Stress and suicide risk among adolescents: the role of problematic internet use, gaming disorder and emotional regulation.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have associated videogame playing and social media use with suicidal behaviors together with lower stress coping or poor emotion regulation strategies. Due to the inconclusive evidence regarding the factors associated with suicidal behavior, the present study aimed to overcome the limitations of previous research and explored the relationship between adolescent stress, problematic internet use (PIU), gaming disorder (GD), and emotional regulation (ER) in a cross-section design. It was hypothesized that stress would have a direct effect on suicide risk (SR) as well as being mediated by PIU, GD, and ER. METHODS: The participants comprised 430 adolescents (58.4% male) aged between 16 and 19 years. They completed an online survey including the Mobile-Related Experiences Questionnaire, Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form, Meta-Mood Trait Repair Scale, and Spanish version of the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 34.2% of the adolescents (N = 147) were at risk for SR. Results also indicated that 30,7% had experienced suicidal ideation at some point in their life, 12.1% had at least one plan to die by suicide, and 5.1% had attempted suicide. Results of path analysis confirmed that stress appeared to be a risk factor for suicide, but that its effects were not mediated by PIU. However, ER and GD mediated the effect of stress on SR. The results suggest that stress is a main risk factor for suicide, especially among adolescents with poor emotional regulation or problematic gaming. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the prevalence of suicide among adolescents, the results of the present study suggest that suicide prevention programs should include emotional regulation strategies, stress coping, and videogaming management skills in the early stages of high school. Providing these protective resources to adolescents will help them face the stressful and changing situations typical of adolescence and will help them to attain greater well-being and satisfaction with life.

Predictive factors of the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on university students: a study in six Ibero-American countries / Factores predictivos del impacto psicológico de la pandemia de COVID-19 en estudiantes universitarios: un estudio en seis países iberoamericanos

Background/Objective: During Covid-19, high prevalences of anxiety and depression were reported among university students, suggesting that they may be at higher risk than the general population of developing psychological disorders in lockdown situations. This study aimed to analyze how sociocultural factors and individual differences contributed to explaining the psychological impact of the pandemic among Ibero-American university students from Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, Mexico, and Uruguay. Method: The study was carried out on 7601 university students (72% women). Data were collected through an online questionnaire that measured anxiety (GAD-2), depression (PHQ-2), somatic symptoms (SSQ-5), post-traumatic growth (PTGI), loneliness (UCLS), personality (NEO-FFI), Resilience (CD-RISC-2), Perceived Competences (PCS) and sociodemographic data. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression model were performed. Results: Analysis indicated a high prevalence (46.15%) of distress among university students, regardless of country and significantly higher than in the general population (28.27%). Greater feelings of loneliness and greater neuroticism were significantly associated with anxiety, depression, and somatization. Likewise, male gender and higher levels of resilience were found to be protective factors, while post-traumatic growth was also higher in men and was associated with higher levels of resilience, perceived competence, and responsibility. Conclusions: The results suggest the need to consider individual risk factors such as being a woman, presenting higher levels of neuroticism and loneliness in understanding the psychological impact of the pandemic on university students. It is concluded that universities should offer specific interventions to address mental health problems and manage the added complications of crisis events on the health of students.(AU)

Antecedentes/Objetivo: Durante el Covid-19, se informaron altas prevalencias de ansiedad y depresión entre estudiantes universitarios, lo que sugiere que pueden tener un mayor riesgo que la población general de desarrollar trastornos psicológicos en situaciones de encierro. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo analizar cómo los factores socioculturales y las diferencias individuales contribuyeron a explicar el impacto psicológico de la pandemia entre estudiantes universitarios iberoamericanos de Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, España, México y Uruguay. Método: El estudio se realizó en 7601 estudiantes universitarios (72% mujeres). Los datos fueron recolectados a través de un cuestionario en línea que midió ansiedad (GAD-2), depresión (PHQ-2), síntomas somáticos (SSQ-5), crecimiento postraumático (PTGI), soledad (UCLS), personalidad (NEO-FFI), Resiliencia (CD-RISC-2), Competencia Percibida (PCS) y datos sociodemográficos. Se realizó estadística descriptiva y modelo de regresión lineal múltiple. Resultados: Los análisis indicaron una alta prevalencia (46,15%) de angustia entre los estudiantes universitarios, independientemente del país y significativamente mayor que en la población general (28,27%). Mayores sentimientos de soledad y mayor neuroticismo se asociaron significativamente con ansiedad, depresión y somatización. Asimismo, el género masculino y mayores niveles de resiliencia resultaron ser factores protectores, mientras que el crecimiento postraumático también fue mayor en los hombres y se asoció con mayores niveles de resiliencia, competencia percibida y responsabilidad. Conclusiones: Los resultados sugieren la necesidad de considerar factores de riesgo individuales como ser mujer, presentar mayores niveles de neuroticismo y soledad en la comprensión del impacto psicológico de la pandemia en estudiantes universitarios. Se concluye que las universidades deben ofrecer intervenciones específicas para abordar los problemas de salud mental y manejar las complicaciones añadidas de los eventos de crisis sobre la salud de los estudiantes.(AU)

