Provision of Telepsychological Care Via Email during COVID-19 Confinement: An Exploratory Study.

Within teletherapy, email interventions have been studied scarcely. For this reason, this exploratory study aims to characterize the assistance provided by email in a university telepsychology service and to compare the data with the assistance provided by telephone in the same service and period. For this purpose, the records of 81 users assisted via email during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Spain were analyzed. The data were compared with those of the 338 users assisted by telephone in the same period. Despite its many limitations, results indicate high satisfaction with the email modality. Users express that they prefer a preference for using email when they do not feel safe in other ways. We found a lot of variation between the number of emails exchanged and the days that each case was active. Additionally, differences were found with telephone users in aspects such as age (email users being younger) and in a depression screening (email users scoring more positively). This study concludes on the high potential of this channel for the application of certain techniques (e.g., psychoeducation) or for people with certain characteristics.

Mental Health in Doctoral Students: Individual, Academic, and Organizational Predictors.

BACKGROUND: The mental health of doctoral students is a matter of concern, and several variables appear to be associated with the state of their mental health. However, there have been no studies on the population of doctoral students in Spain to date using validated instruments. METHOD: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted to assess mental health in 1,018 doctoral students. The impact of personal, academic, psychological, and social/organisational variables on their mental health was assessed. RESULTS: Between 50% and 60% of the sample might be experiencing a common psychological disorder, while 18.8% of the sample might be experiencing passive suicidal ideation. In addition, using binary logistic regression, significant predictors of negative mental health were identified, including: sociodemographic variables (being female); academic variables (longer time spent in a doctoral programme); psychological variables (lower life satisfaction; greater interference and less clarity about negative emotions); and social and organisational variables (greater fear of losing tuition rights, lower social support, and greater interference of academic work with personal life). CONCLUSIONS: Doctoral students need measures to remedy and prevent mental health issues based on improving self-care and emotion regulation, promoting social support at university, and reducing the pressure of losing tuition rights among final-year students.

Mental Health in Doctoral Students: Individual, Academic, and Organizational Predictors / Salud Mental en Estudiantes de Doctorado: Predictores Individuales, Académicos y Organizacionales

Background: The mental health of doctoral students is a matter of concern, and several variables appear to be associated with the state of their mental health. However, there have been no studies on the population of doctoral students in Spain to date using validated instruments. Method: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted to assess mental health in 1,018 doctoral students. The impact of personal, academic, psychological, and social/organisational variables on their mental health was assessed. Results: Between 50% and 60% of the sample might be experiencing a common psychological disorder, while 18.8% of the sample might be experiencing passive suicidal ideation. In addition, using binary logistic regression, significant predictors of negative mental health were identified, including: sociodemographic variables (being female); academic variables (longer time spent in a doctoral programme); psychological variables (lower life satisfaction; greater interference and less clarity about negative emotions); and social and organisational variables (greater fear of losing tuition rights, lower social support, and greater interference of academic work with personal life). Conclusions: Doctoral students need measures to remedy and prevent mental health issues based on improving self-care and emotion regulation, promoting social support at university, and reducing the pressure of losing tuition rights among final-year students.(AU)

Antecedentes: La salud mental de los estudiantes de doctorado es preocupante, y diversas variables parecen asociarse con ella. No obstante, no existen hasta la fecha estudios sobre estudiantes de doctorado en España con instrumentos validados. Método: se efectuó un estudio observacional en 1018 estudiantes de doctorado. Analizamos el impacto de variables personales, académicas, psicológicas y organizacionales en su salud mental. Resultados: Entre el 50% y el 60% de la muestra podría padecer un trastorno psicológico común, mientras que el 18,8% de la muestra tendría ideación suicida pasiva. Mediante regresión logística binaria, se obtuvieron como predictores significativos del estatus negativo de salud mental variables sociodemográficas(ser mujer); académicas (más tiempo en el doctorado); psicológicas (menor satisfacción con la vida; mayor interferencia y menor claridad sobre las emociones); y organizacionales (mayor temor a perder la permanencia, menor apoyo social, y mayor interferencia del trabajo académico en la vida personal). Conclusiones: Es necesaria la puesta en marcha de medidas para la reparación y prevención de la salud mental en los doctorandos, basadas en mejorar el autocuidado y regulación emocional de los estudiantes; la promoción del apoyosocial en la universidad, y la reducción de la presión asociada a la permanencia en últimos cursos.(AU)

Checking Different Video Game Mechanics to Assess Cognitive Abilities in Groups with and without Emotional Problems.

