Propiedades psicométricas de la “Escala de percepción del riesgo para el uso de la tecnología” en niños y adolescentes / Psychometric properties of the “Risk perception scale for the use of technology” in children and adolescents

Los objetivos de esta investigación son: 1) crear un instrumento válido y fiable que permita evaluar la percepción del riesgo que tienen del uso de la tecnología (móvil, Internet y videojuegos) niños y adolescentes; y 2) analizar la frecuencia con la que se dan algunas conductas de riesgo en función de la percepción, el uso de la tecnología y la edad. 807 niños y adolescentes de la provincia de Córdoba (España) respondieron una batería ad hoc que recoge información sobre datos sociodemográficos; uso problemático del móvil, internet y videojuegos; y percepción de riesgo con la “Escala de percepción del riesgo del uso de la tecnología para niños y adolescentes” (EPRUT). Los resultados indican que a partir del análisis factorial, la EPRUT cuenta con tres dimensiones que hacen referencia al móvil, Internet y videojuegos. Se han observado diferencias en función de la edad y la percepción de riesgo. Evaluar la percepción del riesgo favorecerá la detección y el desarrollo de programas de prevención de uso de la tecnología en niños y adolescentes.(AU)

The aim of this work is 1) to create a valid, reliable instrument with which toevaluate the risk perception of children and adolescents regarding their use oftechnology (cell phones, Internet, and video games); and 2) to analyze thefrequency with which some risk behaviors occur in relation to perception,technology use and age. 807 children and adolescents from the province ofCordoba (Spain) answered an ad hoc questionnaire with several instruments:sociodemographic data; problematic use of cell phones, Internet, and video games;and risk perception with the Scale on Risk Perception of Technology Use forchildren and adolescents (SRPTU). The results obtained from the factor analysisreveal that the RPSTU has three dimensions, related to cell phones, Internet, andvideo games, respectively. Differences were observed in the relationship betweenage and risk perception, with older people having the highest risk perception.Assessing risk perception will favor the detection and development of preventionprograms for the use of technology in children and adolescents.(AU)

Suicidal Behavior and Problematic Internet Use in College Students.

BACKGROUND: Suicidal behavior, especially in young populations such as university students, is currently one of the most concerning health problems worldwide, suicide being the second leading cause of death among students. Although literature is still scarce, one of the risk factors that correlates the most with suicidal behavior in young people appears to be problematic internet use (PIU). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between PIU and suicidal behavior in a Spanish university population. METHOD: An ex post facto prospective design was used with a sample of 1,386 Spanish university students (68.7% women and 31.3% men). PIU was assessed by means of the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and psychological problems by means of the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM). RESULTS: The results confirm the relationship between PIU and suicidal behavior, principally alongside those of social isolation and depression, this risk being 3.78 times higher among women with PIU and 5.58 times higher in men. CONCLUSIONS: PIU appears as a risk factor for suicidal behavior that must be taken into account together with social isolation, subjective distress and depression.

Suicidal Behavior and Problematic Internet Use in College Students / Conducta Suicida y Uso Problemático de Internet en Estudiantes Universitarios

Background: Suicidal behavior, especially in young populations such as university students, is currently one of the most concerning health problems worldwide, suicide being the second leading cause of death among students. Although literature is still scarce, one of the risk factors that correlates the most with suicidal behavior in young people appears to be problematic internet use (PIU). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between PIU and suicidal behavior in a Spanish university population. Method: An ex post facto prospective design was used with a sample of 1,386 Spanish university students (68.7% women and 31.3% men). PIU was assessed by means of the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and psychological problems by means of the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM). Results: The results confirm the relationship between PIU and suicidal behavior, principally alongside those of social isolation and depression, this risk being 3.78 times higher among women with PIU and 5.58 times higher in men. Conclusions: PIU appears as a risk factor for suicidal behavior that must be taken into account together with social isolation, subjective distress and depression.(AU)

