Background: The socio-health emergency caused by COVID-19 may have a significant psychological impact on the population. For this reason, it is necessary to identify especially vulnerable social groups and protective factors that may reduce this impact, which was the objective of this study. Methods: Using snowball sampling approach, 1,596 people residing in Spain during the lockdown answered an online questionnaire that included information on sociodemographic variables, symptoms, and contact with the disease, risk perception, precautionary measures to prevent infection and coping strategies during lockdown. Psychological impact was assessed using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and mental health status with the Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Simple linear regression models were performed to analyze the associations between the study variables and the psychological impact of the pandemic and the mental health of the participants. Results: Of all respondents, 24.7% reported a moderate or severe psychological impact, and 48.8% showed mental health problems. Women, students and the population with a lower level of economic income, in addition to those having less available space per person in the household presented a more significant psychological impact and worse mental health. Living with someone from the highrisk vulnerable group, and anticipating the adverse economic effects of social-health crisis raised the emotional distress and psychological morbidity. Precautionary measures to prevent infection did not present a connection to the psychological impact of the pandemic; however, several coping strategies did help to reduce it. Conclusions: These findings outline the existence of especially vulnerable social groups to the impact of the pandemic, and suggest lines of action that help reduce the psychosocial consequences of COVID-19.

The main objective of the growing gambling advertising offer is to attract new gamblers to this market and adolescents are an especially vulnerable group to this call. Thus, research should study the process through which advertising influences adolescent gambling behaviour. In a sample of 1,174 adolescents aged 12 to 20 years, we hypothesized a model in which exposure to gambling advertising influences gambling frequency promoting favourable attitudes and normalizing gambling as a socially acceptable behaviour. The majority of the effect of exposure to gambling advertising was mediated by attitudes and descriptive norms. In this model, exposure to gambling advertising also had a direct effect on gambling frequency, which, moreover, mediated its impact on problem gambling. Likewise, gambling frequency was associated with problem gambling. Subsequently, the moderating effect of perceived family support was examined. In adolescents with high family support, exposure to gambling advertising did not promote favourable attitudes towards gambling and gambling frequency had less effect on problem gambling. Preventive strategies with recommendations for regulators, gambling operators, health professionals and families are proposed. Finally, some limitations of this study, which could be improved in future research, are outlined.