Researchers of the Department of Psychology of the University of Jaén (UJA) have presented the results of the PROCARE initiative and the progress of the PROADEMO projectwithin the framework of a day of knowledge transfer on health and emotional well-being of young people, organized by the PROEMO Network at the La Térmica Cultural Center in Málaga.
The opening table of said day was chaired by the Secretary of State for Youth and Children, Ruben Perez, which mentioned that “mental health issues permeate absolutely everything in a generation and we are called to be responsible in solving it.” Likewise, he pointed out that at an institutional level “we are concerned about all the conditions of the mental health of young people such as housing, their options for emancipation in a country where only 16 percent of those under 29 years of age can start their life project. , as well as regulation regarding the impact of digital environments on this sector of the population.”
Along with him, the Vice-Rector for Research and Knowledge Transfer of the UJA participated in the inauguration, Mª Victoria López, which highlighted the impact of initiatives such as PROCARE and PROADEMO and the PROEMO Network, with pioneering lines of research worldwide and with a broad impact on the transfer of knowledge generated among the citizens of the province of Jaén and even on a national scale. ”. Likewise, he highlighted “the commitment of the UJA as an institution to promoting the health and emotional well-being of young people who make up a good part of the university community.”
Also taking part in the start of the day were the MEP from the S&D group, Star Durathe General Director of the Andalusian Youth Institute, Pedro A. Ramírez, and the professor of Psychology at the UJA and main person in charge of the PROEMO Network, Luis Joaquín García.
Program of the day
Next, the final dissemination of the 2021-2024 experiences of the PROCARE initiative was carried out, launched by the University of Jaén, the Rovira i Virgili University, the University of Elche and the University of Miami (USA). Luis Joaquín García pointed out that “the results indicate the drastic reduction of emotional problems, the improvement of the subjective quality of life and the greater regulation of emotions among the young participants, and the benefit for their families.” Along with him, the researcher from the University of Miami, Jill Ehrenreich-May, who intervened online, explained the keys to the PROCARE protocol. Next, the results obtained in its implementation in the Balearic Islands in 2023 were delved into, and currently, on the one hand, in the Jaén municipality of Marmolejo, with the intervention of the Councilor for Government, Tourism, Promotion and Youth of the Marmolejo City Council , Pilar Lara, and on the other at the provincial level through the Provincial Council of Jaén, with the intervention of the representative of Equality and Youth, María Dolores Ruiz.
Likewise, the beta materials generated around the PROADEMO project were presented, to provide tools and resources to education, health and youth professionals with the presentation of UJA researchers Luis Joaquín García, José Antonio Muela, Lourdes Espinosa, Manuel Vivas, David Jiménez, Jesús Sánchez, Álvaro Muela and Adelina Ocaña.
At the same time, the results and initiatives of the PROEMO Network were disseminated to promote the health and emotional well-being of adolescents. Firstly, the PROEMO Network itself, led by the UJA, and which aims to draft a roadmap to detect shortcomings and propose recommendations in this area. Later, researchers from the Miguel Hernández University, José Antonio Piqueras and Victoria Soto presented the results of the COVITALITY project; the researcher at the Rovira i Virgili University Josefa Canals spoke about the epidemiology of emotional problems in young people in Spain through his research work; researchers from the University of Almería, Inmaculada Gómezand from the University of Seville, Juan Miguel Flujas They presented an intervention protocol for young people and their families with and without ICT; researchers from the Autonomous University of Madrid, Manuel Gamezand from the University of the Basque Country, Estíbaliz Mateos They developed their work around sexual abuse in images and the phenomenon of self-harm on the Internet; researchers from the University of Deusto, Esther Calvete and Izaskun Orue, delved into intelligent interventions to improve the quality of life and health of adolescents; the UJA researcher Lourdes Espinosa showed resources for prevention in the field of mental health framed in the DIGITAS project, which brings together audiovisual tools (podcasts, documentaries, short videos…) to address the emotional problems of young people; and researchers from the University of Malaga, Patricia Moreno and Sonia Conejo, showed the keys to PREVANS, a free mobile application to prevent anxiety for young adults, in collaboration with the Malaga Biomedical Research Institute and Nanomedicine Platform.
In addition, the entities of the External Advisory Council of the PROEMO Network shared with the attending public informative pills of each of them, related to the promotion of the health and emotional well-being of young people. The 2nd vice president and person in charge of the socioeconomic and communication areas of the Youth Council of Spain spoke at this table, Juan Antonio Baez; the person in charge of Comprehensive Health of the FELGTBI+, Toni Marti; the president of the Confederation of Psychopedagogy and Guidance Organizations of Spain (COPOE), Ana Cobos; the vice president of the Andalusian Association of Youth Professionals, Anthony Larathe president of the Spanish Association for Mutual Aid against Social Phobia and Anxiety Disorders (AMTAES), Enrique Vargasthe psychologists of the Asturian Association for the Attention and Care of Children (ASACI): Ana María Sainero and María Fé Martínez; the Head of the Interministerial Programs Service of the Spanish Youth Institute (INJUVE), Victoria Rodriguez; ERYICA and the Princess of Girona Foundation.
Precisely, the General Director of INJUVE, Margarita Guerrero She was in charge of the closing and emphasized “the importance of working in a priority area for youth such as mental health based on scientific evidence, because mental health matters and has to be addressed.” In addition, she pointed out the relevance of the work of the PROEMO Network for its “multidisciplinary approach, which collects experiences from across the national territory on an emerging and central issue such as the emotional well-being of adolescents.”
The event was attended by more than 350 attendees, both in person and online, from different geographical points in Spain and from professional fields of all kinds, especially related to research, education, health and youth.