CO19: APRIL – Psychological Well-Being in Contexts of Risk and Protection

A multidisciplinary group comprising researchers and professionals in the fields of psychology (Developmental and Educational Psychology, Behavioral Science Methodology, and Personality, Assessment, and Psychological Treatment) and family medicine. Our group’s work focuses on identifying psychosocial factors throughout the life span (primarily the first three decades of life) associated with the psychological well-being and mental health of vulnerable, at-risk, and protected populations, and on developing intervention programs (both preventive and promotional) to support healthy development and adjustment. Our field of research also encompasses the study and promotion of healthy sexuality, particularly among vulnerable populations. Among our research Publications , we highlight the adaptation and validation of psychological assessment instruments related to the group’s research objectives.

The group has extensive research experience in assessing developmental progress and analyzing adjustment, mental health, and psychological well-being during childhood and adolescence, particularly in family and educational settings, as well as in contexts of risk and protection.

With regard to the transfer of our research findings, we specialize in developing intervention programs to promote and improve health and psychological well-being in family, school, and healthcare settings. We also have experience evaluating family and school intervention programs aimed at vulnerable populations.

Responsible researcher

Yolanda Sánchez Sandoval:
- E-mail: yolanda.sanchez@uca.es
- ORCID: 0000-0001-8341-7386

Lines of research

Research Area 1: Psychological adjustment and well-being of children and adolescents in families at psychosocial risk and in the child protection system. This research area is supported by two decades of research. Currently, the longitudinal follow-up of a sample of adopted individuals, which began in 1995 (n=394), has just been completed (R&D project “Research Challenges”). Significant findings, published in JCR-indexed articles, books, and conference proceedings, are enabling us to identify risk factors and factors that promote well-being, as well as to understand the potential for recovery in human development following adverse early experiences. This line of research has led to numerous knowledge transfer initiatives (adopter selection criteria, assessment manuals, training programs) throughout Spain. As part of this line of research, a study was also conducted through an R&D agreement with the Andalusian Public Administration regarding the psychological adjustment of adolescents in residential care in the province of Cádiz.
Line 2: Healthy Sexuality. This line of research has focused primarily on the effects of addictive substance use on sexual response in both male and female substance users. A recent project is examining sexual health in women during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Several articles have been published in JCR-indexed journals, a manual on the treatment of sexuality in addiction has been produced, and numerous papers have been presented at national and international conferences.
Line 3: Promoting Development and Preventing Risky Behaviors in Educational Settings. This line of research addresses topics related to prevention and the promotion of development in school settings. It focuses on issues related to learning processes, the analysis of schools and their management and leadership processes, as well as students’ psychological well-being and mental health. A 4-year longitudinal study has been conducted with more than 800 adolescents from the province of Cádiz , which is helping to identify psychosocial factors involved in the future expectations of adolescents from different family and social backgrounds. Collaborations with the University of Copenhagen have been carried out in this line of research.

Keywords

# Psychological Well-Being
# Psychosocial Risk
# Sexuality
# Protection
# Family
# Childhood
# Adolescence

CO19: APRIL – Psychological Well-Being in Contexts of Risk and Protection

Responsible researcher

Yolanda Sánchez Sandoval:

Full Professor at a University.

E-mail: yolanda.sanchez@uca.es
ORCID: 0000-0001-8341-7386
Research ID: D-9951-2012
Scopus ID: 14049251200

Members of the Team

Principal Investigators:
- Yolanda Sánchez Sandoval (PI).
Researchers:
- Josefa María Hidalgo García.
- Sandra Melero Santos.
- Amaranta Úrsula Ortiz Bermúdez.
- Pilar Fornell Lacida.
- Laura Lacalle Piñero.
- Magdalena Sánchez Fernández.
- Laura Verdugo Ramírez.
- Melissa Liher Martínez Shaw.

CO19: APRIL – Psychological Well-Being in Contexts of Risk and Protection

Production

Find all of the group's publications ( Projects, Patents , and Publications) on the I+Salud Portal of the Andalusian Public Health System: