Trends in HIV sexual prevention: Attitudinal beliefs and behavioral intention in Spanish young people over the past two decades (1999-2020).

Despite preventive efforts, HIV exposure is still a concern for public health. The current prevalence is related to unsafe sex, which is based on socio-cognitive variables. Therefore, information about these variables is required to verify whether the past preventive strategies have been effective and improve the future ones. However, there is not updated information to adjust future preventive interventions. For this reason, this study analyzes trends by gender in Spanish young people over the past two decades in perceived susceptibility to HIV, severity perceived to HIV, condom confidence and the intention of condom use, from 1999 to 2020. For this purpose, 11,665 Spanish young people (from 17 to 40 years old) completed the AIDS Prevention Questionnaire in each year. Following our results, in general, the socio-cognitive variables have revealed an unsatisfactory trend: a low perceived susceptibility to HIV and a behavioral intention that have remained stable or even declined slightly over the past years. Particularly, men are more likely to report a riskier level in socio-cognitive variables although, in the latest evaluations, women would decrease condom use intention largely than men. In general, regarding age, young adult would report better levels of condom confidence, but early youth would get higher results in perceived severity, as well as better scores in the latest evaluations of condom use intention. Considering these results, policies should make an effort in HIV prevention programs, and emphasize the attention to attitudinal beliefs and behavioral intention to improve their effectiveness.

Creencias actitudinales sobre laconducta suicida en profesionalessanitarios del área sanitaria de laCosta del Sol Occidental / Attitudinal beliefs about suicidal suicidal behavior in health professionals health professionals in the health area of the Western Costa del Sol

Introducción: El suicidio sigue siendo la primera causa demuerte externa en España como describe el último informede defunciones según la causa de muerte publicada por elInstituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) en diciembre de 20191.Según este informe los fallecimientos por suicidio registrados en el año 2018 se situaron en 3.539 fallecimientos. Diezpersonas se quitan la vida de forma voluntaria diariamente.La provincia de Málaga registró 134 muertes por suicidio enel mismo año, siendo por tanto una de las provincias conmayor incidencia en la comunidad autónoma de Andalucíay la octava a nivel nacional.Metodología. La muestra del estudio fueron de 135 profesionales. Se trata de un estudio transversal descriptivo deperiodo mediante encuesta, realizado entre los profesionales sanitarios de un Área Sanitaria de Málaga. Las creenciasactitudinales fueron valoradas a través del Cuestionariode Creencias Actitudinales sobre Comportamiento Suicida(CCCS-18) que incluye cuatro factores: legitimización delsuicidio, suicidio en enfermos terminarles, dimensión moraly propio suicidio, medidas con una escala de respuesta enpromedio de 1 a 7 puntos, identificando creencias estigmatizantes aquellas puntuaciones promedias inferiores a 3,5.Resultados. Un total de 135 profesionales completaronel cuestionario, siendo un 58,5 % enfermeras, 25,9 % facultativos y 15,6 % trabajadores sociosanitarios. La puntuaciónmedia de la escala CCCS-18 fue de 3,6 (DE: 1,17) puntos,hallándose diferencias significativas en función de la profesión (p: 0,043), con una media 3,22 (DE: 1,17) en facultativos,3,66 (DE: 1,02) en enfermeras y 3,99 (DE: 1,52) en trabajadores sociosanitarios. En análisis por factores, se hallaronpuntuaciones promedias en la muestra inferior a 3,5, tantoen factor “legitimación del suicidio” (media: 2,59; DE: 1,28),como en factor “propio suicidio” (media: 2,9; DE: 1,47).Conclusiones. (AU)

