Emilia Serra

The aim of this paper is to establish which parenting style is associated with optimum outcomes among adolescents of Spanish families considering adolescents with low vs. high self-efficacy. Although classical studies identify the authoritative parenting style (based on warmth and strictness) as the best parental strategy, emerging research seriously questions the benefits of parental strictness. Additionally, the impact of parenting on the adolescent’s psychosocial competence has been studied for years, but less is known about whether it might vary depending on individual characteristics of the adolescent (e.g., self-efficacy). Participants were 1029 Spanish adolescents, 453 males (44%), aged 12-17 years. Families were classified in one of the parenting styles groups (authoritative, authoritarian, indulgent, or neglectful), and adolescents were grouped by low vs. high self-efficacy. Adolescent psychosocial competence was examined through emotional and academic self-concept, psychological maladjustment (hostility/aggression, negative self-esteem, emotional responsivity, instability, and negative view of the world), and academic performance (grade point average and number of failing grades). Main and interaction effects of parenting style and adolescent self-efficacy were tested. Main effect results indicated that adolescents with low self-efficacy were always associated with the worst psychosocial competence. Consistently, the main effect findings indicated that adolescents from indulgent and authoritative families were associated with better results than those from neglectful and authoritarian families. However, the indulgent parenting style yielded the best results. The impact of parenting might not be the same for adolescents in all cultural contexts. Contrary to findings from classical studies, parental strictness seems to be unnecessary or even detrimental for adolescents with low and high self-efficacy. El objetivo de este estudio es identificar qué estilo parental se asocia con resultados óptimos entre los adolescentes de familias españolas considerando aquellos con baja vs. alta autoeficacia. Los participantes fueron 1029 adolescentes españoles, 453 varones (44%), de 12 a 17 años. Aunque los estudios clásicos identifican el estilo autorizativo (basado en el afecto y la severidad) como la mejor estrategia socializadora, las investigaciones emergentes cuestionan seriamente los beneficios de la severidad parental. Además, el impacto de la socialización parental en la competencia psicosocial del adolescente se ha estudiado durante años, pero se sabe menos sobre si podría variar en función de las características individuales del adolescente (e.g., la autoeficacia). Las familias fueron clasificadas por estilo parental (autorizativo, autoritario, indulgente o negligente), y los adolescentes por baja vs. alta autoeficacia. La competencia psicosocial se examinó a través del autoconcepto emocional y académico, el desajuste psicológico (hostilidad/agresión, autoestima negativa, irresponsividad emocional, inestabilidad emocional y visión negativa del mundo) y el rendimiento académico (nota media y número de cursos repetidos). Se comprobaron los efectos principales y de interacción de estilo parental y autoeficacia. Los resultados de los efectos principales indicaron que los adolescentes con baja autoeficacia presentaban siempre la peor competencia psicosocial. También que los adolescentes de familias indulgentes y autorizativas presentaron mejores resultados que los de familias negligentes y autoritarias. Sin embargo, el estilo parental indulgente se asoció a los mejores resultados. El impacto de la socialización parental podría no ser igual en todos los contextos culturales. Frente a los resultados de los estudios clásicos, la severidad parental parece ser innecesaria o incluso perjudicial para los adolescentes con baja y alta autoeficacia.

Caregivers experience great stress, and coping can be one of the factors, which determine the extent of stress. The aim of the present paper is to analyze the effects of coping strategies on distress of the older adult’s caregiver, including guilt as a mediating factor in those maladaptive strategies. The sample consisted of 201 informal caregivers of institutionalized older adults. The three constructs measured were: stress, guilt, and coping strategies. Results showed that strategies that have a better ability to reduce stress are active, positive reframing and acceptance; on the contrary, behavioral disengagement, self-distraction, self-blame and venting positively predicted the feeling of guilt that facilitated the perception of stress. Given the important association obtained between the experience of guilt and psychological distress in caregivers, it could be relevant to develop psychoeducational interventions with caregivers including techniques to reduce this feeling of guilt and develop cognitive behavioral strategies that facilitate adaptation.

Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is considered the ‘gold standard’ in the treatment of addictive disorders related to excessive technology use. However, the cognitive components of problematic internet use are not yet well-known. The aim of the present study was to explore the cognitive components, that according to problematic users, can lead to potential internet addiction. A total of 854 European adults completed an online survey using a mixed-methods design. Internet problems and attachment styles were assessed, prevalence rates estimated, correlations, chi-squared automatic interaction detection, and content analysis were performed. Self-reported addictions to social networking, internet, and gaming had a prevalence between 1.2% (gaming) to 2.7% (social networking). Self-perception of the addiction problem and preoccupied attachment style were discriminative factors for internet addiction. In an analysis of qualitative responses from self-identified compulsive internet users, a sense of not belonging and feeling of disconnection during life events were perceived as causes for internet addiction. The development depended on a cycle of mixed feelings associated with negative thoughts, compensated by a positive online identity. The severity of this behaviour pattern produced significant impairment in various areas of the participants’ functioning, suggesting a possible addiction problem. It is suggested that health professionals administering CBT should target unhealthy preoccupations and monitor mixed feelings and thoughts related to internet use to support coping with cognitive distortions.

La correcta identificación de las emociones básicas (alegría, miedo, asco, tristeza, sorpresa e ira) desempeñan un importante papel en las relaciones sociales y conductas ligadas a la propia supervivencia. En la Enfermedad de Alzheimer (EA) la capacidad de reconocimiento emocional podría estar ya alterada en fases iniciales. Por ello, el objetivo principal del presente trabajo fue realizar una revisión sistemática de la literatura acerca del reconocimiento facial en personas con EA, identificando posibles variables moduladoras. Se realizó una búsqueda en las bases de datos Web of Science y PsycINFO. Después de aplicar los criterios de inclusión-exclusión se seleccionaron un total de 28 artículos. Las imágenes estáticas fueron los estímulos más utilizados para evaluar el reconocimiento de las emociones básicas, especialmente las fotografías desarrolladas por Paul Ekman y colaboradores. Los resultados de la revisión indican que en las personas con EA generalmente muestran déficit del reconocimiento emocional aunque los datos no son concluyentes, lo que podría estar relacionado con la diversidad de metodologías aplicadas. En relación con las variables evaluadas (sexo y edad) se pone de manifiesto la necesidad de futuras investigaciones que estudien de forma sistemática cómo estos factores pueden modular el reconocimiento emocional en pacientes con Enfermedad de Alzheimer. The correct identification of basic emotions (joy, fear, disgust, sadness, surprise and anger) plays an important role in social relationships and behaviors linked to one´s survival. In Alzheimer´s disease (AD) the ability to recognize emotions may already be impaired at early stages of the disease. Therefore, the main objective of the present study was to carry out a systematic review of the literature on facial emotional recognition in people with AD, identifying possible modulating variables. A search in the Web of Science and PsycInfo databases was carried out. After applying the inclusion-exclusion criteria, a total of 28 articles were selected. Static images were the most used stimuli to evaluate the recognition of basic emotions, especially the photographs developed by Paul Ekman and collaborators. Results of the present review indicate the people with AD generally display deficits in emotional recognition although the data are not conclusive, which could be related to the diversity of methodologies applied. In relation to the variables evaluated (sex and age) the need of further research in order to study how these factors could modulate emotional recognition in patients with Alzheimer´s disease is highlighted.

Background: The study of emotion recognition could be crucial for detecting alterations in certain cognitive areas or as an early sign of neurological disorders. Objective: The main objective of the study is to characterize research development on emotion recognition, identifying the intellectual structure that supports this area of knowledge, and the main lines of research attracting investigators’ interest. Methods: We identified publications on emotion recognition and dementia included in the Web of Science Core Collection, analyzing the scientific output and main disciplines involved in generating knowledge in the area. A co-citation analysis and an analysis of the bibliographic coupling between the retrieved documents elucidated the thematic orientations of the research and the reference works that constitute the foundation for development in the field. Results: A total of 345 documents, with 24,282 bibliographic references between them, were included. This is an emerging research area, attracting the interest of investigators in Neurosciences, Psychology, Clinical Neurology, and Psychiatry, among other disciplines. Four prominent topic areas were identified, linked to frontotemporal dementia, autism spectrum disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s and Huntington disease. Many recent papers focus on the detection of mild cognitive impairment. Conclusion: Impaired emotion recognition may be a key sign facilitating the diagnosis and early treatment of different neurodegenerative diseases as well as for triggering the necessary provision of social and family support, explaining the growing research interest in this area.