Antecedentes: La conducta suicida, sobre todo en población joven como la universitaria, es actualmente uno de los problemas de salud que más preocupa a nivel mundial, siendo el suicidio la segunda causa de muerte en esta población. Aunque la literatura aún es escasa, parece que el uso problemático de Internet (UPI) se muestra como uno de los factores de riesgo que más correlaciona con la conducta suicida en jóvenes. El objetivo de esta investigación es estudiar la relación entre el UPI y la conducta suicida en población universitaria española. Método: Se utilizó un diseño prospectivo ex post facto con una muestra universitaria española de 1,386 (68.7% mujeres y 31.3% hombres), evaluando el UPI mediante el Internet Addiction Test (IAT) y los problemas psicológicos mediante el Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM). Resultados: Los resultados obtenidos confirman la relación existente entre el UPI y la conducta suicida, en relación también con el aislamiento social y la depresión principalmente, siendo este riesgo 3.78 veces mayor entre las mujeres con UPI y de 5.58 en hombres. Conclusiones: El UPI se presenta como un factor de riesgo para el suicido a tener en cuenta junto con el aislamiento social, la angustia subjetiva y la depresión.(AU)

Mental Health Day Hospitals and Lockdown Due to COVID-19 in Spain.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has forced changes in patient care in Mental Health Day Hospitals (MHDHs). Objectives: To study the interventions performed in MHDHs during the pandemic in comparison with those performed in other facilities and to analyze the new hospital admissions in both groups. Method: A retrospective multicenter cohort study comparing the interventions received by a group of 161 patients admitted in MHDHs during the lockdown period in Spain with the interventions of another group of 109 patients who were treated at other facilities during lockdown. Results: MHDHs reduced their face-to-face interventions during lockdown just as much as other facilities but implemented telematic intervention methods to a greater extent. Patients attached to MHDHs during lockdown were admitted significantly less and presented fewer urgent consultations in the following 6 months. Conclusion: The use of telepsychiatry made it feasible to adapt MHDHs to periods of lockdown, being useful to improve the continuity of care during the pandemic. In addition, it was possible to maintain a reduction in hospital admissions in patients treated at MHDHs.

Subjective well-being and vulnerability related to problematic Internet use among university students with and without disabilities: A comparative study.

This study aims to observe whether people with disabilities experience problematic Internet use (PIU) like that of young people without disabilities; to relate PIU to psychological distress in young disabled people and to determine whether these problems are similar to or different from those experienced by young people without disabilities. The sample comprised 408 university students with disabilities and 1386 university students without disabilities from several Spanish universities. PIU was evaluated using the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and psychological distress was evaluated using the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM). The group of university students with disabilities showed less PIU than the nondisabled students, but the worst scores in variables referencing psychological discomfort were found among those students with disabilities who also had PIU. Although the results are not completely generalizable, PIU is related to bigger problems in disabled people for whom it represents a higher risk than for people without disabilities.

Perceptual Styles and Cannabis Consumption Prediction in Young People.

Given that risk perception has been found to be both a vulnerability and a protective factor with respect to consumption, the objectives of this study were to find out whether there exist specific patterns of risk perception associated with cannabis use and, if so, how they relate to cannabis consumption and to the sources of information on drugs accessed by young people. An ex post facto study was carried out with 1851 young Andalusians aged 18 to 29, using an adaptation of the Andalusian Government "Andalusian Population versus Drugs" survey. For the first objective, a cluster analysis was carried out in which three perceptual style groups were formed: "Strict", "Permissive-Awareness" and "Lax". Cannabis use in the "lax" group was found to be 14.31 times more frequent than in the "strict" group and 2.75 times more frequent than in the "permissive-awareness" group. A logistic regression analysis was also performed, which correctly predicted 80.4% of users and non-consumers. Correlation was found between perceptual styles and the sources of information used about drugs. This study identified three different risk perception styles that heavily correlated to cannabis consumption and to the type of sources young Andalusians use to obtain information about drugs, suggesting the need for a change in preventive policy.