Introduction: Suicide continues to be the leading external cause of death in Spain, according to the latest report ondeaths by cause of death published by the National StatisticsInstitute (INE, for its initials in Spanish) in December 20191.According to this report, there were 3,539 deaths by suiciderecorded in 2018. Ten people voluntarily ending their liveseach day. Málaga province recorded 134 deaths by suicide in2018, being therefore one of the provinces with the highestincidence in the autonomous community of Andalucía andthe eighth nationally.Method. This descriptive, cross-sectional period-prevalencesurvey of health professionals was carried out in one MálagaHealthcare Area (Spain). The main outcome variable was attitudinal beliefs, which were evaluated using the Questionnaire onAttitudinal Beliefs towards Suicide Behavior (CCCS-18), whichincludes four factors: legitimization of suicide, suicide in terminating patients, moral dimension and suicide itself, measuredwith an average response scale of 1 to 7 points, identifying stigmatizing attitudes or beliefs those average scores lower than 3.5.Results. A total of 135 health professionals completedthe questionnaire, being 58.5% nurses, 25.9% doctors and15.6% social health workers. The mean score of the CCCS-18scale was 3.6 (SD: 1.17) points, finding significant differences depending on the profession (p: 0.043), with a mean 3.22(SD: 1.17) in physicians, 3.66 (SD: 1.02) in nurses, and 3.99(SD: 1.52) in social health workers. In analysis by factors,mean scores were found in the sample below 3.5 both in thefactor “legitimation of suicide” (mean: 2.59; SD: 1.28), andin the factor “own suicide” (mean: 2 , 9; SD: 1.47). (AU)

Psychometric Properties of the Attitudinal Beliefs Questionnaire about Suicidal Behavior (CCCS-18).

The purpose of this study was to analyze psychometric properties of the Spanish version of Attitudinal Beliefs Questionnaire about Suicidal Behavior CCCS-18 (Ruiz, Navarro-Ruiz, Torrente, & Rodríguez, 2005). The participants were 277 subjects, 81.2% (225) women and 18.8% (52) men. The average age was 39.95 years old (SD = 15.9). A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the adequacy of the four-factor model proposed by the authors. As a result it was obtained a three-factor model (χ2/df = 1.96; CFI = .98; sRMR = .060; RMSEA = .059), with indices reflecting adequate goodness of fit. The reliability of the test using the omega coefficient showed satisfactory values (ω h = .95, CI 95% = [.94, .96]). The results indicate a close relation between the CCCS-18 dimensions and the suicidal tendency, showing discriminant validity properties. Predictive validity was also found in the significant correlations between the measures obtained in the questionnaire and a risk index resulting from the suicidal ideation predictor variables that were part of a logistic regression equation; CCCS-18 (r = .26, p < .001), F1, Legimization and terminal disease (r = .163, p < .01), F2, Moral dimension (r = .22, p < .001) and F3, Suicide itself (r = .252, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The CCCS-18 shows reliability and validity, as well as being a test of easy and brief application.

A social path to functioning in schizophrenia: From social self-efficacy through negative symptoms to social functional capacity.

Self-efficacy is important to functioning in schizophrenia. The exact pathway is less clear, possibly because most studies used composite rather than domain-specific self-efficacy scores. We examined if a specific measure of social self-efficacy is more important to a social (from negative symptoms to social functional capacity) compared to a non-social (from neurocognition to non-social functional capacity) path to functioning. Associations between social self-efficacy and negative symptoms, neurocognition and social and non-social functional capacity were examined in a cross-sectional study of schizophrenia (n=51). Two models were investigated using bootstrapping methods to test for mediation. In Model I, social self-efficacy was entered as a mediator; in Model II as a predictor. Social self-efficacy was unrelated to neurocognition and non-social functional capacity. Associations with negative symptoms and social functional capacity were significant. Negative symptoms were found to mediate between social self-efficacy and social functional capacity. Support was found for a social path to functioning in schizophrenia, going from social self-efficacy through negative symptoms to social functional capacity. Our results are consistent with the idea that negative symptoms can develop as a reaction to self-defeatist beliefs. Future studies should use domain-specific self-efficacy to further understand predictors of functioning in schizophrenia.