Examining academic self-concept as a mediator of the relationship between anxiety and depression: A longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Self-concept plays a role as a mediator in the development and maintenance of internalizing symptoms but mechanisms through which the early presence of anxiety symptoms is associated with the subsequent development of depression is unknown. The aim of this longitudinal study was to analyze the mediating role of different areas of self-concept in the relationship between the early development of anxiety symptoms and the later appearance of depressive symptoms. METHODS: A longitudinal study with 3 time-points was conducted, including baseline, 2 months and 12 months from the baseline assessment. A total of 217 children aged 8-12 years participated. Mediation analyses were conducted using PROCESS Macro for SPSS. RESULTS: Academic self-concept (Time 2) mediated the relationship between Anxiety (Time 1) and Depression (Time 3) when controlling for children's sex and, age, baseline value of the mediator, anxiety (at Times 2 and 3), and depression (at Times 1 and 2). Children with self-reports of higher anxiety symptoms (Time 1) presented lower Academic self-concept (Time 2). Children who reported lower levels of Academic self-concept and Family self-concept (Time 2) were more likely to develop depressive symptoms (Time 3). CONCLUSIONS: Feeling competent in the school environment may be considered a protective factor against the development of depression in childhood. The identification of risk factors facilitates the development and implementation of preventive programs.

Early detection of anxiety problems in childhood: Spanish validation of the brief Spence Children's Anxiety Scale for parents.

The small percentage of children with anxiety problems who receive psychological treatment, and the negative psychological consequences associated with these problems highlight the need for early detection. Although assessment instruments with appropriate measurement properties exist, they tend to be extensive, making it difficult to apply them in clinical settings, schools, or primary care practices. This study aimed to adapt the Spanish brief version for parents of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS-P-8). For this purpose, information on 215 children between 8 and 12 years of age was reported by 163 parents. The Spanish version of the SCAS-P-8 adequately fit a one-factor structure, χ2 = 44.25; df = 19; comparative fit index = .97; Tucker-Lewis index = .96; root mean square error of approximation: .07 (.04, .09); standardized root mean squared residual = .08. Evidence of internal consistency of the total SCAS-P-8 score was good (α = 0.82), and the direct correlations obtained between the SCAS-P-8 and internalizing problems showed evidence of convergent validity. Moreover, the appropriate measurement properties of the SCAS-P-8 were shown to be independent of gender. Differences in sociodemographic variables and SDQ-P between children with anxiety symptoms and those without anxiety symptoms were also discussed. Information reported by parents can help the clinician carry out an accurate diagnosis. A brief assessment scale can be easily applied in schools or primary care settings.

Validation and Adaptation of the Brief Self-Control Scale With Spanish Adolescents: Factorial Structure and Evidences of Reliability, Validity, and Factor Invariance Across Gender and Age.

During adolescence, the difficulty to control impulses is especially notable. The Brief Self-Control Scale has been used in different countries for years to study associations between self-control and other variables. However, its factor structure is not completely clear, and it is necessary to have a scale with psychometric assurances that evaluates self-control in adolescents. The aim of this study was to examine the factorial structure of the Brief Self-Control Scale and to provide evidences of reliability, validity, and factor invariance across gender and age in a sample of Spanish adolescents. Participants were 693 adolescents from Southeastern Spain, aged 13 to 18 years. Data supported an excellent fit to a two-dimensional model and evidences of reliability, validity and factor invariance across gender and age were obtained. This study provides new data on the two-dimensionality of self-control. The need of this tool becomes increasingly relevant to the susceptibility of new emerging addictions, such as mobile phones or internet.

Validation of the brief version of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale for Spanish children (SCAS-C-8).

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to validate the self-reported brief version of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale-Children (SCAS-C-8) in pre-adolescent Spanish children. METHOD: Participants were 824 children aged 8-12 from a community sample. The results revealed a good fit to the one-factor structure, adequate internal consistency (α = 0.75), and evidence of test-retest reliability (α = 0.77). RESULTS: The strong relationship between the SCAS-C-8 and emotional problems provided evidence of convergent validity. Also, the results showed factorial gender invariance. CONCLUSION: The SCAS-C-8 is a suitable instrument for pre-adolescent Spanish children. The brevity and simplicity of this scale may facilitate early detection and help to narrow the existent gap between the presence of anxiety problems and psychological assistance-seeking.

Rumination, Catastrophizing, and Other-Blame: The Cognitive-Emotional Regulation Strategies Involved in Anxiety-Related Life Interference in Anxious Children.

Childhood anxiety problems have a great impact on the daily functioning of children and their families. The first objective of this study was to compare whether the use of cognitive-emotional regulation strategies differs in children with and without anxious symptomatology. A second objective was to analyze the possible mediating role of regulation strategies in the relationship between the presence of anxious symptomatology and its subsequent interference in children's lives. In total, 315 children (53.7% boys) between 8 and 12 years old participated. Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon U-test was used to analyze differences in the use of cognitive-emotional regulation strategies between children with and without anxious symptomatology. In order to identify the cognitive-emotional regulation strategies which mediate the relation between anxiety and the consequent interference in children's lives, mediation analyses were carried out. As expected, children with anxious symptomatology used more maladaptive regulatory strategies than those without such symptomatology. Multiple mediation models in parallel showed that catastrophizing, rumination, and other-blame mediated the relationship between anxiety problems and their consequent interference. The identification of functional or dysfunctional patterns of cognitive-emotion regulation may favor the inclusion of new components in the evidence-based interventions currently available, in an attempt to increase rates of remission of anxiety.

Internalizing and externalizing symptoms in Spanish children aged 6-8: Results of a latent profile analysis.

BACKGROUND: Internalizing and externalizing problems are widely addressed in research. However, most studies use variable-centred approaches and ignore the possible co-occurrence of both types of symptoms. This study aimed to identify homogeneous groups of children with similar psychological difficulties and strengths, using latent profile analysis as a person-centred approach. METHODS: The parents of 107 Spanish children aged 6 to 8 years completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). RESULTS: The results revealed the existence of four latent groups. The children who belonged to the high difficulties group showed the most severe symptoms in emotional problems, peer problems and hyperactivity. The children classified in the externalizing group showed high levels of hyperactivity, behavioral problems, and emotional problems. On another hand, the internalizing profile grouped children with emotional and peer problems. Finally, the well-adjusted group showed an adequate psychological adjustment in all evaluated variables. High difficulties were associated with lower educational attainment of their parents. LIMITATIONS: Data were reported from a single source of information, father or mother. Also, the socio-demographic variables that were related to each one of the four profiles only considered the age and educational level of the main informant. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that co-occurrence of symptoms is very high in young Spanish children. It is essential to carry out clinical assessments that include both types of symptoms. Considering externalization and internalization as independent and exclusive phenomena can compromise the effectiveness of psychological treatments and preventive programs.

Spanish Validation of the Adolescent Self-Consciousness Questionnaire.

Self-consciousness development takes place mainly in adolescence because the brain undergoes certain structural changes that facilitate abstract thinking and metacognition, thus favoring the development of identity. Despite the importance of self-consciousness for mental health, there are no specific measurement instruments for Spanish adolescents. The objective of this study was to explore the dimensions of self-consciousness among Spanish adolescents aged between 13 and 18 years and validate the Chinese Adolescent Self-Consciousness Questionnaire (ASC) in this population. A second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted in accordance with previous validations of the ASC, using R Studio and the Lavaan package, to test its adequacy in a Spanish sample. Internal consistency and temporal stability were also tested, and evidence of validity was found. The results showed a good fit to the model eliminating four items with poor fit indices, CFI = .90, TLI = .89, RMSEA = .078, 95% CI [.076, .080]. Higher self-consciousness was associated with greater self-esteem and lower depressive symptomatology. No significant gender differences were found. This study provides a valid measure to evaluate self-consciousness in Spanish adolescents. The relationship established between self-consciousness and anxiety and depression requires further study as self-consciousness is involved in the development and maintenance of adolescent psychopathology.

