ABSTRACTObjective: Untreated perinatal mental health disorders can have serious consequences for the whole family system. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of peer support intervention in improving postpartum psychological distress. Method: We evaluated a remote peer support intervention, Mom Supports Mom, in a randomized controlled trial. The primary study outcome was the level of depressive symptoms at week six after delivery. Secondary outcomes included levels of anxiety symptoms, quality of life and the presence of psychiatric disorders at week six after delivery. Trial protocol was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04639752). Results: The study sample consisted of 315 participants in the control group, and 173 participants in the intervention group. The Mom Supports Mom intervention was associated with decreased depressive (Cohen’s d = 0.30, p = .003) and anxiety symptomatology (d = 0.29, p =.003) at week six after birth compared to the control group. Mom Supports Mom intervention was also associated with an increase in health-related quality of life at week six after birth (d = 0.27, p =.008). No statistically significant difference was found between the groups in the presence of psychiatric diagnoses at six weeks postpartum. Conclusions: Peer intervention Mom Supports Mom is effective in reducing depressive and anxiety symptomatology in postpartum women and improving their health-related quality of life. Mom Supports Mom can serve as a low-intensity approach that is effective for mild illness and has the potential to be scalable.

ABSTRACTObjective: As societies become increasingly digitalized, users engage in digital communication flows and participate actively and responsively while managing the demands of constant connectivity. This overwhelming volume of communication can lead to social pressure, which has been associated with compulsive digital behavior and may negatively affect psychological and social adjustment. This study aimed at investigating the longitudinal and bidirectional relationships between social pressure in digital contexts, depressive symptoms, and social support, focusing on how social pressure may affect psychological and social adjustment over time. Method: Previous research on social pressure has mostly relied on cross-sectional or, at best, two-panel cross-lagged designs. In this study, random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs) were used and a three-wave longitudinal design to examine bidirectional relationships between social pressure, depressive symptoms, and social support in a sample of 1,878 participants that were representative of the Spanish internet population. Results: Our results indicated that increases in social pressure were associated with elevated depressive symptoms and diminished social support over time. Conversely, increases in depressive symptoms and decreases in social support were not associated with changes in social pressure over time. Conclusions: While social pressure in digital contexts had adverse effects on the psychological and social adjustment of users over time (i.e., high depressive symptoms and low social support), it remained unresponsive to variations in users' adjustment over time. These findings underscore the importance of considering the contextual nature of social pressure in digital environments to better inform policy interventions aimed at improving users' digital well-being.

Objective: Sexual intimate partner violence (SIPV) is a significant public health concern of global importance. This meta-analysis sought to examine the relationship between demographic factors and SIPV perpetration and victimization. Method: The database searches identified a total of 143 articles to be included in the meta-analysis. Comprehensive meta-analysis 3.0 was used to calculate aggregate effect sizes (Pearson’s r) for the relationship between demographic variables and SIPV exposure. Variables were examined for SIPV perpetration and victimization and were separated between male and female samples. Results: There was a significant relationship between SIPV victimization and being bisexual (r = .25, p < .001), LGBTQ (r = .21, p < .001), female (r = .19, p < .001), and disabled (r = .19, p < .001). Lower income (r = .07, p = .001), lower education (r = .06, p < .001), and younger age (r = .04, p < .001) also correlated with SIPV victimization. Being married (r = -.08, p = .027) was identified as a protective marker against SIPV victimization. Identifying as female (r = -.17, p = .003) had a negative association with SIPV perpetration. Conclusions: The current study found that several demographic factors are significantly related to increased risk of SIPV perpetration and/or victimization, while few have a protective effect.

