A predictive model of the intention to graduate with a thesis, based on academic and cognitive-affective factors, is examined in a sample of 198 students from the first to the fifth year of psychology. The structural model tested by Path Analysis presented an adequate adjustment (CFI >.95 and RMSEA <.08), observing that engagement and attitude towards statistics indirectly regulate the intentionality of a thesis, while self-efficacy and methodological competencies have direct effects on intentionality. When there are adequate methodological competencies, the prognosis for doing a thesis is 82.6%, while a favorable attitude towards statistics forecasts 80.6% of the interest of graduating with a thesis.

Introduction: Problematic Internet use (PIU) is considered a serious condition and a potential factor for various physical and psychological health problems, with higher prevalence rates in the young adult population, a situation aggravated by mandatory exposure to digital platforms and tools of virtual education due to the pandemic, extending the internet connection for academic, social, and leisure activities. Objective: Examinate if satisfaction with life and family communication constitute protective factors in the problematic use of the Internet in Peruvian university students. Method: Cross-sectional study of multivariate relationship. And 621 university students participated, with a mean age of 21.63 (SD = 3.04), selected through convenience sampling. Results: According to the structural regression model, satisfaction with life and family communication has a negative impact with a combined effect of 20% in explaining PIU. Likewise, the logistic regression analysis showed that the predictor variables are associated as protective factors for PIU (odds ratio < 1, p < .01). The descriptive results show that the preferred device to connect to the Internet is the smartphone, only 20% of students use the Internet for academic purposes, around 60% connect more than 30 h a week, a 34% of university students present between serious and clinically significant problematic use. Conclusion: The existence of favorable life satisfaction and positive family communication considerably reduces the risk of developing PIU.

Revista científica de Psicología Social, Adicciones y Salud en acceso abierto, publicada por el Instituto de Investigación de Drogodependencias de la Universidad Miguel Hernández

Background Digital addictions are a major problem worldwide, which has increased considerably during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this scenario, two important impact factors to explain this problem are stress and anxiety because of COVID-19. The objective of this research was to determine the impact of distress and anxiety due to COVID-19 on digital addictions. Methods cross-sectional, explanatory study. A total of 802 students from public and private universities residing in the city of Lima and Callao (Peru), with a mean age of 21.68 (SD = 3.11), selected by convenience sampling, participated in the study. The MULTICAGE CAD-4 questionnaire, the distress scale, and the anxiety scale by COVID-19 were applied. Results two models examined with structural equation modeling showed good fit indices (CFI and TLI > .95, RMSEA and SRMR < .06). The first model shows that the latent variables distress and anxiety due to COVID-19 have direct effects on digital addictions as a general construct (R2 = 22%). The second model shows that the exogenous latent variables (stress and anxiety) have direct effects of different magnitudes on each digital technology, so the variance explained on smartphone addiction was higher (R2 = 25%) with respect to internet (R2 = 19%) and video game addiction (R2 = 6%). It was also found that for every male, there are two females with high levels of distress and anxiety. Regarding the problematic use of smartphones and internet, there is a prevalence of 40% regardless of sex; but as for the problematic use of video games, there is a marked difference between males (18.8%) and females (2.7%). Conclusion the distress and anxiety caused by COVID-19 have a direct impact in aggravating digital addictions.

Introduction: Research on the effects of COVID-19 has shown that a favorable attitude toward the COVID-19 vaccine would help reduce the pandemic's sequelae and avoid lethal variants. Objective: A theoretical model was tested through the strategy of path analysis and structural equation modeling, seeking to evaluate the direct effect of neuroticism and the indirect effects of risk-avoidance and rule-following behaviors, mediated by attitudes toward science. Methods: A total of 459 adults, mostly women (61%), mean age 28.51 ( SD = 10.36), living in Lima (Peru), participated. The scales of neuroticism, risk avoidance behavior (RAB), norm following (NF), attitudes toward science, and attitudes toward vaccination were administered. Results: The path analysis explained 36% of the variance in vaccine attitude, whereas the latent structural regression model achieved a 54% explanation; according to this model attitude toward science ( β=.70, p < .01) and neuroticism ( β=-.16, p < .01) are significant predictors of vaccine attitude. Likewise, risk avoidance behavior and rule-following have indirect effects on attitudes toward vaccination. Conclusion: Low neuroticism and a positive attitude toward the science that mediates the effects of RAB and NF directly condition the possibility of vaccination against COVID-19 in the adult population.

Behavioral and cognitive regulation of emotions is crucial for adaptation and mental health. Measuring it with valid and reliable instruments is essential, especially in Peru. The objective of the study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Peruvian version of the Behavioral Regulation of Emotions Questionnaire (BERQ-PA) in a sample of 403 adults from Lima, aged between 18 and 59 years (M = 32.3, SD = 10.1; 65.8% women). Participants completed the BERQ-PA, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess the validity of the internal structure. The BERQ-PA scores were correlated with those of the ERQ and GHQ-28 to check concurrent and convergent validity. Reliability was established by internal consistency analysis, and factorial invariance according to sex was evaluated using a multigroup CFA. The CFA confirmed the original five-factor model; however, two items had factor loadings lower than 0.40. For this reason, an alternative five-factor, 18-item model was evaluated that showed optimal fit indices (S-Bχ² = 299, df = 125, χ²/df = 2.39, CFI = 0.959, TLI = 0.950, RMSEA = 0.048 [90% CI: 0.039–0.057], SRMR = 0.069). The alpha and omega coefficients of the five subscales were greater than 0.70, confirming reliability. The correlations between the BERQ, ERQ, and GHQ-28 subscales evidenced convergent and concurrent validity. Factorial invariance according to sex was confirmed. The BERQ-PA is a valid and reliable measure of the behavioral regulation of emotions, standing out for its usefulness for research, psychological assessment, and the assessment of interventions in the Peruvian context.