Scientific research has provided theoretical evidence on the implementation of religious/spiritual interventions (RSI) as a complementary health therapy, where spiritual improvements are also a factor to consider. Despite the above, there are few studies that have evaluated the clinical applicability of these findings. This study was an intervention with older and younger adults divided into two treatment groups and one control group. What is expected is that the two treatment groups will score better than the control group; however, the group with a Christian spiritual focus is expected to perform better than the group without a spiritual focus. Measures of gratitude, meaning of life, forgiveness, spirituality, religiosity, and expected prejudice were recorded. The hypothesis is fulfilled that Christian spirituality enhances psychological interventions on factors associated with personal well-being, mainly in older adults: spirituality (M = 26.00, SE = 2.127/M = 29.38, SE = 1.953, t (12) = −2.436, p < 0.05, r = 0.58), goals (M = 22.92, SE = 1.022/M = 24.54, SE = 0.739, t (12) = −2.298, p < 0.05, r = 0.55), and benevolence (M = 17.31, SE = 1.554/M = 21.08, SE = 1.603, t (12) = −3.310, p < 0.05, r = 0.69). The most powerful results of the study are those associated with religiosity/spirituality.

Recent emergent research is seriously questioning whether parental strictness contributes to children’s psychosocial adjustment in all cultural contexts. We examined cross-generational differences in parental practices characterized by warmth and practices characterized by strictness, as well as the relationship between parenting styles (authoritative, indulgent, authoritarian, and neglectful) and psychosocial adjustment in adulthood. Parenting practices characterized by warmth (affection, reasoning, indifference, and detachment) and strictness (revoking privileges, verbal scolding, and physical punishment) were examined. Psychosocial adjustment was captured with multidimensional self-concept and well-being (life satisfaction and happiness). Participants were 871 individuals who were members of three generations of Spanish families: College students (G3), their parents (G2), and their grandparents (G1). Results showed two different cross-generational patterns in parenting practices, with an increased tendency toward parental warmth (parents use more affection and reasoning but less indifference across generations) and a decreased tendency toward parental strictness (parents use revoking privileges, verbal scolding, and physical punishment less across generations). Interestingly, despite cross-generational differences in parenting practices, a common pattern between parenting styles and psychosocial adjustment was found: indulgent parenting was related to equal or even better self-concept and well-being than authoritative parenting, whereas parenting characterized by non-warmth (authoritarian and neglectful) was related to poor scores.

The present study analyzes the impact of parenting styles on adolescents’ self-esteem and internalization of social values in three countries, Spain, Portugal and Brazil. The sample of the study was comprised of 2091 adolescents from Spain (n = 793), Portugal (n = 675), and Brazil (n = 623) from 12–18 years old (52.1% females). The four types of parenting styles, authoritative, indulgent, authoritarian and neglectful, were measured through the warmth and strictness dimensions of the Scale of Parental Socialization ESPA29. The two criteria variables were captured with the five dimensions of the AF5, Five-Factor Self-Concept Questionnaire, and with self-transcendence and conservation Schwartz values. Results confirm emergent research in parenting socialization: the use of parental warmth is evidenced as key for adolescent self-esteem and internalization of social values in the three countries analyzed. Indulgent and authoritative parenting (both characterized by parental warmth) are associated with the highest value internalization in the three countries. Furthermore, indulgent parenting (use of warmth) is associated with the highest adolescent self-esteem, overcoming authoritative parenting (use of warmth and strictness). The influence of parenting over adolescent self-esteem and values internalization is maintained independent of the differences in self-esteem and value priorities observed in the cultural context, the sex and age of the participants.