Spanish validation of the Adolescent Self-Consciousness Questionnaire

Self-consciousness development takes place mainly in adolescence because the brain undergoes certain structural changes that facilitate abstract thinking and metacognition, thus favoring the development of identity. Despite the importance of self-consciousness for mental health, there are no specific measurement instruments for Spanish adolescents. The objective of this study was to explore the dimensions of self-consciousness among Spanish adolescents aged between 13 and 18 years and validate the Chinese Adolescent Self-Consciousness Questionnaire (ASC) in this population. A second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted in accordance with previous validations of the ASC, using R Studio and the Lavaan package, to test its adequacy in a Spanish sample. Internal consistency and temporal stability were also tested, and evidence of validity was found. The results showed a good fit to the model eliminating four items with poor fit indices, CFI = .90, TLI = .89, RMSEA = .078, 95% CI [.076, .080]. Higher self-consciousness was associated with greater self-esteem and lower depressive symptomatology. No significant gender differences were found. This study provides a valid measure to evaluate self-consciousness in Spanish adolescents. The relationship established between self-consciousness and anxiety and depression requires further study as self-consciousness is involved in the development and maintenance of adolescent psychopathology

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Psychometric properties of the family allocentrismidiocentrism Scale with spanish adolescents / Propiedades psicométricas de la "Escala de colectivismo-individualismo familiar" con adolescentes españoles

Family allocentrism is defined as a specific collectivist attribute referring to the family in which family goals are given priority over personal ones. There is evidence that the relationship with the family contributes to psychological wellbeing. However, reliable measures for family allocentrism evaluation are needed. The objective of this study was to validate the Family Allocentrism-Idiocentrism Scale (FAIS; Lay et al., 1998) with Spanish adolescents and to examine its psychometric properties. A total of 695 students aged between 13 and 18 years participated. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the one-dimensional structure of the original model. The indices of internal consistency and test-retest reliability were adequate. The validity analyses showed positive and significant correlations with measures of collectivism, and negative or low correlations with measures of individualism and depression. Older adolescents were found to have lower levels of family allocentrism and general collectivism. No sex differences were found. This study validates an instrument to assess family allocentrism in a vulnerable population in the development of psychological problems

El colectivismo familiar se define como un atributo colectivista especifico hacia la familia en el que se priorizan las metas familiares frente a las personales. Existen evidencias de que la relacion con la familia contribuye al bienestar psicológico. Sin embargo, se carece de medidas fiables para evaluar el colectivismo familiar. El objetivo de este estudio fue validar con adolescentes españoles la "Escala de colectivismo-individualismo familiar" (FAIS; Lay et al., 1998) y examinar sus propiedades psicométricas. Participaron 695 escolares de entre 13 y 18 años de edad. El análisis factorial confirmatorio apoyo la estructura unidimensional del modelo original. Los índices de consistencia interna y fiabilidad test-retest fueron adecuados. Los análisis de validez ofrecieron correlaciones positivas y significativas con medidas de colectivismo, y negativas o bajas con medidas de individualismo y depresión. Se encontró que los adolescentes de mayor edad presentaban menores niveles de colectivismo familiar y colectivismo general. No se encontraron diferencias en función del sexo. Este estudio valida una herramienta dirigida a evaluar colectivismo familiar en una población vulnerable en el desarrollo de problemas psicológicos

Spanish validation of the delaying gratification inventory in adolescents / Validación española del Inventario de Gratificación Demorada en adolescentes