Consumo de alcohol, tabaco y psicofármacos en jóvenes universitarios y no universitarios / Alcohol, tobacco and psychodrugs in university students and non-university youths

El objetivo de este trabajo es comparar las prevalencias de consumo de sustancias legales (alcohol, tabaco y psicofármacos) en los jóvenes universitarios y no universitarios, con objeto de conocer si existen diferencias en patrones de consumo. Participaron 772 alumnos de la Universidad de Córdoba y 2405 jóvenes no universitarios del “Programa Ciudades ante las drogas” de la provincia de Córdoba. Se recogió información con un cuestionario adaptado ad hoc sobre patrones de consumo de sustancias legales. Los resultados señalan que ambos grupos de jóvenes presentan un consumo habitual muy elevado en alcohol, tabaco y psicofármacos, pero los jóvenes universitarios tienen un consumo más elevado de alcohol y psicofármacos que los jóvenes no universitarios y estos últimos presentan un consumo habitual mayor de tabaco. El consumo experimental ocurre de forma invertida, los jóvenes no universitarios experimentan más con el alcohol y los tranquilizantes y los jóvenes universitarios con el tabaco. En conclusión, se puede decir que existen patrones diferenciales de consumo en función del entorno en el que se desarrolla la vida de los jóvenes (AU)

The aim of this study is to compare the prevalence of legal drugs consumption (alcohol, tobacco and psycho-drugs) in university and non-university youths to see if there are differences in consumption patterns. The sample consisted of 772 students from the University of Cordoba and 2405 non-university youths from the Cities and Drugs Project (“Programa Ciudades ante las Drogas”) for the province of Córdoba. Information was collected with a questionnaire adapted ad hoc on patterns of consumption of legal substances. The results indicate that the two groups score very highly on habitual alcohol use, tobacco and psycho-drugs, but there are significant differences in the type of relationship they establish with the consumption of substances. University students show a higher consumption of alcohol and psycho-drugs than non-university youths, while non-university youths show a greater habitual tobacco use. It is noteworthy that with experimental use the pattern is reversed: non-university youths have more experiences with alcohol and psycho-drugs, and university students with tobacco. In conclusion, one can say that there are differential patterns of substance consumption depending on the environment

[Analysis of behavior related to use of the Internet, mobile telephones, compulsive shopping and gambling among university students]. / Análisis de comportamientos relacionados con el uso/abuso de Internet, teléfono móvil, compras y juego en estudiantes universitarios.

The aim of this study is to obtain knowledge about habits related to addictive behaviour (pathological gambling, Internet, compulsive shopping, use of mobile telephones, etc.) that may be displayed by young students at the University of Cordoba (Spain), and to relate this behaviour with variables such as age, sex, course year, macro-field of study (arts/sciences) and the consumption of substances such as alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and cocaine. Using an ex-post facto single-group design (Montero & Leon, 2007), we applied a questionnaire especially designed to gather socio-demographic information on substance use and behavioural patterns related to "non-substance" addictions, which included the Shopping Addiction Test, Echeburua's Internet Addiction Test (2003) and Fernandez-Montalvo and Echeburua's Short Pathological Gambling Questionnaire (1997). A total of 1,011 students participated in the study (42.7% males and 57.3% females), with an age range of 18 to 29. Significant differences were found between mean score on the questionnaires and variables such as age, sex, field of studies and course year. It would seem that being female is a protective factor for Internet and gambling addiction, being a sciences student is a risk factor for gambling addiction, and being older and being an arts student are risk factors for shopping addiction. In conclusion, it can be stated that the students surveyed showed moderate incidence of behaviours such as Internet browsing, gambling, shopping and mobile phone use, whilst a very small group are close to having an addiction problem with such behaviours.

El consumo de cannabis y la percepción del riesgo en jóvenes universitarios / Cannabis consumption and risk perception in University students

El objetivo de este trabajo es relacionar el consumo de cannabis con la percepción de riesgos como, sufrir un accidente de tráfico, padecer problemas de salud transitorios, problemas legales, dificultad en las relaciones interpersonales, disminución de la capacidad para realizar tareas y problemas de salud graves e irreversibles. Con un cuestionario ad hoc se recogió información sociodemográfica y sobre la percepción de riesgo ante el consumo de cannabis de 1011 estudiantes de la Universidad de Córdoba. Los resultados señalan que en general los jóvenes universitarios que más consumen cannabis son los que valoran con una puntuación más baja los posibles riesgos derivados del consumo. El modelo de regresión indica que una valoración baja en determinados riesgos puede predecir un mayor consumo de la misma. Se confirma la necesidad de plantear programas de prevención para estudiantes universitarios que consumen cannabis, tratando de fomentar actitudes individuales y representaciones colectivas a partir de los riesgos relacionados con dicho consumo (AU)

