Homicide Profiles Based on Crime Scene and Victim Characteristics

One of the current trends in homicide research includes developing works based on scientific study and empirical evidence, which offer conclusions that can be used in an operational manner during police investigations. The objective of this study was to identify homicide characteristics from behaviors carried out on the crime scene and victim characteristics associated with those of the perpetrators of these crimes in Spain. The sample consisted of 448 homicide cases from the database of the Homicide Revision Project led by the Office of Coordination and Studies of the Secretary of State and Security. After creating six classification tree models, it was found that the modus operandi of the aggressor and the victim characteristics may permit hypothesizing about the demographic characteristics of the perpetrator (gender, age, and country of origin), his/her criminal record, and the type of relationship with the victim. Furthermore, the importance of the study of victimology during a criminal investigation is highlighted, as it may indirectly offer information about the potential perpetrator. The findings of this study suggest that criminal profiling contributes notably to the decision-making process to establish more rigorous suspect prioritization, improve the management of human resources and materials, and increase the efficiency of criminal investigations

Herramientas informáticas: un requisito imprescindible para la implementación de sistemas de calidad eficaces

La implementación de sistemas de gestión de calidad, cualquiera que sea la “herramienta” de base, norma o modelo, requiere un esfuerzo adicional por parte tanto de la organización como de las personas implicadas en el proyecto y supone una consecuencia natural del inicio de toda nueva actividad. Sin embargo, es el mantenimiento de los requisitos de las nuevas formas de trabajo lo que hace que sean percibidas como actividades separadas de lo cotidiano, como un aspecto más de la burocracia que no hace sino ralentizar la toma de decisiones y la ejecución de las tareas, cuando, en realidad, su finalidad es precisamente la contraria. El establecimiento de objetivos y acciones asociadas, la toma regular de datos para alimentación de indicadores, el tratamiento sistemático de las quejas o la resolución de no conformidades con acciones correctivas o preventivas asociadas, son algunos ejemplos de estas actividades “extras”. Resulta fundamental disponer de herramientas informáticas que permitan un tratamiento eficaz de todos estos elementos para que, una vez interiorizadas por la organización, sean percibidas como una herramienta de ayuda en el quehacer diario. Existen herramientas en el mercado que se adaptan a los requisitos imprescindibles en que se apoyan los sistemas de calidad. Algunas organizaciones han optado por sistemas ad hoc más flexibles y que responden a las características peculiares de la estructura de los sistemas. La Universidad de Almería ha optado por la elaboración, a través de su Servicio de Informática, de algunos programas que en la actualidad han supuesto una importante agilización de actividades. El programa de “No Conformidades” y el de “Módulo de Calidad” son un ejemplo de ello. Su funcionamiento fácil y eficaz ha dado lugar a que la detección inmediata de desviaciones existentes para su rápida solución, así como la integración de objetivos, acciones e indicadores con el correspondiente grado de cumplimiento sistemático, sean herramientas habituales de trabajo.Ebsco, Libera, Elsevier, Emerald, Asociación Andaluza de Bibliotecarios, Springer, Cambridge University Press, RSC Publishing, ISOTool

Analysis of Sociodemographic and Psychological Variables Involved in Sleep Quality in Nurses

Background: Sleep quality is related to health and quality of life and can lead to the development of related disorders. This study analyzed the sociodemographic and psychological factors related to sleep quality in nurses. Methods: The sample comprised 1094 nurses who were assessed according to the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Questionnaire, the Goal Content for Exercise Questionnaire, the Brief Emotional Intelligence Inventory, and the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-R18. Results: The results confirm the impacts of diet, motivation for physical exercise, emotional intelligence, and overall self-esteem on sleep quality in nurses. Conclusions: Sleep quality in healthcare professionals is vitally important for performance at work; therefore, appropriate strategies should be applied to improve it

Expressiveness and Instrumentality of Crime Scene Behavior in Spanish Homicides

One of the current trends in the study of criminal profiling consists of developing theoretical and methodological typologies to offer information of operational use in police investigations. The objective of this work was to verify the validity of the instrumental/expressive model, so as to establish homicide typologies based on modus operandi relationships, characteristics of the victims, and characteristics of perpetrators. The sample consisted of 448 homicide cases registered in the database of the Homicide Revision Project of the Office of Coordination and Studies of the Spanish Secretary of State and Security. Through multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis, three expressive homicide subtypes were identified (expressive-impulsive, expressive-distancing, and expressive-family), as well as two instrumental homicide subtypes (instrumental-opportunist and instrumental-gratification). The expressive homicide typologies accounted for almost 95% of all of the studied cases, and most of the homicides occurring in Spain were found to take place between individuals who know one another (friends, family members, intimate couples/ex-couples). The findings from this study suggest that the instrumental/expressive model may be a useful framework for understanding the psychological processes underlying homicides, based on the study of relationships between the crime and aggressor characteristics, which may be very helpful in the prioritization of suspect

