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Background Individuals experiencing homelessness (IEHs) suffer from severe health inequities. Place of origin is linked to health and mortality of IEHs. In the general population the “healthy immigrant effect” provides a health advantage to foreign-born people. This phenomenon has not been sufficiently studied among the IEH population. The objectives are to study morbidity, mortality, and age at death among IEHs in Spain, paying special attention to their origin (Spanish-born or foreign-born) and to examine correlates and predictors of age at death. Methods Retrospective cohort study (observational study) of a 15-year period (2006–2020). We included 391 IEHs who had been attended at one of the city’s public mental health, substance use disorder, primary health, or specialized social services. Subsequently, we noted which subjects died during the study period and analyzed the variables related to their age at death. We compared the results based on origin (Spanish-born vs. foreign-born) and fitted a multiple linear regression model to the data to establish predictors of an earlier age at death. Results The mean age at death was 52.38 years. Spanish-born IEHs died on average almost nine years younger. The leading causes of death overall were suicide and drug-related disorders (cirrhosis, overdose, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD]). The results of the linear regression showed that earlier death was linked to COPD (b = − 0.348), being Spanish-born (b = 0.324), substance use disorder [cocaine (b =-0.169), opiates (b =.-243), and alcohol (b =-0.199)], cardiovascular diseases (b = − 0.223), tuberculosis (b = − 0.163), high blood pressure (b =-0.203), criminal record (b =-0.167), and hepatitis C (b =-0.129). When we separated the causes of death for Spanish-born and foreign-born subjects, we found that the main predictors of death among Spanish-born IEHs were opiate use disorder (b =-0.675), COPD (b =-0.479), cocaine use disorder (b =-0.208), high blood pressure (b =-0.358), multiple drug use disorder (b =-0.365), cardiovascular disease (b =-0.306), dual pathology (b =-0.286), female gender (b =-0.181), personality disorder (b =-0.201), obesity (b =-0.123), tuberculosis (b =-0.120) and having a criminal record (b =-0.153). In contrast, the predictors of death among foreign-born IEHs were psychotic disorder (b =-0.134), tuberculosis (b =-0.132), and opiate (b =-0.119) or alcohol use disorder (b =-0.098). Conclusions IEHs die younger than the general population, often due to suicide and drug use. The healthy immigrant effect seems to hold in IEHs as well as in the general population.

Web-based social networks are a powerful communicative element and their use is increasingly widespread. Persons living in extreme social exclusion such as individuals experiencing homelessness can benefit from the positive elements of communication and relationship associated with social networking sites. This study aimed to suggest the comparison of a Facebook training course and an office software course and their effect on psychological well-being in a group of individuals experiencing homelessness. An experimental and longitudinal study was designed. Individuals experiencing homelessness were randomly assigned to either the Facebook group or the office software group, and their social skills, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and satisfaction with life were measured on 4 occasions: pretest, at the end of the training course, 1 month later, and 3 months later. A mixed analysis of variance of repeated measures (2×4) was performed. A total of 92 individuals experiencing homelessness participated in the study. The number of cases in which the 4 measurements were completed was 71 (35 in the intervention group and 36 in the control group). The mixed analysis of variance of repeated measures and the multiple regression analysis indicated a significant increase of the 4 analyzed parameters, with greater significance in the areas of social skills and self-esteem. The critical levels associated to the interaction Time×Program were significant in all variables and levels. Therefore, the scores in the 4 analyzed constructs were not equal according to the program carried out throughout the work. The effect size associated to the interaction Time×Program in the social skills scores was large (η =0.32); in the self-esteem and self-efficacy scores, it was medium, (η =0.13); and in the satisfaction with life scores, it was small (η =0.09). The results of the adjustment of the different models of multiple linear regression indicate that the number of hours devoted weekly to the use of Facebook was a predictor of the increase in the scores of social skills (B=3.43, r =.405) and self-esteem (B=.382). Age (B=.175) and self-efficacy (B=.09) were also variables, which with independence and in equal conditions, predicted self-esteem (r =.29). Finally, self-esteem (B=.69) was also a predictor variable of the increase of satisfaction with life (r =.195). These findings suggest that Facebook could be a key element in homeless psychological well-being and socialization.

