The Family Context in Cybervictimization: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The use of Information and Communication Technologies is clearly widespread among adolescents from a young age. Although it poses a significant contribution at the academic, social, and emotional levels, it can also involve a set of important risks, including cyberbullying and, therefore, cybervictimization. Previous studies have pointed out the importance of family context since parental control and family communication emerge as contributors to this phenomenon. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to analyze the influence of family communication on cybervictims and the moderating role of different sociodemographic variables (age, gender, nationality, and culture), as well as social, emotional, and personality variables. In this context, a meta-analysis was performed with a random effects model, using a total meta-sample of 29,093 adolescents (mean age: 14.50 years) distributed in k = 20 samples belonging to nine studies on cybervictimization published in English in Q1 journals between 2015 and 2020. The results showed that family offensive communication is related to cybervictimization. This could be because the affected individuals often use social media to compensate for the deficiencies they perceive within their families, as well as to obtain support, which increases their time spent on the Internet and their exposure to this phenomenon. These findings highlight the need for family and community interventions, not only school-based or individual interventions

¿Cómo sobrevivir al doctorado? Un meta-análisis del éxito en doctorandos. How to survive the doctorate? A metaanalysis of success in PhD Candidates

El doctorado es la llave para que los nuevos investigadores inicien su actividad científica. Este proceso ha implicado tradicionalmente una profunda soledad y el desarrollo de problemas que afectan a la salud de los doctorandos. El objetivo de la investigación fue realizar un meta-análisis para comprobar la influencia de determinadas variables sociodemográficas y personales en el abandono de estudios de doctorado. Tras una revisión de la literatura existente y de acuerdo con los criterios de inclusión y exclusión, la muestra total fue de 9 artículos, que contenían un total de 53 muestras y 32760 estudiantes de doctorado con una edad media de 29,80 años. Los principales resultados muestran que la permanencia en el programa de doctorado depende del género, la edad y de variables personales, siendo el apoyo social (apoyo familiar, apoyo institucional y autoestima) el que explica el 11% de la permanencia en el programa de doctorado, seguido de la autoestima, mientras que el burnout explica un porcentaje muy bajo del éxito (Tau2 = 0.40; I2 = 99.48; R2 = .03; p = .001). El modelo que mejor explica la permanencia en el doctorado parte del apoyo social. De esta forma, los estudiantes de doctorado demandan el apoyo de sus iguales, familia e institución, pudiendo ser nuestros resultados explicados por el rol tan importante que tiene el apoyo social como mediador de las consecuencias del estrés. Del mismo modo, el papel de la familia y el entorno más cercano no son los únicos elementos relevantes; las universidades, como organizaciones, también pueden favorecer un entorno adecuado, agradable y motivador a través de estilos de liderazgo democráticos y al promover actividades sociales que permitan a los estudiantes de doctorado establecer relaciones socioafectivas que les proporcionen bienestar emocional, una red de aprendizaje y sinergias. Doctorates are the key for new researchers to begin their scientific activity. This process has traditionally implied a profound loneliness and the development of issues that affect the health of PhD students. The objective of the research was to conduct a meta-analysis to examine the influence of certain sociodemographic and personal variables on doctoral dropout. Following a review of existing literature and based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, the total sample consisted of 9 articles, which included a total of 53 samples and 32760 doctoral students with an average age of 29.80 years. The main results indicate that the permanence in the doctoral program depends on gender, age, and personal variables, with social support (family support, institutional support, and self-esteem) explaining 11% of the persistence in the doctoral program, followed by self-esteem. Burnout, on the other hand, explains a very small percentage of success (Tau2 = 0.40; I2 = 99.48; R2 = .03; p = .001). The model that best explains permanence in doctorate studies is social support. Doctorate students demand support from their peers, families and institutions to which they are giving their work, so our results can be explained by the relevant role of social support as a mediator in the consequences of stress. In view of the obtained results, it is concluded that the existence of a series of factors such as age, gender, support from the closest environment and a democratic and ethical leadership style by the institutions, along with the social actions of communicating and generating synergies, favours success in the attainment of a doctorate degree. To sum up, the results of this study suggest the convenience of carrying out prosocial actions aimed at finishing the PhD stage successfully

Spanish validation and factor structure of the birth satisfaction scale-revised (BSS-R).

Objective: To translate and validate a Spanish-language version of the Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised (BSS-R) and describe key measurement properties.Design: A cross-sectional instrument validation design examining factor structure, validity and reliability.Setting: Three public hospital sites in Spain. Participants: 202 women who had given birth within the past four weeks provided complete questionnaire data for analysis. Measurements and findings: Measures included the Spanish version of the BSS-R (S-BSS-R) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The tri-dimensional measurement model of the BSS-R was found to offer a good fit to Spanish data. Known-groups discriminant validity was found to be excellent with women experiencing a non-intervention delivery having higher S-BSS-R scores (

Impact of the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the outcome of neurosurgical patients: A nationwide study in Spain