MOTEMO-OUTDOOR: ensuring learning and health security during the COVID-19 pandemic through outdoor and online environments in higher education.

The restriction measures put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic posed notable challenges for formal teaching-learning processes because they had to be adapted to ensure health security. An active learning programme applied to three environments (indoors, outdoors, and online) was tested with 273 undergraduate university students in a within-subjects experimental study. Each student was assigned to two indoor and two outdoor seminars, with a subsample (n = 30) also participating in online seminars implemented in response to the university's lockdown protocols. The learning experience and learning conditions were evaluated through six dimensions: learning, evaluative impact, hedonic experience, technical conditions, environmental conditions, and health security. Outdoor seminars were more effective than indoor seminars in terms of the learning experience, with greater differences in hedonic experience, while the indoor seminars were rated more highly than the outdoor seminars in terms of learning conditions, with a larger difference in the environmental conditions. No differences were found between online and face-to-face environments in terms of the learning experience, even though the online environment yielded better scores in the learning conditions. Apparently, this adaptation to both outdoor and online contexts through active methodologies allows overcoming of technical, environmental, and teaching limitations and improves health security, while ensuring a good learning experience and added flexibility to teaching-learning processes. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10984-023-09456-y.

The Third Half: A Pilot Study Using Evidence-Based Psychological Strategies to Promote Well-Being among Doctoral Students.

Over the last few years, various studies have reported decreasing well-being levels among doctoral students, who show a higher risk of suffering from psychological distress than the general population. Accordingly, European policies in higher education encourage well-being promotion programs among doctoral studies to enhance young researchers' well-being. However, programs using evidence-based practices for well-being promotion are not yet generalised in public universities. The present study describes a pilot experience designed to evaluate the efficacy of a well-being program among doctoral candidates of a public European university, the Autonomous University of Barcelona. 25 doctoral students (67% women) participated in a pre-post study consisting of six sessions of 3 h each and structured by the big five criteria coming from evidence-based practices for well-being promotion: outdoor green spaces exposure, physical activity, gamification, mentoring, positive and coaching psychology techniques. Results showed how participants experienced significant increases in several indicators of emotional well-being and decreased psychological distress after the Third Half program. These positive pilot results encourage further research and future replications to assess the impact of this evidence-based psychological program among the academic community. Results also lead the way towards the creation of healthier academic workplaces by implementing cost-effective interventions that improve researchers' psychosocial support and their overall well-being.

Efficacy of a Contextualized Measurement of Life Satisfaction: A Pilot Study on the Assessment of Progress in Eating Disorder Therapy.

Eating disorders strongly affect psychological distress and its perception. However, most of the existing instruments for assessing life satisfaction rely on a point-estimation method that is biased due to the circumstantial conditions around the time of assessment. The main goal of this study was to apply a different kind of instrument-the Life Satisfaction Chart-that situates the current state of life satisfaction in the context of personal history and describes the life stages through a graph. The assessment was applied to a sample of 29 adolescent women (average age of 17.88) who were enrolled in a clinical program to treat their eating disorders. The results showed that their estimation of their current life satisfaction was almost identical to the estimation provided by a therapist for those who were in therapy phases 1, 2, and 3 (of four), while patients' point-estimation satisfaction showed statistically significant differences when compared with the situated estimations. In therapy phase 4, significant discrepancies were observed between the therapist's perception and the patients' perception, because the therapist focused only on eating disorder recovery, whilst the patients evaluated their lives under almost-normal conditions, taking into account further dimensions. The Life Satisfaction Chart is a new approach to life-satisfaction measurement that showed promising measurement and therapeutical properties.

Psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic: Effects of optimism and uncertainty on distress during the lockdown in Spain / Impacto psicológico de la pandemia de COVID-19: efectos del optimismo y la incertidumbre sobre el malestar emocional durante elconfinamiento en España

The objective of this study is to make a quick assessment of the psychological resources and emotional distress of the general population locked down during the COVID-19 pandemic (in Catalonia, Spain), and to observe their evolution over the course of two waves during lockdown: at two weeks and at one month (April 1th to 3th and April 17th to 19th). The longitudinal study collected data from 29,231 participants aged 18 or older through an online platform who answered questions which evaluated: optimism, uncertainty, perceived competence, self-efficacy, emotional distress, current job situation, sadness and anger in conjunction with sociodemographic variables. The main results indicated that general beliefs about the future, uncertainty, and optimism, together with beliefs about one’s own conduct, such as perceived competence when facing the situation or self-efficacy to maintain routines, could predict the emotional distress experienced by an individual. A clear gender pattern was found. Between the two waves, optimism, perceived competence to manage the situation and self-efficacy to maintain routines decrease, uncertainty grows, and emotional distress remains. Taking these results into account we can prevent possible emotional scars and offer coping strategies to overcome the pandemic and the future situations of confinement in a more efficient way.

El objetivo de este estudio es realizar una valoración rápida de los recursos psicológicos y y el malestar emocional de la población general durante el encierro por la pandemia de COVID-19 (en Cataluña, España), y observar su evolución a lo largo de dos oleadas durante el confinamiento: a las dos semanas y al mes (del 1 al 3 de abril y del 17 al 19 de abril). El estudio longitudinal recopiló datos de 29.231 participantes de 18 años o más a través de una plataforma en línea que respondieron preguntas que evaluaban: optimismo, incertidumbre, competencia percibida, autoeficacia, malestar emoción, situación laboral actual, tristeza e ira y variables sociodemográficas. Los principales resultados indicaron que las creencias generales sobre el futuro, la incertidumbre y el optimismo, junto con las creencias sobre la propia conducta, como la competencia percibida ante la situación o la autoeficacia para mantener las rutinas, pueden predecir el malestar emocional que experimenta un individuo. Se encontró un patrón de género claro. Entre las dos olas, el optimismo, la competencia percibida para manejar la situación y la autoeficacia para mantener las rutinas disminuyen, creciendo la incertidumbre y persistiendo el malestar emocional. Teniendo en cuenta estos resultados podemos prevenir posibles secuelas emocionales y ofrecer estrategias de afrontamiento para superar la pandemia y las futuras situaciones de confinamiento de una forma más eficiente.

The role of personality and destination in the optimal adaptation of international students to host universities / El papel de la personalidad y el destino en la óptima adaptación de estudiantes internacionales a las universidades de intercambio

Recent studies suggest that the optimal adaptation of exchange students to the host-university is associated to students’ personality, and suggest that lowering anxiety, higher sociability and higher sensation seeking is observed in students with successful adaptations. However, this pattern has only been studied in American or German universities. Accordingly, this study aimed to replicate previous results using a sample of Euro-pean-international undergraduates of the Erasmus Exchange Programme studying in Barcelona. Analyses of variance showed that exchange-students scored higher than locals in Sociability, Activity and in Boredom Susceptibility, but no differences were seen in Anxiety levels. Regression analyses reported that the persona-lity variable that best predicted studying abroad in Barcelona was, on a broad level, Sociability; on a narrower level, Parties and Friends and Boredom Susceptibility accounted for 38% of the study abroad variance. Results confirm that exchange students show a differential personality profile, but it differs in some traits when com-pared to American samples. It is discussed how the destination or university allocation and cultural characte-ristics might mediate the observed differences among samples. It is also discussed the relevance of including both student’s personality and destination characteristics in the study-abroad assessment programmes to facilitate students’ adaptation and avoid stress-related or adaptation problems.

Estudios recientes en universidades estadounidenses sugieren que la adaptación óptima de los estudiantes de intercambio a la universidad de destino está asociada, en parte, a su personalidad, sugiriendo que los es¬tudiantes internacionales más aventureros, sociables y emocionalmente estables se adaptan mejor a su des¬tino. El presente estudio pretende constrastar los resultados anteriores en una muestra de universitarios del Programa Europeo de Mobilidad Erasmus, estudiando en una universidad de Barcelona. Los análisis de va-rianza mostraron que los estudiantes de intercambio obtuvieron puntaciones más altas que los locales en sociabilidad, actividad y susceptibilidad al aburrimiento, pero no se observaron diferencias en los niveles de ansiedad. Los análisis de regresión informaron que la dimensión de personalidad que mejor diferenciaba a los estudiantes Erasmus de los locales fue la Sociabilidad; en un nivel más específico, el rasgo Fiestas y Amigos y la Susceptibilidad al Aburrimiento explicaron el 38% de la varianza de la personalidad característica de los alumnos internacionales. Los resultados confirman que los estudiantes de intercambio muestran un perfil de personalidad diferente respecto a los locales, pero difiere en algunos rasgos en comparación con las muestras estadounidenses. Se discute cómo el destino o la asignación de la universidad y las características culturales pueden mediar las diferencias observadas respecto estudios anteriores. También se destaca la relevancia de in¬cluir tanto la personalidad del estudiante como las características del destino en los programas de evaluación de estudios en el extranjero para facilitar la adaptación de los estudiantes y evitar problemas de adaptación relacionados con el estrés.

Caregiver emotional distress: external open-behaviour signs.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether specific external signs of emotional distress (ESED) can be an indirect measure of emotional distress in caregivers. METHODS: A cross-sectional multicentre design was used. 148 primary caregivers of advanced cancer patients attended in four Spanish palliative care units participated in this study. The emotional distress of caregivers was measured using both the Emotional Distress of Caregivers Scale and a psychological interview. Health professionals collected data using a standard clinical interview process after a brief training period. RESULTS: More than half the caregivers (60%) presented with emotional distress. A positive correlation (r=0.566) was found between the intensity of ESED and emotional distress per se. Caregivers who presented emotional distress showed more ESED than those that did not (p<0.01). The study found significant differences for the categories 'visible signs of sadness, fear, crying, feeling overwhelmed' (p<0.001), 'difficulty in separating from the patient: family refuses to let the patient make decisions and insists on care' (p<0.001) and 'visible signs of anger, irritability or frequent disagreement with therapeutic measures' (p<0.001). No significant differences were found with respect to gender. The set of items to measure these external signs presented an adequate reliability assessed using Cronbach's alpha (α=0.773). CONCLUSIONS: The assessment of ESED in caregivers could serve as a useful method to assess their emotional distress. Incorporating the systematic assessment of these external signs as part of the assessment of the emotional distress of primary caregivers could improve the overall assessment and treatment provided to these caregivers.

Assessment of Implicit Interests through an Unobtrusive Computer Task. Their Relations with Career Decision, Anxiety, and Personality Traits.

Adolescence is a period where youngsters still do not know much about themselves. That makes some decisions, like those concerning vocational elections, a complicated issue that has important consequences for their life. The main goal of this piece of research is to measure implicit interests using a situated, unobtrusive computer tool (PrUnAs: Preferences Unobtrusive Assessment) as well as its connection with anxiety and personality traits: neuroticism, extraversion, self-efficacy, optimism, consciousness, and openness. SAMPLE: 304 16-year-old adolescents enrolled in the last course of compulsory education. INSTRUMENTS: Computer programs were used to measure implicit interests, career preferences, and to self-descript personality traits; finally, the paper-and-pencil test Stai was applied to measure anxiety. RESULTS: Concordance between implicit interests and explicit choices was less than 50%. The software developed for assessing implicit interests not only proved to be an efficient tool to make them arise but also a good predictor of anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Implicit interests and explicit elections are not the same. The approach from implicit preferences is an important shift in the approximation to vocational guiding and to reduce youngsters' indecision level. Beyond vocational choice, this information may improve the short- and long-term quality of life and mental health.

Cannabis and Its Different Strains.

Previous studies show how time perception can be altered by cannabis consumption, but it is not clear yet whether cannabis produces temporal underproductions or overproductions after acute cannabis intoxication. The present study aimed to analyze a sample of 50 regular cannabis users controlling for cannabis strain (sativa, indica, and hybrid) and to compare their scores in a temporal production task before and after consuming cannabis with a control group of 49 nonusers. Results showed that cannabis intake leads to overproductions, suggesting that regular users' internal tempo slows down after acute intoxication. However, the analyses of main effects showed that indica users, both at baseline levels and after consuming, reported significant underproductions compared to controls, sativa, and hybrid users, and the cannabis-induced effects had a higher magnitude after smoking in the indica-strain group. Results highlight the relevance of including the type of strain consumed in cannabis studies, and they are discussed in terms of short- and long-term alterations in temporal perception under the light of the self-medication theory and the therapeutic uses of cannabis.

