Prevalence of Problematic Internet Use among Spanish Adolescents / Prevalencia del uso problemático de Internet en adolescentes españoles

Background: The present study aims to analyze the prevalence of the problematic Internet use (PIU) among Spanish adolescents using the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) and provide normative data. Method: The final sample consisted of a total of 1,977 (M age = 15.70, SD = 1.26, 53.7% female). Results: PIU were relatively common with many items seeing endorsement for between 6.5% and 33.1%. There were statistically significant differences both by gender. Females scored significantly more highly on four CIUS dimensions as well as total scores. With regards to age, we found statistically significant differences in preoccupation. No differences were found for the total score by age. Conclusions: Early detection strategies should be implemented in order to prevent PIU during adolescence, a critical developmental stage. (AU)

Antecedentes: El presente estudio tiene por objeto analizar la prevalencia del uso problemático de Internet (UPI) entre adolescentes españoles mediante la Escala de Uso Compulsivo de Internet (CIUS) y estudiar las puntuaciones típicas de la escala. Método: La muestra final estuvo compuesta por un total de 1,977 adolescentes (edad, M = 15.7, DT = 1.26, 53.7% chicas). Resultados: El UPI fue relativamente frecuente, con muchos ítems en los cuales la prevalencia se situó entre el 6.5% y el 22.1%. Se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas para el género y la edad. Atendiendo al género, se obtuvieron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en 4 dimensiones de la CIUS y en la puntuación total. Con respecto a la edad, se observaron diferencias estadísticamente en la dimensión preocupación. No se encontraron diferencias para la puntuación total con respecto a la edad. Conclusiones: Se deberían utilizar estrategias de detección temprana con el objetivo de prevenir el UPI durante la adolescencia, una etapa crítica del desarrollo. (AU)

Problematic Internet Use in adolescents: New psychometric evidence for the Spanish short form of the Compulsive Internet Use Scale.

OBJECTIVES: Problematic Internet Use (PIU) has become a worldwide problem in recent years. Among screening instruments for PIU, the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) is perhaps the most widely used. Psychometric properties of the full CIUS are not convincing, however, and the short form (CIUS-S) has shown promising results, albeit limited to the English version, with little evidence in Spanish. Therefore, the aim of the present work was to study the psychometric properties of the CIUS-S scores in a large sample of Spanish adolescents. METHOD: The sample consisted of 1790 participants, 816 male (45.6%), 961 female (53.7%), and 13 other (0.7%) . Mean age was 15.70 years (SD = 1.26). RESULTS: The five-items one-dimensional model displayed appropriate goodness-of-fit indices. Strong measurement invariance model across age and partial across gender was found. Furthermore, the CIUS-S was positively associated with several indicators of poor well-being and mental health, and negatively associated with prosocial behavior, self-esteem, and feeling of belonging. CONCLUSION: Overall, the CIUS-S scores appear reliable and valid in its Spanish version for adolescent populations, supporting its aim to detect and prevent a problem that has become a major worldwide issue in the last years.

PSICE Project Protocol: Evaluation of the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment for Adolescents with Emotional Symptoms in School Settings / El protocolo del Proyecto PSICE: evaluación del protocolo unificado transdiagnóstico para adolescentes con síntomas emocionales en contextos educativos

Background: The aim of the PSICE (Evidence-based Psychology in Educational Contexts) Project is to examine the effectiveness of the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Adolescents (UP-A) with symptoms of anxiety and depression in school settings. The goal is to prevent emotional problems and to improve adolescents’ socioemotional adjustment, learning processes, and academic performance. Method: A randomized controlled trial with two groups will be performed: active control (progressive relaxation training) and experimental (UP-A). After screening, participants with subclinical emotional symptomatology will be selected for pre- and post-test evaluation and follow-up at 6, 12, and 18 months. Results: The impact of different indicators at behavioral, cognitive, affective, social and academic functioning levels will be analyzed, as well as their effects in the short, medium and long term. Conclusions: Examining the effectiveness of the UP-A in the Spanish educational context will, among other things, provide data for informed decision-making in the field of educational psychology. In addition, it will ensure that such interventions, using standardized protocols, are accessible to a large population at such an important stage of human development as adolescence. The PSICE project will provide leadership and guidance on the importance of psychology in schools. (AU)

Antecedentes: El objetivo del Proyecto PSICE (Psicología basada en la evidencia en contextos educativos) es examinar la efectividad del protocolo unificado para el tratamiento transdiagnóstico de síntomas de ansiedad y depresión en adolescentes (UP-A) en contextos educativos. El objetivo es prevenir los problemas emocionales, así como mejorar el ajuste socioemocional, los procesos de aprendizaje y el rendimiento académico de los adolescentes. Método: Se implementa mediante un ensayo controlado aleatorizado con dos grupos: control activo (entrenamiento en relajación progresiva) y experimental (UP-A). Tras un cribado, se seleccionarán participantes con síntomas emocionales subclínicos a los que se realizará evaluación pretest, postest y seguimiento a los 6, 12 y 18 meses. Resultados: Se analizará el impacto de diferentes indicadores a nivel comportamental, cognitivo, afectivo y de funcionamiento social y académico, así como sus efectos a corto, medio y largo plazo. Conclusiones: Examinar la efectividad del UP-A en el contexto educativo español permitirá, entre otras cuestiones, disponer de datos en el campo de la psicología educativa de cara a la toma de decisiones informadas, además de garantizar que dichas intervenciones sean accesibles, empleando protocolos estandarizados, para un gran conjunto de la población y en una etapa del desarrollo humano tan relevante como es la adolescencia. El proyecto PSICE proporcionará liderazgo y orientación sobre la importancia de la Psicología en el contexto educativo. (AU)

Problematic Internet Use among adolescents: Spanish validation of the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS). / Uso Problemático de Internet en adolescentes: Validación en español de la Escala de Uso Compulsivo de Internet (CIUS).

Problematic use of the Internet among adolescents has risen in the last decade. The Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) is one of the most frequently internationally-used tools developed to assess Problematic Internet Use (PIU). However, evidence concerning its validity and reliability in its Spanish version for the adolescent population is currently lacking. Thus, the main goal of the present study was to analyse the psychometric properties of CIUS scores in a large sample of Spanish adolescents. The sample consisted of 1,790 participants (53.7% female, mean age = 15.70 years old, SD = 1.26). The one-dimensional model displayed appropriate goodness of fit indices after error covariance of five items were allowed to correlate. Strong measurement invariance was found for the one-dimensional model across age and gender. The McDonald's Omega coefficient for the total score was 0.91. Furthermore, PIU was positively associated with different indicators of poor wellbeing and psychological difficulties and negatively associated with prosocial behaviour, self-esteem and sense of belonging to the educational centre. The study provided evidence of validity for the CIUS, confirming its utility for screening PIU in non-clinical adolescents.

La Escala de Uso Compulsivo de Internet (Compulsive Internet Use Scale, CIUS) es uno de los instrumentos más empleados a nivel internacional para evaluar el Uso Problemático de Internet (UPI). Sin embargo, no existen evidencias de validez y fiabilidad de las puntuaciones de la versión española en población adolescente. Por ello, el principal objetivo de este estudio fue analizar las propiedades psicométricas de las puntuaciones de la CIUS en una muestra representativa de adolescentes españoles. La muestra contó con 1.790 participantes (53,7% mujeres, edad media = 15,70 años, DT = 1,26). El análisis de la estructura interna del instrumento mostró unos índices de bondad de ajuste apropiados para el modelo unidimensional después de que se permitiera correlacionar la covarianza de errores de cinco ítems. Se encontró invarianza de medición fuerte para el modelo unidimensional en las variables de edad y género. El coeficiente Omega de McDonald para la puntuación total fue 0,91. Además, el UPI se asoció positivamente con diferentes indicadores de malestar y dificultades psicológicas y negativamente con el comportamiento prosocial, la autoestima y el sentido de pertenencia al centro educativo. Este estudio arroja evidencias de validez de la CIUS, y sugiere que puede ser una herramienta apropiada para medir el UPI en adolescentes de la población general.

Attitudes towards Violence in Adolescents and Youth Intimate Partner Relationships: Validation of the Spanish Version of the EAV.

The main purpose of the present study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Attitudes Scale Towards Violence (Escala de Actitudes hacia la Violencia, EAV) in adolescents. The EAV is a questionnaire devoted to assess attitudes towards violence. Additionally, the relationship between EAV and violence manifestations and depressive symptoms was analyzed. The final sample comprised a total of 1248 students in a cross-sectional survey. The EAV, the Modified Conflict Tactics Scale (M-CTS), and the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale (RADS) were used. The analysis of the internal structure of the EAV yielded a two-factor structure as the most adequate. The EAV scores showed measurement invariance across gender and age. The McDonald's Omega was 0.862 and 0.872 for the two hypothesized factors. Furthermore, self-reported attitudes towards violence were associated with violence manifestations both as a victim and as a perpetrator and depressive symptoms. These results support that the EAV is a brief and easy tool to assess self-reported violence attitudes in intimate partner relationships in adolescents from the general population. The assessment of these attitudes, and its associations with violence and depressive manifestations, may help us to enhance the possibility of an early identification of adolescents potentially at risk for suffering violence as a victim or as a perpetrator.