This study assesses cognitive abilities through video games for entertainment (Blek, Edge, and Unpossible) that were programmed from scratch to record players' behavior and the levels achieved in a sample without emotional problems and in one with emotional problems. The non-emotional-problem sample was recruited from three universities and two bachelor's degree programs. The emotional-problem sample was recruited from two outpatient centers. The participants in the emotional-problem sample completed reduced versions of the ability tests and video games, as required by their emotional problems. Three subtests of the Differential Aptitude Test that assessed abstract reasoning, visuospatial reasoning, and perceptual speed were selected as ability tests. All participants were required to complete a mental health questionnaire (PROMIS) and a brief questionnaire on their gaming habits and previous experience with the video games used. The results that were obtained showed good convergent validity of the video games as measures of cognitive abilities, and they showed that the behavior of players in the sample without emotional problems while playing predicted the level achieved in the Blek and Unpossible game fragments, but this was only true for Unpossible in the emotional-problem sample; finally, shorter versions of the Blek and Edge game fragments can be used because they maintain their good psychometric properties.

A comparative study of climacteric symptoms among two populations of mid-aged women.

The purpose of this study was to compare climacteric symptoms associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among women from Madrid (Spain) and Belgrade (Serbia). A cross-sectional study included 461 women from Madrid and 513 women from Belgrade aged 40-65 years. Climacteric symptoms and HRQOL were examined using the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS). There were no differences in MRS total score (p = 0.873), somato-vegetative and urogenital domain scores regarding country groups. However, women from Belgrade had poorer psychological domain score than women from Madrid (p = 0.027). Madrilenian women were more likely to have worse MRS score if they were coupled, had gynaecological complaints and longer duration of amenorrhoea. In Belgradian women, having higher level of education and using hormone-replacement therapy was associated with worse MRS score. Midlife women from Madrid and Belgrade had similar perception of intensity of urogenital and somato-vegetative climacteric symptoms. Belgradian women, however, perceived psychological symptoms as more severe.IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? Social and cultural meanings of menopause vary across countries. It is quite delicate to strike a balance between two or more populations of women that can be compared, but also have specific features that are unique to their area. Similarities such as position of women in the society, access to education, contraception and safe induced abortion can facilitate this comparison.What do the results of this study add? Spanish and Serbian women rated similarly somato-vegetative and urogenital complaints, but Serbian women had worse psychological symptoms compared to Spanish women. Spanish women were more likely to endure climacteric symptoms until they withdraw spontaneously. Serbian women of higher education were more likely to use hormone-replacement therapy to manage climacteric complaints.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? This study is the first to compare climacteric symptoms between women in Spain and Serbia. Despite the universality of menopause, culture seems to play a major role in differences in the perception of specific climacteric symptoms. Examination of quality of life in menopausal transition is an important measure of health status and should become a part of the routine health care in midlife.

The impact of perimenopausal symptomatology, sociodemographic status and knowledge of menopause on women's quality of life.

