Relationship Between Sexual Abuse and Substance Use Among Students from Caribbean Colombian

Sexual abuse is a public health problem due to its negative impact on physical and mental health. This study aimed to determine the association between sexual abuse and the use of psychoactive substances among high-school adolescents in Colombia. A cross-sectional analytical study was designed in which tenth and eleventh-grade students were included. Overall, a history of sexual abuse was explored with the Trauma Symptom Checklist, and lifetime substance use was assessed with the United States Centers for Disease Control Youth Risk Behavior Questionnaire. The prevalence of sexual abuse was 17.4%, lifetime alcohol use was 77.4%, cigarette 22.4%, cannabis 11.6%, cocaine 2.7%, and other substances 5.1%. History of sexual abuse was associated with alcohol use (OR = 1.59, 95% CI 1.10-2.30), cigarette (OR = 2.08, 95% CI 1.51-2.85), cannabis (OR = 2.43, 95% CI 1.66-3.56), cocaine (OR = 2.51, 95% CI 1.25-5.04) and use of other substances (OR = 2.33, 95% CI 1.31-4.13). The history of sexual abuse is related to the use of substances in high school adolescents in the Caribbean Region of Colombia. More studies are needed to identify the impact of sexual abuse on short-term and lifelong mental health.

Effect of synchronous remote-based interventions on suicidal behaviours: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

Suicide is among the leading causes of preventable death worldwide. The impact of suicide affects the personal, social and economic levels. Therefore, its prevention is a priority for public health systems. Previous studies seem to support the efficacy of providing active contact to people who have made a suicide attempt. The current systematic review and meta-analysis aims to investigate the efficacy of distance suicide prevention strategies implemented through synchronous technology-based interventions.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This protocol is designed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols. The bibliographical searches were conducted in the databases PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus and Web of Science in April 2022, with no restrictions on the time of publication and limited to publications in English or Spanish. The search strategy was performed using free-text terms and Medical Subject Headings terms: suicide, follow-up, synchronous, remote, telehealth, telephone, hotline, video-conference and text message. Two reviewers will independently conduct study screening, selection process, data extraction and risk of bias assessment. The analysis and synthesis of the results will be both qualitative and quantitative. A narrative synthesis, presented in a comprehensive table, will be performed and meta-analysis will be conducted, as appropriate, if sufficient data are provided.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The present review and meta-analysis will not require ethical approval, as it will use data collected from previously published primary studies. The findings of this review will be published in peer-reviewed journals and widely disseminated.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42021275044.

The Third Half: A Pilot Study Using Evidence-Based Psychological Strategies to Promote Well-Being among Doctoral Students

Over the last few years, various studies have reported decreasing well-being levels among doctoral students, who show a higher risk of suffering from psychological distress than the general population. Accordingly, European policies in higher education encourage well-being promotion programs among doctoral studies to enhance young researchers' well-being. However, programs using evidence-based practices for well-being promotion are not yet generalised in public universities. The present study describes a pilot experience designed to evaluate the efficacy of a well-being program among doctoral candidates of a public European university, the Autonomous University of Barcelona. 25 doctoral students (67% women) participated in a pre-post study consisting of six sessions of 3 h each and structured by the big five criteria coming from evidence-based practices for well-being promotion: outdoor green spaces exposure, physical activity, gamification, mentoring, positive and coaching psychology techniques. Results showed how participants experienced significant increases in several indicators of emotional well-being and decreased psychological distress after the Third Half program. These positive pilot results encourage further research and future replications to assess the impact of this evidence-based psychological program among the academic community. Results also lead the way towards the creation of healthier academic workplaces by implementing cost-effective interventions that improve researchers' psychosocial support and their overall well-being.

Acercamiento a las dinámicas familiares de una comuna de Santa Marta- Colombia

El presente estudio es observacional, analítico de corte transversal, tuvo por objetivo analizar las dinámicas y funcionalidad familiar de una comuna en condición de vulnerabilidad en la ciudad de Santa Marta. Los participantes fueron 2329 sujetos entre mujeres y hombre con edades entre los 18 a 93 años, donde el 34,5% era población juventud, el 56,2% adulto y 9,3% adulto mayor, en lo que respecta a las dinámicas familiares el 12,4% se perciben estructuralmente Relacionada, frente al 10,9% como Caóticamente Relacionada, el 51,5% de la muestra percibe que tienen una buena funcionalidad familiar, frente a 2,4% disfuncionalidad familiar severa. Se concluye que la juventud tiene una mejor percepción de las dinámicas y funcionalidad familiar.

Aspectos biofísicos de la transmisión del SARS-CoV-2 y medidas para contrarrestar la COVID-19: una revisión integral

La pandemia por COVID-19 ha tenido al mundo en vilo desde su inicio en diciembre de 2019 al sur de China. Su alcance global obedece a que el SARS-CoV-2, su agente etiológico, ha mostrado una alta facilidad para transmitirse entre humanos. Desde entonces, Gobiernos de todas las naciones han desplegado una batería de medidas para disminuir sus consecuencias. De acuerdo con el crecimiento del contagio, se emplean medidas de contención, mitigación o supresión. La base científica de las medidas se deriva del conocimiento de las características biológicas del virus y de sus vías de transmisión. Por tanto, en este trabajo se revisarán la biología del coronavirus, la física de su transmisión y el concepto de dosis de infección que permiten comprender las intervenciones sanitarias empleadas para disminuir los casos y fallecimientos por la enfermedad, especialmente en el contexto latinoamericano.

Healthcare workers' distress and perceived discrimination related to COVID-19 in Colombia

This study examined the association of perceived discrimination related to COVID‐19 with psychological distress in healthcare workers in the Colombian Caribbean region. The authors designed and conducted a cross‐sectional study, recruiting a non‐probabilistic sample by email or instant messaging. Participants filled out a questionnaire including scales for perceived discrimination, anxiety, depression, perceived stress related to COVID‐19, and suicide risk. Healthcare workers (n = 150) aged 18 to 68 years participated; of these, 72% were women, and the breakdown by occupation was 39.3% nursing assistants, 18.0% nurses, and 42.7% physicians. Perceived discrimination scores showed positive correlations with depressive symptoms among nursing assistants and physicians (r_s = 0.34), and suicide risk in nursing assistants (r_s = 0.35) and physicians (r_s = 0.31). Among nurses, all measurements were independent of perceived discrimination. Nursing assistants scored highest in perceived discrimination. Physicians scored higher for COVID‐19 perceived stress than nursing assistants, and nurses showed similar scores to physicians. In conclusion, perceived discrimination is related to depressive symptoms and suicide risk among nursing assistants and physicians. Nursing assistants report more perceived discrimination than nurses and physicians.

Suicide risk during the lockdown due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Colombia

The study aimed to estimate the high suicide risk during the COVID-19 lockdown in the Colombian population. A total of 700 adults aged between 18 and 76 years (M = 37.1, SD = 12.7; 68.0% women) completed an online questionnaire. Findings showed that 7.6% of participants reported a high suicide risk. High suicide risk was associated with high perceived stress related to COVID-19, risk of depressive episode, and insomnia. Our study suggests that 1 out of 13 Colombians in a non-probability sample reports a high suicide risk during COVID-19. Findings need to be corroborated in a representative sample of Colombians.