Variables that enhance the development of resilience in young gay people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic

AIMS

Sexual and gender minorities are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety caused by COVID-19. However, they also have specific variables that have been little studied but which may protect them from this adverse situation. The aim of this study was to find out whether there were differences in socio-demographic and psychosocial variables in two groups of Spanish gay young people (high and low resilience), and predictors of risk and protective factors were examined.

METHODS

Nine hundred and seventy-nine young homosexuals (389; 39.73% self-reported as women) aged between 18 and 26 years old who experienced mandatory confinement due to COVID-19, completed an anonymous online questionnaire. Hope, perceived self-efficacy, reappraisal index, coping humour, anxiety, depression were assessed along with socio-demographic information. Data were collected between 15 and 26 April 2020.

RESULTS

Socio-demographic variables that were predictive of highly resilient behaviour included being between 24 and 26 years old, living with LGBTI+ peers and living in big cities, protective psychosocial variables included reframing in reappraising the confinement situation, humour as coping, social support from significant others and self-efficacy.

CONCLUSION

This is one of the first studies on this subject of compulsory COVID-19 confinement on young homosexuals in Spain. Mental health professionals and organizations should also include work on psychosocial protective factors, not just risk factors, to enhance resilient outcomes in this group.

Predictors of resilience in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal study comparing the first and second waves

Few studies have investigated the effects of the pandemic caused by COVID-19 on health professionals, especially nurses, from the point of view of the protective factors of mental health. The aim of this study was to assess the level of resilience in healthcare workers, to determine whether there were differences between two moments of the pandemic. Applying a longitudinal study, participants (N = 590) from healthcare workers completed surveys in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and the second wave. Socio-demographic and psychosocial variables such as resilience, emotional intelligence, optimism, self-efficacy, anxiety, and depression are used. There were differences between the two waves in all protective and risk variables except anxiety. In the first wave, there were three socio-demographic and psychosocial variables that explained 67.1% of the variance in resilience. In the first wave, three sociodemographic and psychosocial variables explained 67.1% of the variance in resilience in healthcare professionals. The enhancement of specific protective variables in healthcare professionals exposed to situations of high emotional stress can minimise the negative impact of the situation and promote more resilient responses in this professional group as a result.

Adaptation of the Suicide Attempt Resilience Scale (SRSA-18, Spanish version) for adolescents

BACKGROUND

The assessment of resilience as an outcome in adolescents remains a challenge, with few instruments available. Some studies have focused on risk factors, but few have focused on protective factors as a formula for measuring resilient outcomes.

AIMS

To adapt a new Suicide Attempt Resilience Scale (SRSA-18) for use with adolescents, analysing its structural validity, the gender and age invariance of the measure, and divergent and convergent validity, together with its reliability.

METHOD

The psychometric properties of the scale were assessed in 628 participants aged between 13 and 18 years, of whom 342 (54.5%) were girls.

RESULTS

After a process of adaptation for adolescents, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis yielded a three-dimensional structure with adequate goodness-of-fit indices, invariance of the measure according to gender and age, adequate levels of reliability (ω = 0.91), high convergent validity with the 14-Item Resilience Scale and high divergent validity with the suicidal act/planning subdimension of the Adolescent Suicidal Behavior Assessment Scale.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a need to create and adapt instruments to measure resilience in some populations with high psychosocial vulnerability as a key aspect for measuring the impact of prevention and mental health promotion programmes in adolescents.

Co-operative learning, psychometric adaptation, and invariability of the academic satisfaction scale in Spanish university students

It is necessary to understand the measurement of academic satisfaction (AS) in a variety of cross-cultural contexts. The first aim was to evaluate the psychometric properties of AS scale, to explore its structural validity, to assess its differential item function, including gender and age invariance in university students. Study 2 aimed to assess whether AS improved after the application of a teaching instructional approach based on cooperative learning (CL), while a cross-sectional study was performed in several stages. Descriptive, confirmatory, and scale reliability analyses were carried out with indices for goodness-of-fit, such that a new scale was obtained with a single-factor structure. A reduction to 6-items in this sample exhibited better psychometric properties. Configural invariance by gender and age indicated that men and women had a similar understanding of the new scale. Given significant differences between groups, the CL group scored higher in AS.

