The team of the PROEMO Network of the University of Jaén met with the Youth technicians of these municipalities to learn more about this program for the prevention and promotion of health and emotional well-being of young people.
07/02/2024.- The team of the PROEMO Network of the University of Jaén (UJA) met with the Youth technicians of the municipalities of Gines, Bollullos de la Mitación and Castilleja de Guzmán, Sevillian members of the Participe+ Network, as a new contact to analyze the possible implementation of the PROCARE initiative (Selective prevention through a transdiagnostic intervention for adolescents at risk of emotional problems) in these municipalities.
This telematic meeting was attended by the Professor of Psychology of the UJA and main responsible for the PROEMO Network, Luis Joaquín García, the researchers of the UJA, José Antonio Muela, Manuel Vivas, David Jiménez, Laura Zafra and Jesús Sánchez, and the technicians of the Youth area of the three municipalities, Sonia Rebollo, Mili del Olmo and Sacramento González.
In this way, Luis Joaquín García explained the keys to the first transdiagnostic program of selective prevention at international level aimed at young people between 12 and 18 years of age at risk of suffering emotional problems. In his presentation, he broke down for them the functioning of an initiative that in 2021 helped more than 1,500 adolescents throughout Spain, 2023 contributed to improving the emotional health of more than a thousand young people in the Balearic Islands, and is currently being implemented in Marmolejo, a municipality in Jaén that is also integrated in the Participe+ Network.
The three Sevillian municipalities expressed their interest in learning more about the benefits of the joint implementation of the PROCARE initiative among the adolescent population between 12 and 18 years of age in their three municipalities. Likewise, they were summoned to future meetings to continue assessing and addressing this possibility, similar to how it is currently being developed in Marmolejo.
“The results of the intervention carried out by experts 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”, pointed out the UJA professor. In turn, Luis Joaquín García stressed the importance of prevention, especially in the field of child and adolescent mental health. “There is no health without mental health and there is no future without emotionally healthy young people. In that sense, a resilient society needs resilient citizens,” he concluded.
PROCARE (PID 2019-111138RB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) is a project funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, with the participation of professionals from the Department of Psychology at UJA, Rovira i Virgili University, Miguel Hernández University of Elche and the University of Miami (USA). In addition, the Instituto de la Juventud (INJUVE), attached to the Ministry of Youth and Children, the Asociación Española de Ayuda Mutua contra Fobia Social y Trastornos de Ansiedad (AMTAES), the Confederación de Organizaciones de Psicopedagogía y Orientación de España (COPOE), the Youth Group of the Federación Estatal de Lesbianas, Gais, Trans, Bisexuales, Intersexuales y más (FELGTBI+), the Consejo de la Juventud de España (CJE) and the Fundación Princesa de Girona are part of the project’s External Advisory Board.
