Vulnerabilities and academic outcomes among students in Puerto Rico.

Violence and health inequalities impact the academic outcomes of students, especially among minority groups. This study examines the differences in grade retention and dropout intentions with respect to exposure to violence and to mental health (anxiety, depression, and trauma) among youth living in Puerto Rico. Data from 566 students of fifth to twelfth grade in Puerto Rico were collected as part of a school-based service program. A two-way ANOVA showed no significant differences in exposure to violence and mental health among students with and without a history of grade retention. However, students who reported dropout intentions showed higher exposure to violence and mental health issues. These results highlight the value of assessing mental health and contextual indicators in designing interventions to prevent adverse academic outcomes in vulnerable populations.

Measuring Psychological Flexibility: The Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the AAQ for Substance Abuse among Spanish Speaking Population in Correctional and Community settings.

Evaluating psychological flexibility is key in determining the mechanism of action of an ACT intervention. This study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire - Substance Abuse (AAQ-SA), a measure of psychological flexibility, among 402 adults with Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) in Puerto Rico recruited from either a prison population or community treatment settings. To evaluate the factor structure of the AAQ-SA, we conducted confirmatory factor analyses with the two-factor structure proposed by the original authors and the three-factor structure found in a Mexican sample. We found the two-factor structure to be a better fit of the data from our sample. After implementing modifications to the model, the two-factor structure demonstrated adequate model fit indices. To gather evidence of convergent validity, we evaluated correlations between scores of the AAQ-SA and those of depression, self-efficacy, and self-stigma measures. The current study suggests that the AAQ-SA is a promising measure of psychological flexibility for the present target populations. Further research is needed to examine the psychometric properties of scores of the AAQ-SA, including discriminant validity.

[Examining substance use disorders in diverse service settings: Initial efficacy of the ICTUS]. / Examinando trastornos por uso de sustancias en diversos escenarios de servicio: Eficacia inicial del ICTUS.

The identification of substance use disorders (SUD) can be challenging due to the complexity of symptoms involved and the limited time that non-clinical personnel often have to assess associated symptoms. This study initially explores the efficacy of the Substance Use Disorder Screening Instrument (ICTUS) in identifying symptoms associated with SUD among people living in and out of prisons. The ICTUS was developed by adapting the items of the Simple Screening Instrument for Substance Abuse (SSI-SA) to the DSM-5 criteria. ICTUS shows the ability to effectively identify those who meet diagnostic criteria for SUD when comparing percentages of substance use and diagnosis of SUD according to CIDI, a clinical measure. These results reveal that ICTUS can be considered as an appropriate alternative to objectively assess the symptoms associated with SUD and inform the planning and service provision process.

[Identification of Positive Youth Development Interventions]. / Identificación de Intervenciones para el Desarrollo Positivo de la Juventud.

There are more people in the world in the youth stage of development than in any other stage of development. The youth in Puerto Rico faces many situations that affect their development and readiness for adulthood. Therefore, it's imperative to identify evidence-based positive youth development interventions to develop practices that help young people prevent adverse situations, promote positive experiences and encourage children and young people to be involved and committed. One hundred and forty seven interventions were identified through a traditional scientific literature review. The results reflect that the interventions mainly focused on reducing risk factors and increasing of protection factors. However, no intervention focus on fully engaging children and young people to be involved and committed to their optimal development and to their communities. Nevertheless, all identified interventions providDe tools that could be useful to foster such practices in the context of Puerto Rico. Of the 147 interventions identified, six are designed for the Puerto Rican population residing on the island. In order to make information accessible to professionals and the community, the collection of the Archivo de Programas y Prácticas Basadas en Evidencia para la Prevención has been expanded.