Measurement invariance in gender and age of the Herth Hope Index to the general spanish population across the lifespan

The Herth Hope Index (HHI) is used to measure hope. Assessing the psychometric properties of HHI in Spanish population, exploring its structural validity, the different functionalities of the items and the invariability of this measure according to the gender and age of the population. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to explore the scale's dimensionality and test for strong measurement invariance across sex and age in a cross-sectional, multicenter, prospective study. A new scale was obtained with the structure of one factor with 9 items. Goodness-of-fit indices were excellent. The internal consistency of the one dimension proved high values. The configural invariance on gender shows that both men and women understand the new HHI items, also, this research also shows that there is no scalar invariance across age groups, revealing good levels of adjustment of the item. The Spanish version of the HHI proved to be a valid, reliable instrument to assess the hope in Spanish population.

Predictor variables of mental health in the Spanish population confined by COVID-19

BACKGROUND

Drastic changes in the lifestyle of individuals have been caused by coronarivus SARS-CoV-2 with lethal effects associated with COVID-19, which acts as a stressor for the population with adverse effects on mental health status. The aim was to identify which sociodemographic variables and psychological factors predict psychological disorders in the general Spanish population.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 699 people exposed to a confinement situation, where 402 (57.51%) were women and 297 (42.49%) were men, between 18 and 73 years old (M = 27.79; SD = 12.68). Different sociodemographic and psychological variables were assessed to see if they predicted levels of anxiety and depression.

RESULTS

The results identify the predictive capacity of some sociodemographic risk variables such as sex (β = .144; IC95% = 1.341-3.376) and living with people who are ill with COVID-19 (β = .088; IC95% = 1.157-6.785), as well as protective factors such as self-efficacy (β = -.126; IC95% = -0.282-0.066) and hope (β = -.429; IC95% = -0.591-0.408) in mental health. In predicting anxiety levels, self-efficacy and hope are protective factors, especially when living with people in essential services. In levels of depression, only hope is considered a protective factor in people living with patients infected by COVID-19.

CONCLUSIONS

This study is the first to advance in the understanding of sociodemographic and psychological variables in a Spanish sample subjected to the stressful and traumatic effects of the SARS-CoV-2 viral agent.

Suicidal vulnerability in older adults and the elderly: study based on risk variables

BACKGROUND

Predicting suicidal vulnerability based on previous risk factors remains a challenge for mental health professionals, especially in specific subpopulations.

AIMS

This study aimed to use structural equation modelling to assess which sociodemographic and clinical variables are most predictive and modulating of repeated self-injury or reattempts at suicide in older adults and the elderly with previous attempts.

METHOD

We obtained digital data for 619 people (N = 342; 55.3% women), aged 50-96 years (mean 71.2 years, s.d. 3.65), who presented to the emergency department with a repeated self-injury or suicide attempt. Data were collected from several public and private hospitals in southern Spain.

RESULTS

There were different sociodemographic and clinical profiles between people who repeat self-injury and those who reattempt suicide. In addition, we show that outcome variables may directly or indirectly modulate these behaviours.

CONCLUSIONS

The study findings provide only a limited insight into suicidal vulnerability in older people, and there is an urgent need for specific care protocols for the prevention of repeated self-injury or reattempts at suicide that are adapted to the psychosocial characteristics of this age group. There is also a need to improve social and health alert actions for older adults and the elderly who present with suicide risk profiles, and the presence of mental health professionals in hospital emergency departments should be improved.

Spiritual Well-Being, Social Support, and Financial Distress in Determining Depression: The Mediating Role of Impact of Event During COVID-19 Pandemic in Iran

This study investigates the relationship between spiritual well-being, social support, and financial distress with depressive symptoms due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A path analysis was used to analyze data collected from 1,156 Iranian participants via an online survey. The results showed that spiritual well-being and social support were negatively related to depressive symptoms and financial distress. The impact of COVID-19 events showed negative associations with depressive symptoms. In addition, the link between spiritual well-being and financial distress with depressive symptoms was partially mediated by the impact of events.

Psychometric properties and diagnostic capacity of the scale of resilience to suicide attempts-18

OBJECTIVE

Early detection of suicide attempts remains a handicap for suicide prevention. Most studies have focused on risk factors, but few have assessed protective factors that promote resilient outcomes, especially in subpopulations vulnerable to suicide re-attempts. This study aims to create and adapt a new Scale of Resilience to Suicide Attempts (SRSA), and to analyse its predictive validity and diagnostic capacity for the detection of suicide re-attempts at six months in people who have made a previous attempt.Design and main outcome measures: The psychometric properties and diagnostic capacity of the resulting SRSA-18 scale were assessed in 229 persons (where 133-58.1% were women, aged 18- to 76-year old) who had made a previous suicide attempt.