ABSTRACTObjective: Adolescent suicide has become a serious public health problem in Spain, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. The research aims were twofold: (1) to explore the key risk factors for suicidality in adolescents in a pool of family, peer, and school relational factors and (2) to analyze specific interactions between them. These objectives involved differentiating suicidal ideation from suicidal attempt and participants’ gender. Method: Participants were 3,252 adolescents enrolled in Compulsory Secondary Education schools in Spain, aged between 11 and 17 years (49.3% boys). ANOVAs and chi-square tests were used for group comparisons, and conditional inference tree analysis was applied for multivariate analysis. Results: Negative mother’s and father’s parental styles, gender, having a partner, child-to-mother violence, cybervictimization, and social media usage frequency were relevant predictors for, in that order. The tree model generated a series of useful decisions rules to identify subgroups of adolescents at elevated risk. The key predictors of suicidal attempt in girls were maternal negative parenting style along with an experience of cybervictimization. For suicidal ideation, key predictors in girls were having a partner, being violent toward their mothers, or having mothers with a negative parenting style, along with intensive social media use. For suicidal ideation in boys, cybervictimization in the absence of other relationship problems was the key predictor. Conclusions: These exploratory findings suggest different gender-based risk profiles to consider for targeted prevention strategies.

ABSTRACTObjective: Peer support can be a valuable addition to routine care for patients with chronic conditions. While the benefits of peer support are well documented, most research has focused on the recipients’ perspective. Given the central role of peer supporters, their experiences should be considered equally important. This systematic review synthesizes the existing literature on the experiences of peer supporters with chronic conditions. Method: We conducted a systematic search across PubMed, PsycInfo (OVID), Psyndex (OVID), Web of Science and screened grey literature, citation and reference lists. Quantitative and qualitative studies reporting on the experiences of peer supporters with a somatic chronic condition were included. The qualitative synthesis followed a metaethnographic approach. Quantitative findings were summarized descriptively and risk of bias of all studies assessed. Results: Out of 9,144 papers identified, 72 were included, mostly qualitative and varying in quality. The synthesis revealed diverse experiences grouped into three categories. Benefits included meaningfulness of the role, skill development, personal growth, social inclusion, reciprocal support, employment advantages, and better disease management. Challenges involved organisational demands, emotional strain, difficult peer interactions, and unclear roles. Facilitators and suggested improvements concerned support, role clarity, setting, and counselling. Overall, the evidence indicates a slightly positive experience for peer supporters. Conclusions: Being a peer supporter is a multifaceted experience that offers various benefits while also presenting challenges. Incorporating peer supporters’ perspectives is essential to ensuring that peer-based programs benefit all parties involved, thereby maximizing overall impact. Practical implications for design and execution of future peer-based interventions are provided.

ABSTRACTObjective: The concept of adolescent wellbeing has emerged as an essential component of adolescent health, occupying a pivotal position within public and policy agendas. While researchers agree that psychosocial wellbeing is a multidimensional construct comprising objective and subjective elements, many studies focus on a single domain or context of wellbeing. This study (1) identifies different profiles of adolescent psychosocial wellbeing (including psychological and educational domains) and (2) examines how interpersonal risk and protective factors across different ecological contexts relate to these profiles. Method: Latent profile analysis (LPA) and posterior multinomial logistic regressions were conducted on a community sample of 1,627 adolescents aged 11 to 23 in secondary education in the Madrid region. Results: Three distinct profiles emerged. Adolescents in the Behaviourally Challenging Profile (8%), with a particularly high prevalence of conduct problems, showed poor psychological and educational adjustment; adolescents in the Emotionally Struggling Profile (35.5%) had relatively high levels of psycho-emotional problems and poor educational wellbeing; and adolescents in the Psychoeducationally Adjusting Profile (56.4%) showed good educational and psychological adjustment. Results showed that migrant background, lower SES, family conflict, and perceived discrimination in school predicted adolescents to be in the Behaviourally Challenging Profile, whereas positive school climate and perceived social support from peers, teachers and parents predicted adolescents to be in the Psychoeducationally Adjusting Profile. Conclusions: Our results suggest that healthy relationships with parents, teachers, and peers facilitate the psychosocial development and wellbeing of adolescents. The findings contribute to the growing body of evidence on the role of schools in supporting the psychosocial wellbeing of adolescents in Secondary Education.

