undergraduates. Internal consistency, reliability and temporal stability, calculated through Cronbach's alpha (α =.81) and test-retest correlations (ICC =. 88), respectively, were excellent. The criterion-related validity of the SBQ-R was established by correlating SBQ-R with other psychological constructs. A confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated adequate fit of the measurement model. This SBQ-R Spanish adaptation is a reliable and valid tool that might be useful to researchers and clinicians wishing to identify young people at a high risk of suicide.

The relationship between suicidal behavior and perceived stress: The role of cognitive emotional regulation and problematic alcohol use in Spanish adolescents.

Suicidal behavior has become an important public health problem, correlating with stress and emotional deficits in recent research. This study examined the relationship between perceived stress and suicidal behavior risk, testing the mediating roles of cognitive emotion regulation and impulsivity, and the moderating role of problematic alcohol use in stress-suicidal behavior association in a sample of 121 Spanish adolescents surveyed online. Results showed positive and significant associations between perceived stress and suicidal behavior risk, as well a mediation role of adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies and a moderation role of problematic alcohol use between perceived stress and suicidal behavior risk, supporting stress as an influential factor in suicidal behavior. Our findings emphasize adaptive emotional regulation strategies in stressful situations, as well as the importance of promoting responsible alcohol consumption to decrease suicide risk in adolescents. Additionally, they contribute to effective educational suicide prevention programs for young people.

Family caregiver emotional distress in advanced cancer: the DME-C scale psychometric properties.

BACKGROUND: Family caregivers of patients with advanced illness at end of life often report high levels of emotional distress. To address this emotional distress is necessary to have adequate and reliable screening tools. AIM: This study analyses the psychometric properties and clinical utility of the Family Caregiver Emotional Detection Scale for caregivers of patients with end-stage cancer (DME-C, Spanish acronym) who are receiving palliative care (PC). DESIGN: Multicentre, cross-sectional study. SETTINGS/PARTICIPANTS: Family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer at end of life receiving palliative treatment were interviewed to explore their emotional distress through the DME-C scale and other instruments measuring anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)), distress thermometer (DT) and overload (B), as well as a clinical psychological assessment (CPA). RESULTS: 138 family caregivers, 85 (61.6%) female and 53 (38.4%) male, with an average age of 59.69±13.3 participated in the study. The reliability of the scale, as measured by Cronbach's alpha, was 0.76, and its stability over time was 0.734. Positive, significant correlations were found between the DME-C and the scores for anxiety and depression registered on the HADS scale, as well as with the total result of this latter scale and the results for B, the DT and the CPA. A statistical analysis of the receiver-operating characteristic curves showed that the scale has a sensitivity and specificity of 75%, and that the cut-off point for the detection of emotional distress was a score ≥11. Fifty-four per cent of the caregivers displayed emotional distress according to this scale. CONCLUSIONS: The DME-C displays good psychometric properties. It is simple, short, reliable and easy to administer. We believe that the instrument is useful for the detection of emotional distress in the family caregivers of hospitalised patients suffering from end-stage illnesses and receiving PC.

Caregiver emotional distress: external open-behaviour signs.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether specific external signs of emotional distress (ESED) can be an indirect measure of emotional distress in caregivers. METHODS: A cross-sectional multicentre design was used. 148 primary caregivers of advanced cancer patients attended in four Spanish palliative care units participated in this study. The emotional distress of caregivers was measured using both the Emotional Distress of Caregivers Scale and a psychological interview. Health professionals collected data using a standard clinical interview process after a brief training period. RESULTS: More than half the caregivers (60%) presented with emotional distress. A positive correlation (r=0.566) was found between the intensity of ESED and emotional distress per se. Caregivers who presented emotional distress showed more ESED than those that did not (p<0.01). The study found significant differences for the categories 'visible signs of sadness, fear, crying, feeling overwhelmed' (p<0.001), 'difficulty in separating from the patient: family refuses to let the patient make decisions and insists on care' (p<0.001) and 'visible signs of anger, irritability or frequent disagreement with therapeutic measures' (p<0.001). No significant differences were found with respect to gender. The set of items to measure these external signs presented an adequate reliability assessed using Cronbach's alpha (α=0.773). CONCLUSIONS: The assessment of ESED in caregivers could serve as a useful method to assess their emotional distress. Incorporating the systematic assessment of these external signs as part of the assessment of the emotional distress of primary caregivers could improve the overall assessment and treatment provided to these caregivers.

Exercise Addiction and Muscle Dysmorphia: The Role of Emotional Dependence and Attachment.

Background: Both exercise addiction (EA) and muscle dysmorphia (MD) primarily involve the compulsive practice of physical exercise and are classified as behavioral addictions in different lines of research. These types of addictions are frequently comorbid with other addictive pathologies, such as emotional dependence (ED), which is closely related to childhood attachment. This study is presented to address the scarcity of research relating EA and MD with other behavioral addictions. The aims are to analyze the sex differences found in emotional dependence, attachment dimensions, EA and MD; to analyze the association between EA and MD and other behavioral addictions, such as emotional dependence and attachment dimensions; and to analyze the possible role that childhood attachment plays in mediating the interaction between emotional dependence and EA and MD. Method: The sample comprised 366 participants (54.6% women) aged 17-31 (M = 23.53; SD = 6.48). Results: There are sex differences, with men scoring higher in EA, MD, and ED. The positive relationship between EA and ED (values between 0.16 and 0.28), MD (presenting values between 0.42 and 0.70), and attachment styles based on preoccupation, interference, permissiveness, and value of parental authority (values between 0.11 and 0.14) is highlighted. On the other hand, MD was positively related to ED (values ranging from 0.24 to 0.36) and attachment styles based on the value of parental authority, self-sufficiency, and resentment toward parents (between 0.17 and 0.18), and negatively related to secure attachment (values between -0.13 and -0.18). Likewise, the predictive role of ED and attachment styles in EA and MD was tested. And it was observed how attachment styles mediated the relationship between EA and ED, as well as the relationship between MD and ED. Thus, it has been shown that people with EA and MD present attachment styles that may influence negatively the decision-making process when choosing inappropriate strategies to achieve adequate emotional regulation, even selecting inappropriate goals for physical exercise with negative consequences. Conclusions: The dissemination of the findings among mental health and sports science professionals is necessary to develop prevention and intervention strategies for people affected by EA and MD.

