Ferran Viñas

Parents and teachers reports of DSM-IV psychopathological symptoms in preschool children : Differences between urban-rural spanish areas

BackgroundThis study used DSM-IV criteria to analyse reports from teachers and parents and to compare behavioural and emotional symptoms in Spanish preschool children from both urban and rural populations.MethodThe field survey was conducted in two geographical areas in Catalonia (Spain). A sample of 1104 children (56.67% boys and 43.32% girls) aged 3–6 years participated in this study: 697 were from urban areas and 408 from rural ones. The Early Childhood Inventory—teachers’ and parents’ versions (ECI-4) [Gadow KD, Sprafkin J (1997)—was used as the screening instrument.ResultsThe teachers’ and parents’ reports assigned 32.7 and 46.7%, respectively, to one or more ECI-4 categories. Significant differences between sexes were found in teachers’ reports. The whole disorders were significantly more prevalent in the urban sample than in the rural one (30.6 vs. 20.3%). The most prevalent disorders in both areas were Anxiety Disorders and Behavioural Problems, and the least prevalent were Mood Disorders and Autistic Disorders.ConclusionsThe findings indicate that there are some differences in the prevalence rates of preschool psychopathological disorders between rural and urban Spanish areas.

Temperamental Dimension and Anxiety Problems in a Clinical Sample of Three- to Six-year old Children: A Study of Variables

In the last few years, many researchers have studied the presence of common dimensions of temperament in subjects with symptoms of anxiety. The aim of this study is to examine the association between temperamental dimensions (high negative affect and activity level) and anxiety problems in clinical preschool children. A total of 38 children, ages 3 to 6 years, from the Infant and Adolescent Mental Health Center of Girona and the Center of Diagnosis and Early Attention of Sabadell and Olot were evaluated by parents and psychologists. Their parents completed several screening scales and, subsequently, clinical child psychopathology professionals carried out diagnostic interviews with children from the sample who presented signs of anxiety. Findings showed that children with high levels of negative affect and low activity level have pronounced symptoms of anxiety. However, children with anxiety disorders do not present different temperament styles from their peers without these pathologies.

Assessing Mindfulness on a Sample of Catalan-Speaking Spanish Adolescents: Validation of the Catalan Version of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure

BACKGROUND Interest in mindfulness has increased over the last decade, resulting in several mindfulness-based interventions being developed and their efficacy empirically demonstrated. The practice of mindfulness has been associated with low levels of anxiety or depression and improved quality of life or personal well-being. The aim of this study is to translate the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM) and adapt it to Catalan so as to analyze its internal consistency and construct and convergent validity. METHOD The CAMM was administered to a sample of secondary school students ranging in age from 11 to 16 years old. RESULTS The Catalan version of the CAMM shows a good fit with the unidimensional model and internal consistency similar to the original version (α = .80). Furthermore, CAMM scores correlated positively with subjective well-being, temperamental dimensions of effortful control and self-esteem. CONCLUSIONS The Catalan Version of CAMM is a valid and reliable measure of mindfulness skills.

Satisfaction with Present Safety and Future Security as Components of Personal Well-Being Among Young People: Relationships with Other Psychosocial Constructs

This study focuses on Spanish students of post-compulsory secondary education (15- to 24-year-olds) and has the following objectives: (1) to analyse the relationships between satisfaction with present safety and future security and the items conforming the Catalan adaptation of Cummins et al.’s (Soc Indicators Res 64:159–190, 2003) PWI-7 (satisfaction with health, standard of living, life achievements, groups of people you belong to and relationships with other people) and the Overall Life Satisfaction (OLS) scale (for overall life satisfaction); (2) to explore the relationships between present safety and future security and other psychosocial constructs and (3) to identify potential gender differences and similarities between the above variables and relationships.

A domain-independent data ADHD student model for computer-based educational systems. Data analysis in higher education

In traditional learning, teachers can easily have an understanding of how their students work and learn. However, in e-Learning it is more difficult for teachers to monitor how their students behave and learn in the system. As well as to identify if they have any specific awkwardness in their educational process. In this paper, a student model to infer the presence of ADHD symptoms in a Computer-Based Educational System (also known as Learning Management Systems (LMS)) is presented. The student model takes into account two types of students’ characteristics: generic and psychological. Each one is measured through a set of variables, which are correlated to obtain a final profile that can be useful to assist the teaching-learning process. In order to reach this purpose, three Web application tools that collect information about these characteristics have been developed, integrated into a LMS and validated in a case study composed of 30 students (5 suffering from ADHD, 5 that present similar characteristics to ADHD and 20 that supposed do not suffer from ADHD). This case study was carried out through a quantitative research approach and a descriptive scope. Results show that the implemented tools are useful to identify attention problems symptoms in students enrolled in e-learning courses.

