Psicothema was founded in Asturias (northern Spain) in 1989, and is published jointly by the Psychology Faculty of the University of Oviedo and the Psychological Association of the Principality of Asturias (Colegio Oficial de Psicología del Principado de Asturias).
We currently publish four issues per year, which accounts for some 100 articles annually. We admit work from both the basic and applied research fields, and from all areas of Psychology, all manuscripts being anonymously reviewed prior to publication.
Mercedes Novo1, Francisca Fariña2, Dolores Seijo1, María José Vázquez2, and Ramón Arce1
Background: Parental separation is a stressful experience that can lead to parents suffering mental health problems (MHPs). Parental separation education programs for coping with post-separation adjustment have proven to be effective in reducing conflict and improving co-parenting. However, the effects of these programs on MHPs have not been assessed. A field study was carried out to assess the impact of a parental separation education program on parental MHPs. Method: A total of 116 separated parents who completed the program “Parental separation, not family breakdown” completed the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) pre- and post-intervention. Results: Separated parents had significantly higher pre-intervention scores on the nine symptom dimensions and the global indexes of distress in comparison to the normative population. The intervention yielded a significant improvement (i.e., reduction of clinical symptoms) in all MHPs, ranging from 19% in phobic anxiety to 36% in depression and general anxiety; and in the global indexes of distress (36% in the global severity index; 28% in the positive symptom distress index; and 33% in the positive symptom total). Approximately 45% of parents significantly improved through the intervention. Conclusions: The implications of the outcomes of the separation and intervention in parents’ MHPs and children wellbeing are discussed.
Evaluación de los efectos de un programa educativo en los problemas de salud mental en padres separados. Antecedentes: la ruptura de pareja, como evento estresante, puede derivar en Problemas en la Salud Mental (PSM) de los progenitores. Para afrontar esta contingencia se han desarrollado programas educativos que han mostrado su eficacia en la reducción del conflicto y la mejora de la coparentalidad. Pero los efectos en los PSMs no han sido estudiados. Así, nos planteamos un estudio campo para conocer los efectos de un programa educativo para la ruptura de pareja en los PSMs. Método: 116 progenitores separados que cumplimentaron el programa “Ruptura de Pareja, no de Familia” respondieron, pre- y post-intervención, al Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Resultados: los resultados mostraron, en contraste con la población normativa, que los progenitores separados puntuaban significativamente más alto en los PSMs. La intervención implicó una mejora significativa en todos PSMs, oscilando desde el 19% en ansiedad fóbica al 36% en depresión y ansiedad generalizada, así como en los índices generales de malestar (36% en el Índice de Severidad Global; 28% en el Índice de Malestar referido a Síntomas Positivos; y el 33% en el Total de Síntomas Positivos). Conclusiones: se discuten las implicaciones de los resultados de la ruptura e intervención en los PSMs de los padres separados y el bienestar de los hijos.
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https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2018.299