Current emergent studies are seriously questioning if parental strictness contributes to adolescent adjustment. This study examined whether the relationship between authoritative (warmth and strictness), authoritarian (strictness without warmth), indulgent (warmth without strictness), and neglectful (neither warmth nor strictness) parenting styles shows equal or different pattern of adjustment and maladjustment for aggressive and non-aggressive adolescents. The sample consisted of 969 Spanish adolescents, 554 females (57.2%) and 415 males, ranging from 12 to 17 years old. Families were classified into one of four typologies by their scores on warmth and strictness, and the adolescents were grouped by their aggressiveness (low vs. high). Adolescent adjustment was captured with three self-esteem indicators (emotional, physical, and family) and personal maladjustment with five indicators (negative self-esteem, negative self-adequacy, emotional irresponsiveness, emotional instability, and negative worldview). It was tested main and interaction effects between parenting and aggressiveness considering also sex and age factors. Findings showed that aggressive adolescents always had the worst socialization outcomes (i.e., the lowest self-esteem and the highest personal maladjustment). Aggressive and non-aggressive adolescents have a common pattern: both, indulgent and authoritative parenting styles were always associated with better outcomes than either authoritarian or neglectful parenting, but indulgent parenting style was associated with the best outcomes across all the criteria. In contrast with previous evidence about the idea that parental strictness and imposition might be beneficial to raise aggressive adolescents, present findings highlight the positive impact of parental warmth even with aggressive adolescents. Implications for family interventions were considered. Investigaciones emergentes cuestionan que la severidad parental contribuya al ajuste del adolescente. Este estudio examina si la relación entre los estilos parentales autorizativo (afecto y severidad), autoritario (severidad sin afecto), indulgente (afecto sin severidad) y negligente (ni afecto ni severidad) presenta patrones de ajuste y desajuste iguales o diferentes en adolescentes agresivos y no agresivos. Participaron 969 adolescentes españoles, 554 mujeres (57.2%) y 415 varones, de 12 a 17 años. Las familias se clasificaron en un estilo parental según sus puntuaciones en afecto y severidad y los adolescentes se agruparon por agresividad (baja vs. alta). Se captó el ajuste mediante tres indicadores de autoestima (emocional, física y familiar) y el desajuste personal con cinco indicadores (autoestima negativa, autoeficacia negativa, falta de respuesta emocional, inestabilidad emocional y visión negativa del mundo). Se probaron efectos principales y de interacción para estilos parentales y agresividad, considerando también sexo y edad. Los análisis mostraron que los adolescentes agresivos siempre tenían los peores resultados (i.e., la menor autoestima y el mayor desajuste personal). Los adolescentes agresivos y no agresivos comparten un patrón común: los estilos indulgente y autorizativo siempre se asociaron con mejores resultados que el autoritario o el negligente, pero el estilo indulgente se asoció con los mejores resultados en todos los criterios. A diferencia de estudios previos que consideraban que el rigor y la severidad de los padres podrían ser beneficiosos en hijos agresivos, los presentes resultados resaltan el impacto positivo del afecto parental incluso en adolescentes agresivos. Se consideraron las implicaciones para las intervenciones familiares.

Objective: We examine parenting styles (characterized by warmth and strictness, i.e., neglectful, indulgent, authoritarian and authoritative) as either a protective or risk factor for adolescence drinking. Design: Two 4 × 2 × 3 multi-factorial MANOVAs. Sample consisted of 996 underage Spanish adolescents, 532 males (53.4%), ranging from 15 to 17 years old. Main outcome measures: Alcohol use (wine, beer, mixed drinks and liquors) and abuse and motivations for drinking (social acceptance and self-enhancement) and non-drinking (harsh preventive rules and awareness of alcohol's harmful effects). Results: Lower risk of alcohol use and abuse was found in adolescents with indulgent parenting, and higher risk for adolescents with authoritarian parenting. Adolescents from indulgent parenting style homes had equal adjustment (lower self-enhancement and higher harsh preventive rules and awareness of alcohol's harmful effects) or even better (lower social acceptance) than those from authoritative parenting style homes. Consistently, the highest risk parenting styles identified were the authoritarian and neglectful styles (α=.05). Conclusion: At least in some cultures, warmth and reasoning, shared by authoritative and indulgent parenting styles, seem the recommended way to protect offspring from drinking. Effective alcohol prevention and intervention programs should include strategies tailored specifically to this new cultural context where parenting takes place.