The present study explored the effects of a second-generation mindfulness-based intervention known as flow meditation (Meditación-Fluir) in the improvement of healthy life behaviors. A sample of university students (n = 51) in Spain were randomly assigned to a seven-week mindfulness treatment or a waiting list control group. Results showed that compared to the control group, individuals in the mindfulness group demonstrated significant improvements across all outcome measures including healthy eating habits (balanced diet, intake rate, snacking between meals, decrease in consumption by negative emotional states, increased consumption by negative emotional states, amount of consumption, meal times, consumption of low-fat products), tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis consumption, and resting habits. There were differences between males and females in some of these variables and a better effect of the treatment was evident in the females of the experimental group when compared to the males. The flow meditation program shows promise for fostering a healthy lifestyle, thus decreasing behaviors related to maladaptive eating, tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis consumption as well as negative rest habits in university students. This mindfulness program could significantly contribute to the treatment of eating disorders and addictions, wherein negative emotional states and impulsivity are central features of the condition.

Background: During the last 25 years, cultural diversity has increased substantially with global migration. In more recent years this has become highly evident in the south of Spain with its steadily increasing Moroccan population. The accompanying differences in ethnocultural values and traditions between the host and newcomer populations may greatly impact healthcare interactions and thus also effective provision of care. This landscape provides for excellent exploration of intercultural communication in healthcare settings and elucidation of possible ways to overcome existing barriers to provision of culturally competent care by nurses. This study aimed to ascertain how nurses perceive their intercultural communication with Moroccan patients and what barriers are evident which may be preventing effective communication and care. Methods: A focused ethnography was conducted with semi-structured interviews of 32 nurses in three public hospitals in southern Spain. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim before undergoing translation and back-translation between Spanish and English. Data was managed, classified and ordered with the aid of AQUAD.6 (Günter L. Huber, Tübingen, Germany) qualitative data analysis software. Results: As an important dimension of cultural competence, findings from the interviews with nurses in this study were interpreted within the framework of intercultural communication. Various barriers, for which we have termed “boundaries”, seem to exist preventing effective communication between nurses and their patients. The substantial language barrier seems to negatively affect communication. Relations between the nurses and their Moroccan patients are also marked by prejudices and social stereotypes which likely compromise the provision of culturally appropriate care. Conclusions: The language barrier may compromise nursing care delivery and could be readily overcome by implementation of professional interpretation within the hospital settings. Moreover, it is essential that the nurses of southern Spain are educated in the provision of culturally appropriate and sensitive care.

The purpose of this research was to verify, in a group of psychology students, whether mindfulness training in conjunction with the individual’s level of self-regulation behavior would produce a change in the use of coping strategies. A total of 38 students participated in this study, with one experimental group and one control group, in a randomized controlled trial. Observation of the experimental group revealed a significant decrease in specific emotion-focused, negative coping strategies (preparing for the worst, resigned acceptance, emotional venting, and isolation), and a significant increase in specific problem-focused, positive coping (positive reappraisal and firmness, self-talk, help for action), in combination with students’ existing low-medium-high level of self-regulation. The importance and usefulness of mindfulness techniques in Higher Education is discussed, in conjunction with differences in university students’ level of self-regulation behavior.

There are few studies about the sexting phenomenon, and most of them are of a descriptive nature. However, not many of them relate this practice with psychological or social constructs.Our aim is to explore what psychological aspects, attitudes and behaviour have been associated with the practice of sexting. To achieve this, we have made a systematic review of the existent literature.One remarkable evolution in these studies is that their amount has grown, and more attention has been paid to the above mentioned issues.If we take a general view to the results, we can distinguish a clear ‘criminalizing’ tendency, since most of the investigation lines have been oriented to relate sexting with health risk behaviour. One of the main conclusions to emphasize is that despite the risks of this practice, young people continue doing it.We find it convenient to look closer at this psychological framework to obtain relevant data for the future

The coast of southern Spain is one of the main entry points for Africans who want to reach Europe; in this area, there is an important immigrant community of African origin, mostly Muslims. The objective of this study is to describe and understand the hospitalization experience of Muslim migrants in public hospitals in southern Spain, especially their relationship with the nurses who care for them. Data were collected from May 2016 to June 2017. This study followed the principles associated with focused ethnography. During data collection, open interviews with 37 Muslim patients were conducted. Three themes emerged from the inductive data analysis: lack of communication with nurses, discriminatory experiences at the hospital and their experience of Islam in the hospital. We conclude that caring for Muslim patients requires specific training not only for nurses but also for other health professionals; existing communication problems must be addressed by establishing the role of the intercultural mediator as an idiomatic and cultural bridge between patients and nurses. In addition, hiring health professionals with migrant backgrounds would help convert hospitals into spaces for intercultural coexistence.

In this study we will analyze the impact of a mindfulness program upon the graphic creativity levels of a group of Latin American teenagers currently living in Spain. To do so, we analyzed an experimental group of Latin American teenagers who took part in the mindfulness training program, and a control group who did not take part in it. The levels of graphic creativity of both groups were evaluated by means of the Torrance Thinking Test of the Graphic Battery. The statistical study showed how the levels of fluency and originality have significantly increased if compared with the levels of the control group. The results of this research prove the usefulness of mindfulness techniques as useful and effective strategies for graphic creativity improvement, and may become an empiric support so as to incorporate and use them within the educational environment