Is the smoking habit related to depression?

Existen toda una serie de estudios que demuestran con claridad la relación entre fumar y depresión. Este trabajo revisa la evidencia de la fuerte asociación que existe entre la historia de depresión mayor, la depresión mayor, la sintomatología depresiva y fumar cigarrillos. Los fumadores que tienen alguno de estos trastornos experimentan una sintomatología de abstinencia más severa, es menos probable que dejen de fumar y es más probable que recaigan. Igualmente, también exploramos algunas de las posibles explicaciones entre fumar y depresión. Finalmente, se discuten las implicaciones que supone esta relación para los clínicosThe link between depression and cigarette smoking is well documented. This article reviews the evidence that lifetime history of major depression, major depression and depressive symptoms are associated with a high rate of cigarette smoking. The smokers who have these disorders experience more withdrawal symptoms on quitting, are less likely to be successful at quitting, and are more likely to relapse, and we also explores several potential links between smoking and depression. Finally, the implications of this relationship for clinicians are discussedS

La relación entre fumar y depresión en la adolescencia: Implicaciones clínicas y preventivas

La relación entre la depresión y el consumo de tabaco se ha estudiado ampliamente en los adultos, mientras que en los adolescentes se le ha prestado poca atención. Sin embargo, del 40% al 70% de los adolescentes deprimidos desarrollan una comorbilidad adicional. En este artículo se revisa la prevalencia del consumo de cigarrillos, la prevalencia de la depresión y la relación entre la depresión y el consumo de cigarrillos en la adolescencia. Los estudios revisados sugieren un elevado grado de comorbilidad entre depresión y fumar cigarrillos en la adolescencia. Este hallazgo debería poner sobre aviso a los clínicos y a otros profesionales de la salud que hay una mayor probabilidad de depresión en los adolescentes fumadores y viceversa. La comorbilidad entre fumar y depresión en los adolescentes sugiere también que la prevención del hábito de fumar y los programas para dejar de fumar deben de tener en cuenta los porcentajes elevados de depresión en los jóvenes adolescentesThe relationship between depression and tobacco consumption has been studied to a great extent in adults, where little attention has been given to same among adolescents. However, 40% to 70% of depressed adolescents developed additional comorbidity. We have reviewed the prevalence of cigarettes consumption, depression and, the relationship between depression and the consumption of cigarettes among adolescents. These finding shall be a serious warning to clinicians and other health professionals, that there is a higher probability of depression in adolescents who smoke and viceversa. The comorbidity between smoking and depression in adolescents suggests as well, that the prevention of the practice of smoking and smoking cessation programs should take into account the high levels of depression among adolescentsS

Predictors of Prevention Failure in College Students Participating in Two Indicated Depression Prevention Programs

The purpose of this study was to identify subgroups of university students with the highest likelihood of remaining at elevated levels of depressive symptoms six months following the receipt of a depressive prevention intervention on the basis of known risk factors and participation in one of two depression prevention programs. Data from a randomized controlled trial evaluating depression prevention among 133 college students with elevated depressive symptoms were analyzed. Participants were randomized to a cognitive-behavioral or relaxation training group preventive intervention. Classification tree analysis showed that older age was the strongest risk factor for persistently elevated depression. Additional risk factors were: (1) for younger students, fewer daily pleasant activities; (2) for those with higher level of pleasant activities, higher level of stressful events; and (3) for those with higher level of stressful events, lower assertiveness. Results offer directions for prevention foci, identify specific subgroups of college students to target for depression prevention efforts, and suggest that research aim to help older, non-traditional students or graduating students manage the transition from college to the work forceThese studies were supported by grant PGIDT05PXIA21101PR from the Directorate General for Research and Development (Counsellery of Innovation, Industry and Trade) of the Xunta de Galicia (Spain)S

Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress and Prevalence of Major Depression and Its Predictors in Female University Students

Depression, anxiety and stress are increasingly concerning phenomena in our society, with serious consequences on physical and mental health. The repercussions may be particularly devastating in particular population subgroups, such as female university students. The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress and the prevalence of depression and associated factors, in Spanish university women. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a random sample of 871 students from the Santiago de Compostela University (mean age 20.7 years, SD = 2.8). Information was collected on sociodemographic and academic characteristics; symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress; diagnosis of major depression; optimism, resilience, social support, life engagement, and five personality domains, using validated instruments. Of the participants, 18.1%, 22.8% and 13.5% presented with severe/very severe levels of depression, anxiety and stress, respectively. A total of 12.9% had major depression. Higher life engagement was associated with lower risk of depression (OR = 0.92, 95% CI 0.87–0.98), while higher levels of neuroticism (OR = 1.20, 95% CI, 1.12–1.28) and openness to experience (OR = 1.08, 95% CI, 1.02–1.14) were associated with greater risk. These findings reveal an alarming percentage of female university students who experience major depression and severe/very severe stressThis study was funded by the University of Santiago de Compostela (2019-PU005)S