RESULTS

Factor analyses (AFE and AFC) yielded a three-dimensional structure with excellent goodness-of-fit indices RMSEA, high levels of reliability and adequate convergent validity with the Suicide Resilience Inventory-25 (SRI-25) scale. Additionally, the SRSA-18 has significant diagnostic power on suicide re-attempts across months of follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Reliable and valid protective factor-based instruments for the detection of future suicide re-attempts may help in the prevention of suicide-associated mortality in specific clinical subpopulations.

Exploring resilience and well-being of family caregivers of people with dementia exposed to mandatory social isolation by COVID-19

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised questions about the resilience of health care systems worldwide. In this regard, one group of people whose physical and mental health has been affected has been family caregivers of people with dementia.

Objective

This study aims to identify the variables that predict a high degree of well-being in family caregivers of people with dementia during this period of mandatory lockdown.

Methods

A total of 310 respondents participated in an online survey (266 women and 44 men) from various regions in Spain, aged between 20 and 73 years old (M = 46.45; SD = 15.97), and all were family members.

Results

The results showed that there were notable differences in all the protective variables, together with a significant strong positive relationship between well-being and resilience (r = 0.92; p < 0.01) and with coping strategies (r = 0.85; p < 0.01), and there were also some significant negative relationships between well-being and difficulties in emotional regulation (ρ = −.78; p < 0.01). The most predictive variables of a higher level of well-being included the type of dementia (β = 1.19; CI (95%) = 1.01-1.29; p< 0.01), living in a large house (β = 0.97; CI (95%) =. 23-0.98; p < 0.01), social support as a coping strategy (β = 1.27; CI (95%) = 1.21-1.29; p < 0.01) and mainly resilience (β = 1.34; CI (95%) = 1.30-1.37; p < 0.01).

Discussion

We discuss the importance of promoting higher levels of resilience through the development of protective psychosocial variables in caregivers of people with dementia exposed to situations of mandatory social isolation as a modulator of the psychosocial well-being of these family caregivers.

Gender implications of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale in the Spanish population: A validation study

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) for the general Spanish population. Method: A cross-sectional investigation was carried out in several stages. Participants (N = 699) between the ages of 18 and 73 (M = 27.79; SD = 12.68) completed both the FCV-19S and the Hospital, Anxiety, and Depression Scale (HADS). We performed descriptive, exploratory factorial (n = 349), confirmatory (n = 350), and scale reliability analyses. Results: The results confirmed the factor structure of the original scale as well as the scale's goodness-of-fit indices and good internal consistency (α = .91, ω = .98). The correlations between the Spanish FCV-19S and the HADS support the scale's validity, especially for the subdimension of anxiety. Conclusions: The Spanish version of the FCV-19S appears to be a valid measure for the assessment of fear in an adult population. The present study moves research forward by providing a confirmatory analysis of the gender variable's influence on the factor analysis. The FCV-19S-Spanish provides a valid brief measure to evaluate fear of being infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The results also revealed that fear was higher among women than among men, which is important as it suggests that more attention needs to be paid to assessing and treating women's fear. Assessing and treating fear represents an important step for the prevention of future mental health problems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Resilience Assessment Scale for the Prediction of Suicide Reattempt in Clinical Population

The objective of this work was to construct and validate an instrument for assessing resilience to suicide attempts in a Spanish clinical population that has made a previous attempt, and to verify its efficacy for predicting future suicide reattempts at 6 months. For the construction of a Scale of Resilience to Suicide Attempts (SRSA) the theoretical-rational strategy was used. The constructed SRSA-18 consisted of 18 items and 3 subdimensions (internal and external protection and emotional stability), had high internal consistency (α = 0.88; ω = 0.89) and a high positive correlation with the Suicide Resilience Inventory-25, SRI-25 (r = 0.91; p < 0.01), and to a lesser extent with general resilience scales such as the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, CD-RISC (r = 0.79; p < 0.01) and the Resilience Scale of 14 items, RS-14 (r = 0.76; p < 0.01). Additionally, a specific SRSA-18 score predicted future suicide reattempts 6 months after the first attempt. This new scale (SRSA-18) assesses in a brief and rapid way, through protective factors rather than risk factors, the level of resilience to the suicide attempt in specific clinical subpopulations in hospital emergency services, being able to prevent suicide reattempts with higher lethality.

