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Determinants of Health and Well-Being in at Risk Populations

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 25694

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Natalia Alabaldejo Blázquez

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Department of Health Psychology, Faculty of Health Science, University of Alicante

Special Issue Information

This Special Issue aims to increase our knowledge of the protective and risk factors of certain behaviors that entail a significant deterioration of health, well-being, and quality of life in several populations. Deepening the study of the modification of unhealthy behavior patterns would provide important knowledge and information of unquestionable value for clinical practice and research, fundamentally for the development and application of intervention programs for health promotion and quality of life improvement. This would be especially important in at-risk populations that develop lifestyles that lead to health deterioration. Moreover, these contributions will be of great relevance for the implementation of new public health policies, which would reduce health costs by preventing risk behaviors and promoting healthy lifestyles.

Dr. Natalia Alabaldejo Blázquez
Guest Editor

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Keywords

protective and risk factors
well-being
quality of life
public health

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 413 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Psychosocial and Sociodemographic Determinants Related to Chronic Diseases in Immigrants Residing in Spain

by María José Martos-Méndez, Luis Gómez-Jacinto, Isabel Hombrados-Mendieta, Anabel Melguizo-Garín and Iván Ruiz-Rodríguez

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(7), 3900; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19073900 - 25 Mar 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2139

Abstract

The aim of the study is to analyze the effect of the psychosocial determinants of satisfaction with social support, resilience and satisfaction with life, and the sociodemographic determinants of age, gender and length of residence on chronic diseases in immigrants living in Spain. The sample was composed of 1131 immigrants from Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia. 47.1% were men and 52.9% were women. Most relevant results point to age as the sociodemographic variable with the highest predictive effect in the six chronic diseases analyzed. Gender, in this case female, predicts arthrosis, chronic back pain and migraine, whereas length of residence was only significant in the case of chronic allergies. Regarding psychosocial variables, resilience is a good predictor of hypertension, chronic allergies and arthrosis. However, satisfaction with social support appears to be the best predictor for chronic back pain in the regression equation, satisfaction with life being a significant variable in migraine, arthrosis, allergies and high cholesterol. Results are notably relevant for the design of preventive health programs in immigrants, as well as in ensuring their appropriate access to the health system so that their chronic diseases can be diagnosed. Given the relevance and incidence of the chronic diseases analyzed in immigrants, preventive strategies should be improved to tackle chronic diseases that can have a serious impact on immigrants’ health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Determinants of Health and Well-Being in at Risk Populations)

16 pages, 933 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Impulsivity on Competitive Anxiety in Female Athletes: The Mediating Role of Mindfulness Trait

by Lara Terres-Barcala, Natalia Albaladejo-Blázquez, Raquel Aparicio-Ugarriza, Nicolás Ruiz-Robledillo, Ana Zaragoza-Martí and Rosario Ferrer-Cascales

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(6), 3223; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063223 - 9 Mar 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4167

Abstract

It has been demonstrated that athletes in competitive sports suffer from high levels of competitive anxiety, especially in the case of females. In this sense, it is necessary to identify possible risk and protective factors of those athletes in this collective who suffer from this type of anxiety. However, few studies analyze the relationship between Physical Activity (PA) and anxiety, identifying the possible mediation effect of trait variables such as impulsivity and mindfulness in female athletes. Hence, the aims of this study were: to determine differences between PA levels with anxiety, mindfulness, and impulsiveness; to identify the predictive value of sociodemographic factors and physical activity, impulsivity, and mindfulness on anxiety factors; and to analyze the possible mediating effects of mindfulness on the relationship between impulsivity and anxiety. A total of 242 female athletes underwent an assessment of physical activity, anxiety, mindfulness traits, and impulsivity using validated questionnaires. Data were analyzed according to (1) individual or collective sport, and (2) PA levels according to energy expended (METs min/day). Participants were grouped by light, moderate, and vigorous PA levels. There were 30.5% elite athletes and 73.2% collective sports athletes. Mean age was 22.1 years and mean light, moderate, and vigorous PA were 86.1 ± 136.2, 114.4 ± 159.8, and 370.1 ± 336.3 METs min/day, respectively. Those athletes performing vigorous PA exhibited lower levels of impulsiveness and higher mindfulness traits. As expected, the mindfulness trait was a mediating factor in the relationship between impulsiveness and each factor of competitive anxiety (cognitive, somatic, and self-efficacy). Female athletes could suffer competitive anxiety, especially those who present higher levels of impulsivity. However, higher levels of mindfulness traits seem to be a protective factor in the effects of impulsivity on anxiety in this population and have demonstrated to be significant mediators in this association. Further studies are needed with other female athletes to replicate these results and to determine the specific protective mechanisms of mindfulness traits in preventing competitive anxiety. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Determinants of Health and Well-Being in at Risk Populations)