Brief Psychological Intervention Through Mobile App and Conference Calls for the Prevention of Depression in Non-Professional Caregivers: A Pilot Study

Despite its potential, no intervention aimed at non-professional caregivers administered through a smartphone app has been proven to prevent depression. The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of an indicated depression-prevention intervention for non-professional caregivers administered through an app with the addition of conference-call contact. The intervention was administered to 31 caregivers (Mean age = 54.0 years, 93.5% women). An independent evaluation determined the incidence of depression, depressive symptoms, risk of developing depression, and the variables in the theoretical model (positive environmental reinforcement, negative automatic thoughts) at the pre-intervention and post-intervention, as well as the one- and three-month follow-ups. The incidence of depression at 3 months of follow-up was 6.5%. There was a significant reduction in depressive symptoms (p < 0.001) and in the risk of developing depression (p < 0.001) at the post-intervention and at the one- and three-month follow-ups. The model’s variables improved significantly after the intervention and were associated with post-intervention depressive symptoms. The intervention was more effective in caregivers who had a lower level of depressive symptoms at the pre-intervention. Adherence and satisfaction with the intervention were high. The results encourage future research using a randomized controlled clinical trialWe want to thank the support of non-profit associations related to non-professional family caregivers of the Autonomous Region of Galicia, and the Ministry of Education, University and Professional Training and the Ministry of Economy, Employment and Industry, and the ESF Galicia 2014–2020 operational program (Xunta de Galicia)S

Caregiver Burden and Sleep Quality in Dependent People’s Family Caregivers

This study examined the relationship between caregiver burden and sleep quality in dependent people’s family caregivers. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 201 dependent people’s family caregivers and 92 non-caregivers controls. Participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI), and an ad-hoc questionnaire to collect sociodemographic data. Based on CBI scores, subjects were categorized into three groups: family caregivers with high levels of perceived burden, family caregivers with low and medium levels of perceived burden and non-caregiver controls. There were significant differences among the groups in the PSQI total (F = 40.39; p < 0.001), subjective sleep quality (F = 25.55; p < 0.001), sleep latency (F = 16.99; p < 0.001), sleep disturbances (F = 14.90; p < 0.001), use of sleep medications (F = 6.94; p < 0.01) and daytime dysfunction (F = 20.12; p < 0.001). These differences were found only between the caregivers with high levels of perceived burden and the other two groups (p < 0.05). There were also significant differences between the groups in sleep duration (F = 18.34; p < 0.001) and habitual sleep efficiency (F = 24.24; p < 0.001). In these dependent measures, the differences were found in all the pairs examined (p < 0.05). These results suggest that caregiver burden is related to sleep quality, so that caregivers with greater perceived burden have a worse sleep qualitySpin-off of the University of Santiago de Compostela “Xuntos. Psychological and Psychiatric Care” (2013-CE081-4)S

A Randomized Controlled Trial on the Effects of Electromyographic Biofeedback on Quality of Life and Bowel Symptoms in Elderly Women With Dyssynergic Defecation

Dyssynergic defecation is a usual cause of chronic constipation in elderly women, with a negative impact on health-related quality of life. The present randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effects of behavioral treatment through electromyographic biofeedback (EMG-BF) on quality of life and bowel symptoms in elderly women with dyssynergic defecation. Twenty chronically constipated elderly women, due to dyssynergic defecation, were enrolled in the study. Outcome measures included weekly stool frequency, anismus index, severity of patient-reported chronic constipation symptoms (abdominal, rectal, and stool symptoms), and overall measure of quality of life. After 1 month of baseline, participants were randomly assigned to either EMG-BF group (n = 10) or control group (n = 10). Three months after treatment, female patients were once again assessed following the same procedure in baseline. One-way multivariate analysis of variance MANOVA revealed no significant differences between the groups before treatment in any of the measured dependent variables (Wilks’s λ = 0.74; F6,13 = 0.77; p = 0.61). Likewise, univariate analysis showed no differences between the groups, either in terms of age (F1,18 = 0.96; p = 0.34) or mean disease duration (F1,18 = 2.99; p = 0.11). Three months after treatment, MANOVA revealed statistically significant differences between the groups (Wilks’s λ = 0.29; F6,13 = 5.19; p < 0.01). These differences were significant in all outcome measures. EMG-BF produces significant improvements in bowel symptoms and health-related quality of life of elderly women with dyssynergic defecationS

