Alexander Muela

Promoting psychosocial adaptation of youths in residential care through animal-assisted psychotherapy.

The goal of this study was to examine the influence of animal-assisted psychotherapy (AAP) on the psychosocial adaptation of a group of adolescents in residential care who had suffered traumatic childhood experiences and who presented with mental health problems. This study recruited 63 youths (mean age=15.27, SD=1.63) who were divided into two groups: a treatment group of 39 youths (19 female and 20 male; mean age=15.03, SD=0.51) and a control group of 24 (five female and 19 male; mean age=15.67, SD=1.63). The youths who underwent the AAP program had higher school adjustment in comparison to their peers who did not receive treatment. Their hyperactive behavior decreased, and they showed better social skills, more leadership, and fewer attention problems. They also showed a more positive attitude toward their teachers in comparison to controls. No differences were observed in other variables associated with clinical symptoms or personal adjustment. These results suggest that AAP can be effective with teenagers who have suffered childhood traumas and who present with problems of psychosocial adaptation.

Definition, Incidence and Psychopathological Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect

In children and adolescents, child abuse and neglect can produce a decline in their biologi‐ cal, psychological and social functions. Child maltreatment in childhood and adolescence is recognised as an important psychopathological risk factor and is associated with poor psy‐ chological function in childhood and adolescence and adulthood. In this respect, we empha‐ sise that it is wrong to believe that current knowledge has enabled the identification of clearly differentiated consequences for each type of child maltreatment. There is a high de‐ gree of co-morbidity among the different types, in such a way that many children experi‐ ence more than one form of maltreatment and display common consequences. Moreover, it still needs to be clarified whether child abuse and neglect produces a general vulnerability towards psychopathology, in such a way that other factors would be responsible for the form finally adopted by psychopathology.

Reducing Anxiety and Improving Academic Performance Through a Biofeedback Relaxation Training Program

AbstractThe aim of this study was to analyze the influence of a biofeedback relaxation training program on anxiety and academic performance. The program consisted of five biofeedback sessions coupled with three training activities focused on deep breathing, guided imagery, and muscle relaxation. The participants were second-year psychology undergraduates from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU, northern Spain). The experimental group comprised 152 students (Mage = 19.6, SD = 0.74; 74% women) and the control group 81 students (Mage  = 19.4, SD = 0.92; 71% women). Results showed that after participating in the program, students in the experimental group had lower levels of anxiety and increased academic performance. Furthermore, they scored lower on anxiety and higher on academic performance in comparison with the control subjects. This suggests that the inclusion of biofeedback training programs in educational contexts could be a way of reducing anxiety and improving academic performance. It may also deepen our understanding of the dynamic interplay between psychophysiological, cognitive, and emotional processes.

Preschool Children’s Social Play and Involvement in the Outdoor Environment

ABSTRACT Research Findings: The primary purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between social play and involvement in the outdoor preschool environment. The study included 173 children ranging in age from 3 to 6 years (Mage = 3.95, SD = 0.82) and attending 19 preschools in the Basque Country (Spain). A total of 51 teachers (50 women, 1 man) also participated. Our results indicated that there is a relationship between social participation and involvement and that group play is the type of play that best predicts greater involvement. No significant differences in levels of involvement were found between boys and girls, although gender was found to have a moderating effect on the relationship between the type of group play and involvement. Practice or Policy: The results are discussed with reference to the need to implement innovations in the outdoor preschool environment that have a positive effect on child development. The outdoor environment should promote social participation as well as gender equality and inclusion, and consequently it should be designed to offer both access to a natural environment and multiple opportunities for play.

Stressful Life Events and Depressive Symptomatology Among Basque Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Attachment Representations:

The occurrence of stressful life events is a risk factor for psychopathology in adolescence. Depression is a problem of notable clinical importance that has a negative psychosocial impact on adolescents and which has considerable social, educational, and economic costs. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between stressful life events and depressive symptomatology in adolescence, taking into account the effect that attachment representations may have on this relation. Participants were 1653 adolescents (951 girls) aged between 13 and 18 years. The sample was selected by means of a random sampling procedure based on the availability of schools to participate. Data were collected at two time points: attachment and stressful life events were assessed first, and symptoms of depression were evaluated eight to nine months later. Two time points were used in order to better analyze the mediating role of attachment security. Stressful life events were recorded using the Inventory of Stressful Life Events, attachment was evaluated by the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (mother, father, and peer versions), and depressive symptomatology was assessed through the Children’s Depression Scale. In all cases, the Basque version of these scales was used. The results indicated that attachment to parents was a mediating variable in the relationship between stressful life events and depressive symptomatology. Contrary to what we expected, the results indicate that stressful life events did not have a negative effect on peer attachment, and neither did the latter variable act as a mediator of the relationship between stressful life events and depressive symptoms. It can be concluded that attachment-based interventions may be especially useful for reducing depression symptoms among adolescents. The findings also suggest a role for interventions that target parent–child attachment relationships.