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12 pages, 893 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Version of the Highly Sensitive Child Scale: The Parent Version

by Borja Costa-López, Nicolás Ruiz-Robledillo, Natalia Albaladejo-Blázquez, Monika Baryła-Matejczuk and Rosario Ferrer-Cascales

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(5), 3101; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19053101 - 6 Mar 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3718

Abstract

Environmental sensitivity is the ability to perceive, register and process information about the environment, which differs among children and adolescents. The Highly Sensitive Child (HSC) scale has been used to assess environmental sensitivity in youngsters. The HSC scale is a short and 12-item adapted version of the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) scale. The aim of this pilot study is to transculturally adapt the Highly Sensitive Child (HSC) scale, and to analyze its factorial structure, reliability and validity. First, a transcultural adaptation was conducted by bilingual experts. Second, once the questionnaire was translated, the psychometric properties were analyzed. The Spanish version of the HSC scale was administered to parents answering about information of 141 children between 6 and 10 years old. The Spanish version of the Emotionality, Activity and Sociability Survey (EAS) was also applied. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the three-factor structure of sensitivity in our Spanish sample. This structure included the following dimensions: (1) Ease of Excitation (EOE), (2) Low Sensory Threshold (LST), and (3) Aesthetic Sensitivity (AES). Moreover, both Cronbach’s α and McDonald’s ω values indicated that the Spanish version of the HSC scale was a reliable measure of environmental sensitivity, as a general factor of sensitivity (α = 0.84), and even in its three dimensions: EOE (α = 0.86), LST (α = 0.77) and AES (α = 0.73). Finally, the correlations for convergent validity showed positive associations, especially among the three dimensions of SPS and Emotionality (EOE r = 0.351; LST r = 0.274; AES r = 0.259), which was one of the domains of the EAS survey. The pilot study provided interesting results, which showed a reliable and valid replication of the original structure of sensitivity in the Spanish samples. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Determinants of Health and Well-Being in at Risk Populations)

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15 pages, 4294 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Study of Older Adults’ Mental Health across 33 Countries during the COVID-19 Pandemic

by Carmen M. Tyler, Grace B. McKee, Elisabet Alzueta, Paul B. Perrin, Kristine Kingsley, Fiona C. Baker and Juan Carlos Arango-Lasprilla

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(10), 5090; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18105090 - 11 May 2021

Cited by 51 | Viewed by 7599

Abstract

Despite older adults’ extremely high vulnerability to COVID-19 complications and death, few studies have examined how personal characteristics and the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted the mental health of older adults at the global level. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among demographics, COVID-19 life impacts, and depression and anxiety in adults aged 60 and older from 33 countries. A sample of 823 older adults aged 60–94 and residing in 33 countries completed a 10-min online survey following recruitment from mailing lists and social media. Being separated from and having conflicts with loved ones predicted both anxiety and depression, as did residing in a country with higher income. Getting medical treatment for severe symptoms of COVID-19 and having decreased work responsibilities predicted depression, but adjustment to working from home and younger age predicted both depression and anxiety. Participants from Europe and Central Asia reported higher depression than those from all other regions and higher anxiety than those from Latin America and the Caribbean. The COVID-19 pandemic has had serious deleterious effects on the mental health of older adults worldwide. The current findings have direct implications for mental health services that may be delivered to older adults to help facilitate healthy psychological adjustment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Determinants of Health and Well-Being in at Risk Populations)