Polydrug use is a very common phenomenon and represents an important public health problem. The definition of the term has varied since its inception, and consequently so have forms of self-report evaluation. The aim of this review is to offer an overview of how the concept has evolved and its forms of evaluation through self-reporting. A search of the term polydrug was conducted on the PubMed portal up to August 2022, with a total of 2076 publications detected containing the word polydrug in their title, abstract or keywords. This includes publications that represent an advance in the definition and assessment of this construct through self-reports, which may be useful for researchers carrying out future studies in the field. The importance of distinguishing between concurrent and simultaneous polydrug use and the need to employ comparable measures in parameters for the frequency, magnitude and combination of psychoactive substances involved in polydrug use are two of the main recommendations emerging from this review.

El uso del teléfono móvil entre la población estudiantil española ha sido ampliamente analizado, pero se ha centrado en muestras universitarias, de secundaria o de primaria. El objetivo del presente estudio es analizar el uso del teléfono móvil, sus diferencias de género y su relación con el trastorno por juego en Internet y por juego de azar en Internet en el alumnado de Formación Profesional (FP). Se realizó un estudio ex post facto retrospectivo en el que se evaluaron usos habituales del teléfono móvil, experiencias relacionadas con el mismo, el trastorno por juego en Internet y el juego patológico en línea. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 1107 estudiantes de FP (55.1% varones) con una edad media de 18.8 años. El 7.9% de la muestra hacía un uso problemático del móvil y el 28.6% un uso con problemas ocasionales. Se observaron diferencias de género, con un uso más problemático entre las mujeres. Según el análisis de regresión, usar el móvil en horas lectivas, ser mujer y usuaria de películas y videojuegos fueron las variables que mejor diferenciaban aquellos participantes que presentaron un uso problemático. Para aquellos participantes que empleaban el móvil con las finalidades de juegos de azar y videojuegos, ambos en Internet, la variable que mejor diferenciaba la presencia de problemas con el uso del teléfono móvil fue el uso del mismo para jugar a videojuegos en línea. Si bien la prevalencia de problemas frecuentes con el uso del móvil es relativamente baja, el porcentaje de alumnado en riesgo no debe dejar indiferente a la comunidad educativa. Se sugiere fomentar el uso adecuado de las tecnologías en el alumnado de FP prestando especial consideración a las diferencias de género encontradas.

There exists little scientific production on autolytic behaviour in homeless people, despite the fact that it is one of the groups that is more at risk. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of previous attempted suicide and suicide risk and its connection with the main risk factors. In order to do so, central tendency and dispersion measures, correlations, contingence tables, and average comparison tables according to type of variable and normality were used. The Plutchik suicide-risk test was used in order to determine the risk of suicide, and specific tests for the main risk factors analysed. The main results show a 24.7% suicide rate and 45.2% (n = 66) displayed suicide risk. The main predictive factor of the risk of suicide was the daily consumption of alcohol (OR = 1.011, p less than .001), followed by being a woman (OR = 1.381, p = .021). It is necessary to design and apply suicide prevention strategies for this population.

Smartphones are used by billions of people worldwide. However, some psychologists have argued that use of this technology is addictive, even though little research utilises objective smartphone usage records to verify this claim. We conducted an exploratory study to identify whether behavioural differences exist between those who self-identify as addicted smartphone users and those who do not. We gathered retrospective smartphone usage data from 131 Android users and asked them about their past use to compare their perception of their usage against their actual usage. We could not identify any reliable differences between the smartphone activity of those self-identified as addicted smartphone users and other users. Furthermore, smartphone scales are generally good at identifying who believes themselves to be addicted, although they do not reflect objective smartphone use. This study questions the use of self-report measures to diagnosis behavioural addictions without relevant psychopathological constructs and emphasises the need for more rigorous study to conceptualise smartphone addiction.

The main aims of this article are to update the data related to drug and alcohol use in persons experiencing homelessness (PEH) who use shelters, and to see if there are significant differences in their drug use depending on their gender and nationality. The article presents an analysis of the interconnections between the results of drug dependence detection tools (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10), Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS)) according to gender and nationality with the intention of identifying specific needs that lead to new lines of research into better approaches to homelessness. A cross-sectional, observational and analytical method was used to analyse the experiences of persons experiencing homelessness who use various shelters in the cities of Madrid, Girona, and Guadalajara (Spain). The results show that there are no gender differences in the risks of using drugs and drug addiction, but there are differences in terms of nationality for drug addiction, with Spanish nationals showing a greater tendency to develop drug addiction. These findings have significant implications, as they highlight socio-cultural and socio-educational influence as risk factors in drug addiction behaviours.