BACKGROUND: A high percentage of menopausal and perimenopausal women suffer symptoms that deteriorate their quality of life (QoL) significantly. Many studies have focused on the relationship between perimenopausal symptoms and QoL, yet the results obtained have been inconclusive. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationships among the symptoms of menopause, sociodemographic variables, knowledge of menopause and QoL. METHOD: Sociodemographic and clinical data was collected from interviews of 453 women in Madrid, and they also completed questionnaires related to perimenopausal symptomatology (MRS, MENQOL), knowledge of menopause and QoL. RESULTS: Although dependent on the assessment techniques, all the tools used indicated that more than half of the women studied suffered perimenopausal symptomatology: interview (59.1%), MENQOL (69.2%) and MRS (65.1%). Stronger symptoms were related to a worse QoL (R2 = 0.287 for MENQOL; R2 = 0.390 for MRS), being psychosocial/psychological and urogenital/sexual symptomatology, and educational level and knowledge about menopause the most strongly related to this parameter. Taking into account the main perimenopausal symptoms in Europe, psychosocial and sexual symptoms are also found to be strongly related to QoL. CONCLUSION: Perimenopausal symptomatology is frequent and intense, deteriorating women's QoL. While psychosocial and somatic/physical symptoms are the most frequent and intense, psychosocial/psychological and urogenital/sexual are those that best predict the individual's QoL. Educational level and knowledge about menopause are also related to a better QoL.

Symptomatology and quality of life between two populations of climacteric women.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to compare climacteric symptomatology and sociodemographic conditions and their effect on quality of life in two populations: Monterrey (Mexico) and Madrid (Spain). METHODS: 469 women from Monterrey (mean age 50.5 + 4.3 years) and 452 (mean age 51.7 + 3.7 years) from Madrid participated in the study. Descriptive analyses of sociodemographic and clinics characteristics of the sample were performed. A cross-sectional design and a regression analysis were performed to establish the sociodemographic and clinical variables that would be used as predictors of quality of life. Data was collected using the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life, MENQOL, the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Quality of Life Scale for Women Aged From 45 to 64 (QLS), and a sociodemographic and clinical interview designed ad hoc. RESULTS: Approximately 60% of both Spanish and Mexican women present symptoms during climacteric that impairs their quality of life. Spanish women suffer more intense symptoms and for a longer period of time than Mexican women, with the exception of anxiety. Mexican women report better quality of life than Spanish women and it is moderated by educational, socioeconomical, and marital status. Women's knowledge about menopause is also related to a better quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms the differences in climacteric symptomatology between populations and the impact of educational level and knowledge about menopause as predictors of a better quality of life in climacteric women.

Accuracy of the Menopause Rating Scale and the Menopause Quality of Life Questionnaire to discriminate menopausal women with anxiety and depression.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the accuracy of the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) and the Menopause Quality of Life Questionnaire (MENQOL) to discriminate women suffering from anxiety (AD) and depression disorder (DD). METHODS: A cohort of 416 women aged 45 to 65 years (51.7 ±â€Š3.8) completed the MRS, MENQOL and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, plotting receiver operator curves to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the MRS and MENQOL items related to anxiety and depression. RESULTS: Both the MRS6 (area under the ROC curve [AUC] 0.773, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.721-0.824) and MENQOL5 (AUC: 0.772, 95% CI 0.723-0.822) proved to be accurate tools to identify individuals with anxiety or with a likelihood to develop AD. Likewise, the items MRS4 (AUC: 0.771, 95% CI 0.625-0.797) and MENQOL8 (AUC: 0.744, 95% CI 0.668-0.821) appeared to be suitable to discriminate individuals with DD. Two cut-off points were established for each item in the different scales to optimize their capacity to detect and discriminate problems of anxiety and depression. Lower cut-off values (MRS ≥ 1; MENQOL ≥ 2) were established to detect AD and DD, the sensitivity of which varied between 76.0% and 84.6%% and a negative predictive value varying between 86.7% and 95.3%. A more specific cut-off was established for the discrimination of AD and DD (MRS ≥ 2; MENQOL ≥ 7), with a specificity ranging from 86.2% to 99.4% and a positive predictive value varying between 68.6% and 92.6%. CONCLUSIONS: The MRS and MENQOL display moderate accuracy in discriminating menopausal women with symptoms of anxiety and depression. The intensity of the symptoms appears to be related to the probability of detecting a probable or definitive disorder.

