Xavier Méndez

La pandemia de la COVID-19 ha concienciado a la sociedad de la importancia de la salud mental y, en particular, la de los menores de edad que son más vulnerables. El progreso en el campo de la terapia psicológica es constante: desarrollo de nuevos procedimientos terapéuticos, ensayos clínicos sobre la eficacia del tratamiento, intervenciones transdiagnósticas para abordar la comorbilidad, etc. El crecimiento exponencial de la investigación hace que el corpus científico se vea continuamente enriquecido con nuevas aportaciones, razón por la que las guías sobre la terapia basada en los datos se renuevan periódicamente para no quedar desfasadas. Del mismo modo, el terapeuta infanto-juvenil tiene el reto y la obligación de la formación permanente, que le permita ofrecer a los menores y a sus familias los tratamientos para la adicción a las drogas más eficaces de los que se disponga en cada momento.

The main objective of this research was to validate the parents’ version of the Children’s Separation Anxiety Scale (CSAS-P), which assesses separation anxiety symptoms in pre-adolescence, the stage with the highest incidence of anxiety disorder due to separation. In Study 1, 1,089 parents, those children aged between 8 and 11 (M = 9.59, SD = 1.11), 51.7% girls, were selected by random cluster sampling, who completed the CSAS-P to obtain the factorial structure. Exploratory factor analysis identified four related factors: Worry, Opposition, Calm, and Distress, which explained 42.93% of the variance. In Study 2, 3,801 parents, those children aged between 8 and 11 (M = 9.50, SD = 1.10), 50.2% girls, completed the CSAS-P, and their children completed the Children’s Separation Anxiety Scale (CSAS). The four related-factor model from Study 1 was validated by confirmatory factor analysis. The CSAS-P had adequate internal consistency (α = 0.84), temporal stability (r = 0.72), and invariance across children’s age and gender and the parent who completed the scale. Age and gender differences were small: older children scored higher on Worry and younger children on Distress; the girls scored higher on all factors. Small differences were also found depending on the parent who completed the scale without finding a clear pattern. Parents scored significantly lower than the child on all four factors of the scale. The results support the reliability and validity of the CSAS-P, an instrument that complements the child’s self-report in the framework of the multi-source assessment.

Depression is a common and impairing disorder which is a serious public health problem. For some individuals, depression has a chronic course and is recurrent, particularly when its onset is during adolescence. The purpose of the current paper was to review the clinical trials conducted between 1980 and 2020 in adolescents with a primary diagnosis of a depressive disorder, excluding indicated prevention trials for depressive symptomatology. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the pre-eminent treatment and is well established from an evidence-based treatment perspective. The body of research on the remaining treatments is smaller and the status of these treatments is varied: interpersonal therapy (IPT) is well established; family therapy (FT) is possibly effective; and short-term psychoanalytic therapy (PT) is experimental treatment. Implementation of the two treatments that work well—CBT and IPT—has more support when provided individually as compared to in groups. Research on depression treatments has been expanding through using transdiagnostic and modular protocols, implementation through information and communication technologies, and indicated prevention programs. Despite significant progress, however, questions remain regarding the rate of non-response to treatment, the fading of specific treatment effects over time, and the contribution of parental involvement in therapy.

Emotional difficulties in children are often shown to be associated with peer problems and low prosocial behaviors. Super Skills for Life (SSL) is a transdiagnostic protocol for the prevention of emotional problems in children and has also obtained improvements of other comorbid symptoms. This study aimed at comparing the effects of SSL in reducing peer problems and increasing prosocial behaviors in children aged 8 to 12 years between the group and the individual modalities. For this purpose, 140 children (35% girls) received the program, 70 in group format and 70 in individual format, and were evaluated at the baseline, posttest, and after one year. Both modalities were effective in enhancing social relationships in children, although the individual modality showed more promising results. Children belonging to the individual modality group presented fewer peer problems (less social isolation and rejection, greater social acceptance, more friends) and greater prosocial behaviors (helping, empathy, kindness, and sharing) compared to children receiving the therapy in group modality, both in the short and in the long term. In conclusion, this study provides evidence of SSL protocol efficacy for improving children’s peer relationships and prosocial behaviors and encourages the implementation of transdiagnostic interventions in both clinical and educational settings.

