[Adolescent daily smoking, negative mood-states and the role of family communication]

Life Satisfaction, Physical Activity and Quality of Life Associated with the Health of School-Age Adolescents

The main purpose of this study is to understand the Quality of Life Associated with Health (QLAH) of a sample of school-age adolescents, and the existing associations between the latter and other variables, such as family life satisfaction, personal life satisfaction (LS), friendships satisfaction, physical activity with family, friends and personal physical activity. The sample consisted of 1226 Spanish school-age adolescents (50.9% boys and 40.1% girls) with ages between 12 and 16 years old. Several scales that were extracted from the international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) 2016 study, sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO), were used as working instruments in this piece of research. SPSS (24.0) was the software package used to perform the analyses of descriptive statistics, correlation and multiple regression, whereas AMOS (24.0) was used for structural equations. The results reveal a strong association between the physical activity (PA) students undertake (personal, with their families and friends) and life satisfaction, family life satisfaction and satisfaction with the relationships with friends. Additionally, both constructs (physical activity and satisfaction, understood as an indicator of good health) can predict the respondents’ Quality of Life Associated with Health. The variables (QLAH, LS and PA) are interrelated, thus resulting in major practical implications.

Autoestima y consumo de tabaco en adolescentes de secundaria

Introducción: el abuso de sustancias psicoactivas, es hoy en día un problema de salud pública muy vinculado a la etapa de la adolescencia por no estar aun completamente definida la personalidad y autoestima. Objetivos: los objetivos del estudio fueron determinar la prevalencia de consumo de tabaco en adolescentes, identificar niveles de autoestima y la relación del nivel de autoestima con el consumo de tabaco. Metodología: estudio descriptivo, correlacional y transversal, en una población de 900 adolescentes, muestreo no probabilístico por conveniencia para una muestra final de 324 adolescentes de ambos sexos. Fueron utilizadas, la Escala de Autoestima de Rosenberg y las prevalencias de consumo de tabaco global, lápsica, actual e instantánea. Resultados: la media de edad de los participantes fue de 13.3 años (DE = 0.99), el 54 % de los participantes correspondió al género femenino y el 46 % al masculino. La prevalencia de consumo de tabaco alguna vez en la vida fue del 9.6 %, mientras que en el último mes fue de 1.9 %. El 62.3 % de los adolescentes se ubicaron en el rango de autoestima alta; el porcentaje encontrado en los masculinos fue mayor (70.5 %), en comparación con el femenino (55.4 %). No se documentó relación significativa entre los niveles de autoestima y el consumo de tabaco (p > .05). Conclusiones: la prevalencia y la frecuencia en el consumo de tabaco reportada fue muy baja. Se identificó que el mayor porcentaje de los participantes en el estudio, mostraron niveles de autoestima alto.

Influence of tobacco, alcohol consumption, eating habits and physical activity in nursing students

Objective:

to determine the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, eating habits, and physical activity among nursing students and to detect whether being a nursing student is a protective factor against these habits.

Method:

a questionnaire was used to collect information on age, academic year, sex, alcohol and tobacco consumption, physical activity, and healthy eating. An information sheet and informed consent form were given. The sample was composed of 264 students aged between 18-30 years from four academic years.

Results:

of the total sample, 15.5% smoked, 83.7% consumed alcoholic beverages and 97.2% consumed over the weekend. The total of 68.6% did not practice exercises and 70.5% needed changes in their diet.

Conclusion:

nursing students have high levels of alcohol consumption and low levels of smoking compared with other studies. The higher the academic year, the lower the age of onset of tobacco consumption. The number of men who exercised was higher, which is considered a protective factor against alcohol and tobacco consumption and is related to a healthy diet. Smoking has a negative influence on diet. The students needed to change their diet. Finally, being a nursing student is not considered a protective factor against alcohol and tobacco consumption, nor having good eating habits and exercising.