The COVID-19 Fear Scale (FCV-19S): Psychometric properties and invariance of the measure in the Spanish version

The emergence of COVID-19 worldwide has had serious consequences for physical and psychological health. Spain is one of the countries that has been most-seriously affected by the pandemic. This study aims to evaluate the psycho- metric properties of the Spanish version of the COVID-19 fear scale (FCV-19S), assessing its structural validity, differential item functioning, and measurement invariance by gender and age.

Do psychological strengths protect college students confined by COVID-19 to emotional distress? The role of gender

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a stressful situation for the university population due to the important changes in the development of their studies and in their living conditions. However, the impact of factors related to the family unit (living with COVID-19 positive patients and living with Essential Services Workers-ESW) and other protective psychosocial factors that could produce resilient or psychopathological results (anxiety and depression) in this population has not been sufficiently assessed, differentiating them by gender. The results obtained show that both variables related to the family unit and psychosocial protective variables explain 28.6% of the variance in general distress in the total sample (R² = 0.286; F(3,250) =34,717; p < .001). However, models of regression of distress and anxiety levels differ between men and women, but not in terms of mood alteration. Women facing circumstances reminiscent of mandatory pandemic containment have moderately higher levels of resilience than men (t_CDRISC(125) = 2.218; p < .05; t_GSE(125) = 2.415; p < .05; t_CDRISC(125) = 0.146; p = .884; t_GSE(125) = 0.315; p = .756). The results are discussed from the perspective of gender differences, taking into account the contribution of sociodemographic factors that increase remembrance of the stressor/trauma and the coping styles of the participants.

Adaptation of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders in Spanish with Nonspecific Intellectual Disability

Anxiety continues to be one of the most frequent disorders with typically developing children and youth. However, people with intellectual disability (ID) lack validated diagnostic tests backed by sufficient methodological rigor. Analyze the psychometric properties of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) in this clinical population, specifically in children and young Spanish with Nonspecific Intellectual Disability. Descriptive statistics and item analysis (N = 542), exploratory factorial analysis (n = 245) and confirmatory (n = 297) and scale reliability analyses were performed and evaluated the internal consistency with various indices (Cronbach's alpha and omega) and the stability of the measurement (test-retest) of the resulting scale with better goodness-of-adjustment indices. A new scale called SCARED-DI was obtained in this clinical sample with three factors and a smaller number of items (22), offering important goodness-of-fit indices (RMSEA [95% CI] 03[0.01; .04]; CFI = 0.99; TLI = 0.98; GFI = 0.88; AGFI = 0.89) and high internal consistency (α = 0.91; ω = 0.93) and adequate measurement stability (r_xx = 0.92). The importance of validating psychopathological anxiety tests for children and youth with ID in order to build good mental health is discussed, emphasizing the need to provide easy, short-duration tests on both cognitive and emotional aspects in this clinical sub-population. In addition, the results are assessed in terms of future research and practical implications. This new version of SCARED-ID represents a valid and reliable tool to evaluate the anxiety in people with intellectual disabilities.

Psychometric properties of the Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth Version-EQ-i:YV in Spanish adolescents with Down syndrome

BACKGROUND

The people with Down syndrome who are now adolescents can face a self-report questionnaire with guarantees of being answered with validity to evaluate areas of development that traditionally have not been able to be evaluated. This is the case of emotional intelligence, measured in this research with the Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth Version-EQ-i:YV.

AIMS

To validate and analyse the scale's psychometric properties in adolescents with Down syndrome.

METHODS

A two-stage cross-sectional investigation was conducted. The inventory consists of 60 items that measure 5 dimensions. The test was administered to 644 adolescents with Down syndrome. We carried out exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.

OUTCOMES

The 5-factor structure of the test was confirmed. The internal consistency of four dimensions and the EQ-i:YV's total calculated score yielded high values.

CONCLUSIONS

This new version of the EQ-i:YV represents a valid and reliable tool to assess emotional intelligence in Spanish adolescents with Down syndrome.

