Associated factors to the sexual behavior in Peruvian women among 15 and 25 years old

Background: The sexual behavior of women is associated with various protective or risk factors, which are important to assess. To determine the socioeconomic factors associated with the sexual behavior of Peruvian women within 15 and 25 years old. Method: A secondary analysis of the 2016 Demographic and Family Health Survey (ENDES) was conducted. Our sample was 7962 women from 15 to 25 years old, from all over the Peruvian territory. Associative analyzes were carried out on the age of sexual initiation, the number of sexual partners and the use of contraceptives, based on sociodemographic variables. Poisson regression with robust variance was also used. Results: It was found the factors, that are associated with the age of sexual initiation and the number of sexual partners, are the area of origin, marital status, educational level, employment status and socioeconomic level. While women who work and whose partners do not drink alcohol are the most likely to use contraceptives. Conclusions: It can be concluded that certain socioeconomic and work conditions act as protective factors of female sexual behavior, while having a partner who drinks alcohol is a risk factor.

Construction and validation of a test of knowledge of contraceptive methods for adolescents

Background: Valid and reliable instruments are required to measure the level of information on contraceptive methods in adolescents to promote their correct use. Objective: To construct and validate a test of knowledge of contraceptive methods for adolescents between 15 and 19 years old. Method: A 36-item test was developed that included the different contraceptive methods and information on the characteristics, use, efficacy, advantages and disadvantages of these methods. Once validated by expert judges, a college in Ecatepec was randomly selected as data collection site. Students of the three school grades answered the test. Results: The test was applied to a total of 229 students between 15 and 19 years old (M = 16.22; SD = .978). The majority were women (66%), single (88.5%) and lived with their parents (62.9%). Of the 36 initial items, 31 showed discriminatory power between those who performed well on the test and those who did not. The difficulty index of the questionnaire was .45 and revealed a reliability index value of .739. Around 60% of the participants obtained a percentage below 50% of correct answers in the entire test. Only about 4% of participants got a percentage of correct responses higher than 70%. The categories of characteristics and use were those in which the participants performed best when answering 48% of these questions correctly. The worst was effectiveness, advantages and disadvantages with 33%. Conclusion: The test’s psychometric properties showed that it is a valid and reliable test for its application in Mexican adolescents. The results indicate that most adolescents of the simple do not have complete information about contraceptive methods and that they know the least about their effectiveness and side effects.

Psychological resources as predictors of emotional and behavioral issues in young University students

Introduction: Preventing problem behaviors in university students requires the identification of its causes and possible protective factors. Objective: To identify the psychological resources that can predict emotional and behavioral issues in young people. Method: Four different scales were used to evaluate a non-probabilistic sample of 320 university students: the emotional and behavioral issues scales, the intra-family relationships scale, and the social resources scale and affective resources scale. The sample included 146 men and 173 women between the ages of 18 to 24 (mean: 20.04, standard deviation: 1.62). Results: The main findings show significant statistical negative correlations between the problem behaviors and the affective, social, and family resources. Regarding the differences between participants, women showed higher mean scores of depressions and somatic problems, while men showed higher scores of alcohols and tobacco consumption. The step-by-step regression results revealed depression to be the problem behavior with the highest explained variance (47%), predicted by difficulties in managing sadness, lack of self-control regarding anger, the expression of emotions, and problems with anger management. Conclusion: Strengthening psychological resources and incorporating them in the design of universal and selective intervention programs is fundamental to prevent emotional and behavioral problems in university students to promote their positive development.

Some considerations prior to estimating the reliability of psychometric instruments

[Letter to the editor]

Metacognition and Self-determination, Impulsivity and Emotional intelligence, and its relation with wellbeing and health indicators in young adults

Background: From the evidence, it is inferred the influence of cognitive or motivational variables over the emotional ones and from these on the perception and self-reported wellbeing and health, with direct implications for health promotion and prevention. Method: a quantitative approach, descriptive, correlational cross-sectional with statistical explanatory analysis investigation was conducted, analyzing the data through path modeling of the partial least squares approach of the structural equations model, by using the Smart PLS software 3.3.2 version, analyzing consequently the convergent and discriminant validity of the model. A total 223 undergraduate university young adult students was evaluated, 41 men (18,4%) and 182 women (81,6%) with ages between 18 and 30 years old (µ= 24,26 y σ=±3,30), from Bogotá Colombia participated. Results: The results allowed to significant relations between the self – determination with the impulsivity and emotional intelligence, and from these with the psychological well-being and healthy habits. There were not identified significant relations between the metacognition and the impulsivity, although there are between metacognition and emotional intelligence. Conclusions: The proposed model about the significant relations between metacognition and self-determination with impulsivity and emotional intelligence and between these and the psychological well-being and healthy habits was confirmed. The specific result related to the absence of significant relations between metacognition and the impulsivity suggest for futures research, to emphasize on the metacognitive process implicated on the emotional components. The results are discussed, its implications and the necessity to be considered more determinants for the promotion of health.

