Inequality in analgesic prescription in Spain: a gender development issue

Objectives: It is well known that sex differences in analgesic prescription are not merely the logical result of greater prevalence of pain in women, since this therapeutic variability is related to factors such as educational level or social class. This study aims to analyse the relationship between analgesic prescription and gender development in different regions of Spain. Methods: Cross-sectional study of sex-differences in analgesic prescription according to the gender development of the regions studied. Analgesic prescription, pain and demographic variables were obtained from the Spanish Health Interview Survey in 2006. Gender development was measured with the Gender Development Index (GDI). A logistic regression analysis was conducted to compare analgesic prescription by sex in regions with a GDI above or below the Spanish average. Results: Once adjusted by pain, age and social class, women were more likely to be prescribed analgesics than men, odds ratio (OR) = 1.74 (1.59-1.91), as residents in regions with a lower GDI compared with those in region with a higher GDI: ORWomen = 1.26 (1.12-1.42), ORMen = 1.30 (1.13-1.50). Women experiencing pain in regions with a lower GDI were more likely than men to be treated by a general practitioner rather than by a specialist, OR = 1.32 (1.04-1.67), irrespective of age and social class. Conclusions: Gender bias may be one of the pathways by which inequalities in analgesic treatment adversely affect women's health. Moreover, research into the adequacy of analgesic treatment and the possible medicalisation of women should consider contextual factors, such as gender development.

¿Predice la autoeficacia percibida la ansiedad escolar? Estudio con estudiantes chilenos de Educación Secundaria

Dada la importancia de las creencias de eficacia personal en el desarrollo cognitivo de las personas y su marcada influencia en las reacciones emocionales y conductuales experimentadas sobre todo ante situaciones difíciles, el objetivo de este estudio es analizar la capacidad predictiva de la autoeficacia percibida sobre la ansiedad escolar en una muestra de 1284 estudiantes chilenos de educación secundaria, 634 chicos y 650 chicas (49.4% y 50.6% respectivamente) con edades entre los 14 y 18 años (M = 15.43, DE = 1.24). Para ello, se evaluó la autoeficacia percibida con la Escala de Autoeficacia Percibida Específica de Situaciones Académicas (EAPESA) y la ansiedad escolar con el Inventario de Ansiedad Escolar (IAES). Los análisis de regresión logística revelaron que bajas puntuaciones en autoeficacia académica percibida predicen la alta ansiedad, revelando con ello la influencia de la autoeficacia percibida sobre la ansiedad escolar. A partir de estos resultados, es posible anticipar que la mejora de las expectativas de autoeficacia aumentaría las probabilidades de disminuir los elevados niveles de ansiedad en los estudiantes.