Assessment of emotional intelligence in adults with down syndrome: Psychometric properties of the Emotional Quotient Inventory

Introduction

The Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth version-EQ-i:YV was developed by Bar-On & Parker in 2000 and later translated and adapted for the general Spanish adolescent population by Ferrandiz et al. in 2012. The Spanish scale presents similar psychometric properties to the original version (54 items and five subdimensions). The Emotional Quotient Inventory assesses a set of personal, emotional, and social skills that influence adaptation to and coping with environmental demands and pressures. These factors can influence an adolescent’s success later in life, health, and psychological well-being. Traditionally, research in Down syndrome (DS) has focused on identifying cognitive deficits, relatively little is known about emotional intelligence (EI) and there are no scales that measure EI in people with DS adults.

Objectives

To validate and analyze the psychometric properties of the scale in the clinical population, specifically in Spanish adults with DS (EQ-i: SVDS).

Methods

A cross-sectional investigation was carried out in several stages. Descriptive, exploratory factorial (n = 345), confirmatory (n = 397), and scale reliability analyses were performed with better goodness-of-adjustment indices.

Results

A new scale named Emotional Quotient Inventory: Short Version for DS adults was obtained with a structure of four factors called mood, stress management, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. This new scale was reduced to 25 items. Goodness-of-fit indices were excellent (RMSEA [95% CI] = 02[.01; .03]; CFI = .99; TLI = .98; GFI = .87; AGFI = .89). The internal consistency of the four dimensions and the calculated total score (α = .91, ω = .93 and divided halves = .90) yielded high values in this clinical sample.

Discussion

The results recommend the use of the revised EQ-i: YV, the EQ-i: SVDS, to assess EI in adults with DS. The psychometric properties of this study are satisfactory but have four factors. The findings are discussed in terms of future research and practical implication to gain a more thorough understanding of how this population behaves on both a general and preventive level in order to teach EI properly.

Conclusions

This new version is a valid and reliable tool to evaluate emotional intelligence in people with intellectual disabilities and specifically in Spanish adults with DS.

Preliminary Study on Psychometric Properties of an Anxiety Scale in Down Syndrome with Anxiety Symptoms

BACKGROUND

anxiety remains one of the most common disorders in typically developing children and young adults. Adolescents with Down syndrome (DS) lack diagnostic tests for evaluation.

METHODS

this study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders inventory in its self-report version in 63 adolescents with anxiety symptoms with DS. The inclusion criteria for the studies were trisomy 21 and a chronological age between 8 and 17 years. Psychometric properties arestrictly evaluated with the sample exceeding a cutoff point in anxiety symptomatology. A confirmatory factorial analysis tested two models for the new evaluation test.

RESULTS

both models confirmed a four-factor structure (somatic/panic, social phobia, generalized anxiety, and separation anxiety). Model 2, nevertheless, had fewer items and a better fit, and it also showed a high correlation with other anxiety detection measures and adequate internal consistency.

CONCLUSIONS

the importance of validating psychopathological anxiety tests for children and young people with DS in order to build good mental health is discussed, emphasizing the need to provide easy and short-term tests on cognitive and emotional aspects in people with intellectual disabilities.

Respuesta a un programa de resiliencia aplicado a padres de niños con Síndrome de Down

El estrés de los padres de niños con Síndrome de Down (SD) sigue siendo un tema de interés para profesionales durante todo el proceso de intervención en atención infantil temprana (0-6 años). El presente estudio pretende comprobar si existen diferencias en 78 padres de niños con Síndrome de Down (entre 3 y 11 meses de edad), con edades comprendidas entre 37 y 56 años (M=46.5; DT=1.94), utilizando un entrenamiento basado en el fomento de la resiliencia. Para lograr este objetivo se ha planteado un diseño de evaluación en dos momentos (antes y después de entrenamiento), estableciendo un grupo de padres como experimental y otro como control. Los resultados muestran efectos positivos sobre el estrés que sufren los padres de niños con SD. En particular se reduce el nivel de estrés parental derivado del cuidado del niño (ECN) y el estrés total (ET) tras la aplicación del programa. Se discute la importancia de aplicar tratamientos para el fomento de la resiliencia en padres para amplificar los efectos positivos del proceso de atención infantil temprana en niños con Síndrome de Down y en sus familias.