Respuestas al afecto positivo y ajuste psicológico en la adolescencia / Responses to positive affect and psychological adjustment in adolescence

Resumen La investigación hasta la fecha ha prestado poca atención a la regulación del afecto positivo en la adolescencia. Nuestros objetivos fueron construir un cuestionario para evaluar las respuestas al afecto positivo en adolescentes y estudiar las relaciones que presentan con el ajuste psicológico. Una muestra de 1.810 adolescentes completó el cuestionario de respuestas al afecto positivo (con tres dimensiones: rumiación positiva centrada en la emoción, rumiación positiva centrada en uno mismo e inhibición) y tres autoinformes de ajuste psicológico (satisfacción vital, autoestima y síntomas depresivos). El cuestionario mostró buena fiabilidad por consistencia interna y la misma estructura factorial que estudios previos con adultos. Un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales indicó que las respuestas de rumiación positiva centrada en la emoción y en uno mismo se relacionaron positivamente con la satisfacción vital y la autoestima, y negativamente con los síntomas depresivos, mientras que la inhibición del afecto positivo presentó asociaciones opuestas.

Abstract Research to date has paid little attention to positive affect regulation in adolescence. Our aims were to examine psychometric properties of a questionnaire to assess responses to positive affect in adolescents and to study the relationships these responses have with psychological adjustment. A sample of 1,810 adolescents completed the responses to positive affect questionnaire (with three dimensions: emotion-focused and self-focused positive rumination, and dampening) and three self-report measures of psychological adjustment (i.e. life satisfaction, self-esteem and depressive symptoms). The questionnaire had good internal consistency reliability and the same factor structure as previous studies using adult samples. Secondly, a structural equation model showed that emotion-focused and self-focused responses were positively related to life satisfaction and self-esteem, and negatively to depressive symptoms, while dampening presented opposite associations.

A two-year longitudinal study of gender differences in responses to positive affect and depressive symptoms during middle adolescence.

This study aimed to analyze the prospective associations during adolescence between depressive symptoms and response styles to positive affect and to examine gender differences. A longitudinal study was conducted with three waves separated by 1 year each to assess a non-clinical sample of 622 Spanish adolescents who were 13 and 14 years old (50.2% boys, 49.8% girls). The participants completed self-report measures of depressive symptoms and responses to positive affect (emotion-focused positive rumination, self-focused positive rumination and dampening of positive emotion). The results showed that the increase in depressive symptoms was associated with an increase in dampening and decreases in emotion-focused and self-focused positive rumination. Furthermore, girls presented more depressive symptoms, as well as higher dampening and lower self-focused positive rumination, than boys. The conclusions highlight the need to consider responses to positive affect in explaining gender differences in depressive symptoms during mid-adolescence, as well as in designing prevention programs.

Percepción y etiquetado de la experiencia violenta en las relaciones de noviazgo juvenil / Perception and description of violent experience in youth dating relationships

Objetivo: Describir la violencia de pareja sufrida por los jóvenes e identificar las etiquetas que mejor la describen según el sexo. Métodos: Estudio descriptivo sobre una muestra de 3087 estudiantes adultos españoles. Se utilizó el Cuestionario de violencia entre novios (CUVINO), que mide ocho formas de violencia de pareja y tres etiquetas utilizadas para describirla (maltrato, miedo y atrapamiento). Se buscaron diferencias según el sexo y se utilizaron regresiones logísticas para encontrar asociaciones entre las distintas formas de violencia de pareja y su etiquetado. Resultados: El 44,6% sufrió alguna situación de violencia de pareja no percibida, fundamentalmente por 'desapego' (30,0%) y 'coerción' (25,1%). Toda forma de violencia de pareja fue más perpetrada por las mujeres. La mayor diferencia según sexo se encontró en 'castigo emocional' (sufrido por el 20,9% de los varones y el 7,6% de las mujeres) y en 'violencia física' (6,6% y 2,3%, respectivamente). El 28,7% se sintió atrapado/a, el 11,8% tuvo miedo y el 6,3% se percibió maltratado/a. Los varones se etiquetaron con más frecuencia como atrapados, pero con menos miedo y maltratados. Las forma de violencia de pareja más asociada con la sensación de atrapamiento fue la coerción, tanto en hombres (odds ratio [OR] = 3,8) como en mujeres (OR = 5,7). Conclusiones: Varones y mujeres se enfrentan a violencia de pareja durante el noviazgo de forma diferente, y sería necesario disponer de recursos para atenderlos de manera específica. Incluir preguntas sobre la sensación de atrapamiento podría contribuir a detectar precozmente la violencia de pareja. Formas de violencia sutiles, como la coerción, deberían tenerse más en cuenta en las campañas de sensibilización (AU)

Objective: To describe the intimate partner violence suffered by youth and to identify the descriptions that best classify it according to gender. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among a sample of 3,087 adult Spanish students. The CUVINO questionnaire was used, which measures 8 forms of intimate partner violence and uses 3 descriptions to classify it (abuse, fear and entrapment). Logistic regressions were carried out to identify differences by gender and associations between the subtypes of intimate partner violence and descriptions of the violent experience. Results: Nearly half of the sample (44.6%) had some situation of unperceived violence, mainly of 'detachment' (30.0%) and 'coercion' (25.1%). All subtypes of intimate partner violence were more frequently perpetrated by women. The largest difference by gender was found in 'emotional punishment' (experienced by 20.9% of men vs. 7.6% of women) and 'physical violence' (6.6% vs. 2.3%). A total of 28.7% felt trapped, 11.8% felt fear and 6.3% felt mistreated. Men more frequently described themselves as trapped, but less often as afraid or abused. The subtype of intimate partner violence most associated with the feeling of entrapment was coercion in both men (OR = 3.8) and women (OR = 5.7). Conclusions: Men and women face intimate partner violence while dating differently; resources are needed to address them specifically. The inclusion of routine questions about the sense of entrapment may contribute to the early detection of intimate partner violence. Subtle forms of violence, such as coercion, should be taken into account in awareness campaigns (AU)

[Perception and description of violent experience in youth dating relationships]. / Percepción y etiquetado de la experiencia violenta en las relaciones de noviazgo juvenil.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the intimate partner violence suffered by youth and to identify the descriptions that best classify it according to gender. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out among a sample of 3,087 adult Spanish students. The CUVINO questionnaire was used, which measures 8 forms of intimate partner violence and uses 3 descriptions to classify it (abuse, fear and entrapment). Logistic regressions were carried out to identify differences by gender and associations between the subtypes of intimate partner violence and descriptions of the violent experience. RESULTS: Nearly half of the sample (44.6%) had some situation of unperceived violence, mainly of "detachment" (30.0%) and "coercion" (25.1%). All subtypes of intimate partner violence were more frequently perpetrated by women. The largest difference by gender was found in "emotional punishment" (experienced by 20.9% of men vs. 7.6% of women) and "physical violence" (6.6% vs. 2.3%). A total of 28.7% felt trapped, 11.8% felt fear and 6.3% felt mistreated. Men more frequently described themselves as trapped, but less often as afraid or abused. The subtype of intimate partner violence most associated with the feeling of entrapment was coercion in both men (OR=3.8) and women (OR=5.7). CONCLUSIONS: Men and women face intimate partner violence while dating differently; resources are needed to address them specifically. The inclusion of routine questions about the sense of entrapment may contribute to the early detection of intimate partner violence. Subtle forms of violence, such as coercion, should be taken into account in awareness campaigns.