BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in some populations being confined to their homes as part of infection control measures. This situation can be hard to cope with due to separation from loved ones, prohibition of regular activities, fear of infection, loss of freedom, and so on. These negative impacts cause considerable psychological stress, and all the more so when the situation continues for an extended period, as was the case in Spain. The present study was aimed at investigating the effects of COVID-19 quarantine on the emotional functioning of confined Spanish individuals after 8 weeks of lockdown by means of a cross-sectional study. The possible associations between changes in emotional functioning and demographic variables (age and sex), health habits (physical exercise, following a routine, and smoking), social support, and resilience were also analyzed.MethodsA total of 906 Spanish adults completed an online survey to gather information about their prevailing mood and affects (before and after 8 weeks of lockdown), using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) (Watson et al., 1988), and other variables related to their habits and protective factors.FindingsAs expected, the data indicated an increase in negative affects (e.g., “upset,” “afraid,” “distressed”) and a decrease in positive affects after 8 weeks under lockdown, as well as a general decline in overall mood. The largest increases in negative affects were observed in young adults (18–35 years) and women. We did not find any differences between people who were or were not diagnosed with COVID-19. Adhering to a routine, maintaining the same weight, and moderate physical exercise were associated with fewer negative affects, which indicates they are important protective factors, as are perceived social support and resilience.ConclusionIn order to mitigate the psychological impact of confinement, it is important to develop psychoeducational measures that encourage subjects to adhere to health habits and promote social support and resilience as protective factors. A special preventive focus should be placed on the most vulnerable population groups, namely women and young adults. For a public health lockdown to succeed, its negative consequences must be minimized insofar as possible through adequate knowledge of the risk factors and protective factors, and by means of prevention-oriented organization.

The pathways between differentiation of self and health remain only partly elucidated. This cross‐cultural study sought to test Bowen's hypothesis about the associations between differentiation, stressful life events, and physical and psychological health, in a sample of 466 Spanish adults. Results show that people with higher levels of differentiation were less prone to physical ailments (e.g., heart disease, cancer, or blood disorders) and psychological symptoms (e.g., depression or anxiety). Further, differentiation mediated the association between stress (i.e., perceived negativity of stress in the past year and number of stressful events across the lifetime) and physical and psychological health. The current research provides cross‐cultural empirical evidence for the links between differentiation and mind and body health in a Mediterranean culture.

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resumen En este artículo se presenta una concepción de las relaciones de pareja en la que se tienen en cuenta no sólo los aspectos interactivos o rela-cionales, sino también los personales o indivi-duales. Los primeros afectan más bien a la di-mensión estructural de simetría o asimetría respecto a la posición de poder que ocupa cada uno de los miembros de la pareja. Los segun-dos tienen que ver con la dimensión estructu-ral de complementariedad, en referencia a los recursos que cada uno de ellos aporta a la rela-ción. De este modo se consideran aquellos as-pectos que inciden globalmente sobre la pro-blemática de la pareja. Palabras clave: terapia de pareja, simetría, complementariedad, eros, philia, ágape. abstract This article presents a model of couple relationships which takes into account not only interactive or relational aspects but also the personal or individual ones. The first one affects the structural dimension of symmetry or asymmetry regarding the position of power that deals with each of the members of the couple. The latter relates to the structural dimension of complementarities, in reference to the resources that each brings to the relationship. Thus those aspects that impact on the problems of the couple are jointly considered. la formación de la pareja La pareja se forma para dar respuesta a una serie de necesidades humanas, la más evidente de las cuales es la reproducción, que por sí misma es una necesidad de la especie, pero que a la vez viene a cubrir necesidades del individuo tales como la compañía (no es-tar solo) y la solidaridad (ayuda o apoyo mu-tuo). De una manera más simbólica calma la