Health outcomes of occupational stress in passionate musicians / Resultados de salud del estrés laboral en músicos apasionados

Becoming a professional musician is highly demanding and requires a deliberate practice that involves participation in a highly structured activity to improve performance and high levels of concentration. Musicians often begin to study music at a very young age, and their lives are subjected to constant pressure and prone to high levels of stress that may impact their well-being. The aim of this study is to identify the effects of occupational stress and deliberate practice on the performance anxiety of passionate musicians and on their degree of well-being. A total of 483 musicians completed questionnaires measuring their levels of occupational stress, passion, performance anxiety and wellness. The results indicated that gender, low control, high demands, overcommitment and obsessive passion are predictors of musicians' level of performance anxiety. Meanwhile, experiencing control, low demands, rewards, low overcommitment, harmonious passion and low obsessive passion contributed to the explanation for musicians' well-being. These findings show that occupational stress and passion, but not deliberate practice, are directly related with performance anxiety and with musicians' well-being.(AU)

Convertirse en músico profesional es muy exigente y requiere una práctica deliberada que implica la participación en una actividad altamente estructurada para mejorar el rendimiento y altos niveles de concentración. Los músicos a menudo comienzan a estudiar música a una edad muy temprana, y sus vidas están sujetas a una presión constante y son propensas a altos niveles de estrés que pueden afectar su bienestar. El objetivo de este estudio es identificar los efectos del estrés ocupacional y la práctica deliberada sobre la ansiedad de interpretación de músicos apasionados y sobre su grado de bienestar. Un total de 483 músicos completaron cuestionarios que miden sus niveles de estrés ocupacional, pasión, ansiedad por el desempeño y bienestar. Los resultados indicaron que el género, el bajo control, las altas exigencias, el compromiso excesivo y la pasión obsesiva son predictores del nivel de ansiedad de interpretación de los músicos. Mientras tanto, experimentar control, bajas exigencias, recompensas, bajo compromiso excesivo, pasión armoniosa y poca pasión obsesiva contribuyeron a la explicación del bienestar de los músicos. Estos hallazgos muestran que el estrés y la pasión ocupacional, pero no la práctica deliberada, están directamente relacionados con la ansiedad por la interpretación y con el bienestar de los músicos.(AU)

Procrastinación académica y riesgo de conducta suicida en jóvenes universitarios: el papel de la regulación emocional / Academic procrastination and risk of suicidal behavior in university students: The role of emotional regulation

ANTECEDENTES Y OBJETIVO: El suicidio es la primera causa de muerte evitable entre los jóvenes de 15 a 24 años. El objetivo de este estudio fue conocer la prevalencia de la conducta suicida (CS) en estudiantes universitarios, analizar la relación entre la regulación emocional (RE), la procrastinación académica (PA) y la CS, y si la RE podría actuar como una variable moduladora entre ambas. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS: Estudio observacional transversal con una muestra incidental de 350 estudiantes universitarios de 21.13 años (DT = 6,15) de edad, rango entre los 17 y 28 años, que participaron voluntariamente respondiendo las escalas de procrastinación académica de Tuckman, de conducta suicida revisada (SBQR) y la Subescala de regulación emocional percibida. RESULTADOS: Un 16.3% de los estudiantes presentaba riesgo de CS. Se observaron correlaciones positivas entre la PA y la CS, y negativas entre la RE, la CS y la PA. Los sujetos que presentaban altos valores en RE mostraban menor CS y PA. Las mujeres presentaban mayores niveles de RE. Los análisis de regresión descartaron el posible efecto moderador de la RE entre la PA y la CS, aunque ambas variables (PA y RE) mantenían una relación directa, pero no interactiva con la CS. CONCLUSIONES: La CS presenta una alta incidencia. La RE y la PA tienen un efecto directo sobre la CS. La RE parece ejercer un papel protector de la CS y de la PA. Se propone diseñar programas de aprendizaje centrados en la RE en el ámbito sanitario y educativo

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Suicide is the leading preventable cause of death among young people aged 15-24. The aim of this study was to calculate the prevalence of suicidal behavior (SB) in university students, to study the relationship between emotion regulation (ER), academic procrastination (AP) and SB, and analyze whether the ER could act as a modulating variable of the SB. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted with an incidental sample of 350 university students of 21.13 years (SD = 6.15) of age and with a range between 17 and 28 years who voluntarily participated in the study. The students answered the Trait Meta Mood Scale-24 perceived emotional regulation subscale, the Tuckman Academic Procrastination Scale and the revised Suicidal Behavior Scale. RESULTS: Sixteen point three percent of the students presented risk of BS. Positive correlations were observed between AP and SB, and negative between ER, SB and AP. Subjects with high ER values showed lower levels of SB and AP. The regression analyses performed discarded the possible moderating effect of ER on AP and BS, although both variables (AP and ER) had a direct but non-interactive relationship with SB. CONCLUSIONS: High incidence of BS among university students was observed. Both ER and AP have a direct effect on SB. ER seems to play a protective role against SB and PA. Emotion regulation learning programs could be designed to promote health and improve education

Effect of the Frustration of Psychological Needs on Addictive Behaviors in Mobile Videogamers-The Mediating Role of Use Expectancies and Time Spent Gaming.

