Expression of anger in university students according to perceived quality of sleep.

OBJECTIVE: We analyzed the expression of anger according to the perceived quality of sleep in university students. METHODS: A total sample of 1252 students participated in the study, with an average age of 23.58 years. Using an ex-post facto design and an incidental sampling procedure, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 were applied. RESULTS: Students with poor sleep quality (PSQI scores> 5) scored higher on the subscales of STAXI-2, showing higher risk of obtaining superior values in Trait Anxiety [OR=1.90] and in the Index of Expression of Anger [OR=1.56], but not in Internal Control of Anger. CONCLUSIONS: There appears to be a marked relationship between quality of sleep and anger, and it is suggested that sleep hygiene programs can help to reduce the negative consequences of poor sleep quality in terms of health and academic performance in students.

Coping strategies and self-esteem in women with breast cancer / Estrategias de afrontamiento y autoestima en mujeres con cáncer de mama

Coping with a breast cancer diagnosis and the use of different strategies is key to overcoming this stressful situation. Various psychological variables are related to how patients cope with the disease, one of which is self-esteem. The current study analyses the how age influences patients with breast cancer in terms of the coping strategies used to deal with the disease, exploring whether self-esteem influences the use of such strategies, along with the possible interrelation between these variables. Self-esteem is studied using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale and coping strategies were assessed using the COPE-28 scale, both in their Spanish versions. The sample consisted of 121 women (with breast cancer), aged between 30 and 77 years (M = 49.33, SD = 8.90). The results indicate that active coping is the strategy with the highest score. We found significant, age-mediated relationships between self-esteem scores and active coping strategies such as positive reframing, acceptance, or use of emotional support. Knowing how to cope with the disease will help in the development of psychological interventions that improve the quality of life in these patients throughout the oncological disease process

El afrontamiento del diagnóstico de cáncer de mama y el uso de diferentes estrategias es clave para superar esta situación estresante. Diversas variables psicológicas están relacionadas con la manera de afrontar la enfermedad, destacando entre ellas la autoestima. Se analiza la influencia que la edad, de las pacientes con cáncer de mama, pueda tener en las estrategias de afrontamiento ante la enfermedad, analizando si la autoestima influye en el uso de las estrategias y observar la posible interrelación entre estas variables. Se evalúa la autoestima mediante Rosenberg Self-Steem Scale y las estrategias de afrontamiento con la escala COPE-28, en sus versiones españolas. La muestra estaba formada por 121 mujeres, con cáncer de mama, y edades entre los 30 y los 77 años (M = 49.33, DT = 8.90). Los resultados muestran que el afrontamiento activo fue la estrategia más utilizada. Se encontraron relaciones significativas, mediadas por la edad, entre las puntuaciones en autoestima y las estrategias de afrontamiento activas, como son la reevaluación positiva, aceptación o el apoyo emocional. Conocer la manera de afrontar la enfermedad ayudará en el desarrollo de intervenciones psicológicas que mejoren la calidad de vida de estas pacientes durante todo el proceso de enfermedad oncológica

Level of physical activity and sleep characteristics in university students.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the present study was to identify the subjective quality of sleep, the chronotype, the frequency of nightmares and the propensity for nightmares in university students depending on whether they are sufficiently physically active (SPA) or insufficiently physically active (IPA). METHODS: The study involved 855 students (55.67% women) of which 38.01% are IPA. Evaluations were conducted using the Brief Physical Activity Assessment Tool, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Nightmare Frequency Scale, the Nightmare Proneness Scale and The Composite Scale of Morningness. RESULTS: IPA students showed a greater probability of presenting [OR=2.02] poor sleep quality (> 5 PSQI points) compared with SPA students (p<.001). The IPA participants showing a greater probability [OR=3.70] of having an evening chrontoype (p<.001), report a higher frequency of nightmares (p<.001) and a greater propensity for nightmares (p<.001) compared with the SPA participants. In terms of propensity for nightmares an interaction was found between gender and level of PA (F (3,843)=11.360, p=.001). CONCLUSION: The possibility of implementing strategies to increase the level of PA among university students should be explored, as well as offering sleep hygiene programs that are effective when used in brief sessions.