Problem gambling in Secondary school students

En este estudio se analiza la prevalencia del juego problema en una muestra representativa de 2.790 estudiantes de enseñanza secundaria de Galicia (14 -21 años). Se utilizó el cuestionario SOGS-RA de Winters et al. (1993) que evalúa las personas que son jugadores problema (los que tienen la mayor probabilidad de tener problemas de juego) y jugadores en riesgo. Se encontró que el 86.1% no tenía problemas de juego, un 8.2% eran jugadores en riesgo, y un 5.6% eran jugadores problema. Se hallaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre los jugadores problemas y los otros grupos en gasto en juego, percepción de la conducta de juego en sus padres, fracaso en los estudios y relación con los padres. En los jugadores problema, el 10.4% eran hombres y el 1.6% mujeres. Hay una disminución del juego problema con la edad (6% de 14-17 años y 4.6% de 18-21 años). Estos datos indican la alta prevalencia de este problema, la necesidad de conocerlo más profundamente y de implantar programas de prevención para reducir el elevado número de jugadores problemaIn this study we analized the problem gambling prevalence in a representative sample of 2,790 students of secondary education from Galicia (14-21 years).The SOGS-RA questionnaire (Winters et al., 1993) was used to assess problem and at risk gambling behavior. It was found that 86.1% were not gamblers, 8.2% at risk gamblers, and 5.6% problem gamblers. There were significant differences among problem gamblers group and the other two groups in the amount of money spent on gambling, perception of parental gambling, school drop-out, and the relation between young people and their parents. In the problem gamblers group, 10.4% were men and 1.6% were women. There was a decrease of gambling with age (6% for 14-17 years, and 4.6% for 18- 21 years). These data showed the high prevalence of the problem gambling and the need to introduce preventive programs for gambling in order to diminish the number of problem gamblersS

Mental Health Problems and Related Factors in Ecuadorian College Students

Although the mental health problems of college students have been the subject of increasing research, there are no studies about its prevalence in Ecuadorian college students. The aim of this study was to determine the mental health problems and their associated factors in Ecuadorian freshmen university students. A sample of 1092 students (53.7% women; mean age = 18.3 years) were recruited from the Technical Particular University of Loja (Ecuador). Socio-demographic, academic, and clinical characteristics were gathered, as well as information on the participants’ mental health through a number of mental health screens. Prevalence of positive screens was 6.2% for prevalence of major depressive episodes, 0.02% for generalized anxiety disorders, 2.2% for panic disorders, 32.0% for eating disorders, 13.1% for suicidal risk. Mental health problems were significantly associated with sex, area of study, self-esteem, social support, personality and histories of mental health problems. The findings offer a starting point for identifying useful factors to target prevention and intervention strategies aimed at university studentsThis study was funded by grant PY250 from the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (Ecuador)S

Sleep Disturbance, Psychological Distress and Perceived Burden in Female Family Caregivers of Dependent Patients with Dementia: A Case-Control Study

[Abstract] This case-control study analyzed the sleep disturbance, psychological distress and perceived burden in female family caregivers of dependent people with dementia (n = 74) compared with female family caregivers of dependent people without dementia (n = 74) and with age-matched non-caregiver control females (n = 74). Participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), the Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) and an ad hoc questionnaire to collect sociodemographic data. There were significant differences between the groups in PSQI total (F = 24.93; p < 0.001), psychological distress (F = 26.71; p < 0.001) and in all sleep domains assessed: subjective sleep quality (F = 16.19; p < 0.001), sleep latency (F = 9.5; p< 0.001), sleep duration (F = 18.57; p < 0.001), habitual sleep efficiency (F = 19.77; p < 0.001), sleep disturbances (F = 9.22; p < 0.001), use of sleep medications (F = 4.24; p< 0.01) and daytime dysfunction (F = 5.57; p < 0.01). In all measures, the female family caregivers of dependent people with dementia showed the significantly higher mean scores. Regarding the two groups of female caregivers, statistically significant differences were found in daily hours of care (t = −2.45; p < 0.05) and perceived burden (t = −3.65; p < 0.001), as well as in the following dimensions of caregiver burden: time-dependence burden (t = −5.09; p < 0.001), developmental burden (t = −2.42; p < 0.05) and physical burden (t = −2.89; p < 0.01). These findings suggest that female family caregivers of dependent patients with dementia should be subject to psychopathological screening and preventive cognitive-behavioral interventions in clinical practice in primary health care.Universidade de Santiago de Compostela; 2022-CE081-1