Universitas Psychologica

Predictive Study of the Psychophysiological Symptoms of Chronic Stress and their Association with the Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Medical Students at a Public University in Mexico

2025-02-27T12:07:22-05:00

The irritable bowel syndrome is reported often in the general population. Studies show that stress coexists with this malady. The purpose of this study was to identify physical and psychological symptoms of chronic stress as predictors of the irritable bowel syndrome in medical students at a public university in Mexico. A random representative sample of 561 students was evaluated in 2014. The Stress Symptom Inventory and the ROMA III Criteria were used. A multiple regression analysis was performed. This study showed that the psychophysiological symptoms of chronic stress: difficulties in concentrating, an urge to constantly eat, clinched jaw, abdominal pain, weakness-dizziness, anxiety feelings and constipation, were predictors of the irritable bowel syndrome. Therefore, the recommendation is to implement educational programs aimed at the identification and timely prevention of the psychophysiological symptoms of chronic stress as a risk factor for the presence of irritable bowel syndrome in medical students.

Prosociality as a Protective Factor for Gambling Addiction during COVID-19

2025-03-12T14:58:28-05:00

The aim is to analyze the variables involved in people's prosocial behaviors and their effect on gambling addiction during confinement. The sample is made up of three groups: 212 young people (59.9% women) with a mean age of 22.59 years (SD = 2.03); 210 young adults (60% women) with a mean age of 34.7 years (SD = 5.56); and 253 adults (59.9% women) with a mean age of 53.67 years (SD = 5.46). Participants completed a series of online questionnaires. The results show that social support and resilience correlate with each other and are predictors of prosocial behavior (they explain between 11% and 22% of its variance). Prosocial behaviors were a protective factor of gambling addiction in youth and adults during confinement (7% and 6% of the variance). The proposed model showed a good fit and emphasizes the importance of Prosociality to avoid problems of gambling addiction.

Effect of an Emotional and Pharmacotherapeutic Intervention in Caregivers of Patients with Cognitive Impairment: A Pilot study

2021-03-28T11:47:28-05:00

This pilot study aims to analyze the effect of an emotional and/or pharmacotherapeutic intervention in informal caregivers of people with mild cognitive impairment on burden, perceived health, blocks to healthy growth, and drugs use. For that, 21 caregivers (mean age = 67.10 ± 3.80 years) were assigned to one of four groups: control, emotional intervention, pharmacotherapeutic follow-up, and emotional intervention with pharmacotherapeutic follow-up. The program lasted nine weeks. Results showed significant differences between the pharmacotherapeutic follow-up group and the control group in the evolution of perceived health, with the first group showing improvements in the dimensions of vitality, emotional role and transition. Our findings suggest the need for combined pharmacological and emotional programs in our health system, considering the interrelation between both dimensions.

Prosociality During COVID-19: Pathways Through Affect, Financial Stress, Well-being, and Collective Disempowerment across 39 Countries

2025-03-04T15:36:52-05:00

Overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in great loss of life worldwide and shook the global economy, required individuals' willingness and ability to behave prosocially. To contribute to the understanding of predictors of prosociality, we used multilevel models to test three previously established pathways to prosocial behavior, which we call the “broaden and build”, compensation, and incapacity pathways. We also tested whether these three paths are mediated by general well-being, and moderated by collective disempowerment, i.e., individuals’ belief that external societal forces have made it harder for people like them to function effectively. Participants from 39 countries (N = 59987) were surveyed on their willingness to engage in prosocial behaviors in the context of the pandemic. The “broaden and build” pathway was supported: positive affect was associated with willingness to engage in prosocial behavior via higher well-being. Two (in)capacity paths were also supported: financial strain and negative affect were both negatively associated with prosociality via lower well-being. A compensation pathway was also observed: Controlling for lower well-being, negative affect was associated with greater prosociality. Finally, differences in disempowerment moderated the affective pathways: higher disempowerment strengthened the positive association of positive affect with prosociality via well-being, and buffered the negative affect incapacity path.

Research on Animal-Assisted Interventions: A Scientometric Study

2020-11-09T04:35:02-05:00

The objective is to analyze the evolution of research on Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) in the approach to different psychosocial problems. A scientific-mathematical method of citation network construction based on graph theory was used. The bibliographic search was carried out in Scopus and Web of Science. The Sci2 Tool and Gephi software were used for the analysis. The results were segmented into classical, structural and recent studies. It was found that AAI have empirical support for addressing problems in childhood and adolescence and in hospital and school settings. The therapeutic applications of AAI in the care of older adults with dementia, patients with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are highlighted. It is concluded that AAI is an innovative alternative strategy compared to conventional psychosocial interventions.