New Burnout Evaluation Model Based on the Brief Burnout Questionnaire: Psychometric Properties for Nursing

Health care personnel are considered one of the worker sectors most exposed to heavier workloads and work stress. One of the consequences associated with the exposure to chronic stress is the development of burnout syndrome. Given that evaluating this syndrome requires addressing the context in which they are to be used, the purpose of this work was to analyze the psychometric properties and structure of the Burnout Brief Questionnaire (CBB), and to propose a more suitable version for its application to health professionals, and more specifically nurses. The final study sample was made up of 1236 working nursing professionals. An exploratory factorial analysis was carried out and a new model was proposed through a confirmatory factorial analysis. Thus, validation of the CBB questionnaire for nursing health care personnel showed an adequate discrimination of the items and a high internal consistency of the scale. With respect to the factorial analysis, four factors were extracted from the revised model. Specifically, these new factors, called job dissatisfaction, social climate, personal impact, and motivational abandonment, showed an adequate index of adjustment. Thus, the Brief Burnout Questionnaire Revised for nursing staff has favorable psychometric properties, and this model can be applied to all health care professionals

Peer Victimization in Overweight Adolescents and Its Effect on Their Self-Esteem and Peer Difficulties

This study has three objectives: to examine whether adolescents who perceive themselves as overweight differ from others in terms of offline victimization at school, cybervictimization, self-esteem, and difficulties relating to peers; to examine the possible effects of offline and cybervictimization on self-esteem and difficulties relating to peers; and to examine the possible moderating role of perceiving oneself as overweight on those effects. Previously validated questionnaires were applied to a sample of 3145 adolescents in Asturias (Spain). Descriptive, inferential, correlational, and structural equation analyses were performed. Adolescents who perceived themselves as overweight reported being victims of both offline victimization and most forms of cybervictimization to a greater extent than those who did not perceive themselves as overweight. They also reported lower self-esteem and more peer difficulties (shyness or social anxiety). In both groups of adolescents, victimization and cybervictimization were correlated with each other, both types of victimization had direct, negative effects on self-esteem, and self-esteem in turn had a direct, negative effect on peer difficulties. Furthermore, offline victimization had a direct, positive effect on peer difficulties. Perceiving oneself as overweight moderated the effect of self-esteem on peer difficulties. In adolescents perceiving themselves as overweight, low self-esteem was a stronger risk factor of peer difficulties than in the rest of the adolescents. With high overall self-esteem there were no significant differences in peer difficulties between the adolescents perceiving themselves as overweight and the rest of the adolescents

Expectativas y búsqueda de sensaciones predictores del Binge Drinking en adolescentes

The different current modalities of alcohol use in adolescents include episodes of binge drinking. The objective of this study was to analyze the variables involved in starting and continuing binge drinking, and the predictor roles of sensation-seeking and expectations about alcohol in excessive drinking and the intention of continuing this practice in the medium-to-long term. A sample of 315 high school students answered a series of questions related to drinking alcohol. They were also given standardized tests including the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire-Adolescent, Brief and the Sensation-Seeking Scale to evaluate their expectations about alcohol and their tendency towards sensation-seeking. The results show that the tendency towards sensation-seeking plays a determining function in the involvement of adolescents in risky behavior, while positive expectations about the results of drinking minimize apparent risks and make it easier to acquire and maintain alcohol drinking habits. We highlight the importance of expanding research into the different types of adolescent drinking and applying the research to the design of effective drinking prevention interventions.En la actualidad, se dan diferentes modalidades de consumo de alcohol entre adolescentes, entre ellas destacan los episodios de consumo concentrado o binge drinking. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar las variables implicadas en el inicio y mantenimiento de la modalidad de consumo concentrado de alcohol, así como, el papel predictor de la búsqueda de sensaciones y las expectativas sobre el alcohol sobre el consumo excesivo y sobre la intención de mantener esta práctica medio-largo plazo. Se contó con una muestra de 315 alumnos de secundaria, que respondieron a cuestiones relacionadas con el consumo de alcohol. Además, se implementaron pruebas estandarizadas como el Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire-Adolescent, Brief y la Escala de Búsqueda de Sensaciones, para evaluar las expectativas hacia el alcohol y la tendencia a la búsqueda de sensaciones, respectivamente. Los resultados obtenidos revelan que la tendencia hacia la búsqueda de sensaciones cumple una función determinante en la implicación del adolescente en conductas de riesgo, mientras que las expectativas positivas sobre los resultados del consumo, minimizan los riesgos y facilitan el inicio y/o mantenimiento de hábitos de consumo de alcohol. Se destaca la importancia de ampliar el volumen de investigación sobre las diferentes modalidades de consumo de alcohol en adolescentes, y su aplicación en el diseño de intervenciones efectivas para su prevención