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13 pages, 371 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Role of School Social Support and School Social Climate in Dating Violence Victimization Prevention among Adolescents in Europe

by Barbara Jankowiak, Sylwia Jaskulska, Belén Sanz-Barbero, Alba Ayala, Jacek Pyżalski, Nicola Bowes, Karen De Claire, Sofia Neves, Joana Topa, Carmen Rodríguez-Blázquez, María Carmen Davó-Blanes, Nicoletta Rosati, María Cinque, Veronica Mocanu, Beatrice Ioan, Iwona Chmura-Rutkowska, Katarzyna Waszyńska and Carmen Vives-Cases

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(23), 8935; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17238935 - 1 Dec 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3814

Abstract

The aim of the article is to show the role of school social support and school social climate in dating violence victimization prevention among adolescents in Europe. Study participants were students from secondary schools (age 13–16) in Spain, Italy, Romania, Portugal, Poland and UK. The analysis in this text concern student with dating experience (n = 993) (57.2% of girls and 66.5% of boys). School social support was measured by School Social Climate, Factor 1 Scale (CECSCE) and by Student Social Support Scale (CASSS), subscales teachers and classmates. The association between school social support and different types of dating victimization (physical and/or sexual dating violence, control dating violence and fear) was measured by calculating the prevalence ratios and their 95% confidence intervals, estimated by Poisson regression models with robust variance. All the models were adjusted by country and by sociodemographic variables. The results show that the average values of all types of social support are significantly lower in young people who have suffered any type of dating violence or were scared of their partner. The likelihood of suffering physical and/or sexual dating violence decreased when school social support increased [PR (CI 95%): 0.96 (0.92; 0.99)]. In the same way, the likelihood of fear decreased when school social climate increased [PR (CI 95%): 0.98 (0.96; 0.99)].There is an association between school social support and school social climate and experiences of being victim of dating violence among adolescents in Europe. Our results suggest that in the prevention of dating violence building a supportive climate at schools and building/using the support of peers and teachers is important. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Determinants of Health and Well-Being in at Risk Populations)

17 pages, 506 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Personal and Lifestyle Determinants of HIV Transmission Risk in Spanish University Students

by Cristian Alcocer-Bruno, Rosario Ferrer-Cascales, Nicolás Ruiz-Robledillo, Miriam Sánchez-SanSegundo and Ana Zaragoza-Martí

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(22), 8332; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228332 - 11 Nov 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3321

Abstract

The increase in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission cases poses a serious public health concern. Although several previous studies have been conducted with the aim of identifying the risk factors for HIV transmission, the number of cases has been increasing, especially in youth. The present study is aimed at the identification of personal and lifestyle determinants of HIV transmission risk in a sample of 335 Spanish university students selected by convenience sampling from a public university located in Alicante (Spain). Sociodemographic factors, lifestyles, and variables of HIV risk of transmission were evaluated. Group differences on risk of HIV transmission were evaluated between participants depending on their sociodemographic characteristics (age, sex, relationship status, employment status, economic status, and sexual orientation) and lifestyle (diet, physical exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, and stress). Linear regression models were conducted in order to identify those personal and lifestyle variables related to HIV transmission risk. The obtained results indicate that, generally, being older, in a relationship, and employed were factors related to a high risk of HIV transmission. Regarding lifestyle, poor diet, lower intensity of physical exercise, higher alcohol intake, and smoking were fundamentally associated with a higher risk of HIV transmission, through lower use of condoms and higher frequency of risky sexual behaviors. Hence, participants who develop an unhealthy lifestyle exhibit twice the probability of being at a high risk of HIV transmission, especially regarding these previously indicated behaviors. The present study points out the relevance of sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyles of university students in their proneness to developing risky behaviors for HIV infection. Future studies should be developed with larger, randomized, and more representative samples, in order to obtain significant information for the development of effective preventive strategies oriented toward the increase in the adherence to healthy lifestyles and HIV prevention. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Determinants of Health and Well-Being in at Risk Populations)

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