Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in some populations being confined to their homes as part of infection control measures. This situation can be hard to cope with due to separation from loved ones, prohibition of regular activities, fear of infection, loss of freedom, and so on. These negative impacts cause considerable psychological stress, and all the more so when the situation continues for an extended period, as was the case in Spain. The present study was aimed at investigating the effects of COVID-19 quarantine on the emotional functioning of confined Spanish individuals after 8 weeks of lockdown by means of a cross-sectional study. The possible associations between changes in emotional functioning and demographic variables (age and sex), health habits (physical exercise, following a routine, and smoking), social support, and resilience were also analyzed.Methods: A total of 906 Spanish adults completed an online survey to gather information about their prevailing mood and affects (before and after 8 weeks of lockdown), using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) (Watson et al., 1988), and other variables related to their habits and protective factors.Findings: As expected, the data indicated an increase in negative affects (e.g., “upset,” “afraid,” “distressed”) and a decrease in positive affects after 8 weeks under lockdown, as well as a general decline in overall mood. The largest increases in negative affects were observed in young adults (18–35 years) and women. We did not find any differences between people who were or were not diagnosed with COVID-19. Adhering to a routine, maintaining the same weight, and moderate physical exercise were associated with fewer negative affects, which indicates they are important protective factors, as are perceived social support and resilience.Conclusion: In order to mitigate the psychological impact of confinement, it is important to develop psychoeducational measures that encourage subjects to adhere to health habits and promote social support and resilience as protective factors. A special preventive focus should be placed on the most vulnerable population groups, namely women and young adults. For a public health lockdown to succeed, its negative consequences must be minimized insofar as possible through adequate knowledge of the risk factors and protective factors, and by means of prevention-oriented organization.

Women and girls experience gender violence from a young age. Scientific research has presented evidence of the negative impact of toxic relationships and toxic stress on physical and psychological health. However, less is known on how this evidence can have a preventive effect. Knowing these impacts can be important for women and girls to decide the type of affective-sexual relationships they want to have, and even transform their attraction towards different types of masculinity. This study presents results from the MEMO4LOVE project. Researchers use mixed-methods approaches, including a questionnaire (n = 141) to study adolescents’ peer groups’ interactions that promoted healthy or toxic affective-sexual relationships, and five communicative focus groups with boys and girls to analyze how these interactions can be transformed by sharing scientific knowledge on the effects of violent relationships with adolescents. The results showed the impact of sharing with adolescents the evidence of the adverse effects of toxic relationships with violent masculinities on health. The peer group’s transformation occurred: non-violent boys gained self-confidence, and girls redirected or reinforced their attraction to non-violent boys. These results suggest the potential positive effects of knowing the impacts of toxic relationships on girls’ health.

Identificar factores de riesgo es esencial para poder desarrollar estrategias preventivas y orientar intervenciones eficaces de los trastornos de la conducta alimentaria (TCA). El objetivo de esta revisión es examinar algunos factores psicosociales (socioculturales, contextuales y psicológicos) que han demostrado incrementar el riesgo de desarrollar un TCA, prestando especial atención a los hallazgos provenientes de estudios longitudinales prospectivos. Todos los factores relacionados con la exposición al ideal social de delgadez en la mujer y la presión para conseguirlo, como la exposición a los medios, las presiones para adelgazar, la internalización del ideal de delgadez, y las expectativas al adelgazar, son factores de riesgo capaces de predecir incrementos en los niveles de insatisfacción corporal, práctica de dietas o síntomas bulímicos, en mujeres adolescentes y jóvenes. Algunos rasgos de personalidad (perfeccionismo, emocionalidad negativa, síntomas depresivos, baja autoestima, impulsividad/urgencia negativa), así como ciertos funcionamientos parentales inadecuados, y el contacto con pares con preocupaciones y patrones similares, también han mostrado ser predictivos del desarrollo de síntomas de trastornos de conducta alimentaria. Concluimos la revisión con algunas sugerencias a tener en cuenta en las intervenciones preventivas y clínicas.

This paper analyzes how a sample of the general population conceptualizes forgiveness, how these beliefs relate to forgivenes s and how the results can be used to draw implications for mental health counselors. 147 adults from general population participated in the study. A unilateral concept of forgiveness shows a positive and significant relation with all the types of forgiveness except self-forgiveness, whereas a bilateral understanding of forgiveness, to require the repentance of the offender, the belief in unforgivable offenses and believing that not everybody has the right to forgive any offense lead to decrements in the level of forgiveness