Dual alcohol and cannabis use in male and female adolescents: Relationships with family variables.

Family dynamics influence adolescents' use of alcohol and other substances, such as cannabis. The aim of this study was to understand the relationship between family variables and alcohol use, dual use of alcohol and cannabis, and non-use in adolescents according to sex. A cross-sectional study was conducted. The sample comprised 879 adolescents (56.4 % boys; M(SD)age = 14.25 (1.88) years). Multinomial regression analysis showed that for boys, the presence of family conflict increased the likelihood of being an alcohol (OR = 1.19) and dual (OR = 1.23) user rather than a non-user. For girls, communication reduced the probability of being an alcohol user (OR = 0.88), and the presence of consequences for breaking rules reduced the probability of being a dual user rather than a non-user (OR = 0.83) or an alcohol user (OR = 0.84). These findings highlight the importance of family prevention of adolescents' substance use, bearing in mind the participants' sex.

Differences between individualist and collectivist cultures in emotional Facebook usage: relationship with empathy, self-esteem, and narcissism / Diferencias entre culturas individualistas y colectivas en el uso emocional de Facebook: relación con la empatía, la autoestima y el narcisismo

BACKGROUND: Adolescents are one of the groups who most use social networks in an emotional way, to express their own emotions and to empathize with the emotions of others. Although personality factors; namely, empathy, self-esteem, and narcissism appear to play an important role in this usage, the contribution of cultural variables has yet to be examined. The aim of this study is to examine cross-cultural variations in Facebook usage and the relationship of those variations with empathy, self-esteem and narcissistic personality factors. METHOD: Using a sample of 479 Spanish adolescents (220 females) and 405 Thai adolescents (224 females), the Use of Facebook Questionnaire was applied, and empathy, self-esteem and narcissism personality traits were measured. RESULTS: Findings suggested variations between Thai and Spanish samples at the intra- and inter-cultural level. The Thai sample had higher scores in Affective Empathy but lower scores in Cognitive Empathy, used Facebook more, and engaged in more emotional and empathic expression when using Facebook. Also, results also show interesting differences related with the interaction between gender and country. CONCLUSIONS: We discuss the results in relation to Hofstede's criteria about the differences between Eastern and Western societies. We highlight the need for longitudinal studies about this topic

ANTECEDENTES: los adolescentes son el grupo de población que más usan las redes sociales de forma emocional para expresar sus emociones y para empatizar con las emociones de otros. Mientras que factores de personalidad como empatía, autoestima y narcisismo parecen desempeñar un papel importante en este uso, la contribución de las variables culturales no ha sido examinada. El objetivo de este estudio es examinar variaciones interculturales en el uso de Facebook, y su relación con la empatía, autoestima y narcisismo. MÉTODO: usando una muestra de 479 adolescentes españoles (220 mujeres) y 405 adolescentes tailandeses (224 mujeres), se aplicó el Cuestionario de Uso de Facebook y se midieron los rasgos de empatía, autoestima y narcisismo. RESULTADOS: los resultados sugieren variaciones entre las muestras españolas y tailandesas a nivel intra e intercultural. La muestra tailandesa puntuó más alto en Empatía Afectiva, pero más bajo en Empatía Cognitiva, y usó más Facebook expresando emociones y empatía. También se obtuvieron resultados relacionados con la interacción entre sexo y país. CONCLUSIONES: se discuten estos resultados en relación con los criterios de Hofstede acerca de las diferencias entre las sociedades occidentales y orientales. Se destaca la necesidad de estudios longitudinales

Sedentary versus active leisure activities and their relationship with sleeping habits and body mass index in children of 9 and 10 years of age.

A random sample of 291 9- and 10-year-old schoolchildren from Asturias (Spain) was taken. Using path analysis, a model was tested in which bedtime, the number of hours spent sleeping and leisure activities were the independent variables and the body mass index was the dependent variable. The results show that sedentary and active leisure time and hours spent sleeping are predictors of the body mass index in children. Those children who go to bed late and who use that extra time to watch the television or play with the computer tend to have a greater body mass index, while those children who go to bed earlier and have spent more time reading or playing in the park or at home have a lower body mass index. Encouraging active leisure activities can have an extremely positive effect on their body mass index.