Adolescents' Daily Perception of Internalizing Emotional States by Means of Smartphone-based Ecological Momentary Assessment

This study uses ecological momentary assessment (EMA) with smartphone devices to examine community adolescents' perceptions regarding both the intensity of and variability in their daily sadness/depression, anxiety, and somatic problems over the period of one week. Participants were 90 high-school students (M age = 14.61, SD = 1.64; range 12-18). The sample was divided according to gender (61.1% girls), migratory status (68.5% Spanish nationals and 31.5% Latin American immigrants), and level of psychological symptoms (17% risk group). Sadness/depression, anxiety, and somatic problems were examined using a smartphone app, five times per day, semi-randomly, for seven days (35 possible moments). A high proportion of adolescents did not report feelings of sadness (80.0%) or worry (79.3%) or physical symptoms on a daily basis (84.9%). Girls and the risk group reported greater intensity levels for the three analyzed problems than did boys and the normal group, respectively (p .05 in all cases). Day-to-day fluctuations in mood during the week were statistically significant but not meaningful (b = 0.0004, 95% CI [0.0001, 0.0008], p = .001).

Social support and gender differences in coping with depression among emerging adults: a mixed-methods study

BACKGROUND

Depression affects a considerable proportion (12-25 %) of adolescents and so-called emerging adults (ages of 18 and 25). The aims of this study were to explore the relationship between perceived social support and depression in a sample of emerging adults, and subsequently to identify the type of social support young people consider most helpful in dealing with this type of emotional distress.

METHODS

A sample of 105 young persons (17-21 years of age) was selected from a previous longitudinal study to create three groups of participants: subjects with a previous diagnosis of depression; subjects with self-perceived but undiagnosed distress compatible with depression; and a group of controls. Qualitative and validated instruments for measuring depressive symptoms (the BDI-II, Beck depression inventory) and social support (the Mannheim interview on social support) were administered.

RESULTS

Loss of friendships over time and dissatisfaction with social and psychological support are variables associated with depression in emerging adulthood. Qualitative analysis revealed gender differences both in strategies for managing distress, and in how social support was understood to mitigate depressive symptoms. Male study participants prioritized support that helped them achieve self-control as a first step toward awareness of their emotional distress, while female study participants prioritized support that helped them achieve awareness of the problem as a first step toward self-control.

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment for emerging adults with depression should take into account not only the impact of social support, but also gender differences in what they consider to be the most appropriate form of social support for dealing with emotional distress.

Non-professional-help-seeking among young people with depression: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Adolescents and young adults often suffer from depression, but tend to avoid seeking professional help. The aim of this study was to explore the reasons for non-professional-help-seeking in a sample of young adults resident in Catalonia with depressive symptoms through a qualitative study. In addition, the subjects were invited to offer their recommendations for making mental health care services more accessible.

METHODS

We recruited 105 young persons (17-21 years of age) who had participated in a national survey on adolescents. The sample was divided into thirds, with 37 who had a previous diagnosis of depression, 33 who had self-perceived emotional distress, and 35 controls. The participants were interviewed in depth about their reasons for avoiding professional mental health care services, and the interview results were analyzed using both qualitative and cultural domain techniques and corroborated through comparison with the results of three focus groups.

RESULTS

Participants' reasons for avoidance varied both by gender and according to prior experience with health services. Male study participants and female controls mainly understood depressive symptoms as normal and therefore not requiring treatment. Female participants with self-perceived distress were more likely to cite problems of access to treatment and fear of speaking to an unknown person about their problems. Females with a diagnosis expressed lack of trust in the benefits of treatment and fear of the social consequences of help-seeking. In their recommendations for best practices, the study participants suggested educational initiatives, as well as changes in the organization of mental health care services.

CONCLUSIONS

A better understanding of the views of young people and a greater effort to involve them as active participants is important for facilitating help-seeking in this age group, and for adapting mental health care services to adolescent users and their social context.