Eduardo Fonseca-Pedrero

Prevalencia de la sintomatología emocional y comportamental en adolescentes españoles a través del Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)

espanolEl objetivo del presente estudio fue examinar la prevalencia de los sintomas emocionales y comportamentales, a traves del Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), en una muestra representativa de adolescentes espanoles. La muestra final la formaron un total de 1319 estudiantes, 631 varones (47,8%) y 688 (52,2%) mujeres, pertenecientes a 28 centros escolares. La edad media fue de 15,70 anos (DT = 1,02). Un porcentaje elevado de los participantes informo de algun problema emocional y/o comportamental. Asimismo, se encontraron diferencias estadisticamente significativas en funcion del sexo y la edad. Los resultados senalan que la adolescencia es una epoca del desarrollo donde la sintomatologia afectiva y comportamental es bastante frecuente. Estos resultados tienen implicaciones en la comprension de la psicopatologia en la infancia y la adolescencia, asi como de cara al establecimiento de centros asistenciales especificos y programas de prevencion y deteccion temprana especificamente disenados para este sector de la poblacion. EnglishThe objective of the present study was to examine the prevalence of emotional and behavioral symptoms,using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ),in a representative sample of adolescents from the general Spanish population. The final sample was composed of a total of 1,319 students, 631 male (47.8%) and 688 (52.2%) female, attending 28 schools. The mean age was 15.70 years (DT = 1.02). A high percentage of participants reported some emotional and/or behavioral problem. Statistically significant differences were found as a function of sex and age. Adolescence is a developmental stage where affective and behavioral symptomatology is fairly common. These results have implications for the comprehension of child and adolescent psychopathology as well as for the establishment of specific centers for assistance and prevention, and for early detection programs aimed at this specific sector of the population.

Examining the Relationship Between Binge Eating and Coping Strategies in Adolescents

Binge eating is a highly distressing symptom which is central to the diagnosis of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder (BED) and that has received increasing attention in the last few decades. Numerous studies have analyzed the factors involved in binge eating. Factors such as boredom, body-weight concern, dietary restraint, and low self-esteem have all been identified as possible precursors to binge eating episodes. In addition, the link between coping and binge eating has also been the focus of many investigations. This chapter reviews the literature examining the link between coping and binge eating and describes a study conducted to further explore this relationship in Spanish adolescents as well as examine their concept of binge eating. The results are consistent with previous studies which have shown that binge eating is a fairly frequent behavior in adolescence. The adolescents who reported binge eating used avoidance coping strategies more frequently and positive ones less frequently than those who did not engage in this behavior. On the other hand, adolescents mainly took into account the amount of food eaten when defining a binge with few of them mentioning loss of control in their descriptions. These findings contribute to the advancement in the understanding of this phenomenon, as well as the factors associated with it, in nonclinical populations. In addition, there are implications for the prevention of this behavior in nonclinical adolescents, which can be drawn from the possible link between binge eating and coping. The development of constructive ways to solve daily problems and cope with stressors may be a possible strategy for the prevention of this behavior in adolescents. Future lines of research are also discussed in the chapter