Psychometric adaptation of the Spanish version of the Brief Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index in adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: Good sleep quality is essential for adolescent health, yet sleep difficulties persist in this age group. The 6-item Brief Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (B-PSQI) was recently developed to improve sleep quality assessment, however, its validity in adolescents remains unexplored. This study examined the B-PSQI's psychometric properties in Spanish adolescents and adapted the scoring method to age-specific sleep recommendations. METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving 1,065 adolescents (15-17 years; 56.8% female) was conducted in public high schools. Sleep quality was measured using the B-PSQI, the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), the short Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Additionally, depression and anxiety were assessed using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales. Reliability, validity, and measurement invariance were analyzed. RESULTS: The B-PSQI global scores were 4.5 (SD = 1.9) for the original scoring method and 5.4 (SD = 2.8) for the age-adjusted. The age-adjusted B-PSQI showed satisfactory reliability (ω = 0.84) and concurrent, convergent, and discriminant validity (ISI rS = 0.67; PROMIS rS = 0.71; anxiety rS = 0.40; depression rS = 0.42; ESS rS = 0.29). Adequacy for one-factor structure (χ2(4) = 53.9; CFI = 0.97; TLI = 0.92; RMSEA = 0.108; SRMR = 0.05) and invariance across sexes were supported. Both B-PSQI scoring methods showed similar psychometric properties, but the original yielded a higher percentage of poor sleepers (43.1%; cutoff ≥5) than the age-adjusted version (41.9%; cutoff ≥6). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that the B-PSQI is a valid and reliable measure to assess adolescent sleep quality. Its scoring can be adjusted to provide age-specific criteria for good sleep. The B-PSQI has potential utility for screening sleep problems and facilitating overall health promotion in adolescents.

Nighttime Texting on Social Media, Sleep Parameters, and Adolescent Sadness: A Mediation Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The use of social media during bedtime has increased in the past years among adolescents, contributing to disturbed sleep quality, which could potentially be related to emotional problems. This study aimed to analyze the mediation effects of sleep parameters on the relationship between NightTime Texting (NTT) on social media and adolescent sadness. METHODS: We used a cross-sectional study and evaluated a total of 1464 Swedish students aged 15-17 (55.7% girls) to examine their frequency of NTT on social media, sleep parameters, and adolescent sadness. Bivariate and mediation analyses were performed. RESULTS: Approximately 60% (n = 882) of adolescents engaged in nighttime instant messaging, with 37% (n = 330) reporting texting every night. Higher frequency of NTT was significantly associated with later bedtimes (η2 > 0.12), extended weekend wake-up times (η2 = 0.07), increased social jetlag (η2 = 0.07), and reduced sleep duration on schooldays (η2 = 0.10). Multicategorical parallel mediation analyses revealed that sleep duration on schooldays had an indirect effect on the relationship between both Occasional NTT (a11b1 = 0.05, p < .05) and Daily NTT (a21b1 = 0.12, p < .05) with sadness. Mediation effects were not moderated by gender (p > .05), however, the association between Occasional NTT and higher sadness was significantly linked to boys (t = 2.72; p = .007). CONCLUSIONS: Findings showed a large percentage of adolescents engaging in nighttime social media use with worse quality of sleep, and underlined sleep duration on schooldays as a mediator associated with emotional problems in adolescents. These insights can aid in developing strategies for healthier habits to address the misuse of social media and prevent related health problems.

Effectiveness of the Brief Guided Self-Change Therapy Combined with Varenicline under "Real-Life" Conditions and Mediators for Smoking Cessation.

Background: Brief therapies have proven to reduce tobacco cost-effectively, however, unsuccessful quit attempts remain notable in real-life conditions, and the underlying mechanisms of treatment success are still unclear. Objectives: We aimed to analyze the effectiveness of the Guided Self-Change (GSC) therapy combined with varenicline (VAR+T) in public health services against varenicline alone (VAR), and to identify mediators of treatment outcomes. We conducted a two-arm quasi-experimental study with 126 treatment-seeking smokers (age=57.3±9.1 years; 59.5% women). Before treatment, and at weeks 12 and 24, we assessed tobacco use and five potential mediators: withdrawal, craving, motivation to quit, anxiety, and depression. Results: Only 25% of participants adhered to varenicline prescription, and 54% to GSC therapy. VAR+T group showed a greater proportion of abstainers compared to VAR group at week 12 (75% vs 57.4%; φc=0.21) and week 24 (62.9% vs 52.5%; φc=0.10). When controlling for weeks taking varenicline, motivation showed a significant indirect effect over abstinence rates in VAR+T compared with VAR (a1b1=1.34; 95%CI=0.04, 5.03). Conclusions: The GSC effectiveness seems to increase motivation which in turn contributes to reducing tobacco use. The implementation of GSC therapy in public health services could minimize treatment duration and increase smoking abstinence in 'real-life' conditions where varenicline adherence remains low.

Engagement in New Gambling Practices and its Association with Gambling Disorder, Impulsivity, and Cognitive Distortions: Findings from a Nationally Representative Sample of Spanish Gamblers.