Casual videogames (CVGs), played on smartphones, are becoming increasingly popular, especially among females and adults. Whereas the addictive potential of online (computer) videogames is well-established, there is yet insufficient evidence for Internet gaming disorder (IGD) in mobile gamers and for the mediating role of some mechanisms involved. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of the frustration of psychological needs on mobile videogamers' addictive behavior as well as the role of cognitions (game-use expectancies) and behaviors (time spent playing) through a hypothesized serial mediation model, while controlling for important correlates, such as game genre, age, gender and payment during play. A total of 471 mobile game users (211 males) with an average age of 21.73 replied to an online survey containing sociodemographic and game variables, the Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale (NSFS), the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form (IGDS9-SF) and a slightly modified version of the Internet Use Expectancies Scale (IUES). The results corroborate the negative effects of need frustration on IGD among mobile gamers and clarify the role of time spent playing and game-use expectancies in the development of IGD, highlighting the important role of cognitions in this relationship. We conclude that both the time spent playing and game-use expectancies should be important targets for clinical interventions, even though they are not included in the diagnostic criteria.

Academic cheating and gender differences in Barcelona (Spain) / Conducta deshonesta en el aula y diferencias de género en Barcelona (España)

El presente estudio expone las características de la conducta deshonesta en el aula, describe sus causas y examina las nefastas consecuencias que tiene para el aprendizaje. Con el fin de analizar el estado de la cuestión en nuestro país, se ha hecho una entrevista psicoeducativa y se ha aplicado un cuestionario a un total de 306 alumnos de último curso de bachillerato, último curso de universidad y último curso de Psicología en Barcelona (España). Se ha comprobado que, igual cómo ocurre en otros países, más de la mitad de los estudiantes reconocen tener el hábito de copiar, y también que los chicos copian más que las chicas. Para finalizar, el trabajo expone estrategias operativas para controlar la conducta deshonesta en el aula, que incluyen: incorporar contenidos relacionados con la ética en el currículum, enseñar técnicas de análisis y resumen para evitar que los alumnos se vean obligados a copiar, y ser muy estrictos con las fechas límite y la aplicación de las normas en las instituciones educativas.

The aim of this paper is to present the issue of academic cheating, describe its causes, and examine the obstacles this behaviour creates for learning. The research was carried out with 306 students from Barcelona (Spain) which were administered both with a psycho educational interview and a questionnaire. Results are similar to those from other countries and show that more than half of the students are in the habit of frequently cheating, and that boys cheat significantly more often than girls. To finish, the text suggests teaching strategies to control academic cheating in educational institutions, such as: Being aware of the problem and taking the decision to tackle it, including ethics tuition in the curricular content, teaching summarising and rephrasing techniques, frequently revising students’ writings, and last but not least, being very strict with deadlines and not accepting unwarranted excuses repeatedly made by students for not observing them.

Uso problemático de Internet y móvil en adolescentes y jóvenes españoles / Problematic Internet and cell phone use in Spanish teenagers and young students

Las adicciones a las Tecnologías de la Información y de la Comunicación han devenido una importante área de investigación. Los objetivos del estudio fueron caracterizar el posible uso problemático de Internet y móvil y analizar la capacidad predictiva de estos usos problemáticos para explicar las puntuaciones en el Cuestionario de Experiencias Relacionadas con Internet (CERI) y en el Cuestionario de Experiencias Relacionadas con el Móvil (CERM). Se aplicaron tres cuestionarios) a 1.879 estudiantes: un cuestionario general sobre uso de Internet y de móvil, un cuestionarios sobre uso problemático de Internet (CERI) y otro sobre móvil (CERM). El clúster ofreció una solución de tres grupos tanto para el CERI como para el CERM: sin problemas, problemas ocasionales y problemas frecuentes. No se encontraron diferencias entre hombres y mujeres en Internet pero había más mujeres en el grupo de problemas frecuentes con el móvil. La comparación con nueve estudios españoles sugiere que: a) el tiempo conectado no es por sí sólo un buen indicador de uso problemático; b) emerge la relación entre uso problemático de Internet y malestar psicológico; c) el factor que puede explicar este uso problemático son las comunicaciones alteradas de identidad que ocurren al esconder la verdadera identidad; y d) las encuestas poblacionales no permiten confirmar la existencia de un trastorno adictivo persistente asociado a las TIC (AU)