Gender, psycho-emotional impacts and experiences associated with COVID-19 in adults from Guadalajara, Mexico

Background: COVID-19 is a virus that not only affects physical health, but also impacts people's psycho-emotional health and daily life, altering family, work, relationship, educational and learning dynamics, among many others. Objetive: This study sought to determine gender differences in terms of psycho-emotional impacts and experiences related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the adult population of the metropolitan area of Guadalajara, Mexico. Method: A qualitative study was implemented, with theory based on the data, through semi-structured interviews (ten women and three men) and through a non-probabilistic convenience sampling. Results: It stands out that the experience related to COVID-19 has generated negative emotions, couple conflicts and discomfort associated with the inability to carry out recreational activities. In the case of women, their routines have been disrupted and they have had a greater demand for the care and attention of their children (in terms of carrying out schoolwork, time spent together, etc.). In contrast, men show greater concern about the difficulty of working from home. Conclusion: The pandemic has impacted men and women differently, in the face of this new reality it is essential to activate the support elements that facilitate the externalization of mobility limitations, changes in the rhythm of life, emotional impact and stressful elements that the experience of COVID-19 could generate in the population.

Older people at risk in times of pandemic? A qualitative study of coping narratives that support resilience in older people

Background: The World Health Organization mentions that the stress that COVID-19 triggers and confinement are causing a strong psychological impact on societies, due to the relationship made of the binomial pandemic and death. The above exposes the political scenario of COVID-19 for the elderly that once again exhibits the image of the elderly as fragile beings, incapable of thinking and deciding for themselves, who must be cloistered and isolated. However, despite the empirical evidence that shows a vulnerable and at-risk population in the context of the current pandemic, other theoretical views differ and emphasize the strengths that are manifested in this stage of life. Objective: To understand the narrative construction and resilient processes that the older adult population has experienced concerning COVID-19. Special attention was paid to the discourse on psycho-emotional consequences, social beliefs about old age, discrimination, as well as the omissions of human rights and dignity of the elderly. Method: qualitative descriptive cross-sectional ethnomethodological design, with a continuous inclusion sample, corresponding to 15 participants, between 64 and 85 years old, living in Mexico. Results: It was identified that the participating older adults have sufficient psycho-emotional coping resources, due to the efficacy of the regulation of the feelings experienced. However, it is still influenced by the social perception of stereotypes and stigmatization. Conclusions: The results coincide with the postulates of positive psychology and psycho-gerontology regarding the development of capacities and potentialities as a continuous process, and that in older adulthood they become present, thanks to the accumulation of experiences, individual and collective. This underlines the importance of including other ways in which old age is lived and studied, and therefore in the methodologies and proposals for intervention.

Collaboration of Clinical Psychology in the Critical Care Unit: Prevention and treatment of post-ICU syndrome

Letter to the Editor.

Collaboration of Clinical Psychology in the Critical Care Unit: Prevention and treatment of post-ICU syndrome

Letter to the Editor.

Prevalence and severity of academic burnout in college students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: Academic burnout (AB) is an insidious process characterized by the feeling of emotional exhaustion due to the demands of academic life. Despite its impact on people's health, its prevalence has not yet been reported in Peru. The objective was to estimate the prevalence of AB, based on the emotional exhaustion experienced by university students, and the differences according to the student's year of study and sex. Method: Participants were 341 college students (76% women) from several institutions who were enrolled between the second and fourth year-of-studies. The Emotional Exhaustion Scale was used to measure students' AB. Results: The prevalence of AB was described by percentages and the comparison between groups was performed with effect size measures. The results reveal BA levels at a high level (31.4%) and risk (11.7%). On the other hand, women score higher than men in BA, but no differences were found according to the year of study. The association with anxiety and depression was moderate. Conclusions: The prevalence of academic burnout was significant, and it is associated with anxiety and depression.