This study describes the psychometric properties of the Children's Separation Anxiety Scale (CSAS), which assesses separation anxiety symptoms in childhood. Participants in Study 1 were 1,908 schoolchildren aged between 8 and 11. Exploratory factor analysis identified four factors: worry about separation, distress from separation, opposition to separation, and calm at separation, which explained 46.91% of the variance. In Study 2, 6,016 children aged 8–11 participated. The factor model in Study 1 was validated by confirmatory factor analysis. The internal consistency (α = 0.82) and temporal stability (r = 0.83) of the instrument were good. The convergent and discriminant validity were evaluated by means of correlations with other measures of separation anxiety, childhood anxiety, depression and anger. Sensitivity of the scale was 85% and its specificity, 95%. The results support the reliability and validity of the CSAS.

El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar los efectos del programa de prevención escolar Saluda sobre tres factores de riesgo de tipo cognitivo: información sobre las drogas, percepción de riesgo y estimación normativa del consumo. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 133 adolescentes de ambos sexos. Se aplicó un diseño cuasiexperimental con cinco condiciones: programa Saluda, un programa de eficacia probada, un programa de educación para la salud, un grupo de atención placebo y grupo sin intervención. Los resultados mostraron que el programa aumentaba el nivel de información y la percepción de riesgo ante distintas sustancias. El análisis de los tamaños del efecto indican que el programa Saluda se mostraba al menos tan eficaz como el programa de comparación y ambos mejoraban a los grupos de control. A partir de los resultados se concluye que las intervenciones resultan más eficaces que la no intervención a la hora de modificar variables mediadoras de tipo cognitivas. Abstract The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of a school-based prevention program Saluda on three cognitive risk factors: information about drugs, risk perception and normative perception of consumption. The sample consisted of 133 scholars. A quasi-experimental design was carried out with five experimental conditions: program Saluda, a proven efficacy program, a health promotion program, a placebo group and a non interventiongroup. The results showed that the program increased the level of information and risk perception to various substances. The analysis of the effect sizes indicate that the program greets showed at least as effective as the program and both improved compared to control groups. Based on the findings concluded that interventions are more effective than non-intervention modifying cognitive mediating variables.

Se llevó a cabo un estudio piloto para valorar un programa cognitivo-conductual como prevención indicada de la depresión infantil. Participaron 25 escolares, de 5° y 6° de Educación Primaria, de edad media 11,12 años, de ambos géneros, de nivel socioeconómico medio-alto y alto, con sintomatología depresiva, que se asignaron aleatoriamente a los grupos experimental y lista de espera. El programa de fomento del optimismo se desarrolló en doce sesiones de dos horas. Sus componentes principales fueron modificación del estilo explicativo y resolución de problemas interpersonales. En el grupo experimental se redujo significativamente la sintomatología depresiva, obteniéndose un tamaño del efecto medio-bajo en consonancia con los resultados de la investigación en este campo. Se discute las implicaciones de estos hallazgos desde la perspectiva de la psicología positiva.

Summary: This study analyzes the psychometric properties of the Spanish translation of the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY; Matson, Rotatori & Helsel, 1983 ), which assesses the degree of appropriate social behavior. This social behavior self-report was applied to a sample of 634 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17. The exploratory factor analysis isolated four factors: Aggressiveness/Antisocial Behavior, Social Skills/Assertiveness, Conceit/Haughtiness, and Loneliness/Social Anxiety, which accounted for the 33.28% variance. The internal consistency was high (α = .88). Correlations with similar self-reports, the Assertiveness Scale for Adolescents, the Teenage Inventory of Social Skills, and the Assertiveness Scale for Children and Adolescents, were statistically significant. Inappropriate social behavior measured with the MESSY correlated positively with the Psychoticism and Neuroticism scales, and negatively with the Extraversion scale of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Female adolescents obtained lower scores in Aggressiveness/Antisocial Behavior and in Conceit/Haughtiness, and higher scores in Social Skills/Assertiveness, displaying greater appropriate social behavior than male adolescents. No significant differences were found for gender in Loneliness/Social Anxiety, the only factor in which a worsening with age and a significant gender× age interaction effect were found.