Assessment of Fears of the Covid-19 Pandemic in Spain

2025-03-03T10:46:03-05:00

Due to the role that pandemic fears may play functionally and in terms of prevention, there is a need to monitor the changes and evolution of these fears. The present study aims to validate the revised Fear of Covid-19 Scale (FCS), which is used to measure Covid-19 fears, one year after the onset of the pandemic and the inception of the lockdown in Spain. Data were reported by 3 083 Spanish adults who answered the "Spaniards’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic Survey" of the Sociological Research Center (February 2021). Results of EFA, CFA (RMSEA = 0.052, CFI = 0.965, TLI = 0.955, and SRMR = 0.029), and other validity and reliability indices (e.g., Cronbach α ranged between 0.76 and 0.84) supported a four-factor solution: personal health-related fears, loved ones’ health-related fears, economic-employment-related fears, and social-related fears. Given the possibilities of having another crisis like the one created by Covid, it is important to have validated scales that can assess pandemic fears, due to the consequences these emotions can have for both individuals and society.

Autonomy and Mental Health Processes: PRISMA-P Systematic Review

2023-05-10T14:19:37-05:00

The research aimed to identify advances in the understanding of processes related to family autonomy and mental health from social and cultural perspectives. A mixed methodology was used. In the quantitative phase, the PRISMA-P protocol for systematic reviews was applied, supported by CADIMA software for article selection and data extraction. This stage led to the inclusion of s 41 articles, selected from an initial pool of 1016. In the qualitative phase, a descriptive categorical analysis was conducted, focusing on four main axes: family autonomy, mental health, sociocultural context, and the emerging category of stigma. The results showed significant discrepancies between the notion of autonomy as an individual attribute and family autonomy as a contextual and interactional construct. Additionally, mental health was examined through a critical lens of the biomedical model, proposing a multidimensional and complex perspective that highlights stigma as a factor contributing to social exclusion. The discussion emphasizes that mental health is deeply influenced by contextual, historical and cultural factors. Finally, the study underscores the importance of broadening the recognition of the dialogic relationship between the concepts of mental health and family autonomy is stressed, framing them as interrelated constructs embedded in dynamic and complex social contexts.

Factors Linked to Chronic Disease Self-Management: A Systematic Review

2025-03-11T14:38:06-05:00

Given the increase and relevance of chronic diseases worldwide during the last decades and the impact of self-management of these diseases for their control, the objective of this review was to systematize the evidence reported on factors related to the self-management of chronic noncommunicable diseases. For this purpose, and following the guidelines and recommendations of the PRISMA declaration, the Web of Science, Scopus and Pubmed databases were reviewed. Thirty-five empirical studies, in Spanish and English, published between 2018 and 2022, that met the inclusion criteria were selected. The results provided evidence on various predictors of chronic disease self-management at different levels. At the individual level, psychological variables such as self-efficacy, anxious-depressive symptomatology and knowledge of the disease, sociodemographic variables such as age, socioeconomic status, level of education and clinical variables associated with health status are included. At the community level, social support and literacy stand out, and structural factors associated with public health policies and culture. Their implications and limitations are discussed.

The Differential Role of Fathers' and Mothers' Parenting Styles, as a Function of the Custody Agreement: Post-divorce Family Adjustment and Children's Symptomatology

2021-04-16T14:00:54-05:00

The present study aims to analyze differences in parenting styles of fathers and mothers, considering the custody arrangements and their impact on children’s symptomatology, considering post-divorce family adjustment as a mediator variable. Participants were 286 divorced or separated parents with high interparental conflict. Through ANCOVAs, it was observed that after divorce, fathers' and mothers' parenting practices contributed in equal measure to children's psychological well-being. Non-custodial fathers used a more indulgent style whereas custodial mothers showed a more critical style. In both cases, the mediation results using PROCESS 2.15 showed how each parenting style was related to the children's psychological well-being through postdivorce family adaptation. This study supports the need to consider both the type of custody and postdivorce family adjustment in the comprehension of the impact of parental styles on children’s symptomatology. The results have important implications in psychotherapeutic and clinical orientations.

Predictors of Sexist Attitudes in the University Population: Aggression, Emotional Regulation, Empathy and Religion

2025-03-04T11:59:34-05:00

Gender-based violence is a public health problem and its prevention is important. The objective of this study was to identify factors that can predict sexist attitudes, which may be related to gender-based violence. 450 students from the University of Granada (99 men and 341 women) from different branches of knowledge and courses participated, with an average age of 21.14 years. They completed a dossier with instruments to evaluate: social desirability, sexist attitudes, aggressiveness, emotional dysregulation and empathy. The results show that sex, religion, different scales of aggressiveness, emotional dysregulation and empathy predict sexist attitudes and the justification of violence towards women. The spectrum of work to prevent gender-based violence is broadened, by focusing on hostility towards women, the recognition of one's own and other people's emotions and the questioning of some precepts of religions.