Introducción/propósito/objetivos Las mujeres con trastornos por consumo de sustancias presentan menor demanda y mayor índice de fracasos en el tratamiento residencial especializado. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar los factores que dificultaban o facilitaban el acceso y la permanencia de mujeres en tratamientos de drogodependencias en centros residenciales de tipología mixta. Metodología Se recopiló la información inicial sociodemográfica a través de un cuestionario ad hoc y se llevó a cabo un estudio cualitativo descriptivo mediante el desarrollo y análisis de grupos focales. Para ello se formaron ocho grupos focales con un criterio de conveniencia de cinco comunidades terapéuticas y tres pisos terapéuticos del que participaron 49 mujeres que realizaban tratamiento en ese momento. Resultados Los principales hallazgos mostraron las dificultades con las que se encuentran las mujeres tanto a la hora de acceder a realizarlo, como para completar su proceso en centros de tratamiento residenciales mixtos y lidiar con el androcentrismo impregnado en dichos centros, ante sus homólogos varones. Discusión/aportación/originalidad Se mostró el sobresfuerzo que han de realizar las mujeres para completar su proceso terapéutico con éxito. El estudio confirma la importancia de seguir haciendo hincapié en desarrollar programas de intervención y formación de los profesionales de adicciones en perspectiva de género para dar respuesta integral a una problemática latente.

Background: There is a significant gap in scientific understanding about suicide among people experiencing homelessness (PEHs). Method: This seven-year longitudinal study examined a cohort of 154 PEHs. In 2015, clinical assessments were conducted, including an evaluation of suicide risk, with data on causes of death collected from public health service records in 2022. Results: Over the course of seven years, 14.3% of the sample passed away at an average age of 52.6 years. The leading causes of death were cancer, suicide, and accidental overdose. Participants who experienced violence had a higher number of suicide attempts and scored higher on the suicidal ideation scale. The most significant factors associated with mortality were prior suicide attempts and suicidal ideation. Conclusions: This study underscores the importance of suicide risk scale scores as the primary predictor of mortality. It emphasizes the need for further longitudinal research on suicide among PEHs and the development of specific programs to prevent suicide within this population. An approach combining structural and individual perspectives is suggested, considering appropriate housing policies and mental health care.

Background: There is a significant gap in scientific understanding about suicide among people experiencing homelessness (PEHs). Method: This seven-year longitudinal study examined a cohort of 154 PEHs. In 2015, clinical assessments were conducted, including an evaluation of suicide risk, with data on causes of death collected from public health service records in 2022. Results: Over the course of seven years, 14.3% of the sample passed away at an average age of 52.6 years. The leading causes of death were cancer, suicide, and accidental overdose. Participants who experienced violence had a higher number of suicide attempts and scored higher on the suicidal ideation scale. The most significant factors associated with mortality were prior suicide attempts and suicidal ideation. Conclusions: This study underscores the importance of suicide risk scale scores as the primary predictor of mortality. It emphasizes the need for further longitudinal research on suicide among PEHs and the development of specific programs to prevent suicide within this population. An approach combining structural and individual perspectives is suggested, considering appropriate housing policies and mental health care. Keywords: Homelessness Suicide Violence Overdose Mortality Suicidal behavior Antecedentes: Existe un vacio en el conocimiento cientifico sobre el suicidio entre las personas en situation de sinhogarismo (PSH). Metodo: Este estudio longitudinal de siete anos, examino una cohorte de 154 PSH. En 2015 se evaluaron el riesgo de suicidio y las causas de muerte recopiladas en los registros del servicio de salud en 2022. Resultados: En estos siete anos, el 14.3% de la muestra fallecio a una edad promedio de 52.6 anos. Las principales causas de muerte fueron cancer, suicidio y sobredosis accidental. Se encontro que aquellos participantes que experimentaron violencia presentaron un mayor numero de intentos de suicidio, asi como una puntuacion mas elevada en la escala de ideacion suicida. Los factores mas significativos relacionados con la mortalidad fueron los intentos de suicidio previos y la ideacion suicida. Conclusiones: Este estudio resalta la importancia de la puntuacion en la escala de riesgo de suicidio como el predictor principal de mortalidad. Asi mismo, destaca la necesidad de realizar investigaciones longitudinales sobre suicidio entre PSH y de desarrollar programas especificos para prevenir el suicidio en esta poblacion. Se sugiere un enfoque que combine perspectivas estructurales e individuales, considerando politicas de vivienda adecuadas y atencion de salud mental. Palabras clave: Sinhogarismo Suicidio Violencia Sobredosis Mortalidad Conducta suicida