This study examined the factorial invariance of the Ego Integrity Scale (NEIS) in older adults from Spain and Ecuador, and across genders. Ego integrity, a core concept in Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, reflects the ability to reconcile past experiences and achieve a coherent life narrative in later adulthood. Two samples of older adults were included: 401 participants from Spain and 394 from Ecuador. Assessments included the NEIS, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Using R software (version 4.5.0), factorial invariance of the NEIS was evaluated through configural, metric, and scalar models across countries and genders. Findings demonstrated strong factorial invariance across both national samples and between men and women. Model fit indices were acceptable for metric, scalar, and strict invariance, indicating that ego integrity is understood in a similar way across these different cultural and gender groups. This study offers solid evidence of the cross-cultural and gender validity of the NEIS, supporting its use in diverse populations. It also reinforces the universal role of ego integrity in psychological well-being during aging. Future research should include more heterogeneous samples and explore the scale’s longitudinal stability.
Numerous studies have demonstrated the persistence of stigma toward people with Severe Mental Disorders (SMD) among healthcare professionals. This study investigated the attitudes of Health Sciences students toward people with SMD prior to entering professional practice. A qualitative study was conducted based on semi-structured interviews with 27 students from medicine, nursing, psychology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and social work. Subsequently, the content of the students’ responses was analyzed using NVivo software to examine and identify relevant themes. The analysis revealed five central nodes: stereotypes about people with SMD, expectations regarding recovery and living with SMD, willingness to engage socially with these individuals, willingness to disclose one’s own mental health problems, and ideas about how to treat these service users. The presence of negative stereotypes was identified among participants, attributing dangerousness and unpredictability to people with SMD, as well as low expectations for recovery. Reluctance to disclose one’s own mental health problems was also observed. However, positive attitudes were also identified, such as the willingness to help peers with mental health problems and to engage socially with people with SMD, as well as the importance of treating these individuals without judgment, for example.
Introduction: MDMA use among young people in Spain is shaped by psychosocial factors that guide consumption patterns, motivations, and risk-reduction strategies. Objective: To investigate consumption patterns, risk perception, and consumption management (strategies and practices aimed at regulating use) in recreational contexts among young people in Spain. Method: A mixed-methods design was employed, including a survey of 1412 young people (59.1% male, 37.5% female, 3.5% other; mean age = 26.3 years), 28 semi-structured interviews, and 6 focus groups conducted in various cities. Results: MDMA was predominantly consumed in recreational contexts, with a prevalence of 80.6% among survey respondents over the past year. Although many individuals implement self-care strategies, only 27.5% adhered to the recommended interval between doses, and consumption frequently occurred in combination with alcohol and cannabis. Furthermore, information validation occurs within peer networks, influencing both risk perception and patterns of use. Discussion and Conclusions: Integrating scientific evidence with user experience is essential for designing effective risk-reduction strategies that are tailored to consumption dynamics and social reference frameworks.
Unobserved heterogeneity in data can pose a challenge in statistical analysis. One alternative to addressing this is latent class analysis (LCA), a useful technique to find groups of individuals who share similar data patterns and, subsequently, to determine the relationship of these patterns with certain variables of interest. The objective of this paper is to present a general introduction to LCA and to describe the operations required to calculate a model of this type using the multilevLCA package in R. Before presenting the tutorial, (a) recent research that has used LCA to study phenomena in various disciplines is reviewed; (b) some differences between LCA and other classification techniques are established; and (c) the sequence of actions involved in executing the LCA is indicated, starting with aspects such as study design, required sample size and data configuration, including the evaluation of different solutions, until selecting and interpreting a final model. It is hoped that this work will serve as an instructional resource for implementing LCA and may contribute to promoting its use among Spanish-speaking and Latin American researchers.
Recent developments in cognitive neuroscience indicate that, within the tripartite model of attention comprising three functional networks, the frontoparietal network is responsible for top-down attentional regulation and modulates the activity of other attentional networks. The frontoparietal network is mainly supported by the activity of the prefrontal and parietal cortex. However, given the neurobiological immaturity linked to child development, the anatomofunctional structure of the frontoparietal network in this period is liable to marked modifications. To study the validity of this postulation, a systematic review was carried out, involving a total of 14408 participants drawn from 18 original studies. These results support the initial hypothesis, proving that the intrahemispheric and interhemispheric functional specialisation of the frontoparietal network is weakened in childhood, thusaffecting the ability for attentional regulation.