Addiction to the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has become an important research topic. The aims of the present study were to determine the problematic uses of Internet and cell phones in Spanish teenagers and young students and analyze the predictive capacity of these problematic uses to explain scores on the CERI (Cuestionario de Experiencias Relacionadas con Internet) and CERM (Cuestionario de Experiencias Relacionadas con el Móvil). Three questionnaires were applied to 1,879 students: a general questionnaire for Internet and cell phone use, one scale for problematic use of Internet (CERI) and one for cell phone (CERM). Cluster analysis yielded a solution involving three groups for both CERI and for CERM: no problems, occasional problems and frequent problems. There were no differences between males and females in Internet but there were more females showing frequent problematic use of cell phone. A comparison with nine previous Spanish studies suggests that: a) the amount of time spent connected is not a good indicator of problems deriving from its use; b) the factor that could explain problematic use is altered identity communication (AIC), which occurs when users hide or alter their true identity; and c) population survey data alone do not allow to con-firm the existence of a persistent addictive disorder related to ICT (AU)

La incidencia del contexto interno docente en la aparición del Síndrome del Quemado por el Trabajo en profesionales de la enseñanza / Incidence of the teaching internal context in the emergence of Burnout in teaching profession

La investigación tiene como objetivo profundizar en el estudio de la relación entre el síndrome de quemarse por el trabajo en la docencia y los factores organización escolar y gestión de aula. La muestra está formada por 1.360 docentes de Cataluña (España), a los que se ha aplicado el MBI, un cuestionario que recoge datos sociodemográficos y profesionales, y el cuestionario de factores del contexto interno docente, diseñado y validado específicamente para esta investigación. Los resultados muestran índices de riesgo psicosocial en los docentes y confirman que: a) las escuelas próximas al paradigma de la escuela que aprende son más saludables y b) la organización escolar y la gestión de aula son factores preventivos fundamentales ante los riesgos psicosociales en la docencia. Se concluye que el modelo de organización escolar denominado escuela que aprende pudiera anticiparse como el patrón de cultura profesional y organizativa propio de las escuelas más saludables(AU)

The aim of this study is analyse the relation between the teacher’s burnout and the school organisation and classroom management. The sample is formed by 1.360 teachers of Catalonia (Spain), to which has applied the MBI, a questionnaire that collects social and professional data, and the questionnaire of Factors of the Teachers Internal Context, designed and validated specifically for this investigation. Results show indexes of psychosocial risk in the educational and confirm that: a) the next schools to the paradigm of the learning organization are healthier, and b) the school organisation and classroom management are fundamental preventive factors in front of the psychosocial risks in the teaching. We conclude that the model of school organization called learning school could be the pattern of healthier organizational culture at schools(AU)

Subtipos de pacientes con fibromialgia, características psicopatológicas y calidad de vida / Subtypes of patients with fibromyalgia, psychopathological characteristics and quality of life

Introducción. El objetivo principal de este trabajo fue identificar subgrupos de pacientes con fibromialgia (FM) a partir de una herramienta clínica de uso frecuente, el Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ).Metodología. Un total de 66 mujeres con diagnóstico de FM participaron en este estudio. Mediante un análisis de conglomerados jerárquico de ítems seleccionados del FIQ (dolor, fatiga, cansancio matutino, rigidez, ansiedad y síntomas depresivos), se identificaron 2 subgrupos de pacientes con FM. Resultados. El grupo de FM tipo I mostró niveles muy elevados de fatiga, cansancio matutino y ansiedad, y niveles altos en rigidez articular, dolor y síntomas depresivos. El grupo de FM tipo II presentó un predominio de niveles moderados de fatiga y cansancio matutino, con niveles moderadamente bajos de dolor y rigidez articular, junto a un nivel bajo en depresión y ansiedad. Conclusiones. El grupo de FM tipo I se caracteriza también por tener una baja calidad de vida relacionada con la salud, especialmente en reacciones emocionales y aislamiento social, junto a una mayor afectación de la esfera psicopatológica que la presentada por el grupo de FM tipo-II (AU)