Resilience in Caregivers: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Resilience is a multidimensional construct that explains why people facing the consequences of adversity and stress can have a positive outcome, emphasizing adjustment to experiences that are perceived as threatening. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to review the construct of resilience and associated variables in caregivers of patients with chronic, advanced illness and at the end of life. METHODS: The review included studies published between January 2009 and January 2019, using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guide reporting. The Medline, ScienceDirect, HINARI, PsychINFO, and SciELO databases were used for bibliographic exploration to identify research studies that examined the impact of resilience on adaptation and overall well-being in caregivers of patients with chronic and advanced illness. RESULTS: A total of 23 quantitative and qualitative studies were identified whose aim was to describe the role of resilience in adaptation and coping in caregivers. In these studies, resilience was associated with a positive impact on the quality of life and emotional distress. Communication and social support increase resilient coping strategies. In most selected articles, the sampling strategy used was convenience sampling. Data collection used evaluation scales related to resilience and associated variables for quantitative studies, and semistructured interviews were used for qualitative studies. CONCLUSION: Promoting a resilient coping style in caregivers reduces the distress that normally results from illness-related changes in the biopsychosocial and spiritual dimensions. A resilient coping style can diminish the risk of stress and burden, and promote adaptation in the caregiver.

Relationship of academic procrastination with perceived competence, coping, self-esteem and self-efficacy in nursing students. / Relación de la procrastinación académica con la competencia percibida, el afrontamiento, la autoestima y la autoeficacia en estudiantes de enfermería.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to study the role that perceived competence, resilient coping, self-esteem and self-efficacy can have as protective factors of the academic procrastination of nursing students. METHOD: Participants were 237 nursing students, 202 women and 35 men. The participants answered a questionnaire that contained the Spanish forms of the following instruments: Tuckman Procrastination Scale (TPS), Perceived Personal Competence Scale (PPC), Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE). RESULTS: Significant and negative correlation coefficients (p<.01) were obtained between the procrastination scale and the rest of the measures used. The linear regression analysis identified Perceived Competence (PPC) as the only predictive variable of procrastinating behaviour, explaining 21.5% (R2aj) of the variance. DISCUSSION: The results of the study show the important protective role that the variables associated with 'positive' psychology have on procrastination. Of special relevance for the theory and practice of teaching is the result that indicates the predictive role of Perceived Competence on the academic procrastination of students.

Academic procrastination in nursing students. Spanish adaptation of the Academic Procrastination Scale-Short Form (APS-SF). / Procrastinación académica en estudiantes de enfermería. Adaptación española de la Academic Procrastination Scale-Short Form (APS-SF).

AIM: The aim of this paper was the translation and adaptation to Spanish of the Academic Procrastination Scale-Short Form of McClosky / Yockey, and to determine its preliminary psychometric properties of validity and reliability in a sample of nursing students. METHOD: 178 nursing students, 143 female and 35 male, participated in the study. They answered an anonymous and self-administered questionnaire, which contained demographic data, the Academic Procrastination Scale-Short Form (APS-SF) and the Tuckman Procrastination Scale (TPS). RESULTS: A Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.87 and a two-week test-retest coefficient of 0.89 was obtained. The correlation between the 2administered scales was 0.70. The confirmatory factor analysis shows a suitable fit to the unifactorial model proposed for the original version of the scale. No significant floor or ceiling effects were observed in the APS-SF scores. DISCUSSION: The results of the study seem to confirm that the Spanish version of the Brief Scale of Academic Procrastination is a valid and reliable instrument, which, due to its characteristics, can be useful to quickly evaluate procrastinating behaviours related to the academic activities of Spanish-speaking students.

Evidence for validity of the brief resilient coping scale in a young Spanish sample.

The aim of the present study was to provide evidence of validity of the Brief Resilient Coping Scale for use in Spanish young population. A total of 365 university students responded to the Spanish version of the BRCS as well as to other tools for measuring personal perceived competence, life satisfaction, depression, anxiety, negative and positive affect, and coping strategies. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the unidimensional structure of the scale. Internal consistency reliability and temporal stability through Cronbach's alpha and test-retest correlations, respectively, were comparable to those found in the initial validation of the tool. The BRCS showed positive and significant correlations with personal perceived competence, optimism, life satisfaction, positive affect (p < .01), and some coping strategies (p < .05). Significant negative correlations were observed with depression, anxiety and negative affect. (p < .01). Multiple regression analysis with stepwise method showed that positive affect, negative affect, optimism and problem solving explained 41.8% of the variance of the BRCS (p < .001). The Spanish adaptation of the BRCS in a young population is satisfactory and comparable to those of the original version and with the Spanish version adapted in an elderly population. This supports its validity as a tool for the assessment of resilient coping tendencies in young people who speak Spanish and offers researchers and professionals interested in this area of study a simple tool for assessing it.