Águeda Parra

Protective effect of supportive family relationships and the influence of stressful life events on adolescent adjustment

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the association between the occurrence of stressful life events and internalizing and externalizing problems, and to analyze longitudinally buffering effects of supportive family relationships. To this end, 100 Spanish adolescents were studied twice, when they were in mid-adolescence (15–16 years) and two years later. They completed questionnaires regarding stressful life events, family relationships, and adolescent adjustment. Results showed that high quality parent-adolescent relationships protected boys and girls against the negative consequences of stressful life events on externalizing, but not internalizing, symptoms. The adolescents who enjoyed good relationships with their parents in mid-adolescence did not increase their externalizing problems in late adolescence as consequence of the occurrence of stressful events. However, these stressors did lead to an increase in the number of externalizing problems when the family relationships were of a middle or low quality. These results highlight the important role that supportive family relationships play in the behavioral adjustment of adolescents, protecting them against some negative consequences of stressful life events, and suggest the relevance of supporting parents through resources such as parent education in order to help them to improve their relationships with their adolescents.

Más allá del déficit: construyendo un modelo de desarrollo positivo adolescente

Resumen La imagen negativa de la adolescencia presente en el mundo occidental a lo largo de las últimas décadas ha propiciado un modelo de atención a la salud adolescente centrado en el déficit y en los factores de riesgo. Sin embargo, durante los últimos años este modelo ha empezado a ser cuestionado por enfoques que enfatizan la competencia y el desarrollo positivo de jóvenes y adolescentes. En este estudio se utilizaron dos técnicas de consenso, como son el grupo nominal y la técnica delphi, para construir, a partir de la opinión de un amplio grupo de expertos, un modelo que recogiese las competencias que pueden servir para definir un desarrollo adolescente saludable y positivo. Las competencias específicas propuestas se agruparon en cinco bloques o áreas: emocional, social, cognitiva, moral y de desarrollo personal. El modelo construido representa un punto de partida que sugiere algunas líneas de investigación e intervención de cara a la promoción de la salud y el desarrollo positivo adolescente.

Autonomía emocional durante la adolescencia

Resumen El objetivo de esta investigación fue estudiar la reláción entre la autonomía emocional respecto a los padres y el tipo de relaciones establecidas entre padres e hijos durante la adolescencia. También pretendíamos analizar las características socio-emocionalesde aquellos chicos y chicas que manifiestan una alta autonomía emocional, así como el papel moderador jugado por el género y la calidad del contexto familiar sobre las relaciones entre la desvinculación afectiva y el desarrollo adolescente. Una muestra de 221 chicos y 292 chicas de edades comprendidas entre los 13 y los 19 años cumplimentaron un cuestionario que inclusía medidas sobre las relaciones familiares, las relaciones con los iguales y varios aspectos del desarrollo socioemocional. Los resultados obtenidos indican que no se aprecia un aumento significativo de la autonomía emocional a lo largo de la adolescencia. Además, aquellos adolescentes con unos niveles más altos de autonomía emocional muestran un contexto familiar más conflictivo, peores relaciones con sus compañeros y una menor autoestima y satisfacción vital. Estas relaciones, que son especialmente acusadas en el caso de las chicas, indican que la autonomía emocional de estos adolescentes, lejos de indicar unos mayores niveles de desarrollo, puede estar reflejando un vínculo o apego de tipo inseguro con sus padres.

Family Relationships From Adolescence to Emerging Adulthood A Longitudinal Study

This longitudinal follow-up studies a group of 90 girls and boys from initial adolescence into emerging adulthood. The relationships between these young people and their parents are analyzed over a 10-year period, while considering possible gender differences. The results indicate that the levels of communication and affection perceived by these young people diminish during emerging adulthood; however, their perceived adaptability remains and cohesion increases as the frequency of conflicts decreases. In terms of gender differences, boys and girls show similar developmental pathways. On the other hand, the results indicated a high relative stability for the scores of the subjects. This work underlines the importance of further studies about family relationships during emerging adulthood, especially from a longitudinal perspective.

Development of emotional autonomy from adolescence to young adulthood in Spain

The main objective of this study was to learn whether emotional autonomy is truly part of a developmental stage for Spanish adolescents and young adults or if it is an indicator of difficult family relationships. Using a longitudinal design, a sample of ninety young people was followed for ten years, from their initial adolescence until their first years of adulthood. At four observation points, the participants completed various questionnaires to evaluate their emotional autonomy, the cohesion in their family relationships and their life satisfaction. There were no gender differences in the development of emotional autonomy. Family cohesion and life satisfaction showed significant negative associations with emotional autonomy and these associations became more pronounced as participants moved from adolescence into adulthood. Based on our results, emotional autonomy from parents does not seem to be a developmental stage taking place during adolescence, but rather, an indicator of difficult family relationships.