Conducta antisocial, impulsividad y creencias justificativas: análisis de sus interrelaciones con la agresión proactiva y reactiva en adolescentes / Antisocial behavior, impulsiveness and justification beliefs: analysis of their interrelationships with proactive and reactive aggression in adolescents

Este estudio analiza las interrelaciones entre creencias justificativas, impulsividad y conducta antisocial en relación con la agresión proactiva y reactiva. Ambos tipos de agresión han sido ampliamente analizados en la infancia, pero en mucha menor medida en la adolescencia. Por ello, en este estudio se utilizó una muestra de adolescentes compuesta por 320 participantes de ambos sexos para analizar las complejas relaciones existentes entre todas estas variables. Los resultados mostraron que, tanto en hombres como en mujeres, la agresión proactiva estuvo muy relacionada con la conducta antisocial, mientras que la agresión reactiva lo estuvo con la impulsividad. Además, a través de un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales, se encontró una relación indirecta entre agresión proactiva y conducta antisocial mediatizada parcialmente por la presencia de creencias justificativas. Los autores concluyen el estudio señalando la importancia de considerar la impulsividad y las creencias justificativas como factores de especial interés para comprender el desarrollo de la agresión en adolescentes (AU)

This study assessed the relationships between reactive and proactive aggression and justification beliefs, impulsivity and antisocial behavior, examined characteristically in the context of children but less often studied in adolescents. For this reason the current study assessed a sample of 320 adolescents of both sexes in order to examine the relationships between reactive and proactive aggression and antisocial behavior, impulsivity and normative believes. Results showed that proactive aggression was significantly related to antisocial behavior and normative believes, in both sexes, whereas impulsivity showed the highest correlation to reactive aggression. Using structural equation modeling, a direct relationship was found between aggression and antisocial behavior partially mediated by normative beliefs. According to these results, the authors conclude by stressing the importance of considering impulsivity and normative beliefs as key factors for understanding the development of aggression in adolescents

Comparing visual-analog and numeric scales for assessing menstrual pain.

Measurements from visual-analog (VAS) and numeric scales were used to assess menstrual pain in a prevalence study of 1,387 women in Madrid, Spain. The data obtained from these 2 scales were compared to determine if significant differences existed between the 2 rating methods. Findings indicated that both scales are useful for assessing menstrual pain. A high degree of correlation was found between the 2 scales; larger rating differences were seen in only a small percentage of the sample. The numeric scale is easier and more convenient to use than the VAS and is recommended in epidemiologic and prevalence studies such as this one.

Prevalencia de los síntomas no dolorosos de la dismenorrea funcional en la Comunidad de Madrid. Su evolución en función de la edad / Prevalence of non painful symptoms in functional dysmenorrhea in the community of Madrid: Its evolution depending son the age

En el artículo se estudia la prevalencia de los síntomas no dolorosos de la dismenorrea primaria y su evolución según la edad de las mujeres estudiadas (una muestra de 1387 mujeres, de entre 13 y 52 años, y de distintos estratos socioculturales, y de ámbitos urbanos y rurales de la Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid), que completaron un gráfico mensual en el que se recogía la aparición y desaparición de la sintomatologlá asociada en función del momento de aparición de la menstruación. Los síntomas más frecuentes fueron: inflamación de mamas, inflamación de vientre, cambios de humor e irritabilidad. Los síntomas aparecen con mayor frecuencia el día antes y el mismo día de comienzo de la menstruación. No existen diferencias significativas entre los distintos grupos de edad en cuanto a la sintomatología más prevalente (AU)

Factorización de los síntomas no dolorosos de la dismenorrea primaria y su cambio a lo largo de la edad: estudio en la Comunidad de Madrid / Factor structure and evolution of painless symptoms in primary dismenorrhea: a study carried out in Madrid Community

El presente estudio tiene como doble objetivo: (a) determinar si la estructura de los síntomas no dolorosos de la dismenorrea primaria, en la Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid, se corresponde con la utilizada normalmente en los trabajos al uso; y (b) determinar si los síntomas de la dismenorrea varían en función de la edad de las mujeres estudiadas. Los resultados indican que los síntomas, en las muestras estudiadas, no se corresponden plenamente con los tradicionalmente asociados a la dismenorrea, aunque presentan cierta similitud con éstos, tienen un carácter netamente psicofisiológico y se mantienen estables a lo largo del tiempo, no mostrando diferencias notables entre los grupos de edad estudiados (AU)