DetectaWeb-Distress Scale: A Global and Multidimensional Web-Based Screener for Emotional Disorder Symptoms in Children and Adolescents

Suicidal Risk During Adolescence: Could Covitality Be Part of the Solution?

OBJECTIVE

The covitality model suggests that the co-disposition and synergy of core psychosocial assets (i.e., covitality) buffer the negative impact of stressful events and prevent the emergence of mental health problems during adolescence. At this stage of development, suicide already constitutes the leading cause of unnatural death in Europe. The present study aimed to examine how covitality relates to bidimensional mental health status (i.e., psychopathology and subjective well-being) and suicidal risk.

METHOD

Participants were 5,296 Spanish students ages 12 to 18 years (Mage ± SD = 14.19 ± 1.53), 50.2% male.

RESULTS

In a structural equation mediational model, covitality acted as a powerful shield of psychosocial strengths against suicidality, via an indirect effect entirely mediated by its impact on bidimensional mental health. The total variance in suicidal risk explained by the set of independent variables was 61.8%, while the total variance of psychopathology and subjective well-being explained by covitality was 54.1% and 75.6%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

These preliminary findings highlight the need for further study of covitality as a defense strategy against adolescent suicide. HIGHLIGHTSCovitality promote subjective well-being and prevent psychopathological symptoms.These self-perceived psychosocial strengths do not have direct effect on suicidality.Covitality is related to lower suicidal risk through indirect mechanisms: via bidimensional approach to mental health status (BMH).

Youth screening depression: Validation of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) in a representative sample of adolescents

BACKGROUND

Depression symptoms and mood disorders constitute one of the major public health challenges among youths. Thus, early prevention and intervention for depression should be a priority. The main goal of the present study was to validate the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores in a school-based sample of non-clinical adolescents.

METHOD

Stratified random sampling was conducted. Participants were 2235 students (M = 14.49, SD =1.76, range= 12-18 years), 52.9 % were female, from 34 secondary schools in Spain. Several previously validated self-reported questionnaires of mental health and psychopathology were administrated.

RESULTS

The unidimensional factorial model of the PHQ-9 items showed adequate goodness of fit indices. Strong measurement invariance across gender was found. Omega for the PHQ-9 total score was 0.87. The PHQ-9 total score was positively associated with anxiety symptoms and emotional and behavioral problems, and negatively associated with prosocial behavior and quality of life.

CONCLUSIONS

The PHQ-9 is a brief, easy, and reliable tool for assessing self-reported depressive symptoms in both clinical and school settings. PHQ-9 may be used as a screening tool for universal early detection and monitorization of depression symptoms during adolescence.

Assessing Emotional Distress in Adolescents: Psychometrics of the Spanish Version of the Social Emotional Distress Scale-Secondary

Background

The Social Emotional Distress Scale-Secondary (SEDS-S) is a short measure designed for comprehensive school-based mental health screening, particularly for using very brief self-reported measures of well-being and distress. Whereas prior studies have shown validity and reliability evidence for the English version, there is a lack of literature about its psychometric properties for Spanish-speaking youths.

Objective

To examine the psychometric properties of the SEDS-S in a large sample of Spanish adolescents, providing evidence of its reliability, structure, convergent and discriminant validity, longitudinal and gender measurement invariance, and normative data.

Methods

Participants were 5550 adolescents aged 12-18 years old. Test-retest reliability was examined using Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega coefficients, and evidence for convergent and discriminant validity was measured using Pearson's correlation. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine structure validity, while multigroup and longitudinal measurement invariance analysis was conducted for longitudinal and gender latent structure stability.

Results

The CFA supported a unidimensional latent structure, which was also observed to be invariant between gender groups and over time. The scale showed evidence of reliability, with coefficients above .85. In addition, the SEDS-S score was positively related to measures assessing distress and negatively related to measures assessing well-being, thereby providing convergent/discriminant validity of the total scores.

Conclusion

This study provides the first evidence of the reliability and validity of the Spanish version of the SEDS-S for assessing emotional distress among adolescents, cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Furthermore, findings indicated that SEDS-S could be a suitable assessment tool for screening and program evaluation purposes at different contexts beyond the school setting.

Short Form of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist-Youth Self-Report (PSC-17-Y): Spanish Validation Study

BACKGROUND

The short form, 17-item version of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist-Youth Self-Report (PSC-17-Y) is a validated measure that assesses psychosocial problems overall (OVR) and in 3 major psychopathological domains (internalizing, externalizing, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), taking 5-10 min to complete. Prior research has established sound psychometric properties of the PSC-17-Y for English speakers.

OBJECTIVE

This study extends psychometric evidence for the acceptability of the PSC-17-Y in a large sample of Spanish adolescents, providing proof of its reliability and structure, convergent and discriminant validity, and longitudinal and gender invariance.

METHODS

Data were collected on 5430 adolescents, aged 12-18 years, who filled out the PSC-17-Y twice during 2018-2019 (7-month interval). We calculated the Cronbach alpha and the McDonald omega coefficients to test reliability, the Pearson correlation for convergent (distress) and criterion validity (well-being, quality of life, and socioemotional skills), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for structure validity, and multigroup and longitudinal measurement invariance analysis for longitudinal and gender stability.

RESULTS

Within structural analysis for the PSC-17-Y, CFA supported a correlated 3-factor solution, which was also invariant longitudinally and across gender. All 3 subscales showed evidence of reliability, with coefficients near or above .70. Moreover, scores of PSC-17-Y subscales were positively related with convergent measures and negatively related with criterion measures. Normative data for the PSC-17-Y are presented in the form of percentiles (75th and 90th).

CONCLUSIONS

This work provides the first evidence of the reliability and validity of the Spanish version of the PSC-17-Y administered over the internet to assess mental health problems among adolescents, maintaining the same domains as the long version.