The aim of this study was to relate the consumption of cannabis with the perception of risks such as traffic accidents, temporary health problems, legal problems, difficulty with interpersonal relations, a decrease in the capacity to perform tasks, and permanent health problems. With an ad hoc questionnaire, relevant socio-demographic information and risk perceptions regarding the consumption of cannabis were collected from 1011 students of the University of Córdoba. The results revealed that, in general, the students who consumed the most cannabis were those who judged the possible risks of the drug to be smallest. The regression model indicated that low perceptions of a particular risk can predict greater consumption of the drug associated with the risk. In conclusion, the observed trend of drug consumption among university students and the low perceived risk of the negative consequences of consumption suggest the need to set up prevention programs targeting these perceptions in university students

Análisis de comportamientos relacionados con el uso/abuso de Internet, teléfono móvil, compras y juego en estudiantes universitarios / Analysis of behavior related to use of the Internet, mobile telephones, compulsive shopping and gambling among university students

El objetivo de este trabajo de investigación es conocer los hábitos relacionados con posibles conductas adictivas (juego patológico, Internet, compras, uso del teléfono móvil, etc.) que pueden presentar los jóvenes estudiantes de la Universidad de Córdoba (España), y relacionar dichos comportamientos con variables como la edad, el sexo, el curso y las macroáreas de conocimiento (letras y ciencias). Con un diseño expostfacto de grupo único (Montero y León, 2007), se elaboró un cuestionario de datos sociodemográficos en el que se incluía el Test de adicción a las compras, el Test de adicción a Internet de Echeburúa (2003), el Cuestionario Breve de Juego Patológico de Fernández-Montalvo y Echeburúa (1997)y algunos ítems sobre el uso del teléfono móvil. Participaron 1011 estudiantes, 42,7% hombres y 57,3% mujeres, con un rango de edad entre los 18 y 29 años. Se dan diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre la puntuación media obtenida en los cuestionarios y variables como la edad, el sexo, el curso o la macroárea de conocimiento. Parece que ser mujer es un factor protector para la adicción a Internet y al Juego, ser de ciencias es un factor de riesgo para una posible adicción al Juego, ser de letras y tener más edad son factores de riesgo ante una posible adicción a las Compras. En conclusión, los estudiantes encuestados realizan un uso moderado de conductas como navegar por Internet, el juego, las compras y el teléfono móvil, siendo un grupo muy reducido de jóvenes los que sí se encuentran cercanos a tener un problema de adicción con este tipo de comportamientos (AU)

The aim of this study is to obtain knowledge about habits related to addictive behaviour (pathological gambling, Internet, compulsive shopping, use of mobile telephones, etc.) that may be displayed by young students at the University of Cordoba (Spain), and to relate this behaviour with variables such as age, sex, course year, macro-field of study (arts/sciences) and the consumption of substances such as alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and cocaine. Using an ex-post facto single-group design (Montero & León, 2007), we applied a questionnaire especially designed to gather socio-demographic information on substance use and behavioural patterns related to “non-substance” addictions, which included the Shopping Addiction Test, Echeburúa’s Internet Addiction Test (2003) and Fernández-Montalvo and Echeburúa’s Short Pathological Gambling Questionnaire (1997). A total of 1,011 students participated in the study (42.7% males and 57.3% females), with an age range of18 to 29. Significant differences were found between mean score on the questionnaires and variables such as age, sex, field of studies and course year. It would seem that being female is a protective factor for Internet and gambling addiction, being a sciences student is a risk factor for gambling addiction, and being older and being an arts student are risk factors for shopping addiction. In conclusion, it can be stated that the students surveyed showed moderate incidence of behaviours such as Internet browsing, gambling, shopping and mobile phone use, whilst a very small group are close to having an addiction problem with such behaviours (AU)