The prevalence of eating disorders is between 0.27% and 6.41% in Spain and between 7.3% and 11.4% in Peru. Much research has been focused on the study of the main risk factors for eating disorders, but little is known about the potential protective factors (such as family meals) in samples of young people that include participants from different countries. This study estimates the contribution of the frequency of family meals on the risk for eating disorders in a large sample of adolescents recruited in Spain and Peru (n=916, with a mean age of 14.6 years old and age range of 12 to 17 years old). Results showed a double interaction parameter between the participants' sex and origin with the frequency of family meals: the risk for eating disorders is modified specifically for girls from both countries, and adolescents of both sexes born in Spain. This empirical evidence suggests that sex and cultural differences could be related to disordered eating patterns during adolescence and so could act as moderators for the impact of risk and protective factors for this clinical condition. The study of the contribution of the frequency of family meals on the risk of eating disorders in young people should take cultural differences into consideration with the aim of designing more targeted prevention and intervention programs.
Background and aims. Typical cognitive biases (irrational beliefs, cognitive distortions and erroneous perceptions) and high levels of impulsivity have been systematically reported among individuals with problem gambling. The objective of this study is to examine the role of the chronological age into the relationships between cognitive biases and impulsivity with the gambling disorder (GD) profile during adulthood. Methods. The sample analysed in this study included n=209 patients into the range age 18-77 yrs-old, recruited at the Pathological Gambling Outpatients Unit of the Bellvitge University Hospital (Barcelona). Results. Path-analysis showed a mediational link between chronological age, the presence of a comorbid depression or anxiety disorder, and the level of GD symptoms. Orthogonal polynomial contrasts showed a positive quadratic trend between the individuals’ age and cognitive distortions severity (higher impairing irrational beliefs obtained among younger and older patients, compared to middle-age patients). The sensation-seeking level showed a negative linear trend with the age: the older the patient’s age, the lower the score in this impulsivity domain. Among younger age patients gambling severity correlated only with cognitive bias levels, while during middle age patients gambling severity correlated with both cognitive bias and impulsivity levels. Within older age group fewer and poorer associations were found between cognitive bias and impulsivity with the accumulated debts due to the gambling activity, and the bets per gambling-episode. Conclusion. The results of this study could help in the development of reliable/valid assessment tools for GD, as well as for the design of precise/effective intervention plans and guidelines. These should include the patients’ age, the cognitive style, and the impulsivity levels, with the aim of providing precise and accurate tools to manage gambling problems.
Background and objectives. Video game addiction (VGA) is characterized by a pattern of impaired control gaming behavior, prioritizing gaming over other daily activities and responsibilities. The rapid increases of the VGA rates worldwide advice the urge of new studies focused on examining the existence of differences in the phenotype of patients treatment-seeking due the problematic video game use. Method. Sample comprised n=107 participants recruited at the Pathological Gambling Outpatients Unit of the Bellvitge University Hospital (Barcelona). Mean age was 24.1 yrs-old (SD=10). Most participants were men (91.6%), single (88.8%) and into mean-low to low social position indexes (84.1%). Two-step clustering analysis explored empirical latent groups based on a broad set of indicators, including sociodemographic, psychopathological state and personality traits. Results. Two exclusive groups emerged. Cluster 1 (labeled as moderate maladaptative functioning, n=72, 66.1%), was composed mainly by single, unemployed men, with the younger age of onset, the earlier onset of the video game problematic use, the shorter progression of the problems, better psychopathological state and more functional personality traits. Cluster 2 (labeled as severe maladaptative functioning, n=35, 32.7%), included a higher proportion of not-single and employed women, with an older age, a later onset and a longer duration of the video game related problems, worse psychopathological state and more dysfunctional personality profile. Conclusion. VGA is a heterogeneous group with regard to gambling phenotypes. The identification of the diverse latent classes provide empirical evidence contributing to the conceptualization of this behavioral addition, as well as for developing reliable and valid screening tools and effectiveness intervention plans focused on the precise characteristics of the patients.
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