Objective: Motivational interviewing (MI) is increasingly recognized as an effective approach in forensic settings, particularly for overcoming resistance by avoiding confrontation and fostering intrinsic motivation. Research shows that interventions incorporating MI are more effective than other approaches in preventing and reducing offending behavior, highlighting its importance in improving intervention outcomes. Given this evidence, advocating for the integration of MI is crucial to enhance the effectiveness of interventions. Method: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to systematize knowledge and assess the effectiveness of interventions incorporating MI for justice-involved people who have been sentenced to custodial or non-custodial measures. Twenty-two studies were included. The total sample size of the studies ranged from 25 to 528 individuals convicted of various offences, including intimate partner violence, violent crimes, sexual offences, property crimes, driving offences, and drug offences. Results: Results indicated that MI is more effective in increasing session attendance and reducing dropout than interventions without MI. For official recidivism, evidence favored MI with a statistically significant reduction in recidivism rates. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of integrating MI into forensic settings, establishing its positive impact on numerous outcomes.

Objective: Social support is understood as a protective factor for mental health and emotional well-being, especially at school. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) is one of the most widely used tools worldwide to assess this construct. The main purpose of the present study was to validate the scores of the MSPSS in a large sample of non-clinical adolescents. Method: The sample consisted of 2,235 compulsory secondary education students in Spain (M age = 14.49, SD age = 1.76, age range 12-18 years, 52% female) obtained by stratified random sampling. Results: The model, consisting of three interrelated factors, showed the most adequate goodness-of-fit indices. The results support the measurement invariance of the MSPSS across sex, age, and sexual orientation. McDonald's omega reliability indices between .862-.934 were obtained. MSPSS scores were significantly and negatively associated with emotional and behavioral problems, depression, and suicidal behavior, and positively associated with life satisfaction. Conclusions: The MSPSS is a reliable instrument to assess social support through self-report in school settings. In this regard, assessing social support using this tool is particularly useful in programs promoting well-being or preventing mental health disorders.

Objective: This study aims to analyze the relationship between parenting styles, i.e., authoritative, indulgent, authoritarian, and neglectful, and psychosocial adjustment, i.e., aggression, self-concept, and emotional-social competence, among Generation Z (Gen Z) individuals. Method: The participants were 1,417 Chinese individuals, 736 young adults (born between 2003-2005) and 681 adolescents (born between 2006-2008). A multivariate multifactorial design 4 × 2 × 2 × 2 was applied. Dependent variables were various components of child psychosocial adjustment (aggression, five dimensions of self-concept and emotional-social competence). Independent variables were parenting styles, children antisocial tendency during adolescence, sex, and age (adolescent vs. young adult cohorts). Results: Children from authoritarian homes reported higher levels of aggression, and the worst scores in self-concept and emotional-social competence. By contrast, the optimal results were consistently associated with warm parenting (i.e., authoritative and indulgent). Conclusions: Parental warmth was beneficial for Gen Z, including both adolescent and young adult cohorts. The present findings seriously questioned that the Chinese authoritarian parenting, which has often been related to positive outcomes-particularly for educational success-is beneficial for child psychosocial adjustment.

Parenting programs can enhance positive parenting, reduce harsh parenting, and positively impact children's development. This two-arm randomized controlled trial examined the effectiveness of the parenting program, the ACT Action Program - Raising Safe Kids, on parenting practices (primary outcomes), parental sense of competence, stimulation activities, and children's behaviors (secondary outcomes) in low-income families. The sample consisted of 1,310 caregivers and their 0-to-6-year-old children from 17 municipalities in a Brazilian state, with the majority receiving cash transfers (governmental monetary support for families facing vulnerabilities). The caregivers were randomly allocated into the intervention (IG, n = 639) or waitlist control (CG, n = 671) groups. The IG participated in the ACT Program during an 8-week-in-person group session to strengthen positive parenting, and the CG in the usual care. The caregivers answered the questionnaires administered by the facilitators in the pre-intervention (after the randomization) and the post-intervention (at the end of the program), using the following tools: ACT Scale, Parenting and Family Adjustment, Parental Sense of Competence, UNICEF's Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, home stimulation activities, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The analysis used the MANOVA followed by the two-way mixed ANOVA for repeated measures. Results showed that compared to GC, the IG significantly increased emotional and behavioral regulation practices, parental sense of competence, and caregivers' home stimulation and decreased parental inconsistency, coercive practices, and children's behavior problems in the post-intervention. The program was effective in improving positive parenting and decreasing child behavior problems when implemented at a large scale in a policy system.