Una mirada longitudinal y transgeneracional sobre los conflictos entre madres y adolescentes

Resumen Los conflictos familiares durante la adolescencia han generado muchas investigaciones en los últimos años, sin embargo, son pocas las que han usado diseños longitudinales y han tenido en cuenta la opinión de las madres. Los objetivos de este trabajo son dos, analizar la evolución de la frecuencia de los conflictos a lo largo de la adolescencia, y comparar las perspectivas de madres y jóvenes. Para cubrir el primero de ellos analizamos la estabilidad absoluta y relativa de la frecuencia de los conflictos, así como las trayectorias seguidas por grupos de sujetos. Entre los resultados más destacados podemos señalar la estabilidad en la frecuencia de los conflictos, ya que la mayoría de los adolescentes no percibe grandes cambios en las discusiones con sus madres—aunque respecto a temas concretos sí aparecen Diferencias—. Por otro lado, las madres perciben menos conflictos que sus hijos e hijas, y han aparecido interesantes diferencias de género.

Stability, change and determinants of self-esteem during adolescence and emerging adulthood

This research studied the development of self-esteem through adolescence and emerging adulthood. It also analyzed sex differences and the role of family and peers in developmental trends in self-esteem. Data comes from a longitudinal study in which we administered the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale to 90 Spanish boys and girls at ages 13, 15, 17, and 21 years. Results showed a linear increase in self-esteem, higher for boys than for girls, during adolescence and emerging adulthood. Initial variability was related to care received from the mother during childhood, whereas the increase in self-esteem throughout adolescence and emerging adulthood was related to peer attachment.

Self-perceived employability in Spain

The purpose of this paper is to validate the self-perceived employability (SPE) scale (Rothwell et al., 2008) and explore its relationship with sociodemographic variables in Spain. The SPE is an employability scale designed to examine undergraduates’ expectations and self-perceptions of employability. The SPE includes internal and external dimensions of employability and has been satisfactorily tested in a variety of contexts.,The sample comprised 1,502 Spanish undergraduate students from a broad range of subject areas. Confirmatory factor analyses and exploratory factor analyses were conducted. Finally, the Spanish-self-perceived employability (S-SPE) was studied in relation to a set of demographic variables.,The results revealed similar findings to those reported by Rothwell et al. (2008), namely, four factors labeled: the external labor market’s demand for people in my subject field, my confidence in my skills and abilities, the status and credibility of my field of study and my engagement with my studies and academic performance. The external and internal employability dimensions were obtained by forcing a two-factor solution. Men scored higher than women in the S-SPE; science students scored higher than arts and humanities undergraduates and students with higher perceived income levels scored higher than those with lower perceived income levels.,The S-SPE can be used with Spanish speaking university students (Spanish being the second most widely spoken language in the world) and allows cross-cultural comparisons of undergraduates’ SPE. The S-SPE may help guide the development of social policies and programs designed to enhance employability. It can be used with undergraduates as a diagnostic instrument in career counseling, and as a self-assessment instrument which will enable undergraduates to acquire a greater degree of self-knowledge in relation to their employability.

Spanish Version of the Inventory of the Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood (IDEA-S)

The aim of the present study was to validate the Inventory of the Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood (IDEA) questionnaire in Spain. The IDEA questionnaire is the only validated measure for assessing the characteristics of the emerging adulthood period. A Spanish translation of the IDEA was administered to a sample of 1,435 Spanish undergraduate students. Three confirmatory factor analyses were tested: the six-factor model proposed in the original scale by Reifman, Arnett, and Colwell, a second model with five factors proposed in the initial conception by Arnett, and a third model excluding the instability/negativity dimension. All three were found to have acceptable fit. The results support the validity of the questionnaire in the Spanish context, thus enabling cross-cultural comparisons.

Psychometric Properties of the Flourishing Scale and Measurement Invariance Between Two Samples of Spanish University Students

The Flourishing Scale (FS), created by Diener et al., is a brief subjective perception measurement which assesses flourishing and provides a single score across 8 items. The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the FS. Participants were 1,502 university students from different faculties and fields of knowledge. The results reveal good internal consistency. The single factor structure of the FS was supported by the multigroup confirmatory factor analysis, which also provided evidence of the invariant structure of the scale across two subsamples. The scale’s convergent validity with another measure of psychological well-being and its discriminant validity with the depression, anxiety, and stress symptom scale were demonstrated through the significant correlations observed with said measures. The FS was found to be apt for use in evaluating general well-being in the Spanish population and may be considered a reliable measure in future well-being studies. It can also be used as an instrument for planning, executing, and/or assessing practical interventions in social, care, and health-related programs.