Background: Individual differences in the capacity to delay gratification explain considerable variability in adult life outcomes related to health, psychological well-being, and social relationships. Although individual differences in delay of gratification begin to emerge in adolescence, few studies have tried to evaluate this construct in adolescents, especially in Spanish. The goal of this study was to validate the Delaying Gratification Inventory and to analyse its psychometric properties in Spanish adolescents. Method: Using a sample of 695 adolescents (M = 15.18, SD = 1.22) between 13 and 18 years old, the factor structure, internal consistency and reliability were tested. Results: The analyses showed an adequate fit to the original model (χ2 (550) = 1671.59, CFI = .92, TLI = .92, RMSEA = .063, 95% CI [.063, .071]), and appropriate internal consistency (α = .80). The ability to delay gratification was directly and moderately associated with self-control and self-consciousness, and inversely and moderately related with depression and psychological difficulties. Conclusion: This study provides new data on a tool for assessing the ability to delay reward in Spanish adolescents, a key regulatory ability to prevent unhealthy high-risk behaviours that are associated with serious health, psychological, and social problems

Antecedentes: la demora de la recompensa es una habilidad con un papel relevante en conductas de riesgo frecuentes en la adolescencia, como el uso de sustancias o el sexo sin protección. Sin embargo, pocos estudios están dirigidos a evaluar este constructo en adolescentes. El objetivo fue validar el Delaying Gratification Inventory y analizar sus propiedades psicométricas en adolescentes españoles. Método: con una muestra de 695 adolescentes de 13 a 18 años (M = 15,18, DT = 1,22) se analizó la estructura factorial, la fiabilidad y la validez del instrumento. Resultados: los análisis mostraron un ajuste adecuado al modelo original (χ2 (550) = 1671,59, CFI = ,92, TLI = ,92, RMSEA = ,06, IC del 95%: [,063, ,071]) y una consistencia interna adecuada (α = ,80). La capacidad de retrasar la gratificación se asoció directa y moderadamente con autocontrol y autoconciencia, e inversa y moderadamente con depresión y dificultades psicológicas. Conclusión: este estudio aporta nuevos datos sobre una herramienta válida y fiable para evaluar la capacidad de retrasar la recompensa en adolescentes españoles, una habilidad regulatoria clave para prevenir conductas de riesgo asociadas a problemas graves de salud, psicológicos y sociales

Spanish validation of the Delaying Gratification Inventory in adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Individual differences in the capacity to delay gratification explain considerable variability in adult life outcomes related to health, psychological well-being, and social relationships. Although individual differences in delay of gratification begin to emerge in adolescence, few studies have tried to evaluate this construct in adolescents, especially in Spanish. The goal of this study was to validate the Delaying Gratification Inventory and to analyse its psychometric properties in Spanish adolescents. METHOD: Using a sample of 695 adolescents (M = 15.18, SD = 1.22) between 13 and 18 years old, the factor structure, internal consistency and reliability were tested. RESULTS: The analyses showed an adequate fit to the original model (χ ² (550) = 1671.59, CFI = .92, TLI = .92, RMSEA = .063, 95% CI [.063, .071]), and appropriate internal consistency (α = .80). The ability to delay gratification was directly and moderately associated with self-control and self-consciousness, and inversely and moderately related with depression and psychological difficulties. CONCLUSION: This study provides new data on a tool for assessing the ability to delay reward in Spanish adolescents, a key regulatory ability to prevent unhealthy high-risk behaviours that are associated with serious health, psychological, and social problems.

Validation of the parent report version of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS-P) for Spanish children.

Although Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) is a widely used anxiety measure in many countries around the world, until now, research has barely focused on the usefulness of the parent version (SCAS-P) in young children. This study examines the psychometric properties and the factor structure of the SCAS-P in a Spanish community sample of 181 children aged 6-8 years (M = 6.87, SD = 0.78). Confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit of the original six-factor model to the Spanish sample. The internal consistency and the test-retest reliability of the scale were high. Regarding the validity of this measure, higher and significant correlations between the SCAS-P and internalizing problems and lower correlations with externalizing problems were obtained, as found in the original version. Girls seemed to show more anxiety problems than boys, but no significant differences were found. The results suggest that the SCAS-P is an adequate measure to assess anxious symptomatology in young children. The availability of measures with good psychometric properties allows psychologists to assess and carry out a correct and early diagnosis of anxiety disorders in children, making possible an early clinical intervention.