Analysis of the Relationship between Emotional Intelligence, Resilience, and Family Functioning in Adolescents’ Sustainable Use of Alcohol and Tobacco

The use of alcohol and tobacco is related to several variables, which act as risk or protective factors depending on the circumstances. The objectives of this study were to analyze the relationship between emotional intelligence, resilience, and family functioning in adolescent use of alcohol and tobacco, and to find emotional profiles for their use with regard to self-concept. The sample was made up of 317 high school students aged 13 to 18, who filled out the Brief Emotional Intelligence Inventory, the Resilience Scale for Adolescents, the APGAR Scale, the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire–Adolescents, and the Five-Factor Self-Concept Questionnaire. The results revealed that emotional intelligence and resilience, specifically stress management and family cohesion, were significant in the group of non-users. Family functioning acts as a predictor for the onset of use of tobacco and alcohol. Positive expectancies about drinking alcohol were found to be a risk factor, and the intrapersonal factor was found to be protective. Both stress management and family cohesion were protective factors against smoking. Furthermore, cluster analysis revealed the emotional profiles for users of both substances based on self-concept. Finally, the importance of the direction of the relationship between the variables studied for intervention in this problem should be mentioned. Responsible use by improving adolescent decision-making is one of the results expected from this type of intervention

Self-Efficacy and Emotional Intelligence as Predictors of Perceived Stress in Nursing Professionals

Background: Nursing professionals face a variety of stressful situations daily, where the patients’ own stresses and the demands of their family members are the most important sources of such stress. Methods: The main objectives pursued were to describe the relationships of self-efficacy and emotional intelligence with perceived stress in a sample of nursing professionals. We also developed predictive models for each of the components of perceived stress based on the dimensions of emotional intelligence and self-efficacy, for the total sample, as well as samples differentiated by sex. This study sample consisted of 1777 nurses and was conducted using multiple scales: the perceived stress questionnaire, general self-efficacy scale, and the brief emotional intelligence survey for senior citizens. Results: The variables stress management, mood, adaptability, intrapersonal skills, and self-efficacy explained 22.7% of the variance in the harassment–social component, while these same variables explained 28.9% of the variance in the irritability–tension–fatigue dimension. The variables mood, stress management, self-efficacy, intrapersonal, and interpersonal explained 38.6% of the variance in the energy–joy component, of which the last variable offers the most explanatory capacity. Finally, the variables stress management, mood, interpersonal, self-efficacy and intrapersonal skills explained 27.2% of the variance in the fear–anxiety dimension. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that one way to reduce stress in professionals would be to help them improve their emotional intelligence in programs (tailored to consider particularities of either sex) within the framework of nursing, enabling them to develop and acquire more effective stress coping strategies, which would alleviate distress and increase the wellbeing of health professionals

Emotional Effects of the Duration, Efficiency, and Subjective Quality of Sleep in Healthcare Personnel

Considering that both sleep quality and duration are linked to psychological variables, this study analyzed the relationships between sleep components and emotional intelligence and the effects that sleep duration has on stress management and mood in a sample of nurses. The sample was made up of 1073 professionals. Data were collected by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Brief Emotional Intelligence Inventory for Senior Citizens. The results showed that the components of sleep quality were negatively related to stress management and mood. Furthermore, nurses who had short sleep patterns also had low moods and high stress levels. This study emphasizes the importance of subjective sleep quality as a necessary resource for professionals to manage stressful situations and mood and improve their relations with their patients and with each other