Advertising Games of Chance in Adolescents and Young Adults in Spain.

Gambling advertising can influence attitudes and gaming behavior of adolescents and young adults (A&Y). To study the effect of advertising on the attitudes and gaming behavior of a sample of 2887 Spanish A&Y (12-22 years old), by means of a self-report assessment. On average, participants show a weak effect of advertising, however there are great variations, estimating that 11% of A&Y acknowledge being influenced by advertising and 5% recognize being severely affected. Men see themselves more impacted than women, without age differences. Those who play videogames signal a stronger effect of this kind of advertising and although these differences are not substantial in effect size, they reach statistically significance in 12 of the 13 questions assessed. A&Y who showed higher scores indicating problematic use of videogames in the IDGS9-SF, are those who indicate a greater impact of advertising on their attitudes towards gaming, as well as on the way they play or on their intention to play. These results support the idea that videogames can, albeit modestly, predispose engagement in games of chance.

Un grupo de duelo para hijos de pacientes fallecidospor cáncer / A mourning group for daughters and sons of patients died of cancer

Introducción: La muerte del padre o de la madre, figuras importantes y significativas, es siempre dolorosa y triste. Se considera uno de los eventos más estresantes de la vida. La mayoría de jóvenes atraviesa el periodo de duelo sin mayores problemas; sin embargo, algunos requieren de una intervención que facilite el proceso. Debido a que los jóvenes muchas veces son reacios a aceptar una intervención individual se considera oportuno ofrecerles una intervención grupal. Objetivo: Facilitar el proceso de adaptación. Método: El grupo está formado por 7 jóvenes cuya media de edad es de 20 años. Hijos de pacientes oncológicos con factores de riesgo de duelo complicado. Se utiliza un diseño preexperimental y se realiza una evaluación pre y postratamiento. Resultados: Las escalas de desesperanza y depresión muestran una disminución estadísticamente significativa (p< 0,05) desde el inicio al final. Lo mismo ocurre con los resultados de ansiedad al compararse la media del principio de las sesiones con el final de estas (p< 0,05). También aumentan los modos de afrontamiento que se potencian en las sesiones. Conclusiones: La intervención terapéutica realizada disminuye la depresión, la desesperanza y la ansiedad y también potencia las estrategias de afrontamiento (AU)

Evaluación y tratamiento de un caso de vómitos recurrentes en situaciones de interacción social heterosexual / Assesment and treatment in a case of recurrent vomiting in social heterosexual interactions

Se describe la evaluación y tratamiento de un varón de 24 años que acude consulta por la aparición de vómitos ante situaciones en las que se ve forzado a salir a comer/cenar con personas que no sean de confianza (sobre todo mujeres) o en aquellas situaciones de interacción social con una mujer que pudieran dar lugar a una mayor intimidad heterosexual. El tratamiento se llevó a cabo en 36 sesiones en las que se combinaron varias técnicas orientadas en tres direcciones: 1) reducir la respuesta condicionada de ansiedad somática ante los diversos estímulos utilizando entrenamiento en respiración, desensibilización sistemática y exposición gradual "in vivo"; 2) modificar las ideas irracionales que se presentan ante las situaciones problema específicas y, más en general, las referidas a lo que debe ser una relación de pareja o " la pareja ideal", utilizando terapia racional sistemática y generación de auto-instrucciones positivas; 3) mejorar las habilidades interpersonales del sujeto a través del entrenamiento en negación asertiva y expresión de emociones. Tras la intervención se eliminó la respuesta condicionada de vómito, se redujo notabemente el número de pensamientos negativos antes, durante y después de las situaciones problema, y se produjo un incremento significativo en actividades de ocio e interacciones soiales (bien que pudieran dar lugar a comidas/cenas, bien a situaciones de intimidad con mujeres) y a un mayor disfrute de éstas. Los resultados se mantienen tras seis meses de seguimiento (AU)

Comparison of clinic, home self-measured, and work self-measured blood pressures.

Self-measured and clinic blood pressure (BP) estimates of patients' true levels of BP were compared as part of a controlled study of stress management training for essential hypertension. Forty-three patients underwent 6 to 9 clinic measurements and made 48 self-measured readings of BP at home and at work before and after treatment. Analyses showed that (a) self-measured BP values at work and at home were significantly correlated with each other but did not correlate with clinic blood pressure measurements at pretreatment, and (b) test-retest correlations over 2 months and intraclass correlations of self-measured BP measures were significantly higher than those of clinic BP measurements. Findings indicated that self-measurement improved the estimations of patients' true levels of BP and improved the sensitivity and feasibility of studies assessing the efficacy of antihypertensive treatments.

Psychological changes accompanying and mediating stress-management training for essential hypertension.

In a previous controlled study, 21 participants with essential hypertension were treated with a program based on education, relaxation and D'Zurilla problem-solving training, and another 21 participants were assigned to a waiting list control condition (García-Vera, Labrador, & Sanz, 1997). In this report, the pre-post-treatment psychological changes accompanying those conditions were examined with the Jenkins Activity Survey, the Rosenbaum Self-Control Schedule, the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the D'Zurilla-Nezu Social Problem-Solving Inventory. Treatment yielded significant psychological changes that included an increase of problem-solving abilities. Moreover, correlation and multiple regression analyses revealed that, when clinic blood pressure (BP) values were considered, increases in problem-solving abilities were correlated with systolic and diastolic BP reductions for participants in the stress-management condition, and they mediated partially the antihypertensive effects of stress-management training on BP. No significant correlations were found between psychological changes and self-measured systolic or diastolic BP reductions.

Stress-management training for essential hypertension: a controlled study.

Forty three patients with essential hypertension participated in a study on the effectiveness of stress-management training for essential hypertension. After 6-9 clinic and 48 self-measured readings of systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP and DBP), 22 patients were treated with a program based on education, relaxation, and problem-solving training; and another 21 patients were assigned to a waiting list control group. At post-treatment, mean reductions of clinic BP (17/13 mm Hg vs. 6.9/4.7 mm Hg for SBP/DBP), percentages of subjects who achieved at least a 5 mm Hg reduction (86/86% vs. 48/48% for SBP/DBP) and percentages of subjects who in addition achieved a normotensive level (59/68% vs. 29/14% for SBP/DBP) were significantly higher in the treated group than in the control group. Concerning self-measured BP, the effectiveness of the stress-management training was not so considerable (mean reductions of 3.6/2.4 mm Hg and percentages of subjects who achieved a 5 mm Hg reduction of 52/38% for SBP/DBP), but it was significant and maintained in a 4-month follow-up assessment (mean reductions of 4/2 mm Hg and percentages of subjects who achieved a 5 mm Hg reduction of 48/33% for SBP/DBP). It is suggested that stress-management training can be beneficial for treatment of essential hypertension.