Objective To assess the effect of the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the outcome of neurosurgical patients in Spain. Settings The initial flood of COVID-19 patients overwhelmed an unprepared healthcare system. Different measures were taken to deal with this overburden. The effect of these measures on neurosurgical patients, as well as the effect of COVID-19 itself, has not been thoroughly studied. Participants This was a multicentre, nationwide, observational retrospective study of patients who underwent any neurosurgical operation from March to July 2020. Interventions An exploratory factorial analysis was performed to select the most relevant variables of the sample. Primary and secondary outcome measures Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify independent predictors of mortality and postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results Sixteen hospitals registered 1677 operated patients. The overall mortality was 6.4%, and 2.9% (44 patients) suffered a perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Of those infections, 24 were diagnosed postoperatively. Age (OR 1.05), perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR 4.7), community COVID-19 incidence (cases/10 5 people/week) (OR 1.006), postoperative neurological worsening (OR 5.9), postoperative need for airway support (OR 5.38), ASA grade =3 (OR 2.5) and preoperative GCS 3-8 (OR 2.82) were independently associated with mortality. For SARS-CoV-2 postoperative infection, screening swab test <72 hours preoperatively (OR 0.76), community COVID-19 incidence (cases/10 5 people/week) (OR 1.011), preoperative cognitive impairment (OR 2.784), postoperative sepsis (OR 3.807) and an absence of postoperative complications (OR 0.188) were independently associated. Conclusions Perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection in neurosurgical patients was associated with an increase in mortality by almost fivefold. Community COVID-19 incidence (cases/10 5 people/week) was a statistically independent predictor of mortality. Trial registration number CEIM 20/217

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Comparison of a Tablet Versus Computer-Based Classical Theatre Game Among 8–13 Year Children

In the last ten years, many studies have shown the advantages of videogames as tools for learning, engagement, raising awareness, or increasing interest in different fields. Schools are often the main focus of those studies. However, schools have either PCs or tablets in their classrooms, but rarely have both. That represents a severe limitation to videogame researchers since they can only deploy their video games in schools with the adequate platform for their video games. Researchers are therefore restricted in the number of schools in which they can conduct their experiments. In this paper, we study a videogame's effectiveness in increasing interest towards classical theatre, depending on the platform deployed (computer or mobile device). To that aim, we used 'The Courtesy of Spain,' a point-and-click videogame created explicitly for this study, based on the play of the same name by Golden Age playwright Lope de Vega. To measure the abovementioned effectiveness, we implemented a quasi-experimental design with a comparison and an experimental group. The experiment involved 542 students between 8 and 13 years old from several middle schools in Madrid's Community (Spain). The study indicates that the videogame developed is equally effective on both devices (Sig <0.05). Our results will allow serious game developers to design one-fits-all games without jeopardizing their efficiency, which broadens the target schools where their games can be tested

Designing a VR game for public speaking based on speakers features: a case study

Oratory or the art of public speaking with eloquence has been cultivated since ancient times. However, the fear of speaking in public -a disproportionate reaction to the threatening situation of facing an audience- affects a very important part of the population. This work arises from the need to help alleviate this fear through a toolwhere to train the ability of public speaking. To this purpose, we built a virtual reality system that offers the speaker a safe environment to practice presentations. Since the audience is the only way to receive feedback when giving a speech, our system offer is a virtual audience that reacts and gives real-time feedback based on the emotions conveyed by three parameters: voice tone, speech content and speaker’s gaze. In this paper, we detail the modelling of a behavioural-realistic audience just focusing on the speakers’ voice tone: 1) by presenting an algorithm that controls the audience’ reactions based on the emotions beamed by the speaker, and 2) by carrying out an experiment comparing the reactions generated by the agents with those of a real audience to the same speech, in order to refine the given algorithm. In this experiment, the audience subjects are asked to fill a questionnaire - level of engagement and perceived emotions - for a speech performed by professional actors representing different emotions. Afterwards, we compared the reactions of said audience with the ones generated by our algorithm, and used the results to improve it.Depto. de Ingeniería de Software e Inteligencia Artificial (ISIA)Fac. de InformáticaTRUEpu

Hair cortisol levels, psychological stress and psychopathological symptoms as predictors of postpartum depression.

Postpartum depression affects a huge number of women and has detrimental consequences. Knowing the factors associated with postpartum depression during pregnancy can help its prevention. Although there is evidence surrounding behavioral or psychological predictors of postpartum depression, there is a lack of evidence of biological forecasters. The aim of this study was to analyze the sociodemographic, obstetric, and psychological variables along with hair cortisol levels during the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy that could predict postpartum depression symptoms. A sample of 44 pregnant women was assessed during 3 trimesters of pregnancy and the postpartum period using psychological questionnaires and hair cortisol levels. Participants were divided into 2 groups: a group with postpartum depression symptoms and a group with no postpartum depression symptoms. Results showed significant positive differences between groups in the first trimester regarding the Somatization subscale of the SCL-90-R (p < .05). In the second trimester, significant differences were found in the Somatization, Depression, Anxiety, and GSI subscales (p < .05). In the third trimester significant differences between both groups were found regarding pregnancy-specific stress. We found significant positive differences between groups regarding hair cortisol levels in the first and the third trimester. Hair cortisol levels could predict 21.7% of the variance of postpartum depression symptoms. In conclusion, our study provided evidence that psychopathological symptoms, pregnancy-specific stress, and hair cortisol levels can predict postpartum depression symptoms at different time-points during pregnancy. These findings can be applied in future studies and improve maternal care in clinical settings