Introduction. The main goal of this work was to identify subgroups of patients with fibromyalgia (FM) by means of a frequently used clinical tool, the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ). Methodology. A total of 66 women diagnosed with FM participated in the study. Two subgroups of patients were identified by analysis of a hierarchical cluster of selected items from the FIQ (pain, fatigue, morning tiredness, stiffness, anxiety and depressive symptoms). Results. The type I FM-group had very high levels of fatigue, morning tiredness and anxiety, and high levels of joint stiffness, pain and depressive symptoms, while the type II FM-group had predominantly moderate levelsof fatigue and morning tiredness, with moderate low levels of pain and stiffness along with a low level of depression and anxiety. Conclusions. Type I FM-group also had lower health related quality of life, especially through emotional reactions and social isolation as well as more psychopathological affections than presented by type IIFM-group (AU)

[Subtypes of patients with fibromyalgia, psychopathological characteristics and quality of life]. / Subtipos de pacientes confi bromialgia, característicaspsicopatológicas y calidad de vida.

INTRODUCTION. The main goal of this work was to identify subgroups of patients with fibromyalgia (FM) by means of a frequently used clinical tool, the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ). METHODOLOGY. A total of 66 women diagnosed with FM participated in the study. Two subgroups of patients were identified by analysis of a hierarchical cluster of selected items from the FIQ (pain, fatigue, morning tiredness, stiffness, anxiety and depressive symptoms). RESULTS. The type I FM-group had very high levels of fatigue, morning tiredness and anxiety, and high levels of joint stiffness, pain and depressive symptoms, while the type II FM-group had predominantly moderate levels of fatigue and morning tiredness, with moderate low levels of pain and stiffness along with a low level of depression and anxiety. CONCLUSIONS. Type I FM-group also had lower healthrelated quality of life, especially through emotional reactions and social isolation as well as more psychopathological affections than presented by type II FM-group.

Circadian typology, age, and the alternative five-factor personality model in an adult women sample.

Research on personality and circadian typology indicates evening-type women are more impulsive and novelty seeking, neither types are more anxious, and morning types tend to be more active, conscientious, and persistent. The purpose of this study is to examine the differences between circadian typologies in the light of the Zuckerman's Alternative Five-Factor Model (AFFM) of personality, which has a strong biological basis, in an adult sample of 412 women 18 to 55 yrs of age. The authors found morning-type women had significant higher scores than evening-type and neither-type women on Activity, and its subscales General Activity and Work Activity. In contrast, evening-type women scored significantly higher than morning-type women on Aggression-Hostility, Impulsive Sensation Seeking, and its subscale Sensation Seeking. In all groups, results were independent of age. These findings are in accordance with those previously obtained in female student samples and add new data on the AFFM. The need of using personality models that are biologically based in the study of circadian rhythms is discussed.

Competencia personal percibida y ansiedad ante la muerte en estudiantes de enfermería / Perceived personal competence and death anxiety in nursing students

Se ha analizado el papel de la competencia personal percibida en la manifestación de la ansiedad ante la muerte en 146 estudiantes universitarios de enfermería con una edad media de 21.8 años (DT=5.6). Los estudiantes cumplimentaron entre otros datos, la escala de Competnecia Perosnal Percibida de Wallston (1992) y el inventario de ansiedad ante la muerte (Tomás-Sábado & Gómez Benito, 2005). Los principales resultados muestran diferencias significativas respecto a la ansiedad ante la muerte en relación a la edad, el sexo y los niveles de competencia percibida: las mujeres y los estudiantes más jóvenes presentan mayores niveles de ansiedad ante la muerte, y los estudiantes con mayor competencia personal percibida son los que presentan menores niveles de ansiedad ante la muerte. Se destaca la importancia de fomentar la competencia personal a través de una formación específica sobre la muerte, los cuidados paliativos y las prácticas específicas de enfermería para reducir el impacto negativo que la ansiedad ante la muerte puede ejercer en la praxis futura del personal de enfermería que ha de tratar con el dolor, el sufrimiento y la muerte (AU)

The objective of this study was to analyze the role of perceived personal competence on death anxiety in 146 undergraduate nursing students with an average age of 21.8 years (SD=5.6). Students filled out the Perceived Personal Competence scale (Wallston, 1992) and the Death Anxiety Inventory (Tomás-Sábado & Gómez-Benito, 2005). The main results show significant differences in death anxiety in relation to age, sex and levels of perceived competence: women and younger students have higher levels of death anxiety and students higher in perceived personal competence report lower levels of death anxiety. It is stressed the importance of building personal competence by means of specific training on death, palliative care specific nursing practices; in order to reduce the negative impact that death anxiety can have on the future practice of nurses who have to deal with pain, suffering and death (AU)