Estressores psicossociais, senso de comunidade e bem-estar subjetivo em crianças e adolescentes de zonas urbanas e rurais do Nordeste do Brasil

The studys overall objective was to investigate the relationship between psychosocial stressors, sense of community, and subjective wellbeing in urban and rural schoolchildren in Northeast Brazil, focusing on differences according to territorial context. The sample consisted of 757 participants, 495 from urban schools and 262 from rural schools, enrolled in the 6th and 7th grades (9 to 18 years of age) in 21 municipal and state public schools, of which 13 urban and 8 rural, in 7 municipalities (counties) in Ceará State, Brazil. The study instruments were inventory of stressful events, scale of life satisfaction for students, index of sense of community, and satisfaction indices by life domains (family, material goods, relations, neighborhood/zone, health, time, school, and personal). The results indicate that socioeconomically underprivileged public schoolchildren from urban areas are more exposed to daily stress and score lower on satisfaction in specific domains of life and on sense of community. This latter is an important indicator for evaluating wellbeing in this young population.O objetivo geral do estudo e investigar a relacao existente entre eventos estressores cotidianos, senso de comunidade e bem-estar subjetivo em alunos de escolas urbanas e rurais do Nordeste do Brasil, focando nas diferencas por contexto territorial. A amostra esta formada por 757 participantes, 495 alunos de escolas urbanas e 262 de escolas rurais, dos 6o e 7o anos (9 a 18 anos) de 21 escolas publicas municipais e estaduais, 13 urbanas e 8 rurais, de 7 municipios do Ceara, Brasil. Os instrumentos utilizados foram: inventario de eventos estressores, escala de satisfacao com a vida para estudantes, indice de senso de comunidade e oito indices de satisfacao por âmbitos da vida (familia, bens materiais, relacoes, bairro/zona, saude, tempo, escola, pessoal). Os resultados indicam que os alunos das escolas publicas (desfavorecidos socioeconomicamente) de contextos urbanos estao mais expostos ao estresse cotidiano, pontuam mais baixo em satisfacao com âmbitos especificos da vida e senso de comunidade, sendo este ultimo um indicador importante na avaliacao do bem-estar da populacao estudada.

Psychosocial stressors, sense of community, and subjective wellbeing in children and adolescents in urban and rural areas in Northeast Brazil

The studys overall objective was to investigate the relationship between psychosocial stressors, sense of community, and subjective wellbeing in urban and rural schoolchildren in Northeast Brazil, focusing on differences according to territorial context. The sample consisted of 757 participants, 495 from urban schools and 262 from rural schools, enrolled in the 6th and 7th grades (9 to 18 years of age) in 21 municipal and state public schools, of which 13 urban and 8 rural, in 7 municipalities (counties) in Ceará State, Brazil. The study instruments were inventory of stressful events, scale of life satisfaction for students, index of sense of community, and satisfaction indices by life domains (family, material goods, relations, neighborhood/zone, health, time, school, and personal). The results indicate that socioeconomically underprivileged public schoolchildren from urban areas are more exposed to daily stress and score lower on satisfaction in specific domains of life and on sense of community. This latter is an important indicator for evaluating wellbeing in this young population.O objetivo geral do estudo e investigar a relacao existente entre eventos estressores cotidianos, senso de comunidade e bem-estar subjetivo em alunos de escolas urbanas e rurais do Nordeste do Brasil, focando nas diferencas por contexto territorial. A amostra esta formada por 757 participantes, 495 alunos de escolas urbanas e 262 de escolas rurais, dos 6o e 7o anos (9 a 18 anos) de 21 escolas publicas municipais e estaduais, 13 urbanas e 8 rurais, de 7 municipios do Ceara, Brasil. Os instrumentos utilizados foram: inventario de eventos estressores, escala de satisfacao com a vida para estudantes, indice de senso de comunidade e oito indices de satisfacao por âmbitos da vida (familia, bens materiais, relacoes, bairro/zona, saude, tempo, escola, pessoal). Os resultados indicam que os alunos das escolas publicas (desfavorecidos socioeconomicamente) de contextos urbanos estao mais expostos ao estresse cotidiano, pontuam mais baixo em satisfacao com âmbitos especificos da vida e senso de comunidade, sendo este ultimo um indicador importante na avaliacao do bem-estar da populacao estudada.