Most epidemiological surveys focus on adult gambling behaviors related to traditional gambling forms, while studies on novel forms often focus on loot boxes and cryptocurrency trading individually. This study examines the co-ocurrence of emergent gambling and gambling-like practices, analyzing the demographic and psychological characteristics of involved gamblers. A cross-sectional study surveyed 1429 Spanish individuals aged 18-65, using a web-based questionnaire. The survey assessed participation in 19 gambling (e.g., lotteries, sports betting) and gambling-like activities (e.g., trading of cryptocurrencies and other assets, buying loot-boxes), along with sociodemographic and substance use. Problem gambling (PGSI), Impulsivity (UPPS-P), and cognitive distortions (Labrador's cognitive distortions scale) were also assessed. Participants who gambled over the past year (n = 921) were classified into four groups: traditional gambling (TG) only (64.5%, n = 594), TG with trading activities (27.5%, n = 253), TG with gambling withing video games or streaming platforms (2.5%, n = 23), and TG with both trading and video gambling (5.5%, n = 51). Most gamblers engaged exclusively in traditional formats, but 35.5% also participated in novel gambling forms. Those involved in both trading and video gambling were generally younger, male, with higher levels of impulsivity and gambling-related cognitive distortions compared to TG-only gamblers (p < 0.001). This group also exhibited higher rates of problem gambling and substance use (p < 0.001). This study emphasize the importance of including emerging gambling activities, which are particularly prevalent among high-risk gamblers, in epidemiological surveys. Identifying new gambling patterns and associated risk factors could help optimize public policies and develop more effective regulatory and prevention strategies.

Validation of the Glover-Nilsson Smoking Behavioral Questionnaire (GN-SBQ) to Evaluate Nicotine Dependence in Spanish Clinical Settings.

An assessment of the different aspects of tobacco addiction is central to adapting interventions to the profiles and needs of smokers. The Glover−Nilsson Smoking Behavioral Questionnaire (GN-SBQ) is one of the few and most used scales to evaluate the behavioral aspects of tobacco addiction. However, few studies involve the validation of the GN-SBQ in clinical settings. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the psychometric properties of the GN-SBQ in a sample of Spanish smokers. A total of 341 smokers attending clinical services in Spain participated in this cross-sectional study. Measures included the psychological factors related to tobacco addiction, assessed with the GN-SBQ, the physical factors of nicotine addiction, withdrawal symptoms, smoking-related variables, and alcohol use. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, internal consistency coefficients, confirmatory factor analyses, Spearman correlations, and the Kruskal−Wallis test. The GN-SBQ showed adequate reliability (α = 0.76 and ω = 0.76) and a unidimensional structure. GN-SBQ scores also provided evidence of convergent and concurrent validity. GN-SBQ scores significantly correlated with the physical symptoms of addiction, age, number of cigarettes, and withdrawal symptoms. The results of discriminant validity were also adequate, as no correlation was observed between GN-SBQ scores and CO levels or alcohol use. Significant differences were found between all levels of psychological addiction based on the GN-SBQ scores regarding physical nicotine addiction, withdrawal symptoms, and age. Thus, this questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument to assess the psychological aspects of tobacco addiction in smokers in clinical settings. The short length of the GN-SBQ proves advantageous for its use in time-limited assessments, which are common in public health services.

Psychometric Validity of the Minnesota Tobacco Withdrawal Scale in Smokers Attempting to Quit: Longitudinal Invariance across Smokers and Abstainers.

Tobacco withdrawal symptoms vary during smoking cessation increasing relapse risk; therefore, a longitudinal invariant measure seems necessary to validly assess withdrawal changes. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the 7-item Minnesota Tobacco Withdrawal Scale (MTWS) during cessation, and to analyze longitudinal invariance across smokers and abstainers. We conducted a longitudinal study with 309 Spanish smokers (56.2 ± 9.9 years; 52.4% women). We assessed withdrawal at three occasions: pre-treatment (T1), week-12 (T2), and week-24 (T3). Reliability, validity, and invariance analyses were performed. MTWS reliability remained adequate over time (ωT1 = 0.78; ωT2 = 0.68; ωT3 = 0.80) in both smokers and abstainers, with satisfactory temporal stability (ICC = 0.73). MTWS correlations with anxiety, depression, and nicotine dependence (rs > 0.3) supported convergent and concurrent validity. MTWS showed no correlation with craving at T2 (rs < 0.24), suggesting discriminant validity. Unifactorial structure proved partial scalar invariance across time (χ2 = 246.009; CFI = 0.91; IFI = 0.91; SRMR = 0.09), yet longitudinal invariance between abstainers and smokers was not supported. Across groups, partial scalar invariance was only achieved at T2. Noninvariance at T3 was mainly due to item irritability (dMACS = 0.93). The MTWS is reliable and valid measure to assess withdrawal changes during cessation. Long-term MTWS comparisons between smokers and abstainers should be taken with caution since different withdrawal patterns may exist.

Brief version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (B-PSQI) and measurement invariance across gender and age in a population-based sample.

The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is the most widely used questionnaire in research and clinical practice to assess sleep quality. However, a brief version of this measure would improve its efficiency and applicability. This study aimed to develop a brief form of the PSQI and to study measurement invariance across gender and age in a nonclinical population. In total, 609 participants with a mean age of 37.3 years (standard deviation [SD] = 11.9) were recruited, of whom 71.8% (n = 437) were women. Participants completed online versions of the PSQI and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Reliability analyses were performed to reduce the number of items, followed by validity and measurement invariance analyses for the new Brief Version of the PSQI (B-PSQI). Six questions were included in the B-PSQI out of the initial 18; the brief form had adequate internal consistency (α = .79 and ω = 0.91). Confirmatory factor analysis showed optimal fit of the B-PSQI (χ2(4) = 22.428; p < .01; comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.99; normed fit index (NFI) = 0.99; Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.98; root mean squared error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.06; standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.04), achieving partial scalar invariance across gender-same factorial structure, loadings, and thresholds in the majority of the items. Invariance across age was only achieved for model structure. Additionally, the B-PSQI yielded favorable sensitivity (75.82%) and specificity (76.99%) for classifying poor sleepers, similar to values for the full PSQI. In conclusion, the B-PSQI is a brief, reliable, and valid measure that can be used as a screening tool, allowing valid score comparisons between men and women of similar age. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).