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El objetivo de este estudio consiste en caracterizar la percepción del riesgo asociado tanto a sustancias legales (alcohol, tabaco e inhalantes) como ilegales (cannabis, cocaína, heroína, anfetaminas, drogas de diseño, alucinógenos) entre los jóvenes de 18 a 29 años en seis dimensiones (problemas para la salud física, salud psíquica, tráfico, capacidad para realizar tareas, relaciones interpersonales y problemas legales) y, además, si existen diferencias de percepciones en función del sexo. Con un diseño ex post facto de grupo único se han estudiado los perfiles perceptivos de 3819 jóvenes andaluces en las nueve drogas citadas. La percepción de los jóvenes muestra patrones diferentes para cada droga, destacando que existen ciertos sesgos los problemas psíquicos derivados del alcohol, que son vistos como menos peligrosos que los problemas de salud o los efectos sobre la salud del cannabis, que se ven como menos peligrosos que los del tabaco. Con respecto a la variable sexo, las mujeres perciben las drogas estudiadas como más peligrosas, salvo el caso de los inhalantes y ciertas dimensiones específicas de otras drogas, en

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about changes in mental health occupational therapy. Research into these changes and the associated risks of relapse is insufficient. To explore the changes that have taken place in forms of occupational intervention (face-to-face and online) during the pandemic, and to analyze their association with subsequent relapses, a multicenter retrospective cohort study was carried out of 270 patients with mental disorder diagnoses under follow-up in day hospitals during 2020. Our results show that the frequency of face-to-face occupational therapy interventions decreased during lockdown and subsequently recovered. Interventions via telehealth increased during lockdown and have since been continued to a greater extent than before lockdown. Patients who received occupational intervention via telehealth relapsed less in the following six months (10.7% vs. 26.3%; χ2 = 10.372; p = 0.001), especially those who received intervention via videoconferencing (4.2% vs. 22%; χ2 = 5.718; p = 0.017). In conclusion, lockdown subsequent to the COVID-19 outbreak led to a reduction in face-to-face occupational therapy interventions, putting people with prior mental disorders at risk, while the implementation of telehealth tools helped reduce relapses.

For people with severe mental disorders (SMDs) the COVID-19 pandemic may pose a number of risks. These include the loss of needed care, a higher probability of infection, and the worsening of their mental health. To analyze the pandemic’s impact on care received, relapses, loss of employment, and adherence to preventive guidelines in SMD sufferers, a multicenter retrospective cohort study was carried out comparing 185 patients diagnosed with SMD and 85 with common disorders. The results showed that during lockdown, there was a significant reduction in face-to-face psychotherapeutic, nursing, and occupational therapy interventions. In the same period, telematic interventions were introduced which, although subsequently reduced, now continue to be used to a greater extent than before the pandemic. Employment decreased significantly (13% vs. 9.2%; χ2 = 126.228 p < 0.001). The percentage of people with SMD following preventive guidelines was significantly lower for both hand washing (56.2% vs. 75.3%; χ2 = 9.360, p = 0.002) and social distancing (47% vs. 63.5; χ2 = 6.423 p = 0.011). In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a reduction in the interventions that are needed for the recovery of people with SMDs, together with a significant loss of employment and an increased risk of contagion due to less adherence to preventive guidelines. In the future, appropriate attention to these people’s needs must be guaranteed.

The consequences of physical neglect on retardation in the development of adaptive behaviors and the increased risk of poor physical and mental health are well documented. As physical neglect is a phenomenon found almost exclusively among socially deprived people, it is important to distinguish the health effects caused by neglect from those caused by poverty. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of poverty and physical neglect on the development of problematic externalizing and internalizing behaviors, adaptive skills, and school problems among school children between the ages of 3 and 12. A group of 157 children were chosen from 28 Andalusian schools and classified in three homogeneous groups. Children in group 1 (n = 53) had two target conditions: living in slums (poverty) and suffering from neglect. Children in group 2 (n = 52) had one target condition: living in the same slums as the children in group 1, but not suffering from neglect. Group 3 (n = 52) consisted of children from other (non-slum) neighborhoods who did not suffer from neglect. Adaptive and maladaptive behaviors were evaluated with the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC). Significant differences were found between group 1 and group 2, but there were no important differences between group 2 and group 3. The conclusion was that externalizing and internalizing problems, school problems, and low adaptive skills found in neglected children were associated with neglect rather than with poverty or socially deprived environments.

Given that risk perception has been found to be both a vulnerability and a protective factor with respect to consumption, the objectives of this study were to find out whether there exist specific patterns of risk perception associated with cannabis use and, if so, how they relate to cannabis consumption and to the sources of information on drugs accessed by young people. An ex post facto study was carried out with 1851 young Andalusians aged 18 to 29, using an adaptation of the Andalusian Government “Andalusian Population versus Drugs” survey. For the first objective, a cluster analysis was carried out in which three perceptual style groups were formed: “Strict”, “Permissive-Awareness” and “Lax”. Cannabis use in the “lax” group was found to be 14.31 times more frequent than in the “strict” group and 2.75 times more frequent than in the “permissive-awareness” group. A logistic regression analysis was also performed, which correctly predicted 80.4% of users and non-consumers. Correlation was found between perceptual styles and the sources of information used about drugs. This study identified three different risk perception styles that heavily correlated to cannabis consumption and to the type of sources young Andalusians use to obtain information about drugs, suggesting the need for a change in preventive policy.

Although neglect is the most common form of child maltreatment, a review of the literature since 1980 reveals a lack of controlled child neglect intervention programs. The aim of this study is to assess a new intervention program to improve the classroom behavior of children exposed to neglect only, by reducing disruptive conduct and promoting adaptive conduct. Two matched groups were selected with children of the same ages, sex, and social class (cultural and economic level) and with mothers of similar ages. The experimental group comprised of five children suffering from neglect and no other type of maltreatment. The control group had five children not abused or neglected. All the children were in the same class at school. The percentage of time per session that each child spent engaged in disruptive behavior was measured (baseline) and was found significantly higher among neglected children. Say-Do-Say Correspondence Training was applied with the neglected children and a rapid, significant reduction in their disruptive behavior was observed (and statistically confirmed), bringing such behavior down to the level of the control (i.e., non-neglected) children. These results were maintained when the intervention was halted. We concluded that the adaptive and classroom behavior of neglected children can be improved with this non-intrusive intervention.

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