A Multidimensional Approach to Social Support: the Questionnaire on the Frequency of and Satisfaction with Social Support (QFSSS)

The Questionnaire on the Frequency of and Satisfaction with Social Support (QFSSS) was designed to assess the frequency of and the degree of satisfaction with perceived social support received from different sources in relation to three types of support: emotional, informational, and instrumental. This study tested the reliability of the questionnaire scores and its criterion and structural validity. The data were drawn from survey interviews of 2042 Spanish people. The results show high internal consistency (values of Cronbach's alpha ranged from .763 to .952). The correlational analysis showed significant positive associations between QFSSS scores and measures of subjective well-being and perceived social support, as well as significant negative associations with measures of loneliness (values of Pearson's r correlation ranged from .11 to .97). Confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modelling verified an internal 4-factor structure that corresponds to the sources of support analysed: partner, family, friends, and community (values ranged from .93 to .95 for the Goodness of Fit Index (GFI); from .95 to .98 for the Comparative Fit Index (CFI); and from .10 to .07 for the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA)). These results confirm the validity of the QFSSS as a versatile tool which is suitable for the multidimensional assessment of social support.

Dietary restraint and subjective well-being in university students in Chile

Objective: To characterize university students typologies according to chronic food restriction, satisfaction with life and food consumption. Materials and method: A questionnaire was applied on a non-probability sample of 369 male and female students from five Chilean universities. The questionnaire included: Revised Restraint Scale (RRS), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Satisfaction with Food-related Life (SWFL) and the Health-related Quality of Life Index. The survey included food and drink consumption habits, weight and approximate height and sociodemographic variables. Results: Two factors in the RRS were detected by exploratory factor analysis: Preoccupation with Diet (PD) and Weight fluctuations (WF). A confirmatory factor analysis validated the bifactor structure of the RRS with an acceptable adjustment kindness. The cluster analysis allowed a distinction of four typologies with a significant variation in PD, WF, SWLS and SWFL scoring, number of days with mental health problems, frequency of alcoholic drinks consumption, restraint on the consumption of certain foods, drinks and spices, consumption frequency of fruit out of the main meals and types. Typologies did not differ on their body mass index. Conclusions: Both, students preoccupied with diet and those who are not, experience higher levels of satisfaction with life and with food. Lower levels of global life satisfaction and satisfaction with food are related with the fluctuations in weight.

Análisis de la efectividad de los Centros de Rehabilitación Psicosocial

Introducción: Los Centros de Rehabilitación Psicosocial para personas con trastorno mental grave son recursos de la red pública de atención social de la Comunidad de Madrid. A pesar de su larga tradición son pocos los estudios que intentan evaluar su efectividad. En el presente trabajo se analizan retrospectivamente los resultados obtenidos en tres dominios centrales en la recuperación: el funcionamiento psicosocial, la calidad de vida y la discapacidad. Material y método: Se analizan las 3173 puntuaciones de 1457 personas atendidas durante 5 años (2008-2012) en 10 Centros de Rehabilitación Psicosocial. Se utilizaron los siguientes instrumentos: cuestionario de datos sociodemográficos y clínicos de elaboración propia, Satisfaction with Life Domain Scale (SLDS), Escala de Evaluación del Funcionamiento Global (EEFG) y WHO Short Disability Assessment Schedule (WHO DAS-S). Resultados: Se observan correlaciones estadísticamente significativas entre todas las medidas de los diferentes instrumentos y la duración de la estancia en los centros, de tal forma que a más tiempo de intervención se obtienen mejores resultados, al menos durante los primeros 5 años. Desagregando los datos por sexo se constata que las mujeres mejoran más y más rápido que los hombres. Conclusiones: Las personas que son atendidas en los Centros de Rehabilitación Psicosocial mejoran en calidad de vida, funcionamientos psicosocial y discapacidad. Esa mejoría es más pronunciada en los primeros cinco a ocho años de intervención y es mayor en mujeres que en hombres.