Our current lines, plans, research projects and their corresponding scientific and social impact fall within the following categories:
1. Community and social capital
As part of the doctoral programme in Social Psychology at the Faculty of Psychology in Valencia, some members of the group developed their training in a community context. The results of this stage were reflected in the ‘Theoretical-practical research on the relationships between community social participation and the sense of belonging in a neighbourhood in the centre of the city of Valencia’ (1992).
The Manises Youth Council and the Ibero-American Master's Degree in Community Psychology at the University of Valencia supported this initiative. This work marked the formal beginning of the group as an association dedicated to community development (ADECOM, 1993).
In Zaragoza, the study of social capital has been contextualised in health and social needs surveys in the Casablanca neighbourhood. These surveys include measures related to quality of life, such as the WHOQOL Bref (World Health Organization Quality of Life) (Government of Aragon, 2009-11).
The interrelationship between quality of life and social capital is a cross-cutting theme in our research, especially in contexts where community ties are conditioned by dynamics of cultural and social diversity. An example of this is the psychosocial study carried out by the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences of Teruel on the impact of migratory processes in the province within the framework of the Vice-Rectorate for Research at the University of Zaragoza (2003-06).
In the field of migration and community integration, various studies have also been carried out on adolescent populations of foreign origin residing in Aragon. Among the most relevant projects are the report prepared for the Economic and Social Council of Aragon: ‘We are from here and there. The dynamics of social and educational integration of young immigrants and their families’ (2016), and the ‘Report on the management of cultural diversity in Aragon’ (2017), within the framework of the Comprehensive Plan for Diversity Management in Aragon.
Attention to community processes in diverse contexts has led the group to explore the social dynamics of rural areas, where population ageing, depopulation and the arrival of new residents pose specific challenges that require adapted intervention approaches. In these territories, social capital can become a source of innovation, driving initiatives that strengthen community cohesion and resilience.
In this regard, specific initiatives in rural areas have been evaluated, for example ‘Organisational and individual approaches to generating and spreading innovation’, Antonio Gargallo University Foundation (2013-14), and ‘Technological and social innovation for the development of the province of Teruel’ (Office for the Transfer of Research Results, OTRI, 2018).
Community development is strengthened when innovation transforms resources and relationships into opportunities. Examples of this premise are the studies ‘Diagnostic report for territorial innovation in the province of Teruel’ (2023), in collaboration with the Association for the Recovery of Barren Olive Trees in Oliete, and the project ‘Territorial diagnosis of talent flows and analysis of good practices’ for CIT Teruel (Territorial Innovation Centre) (2024-25), focused on attracting and retaining talent in depopulated areas. The group is also participating in the project ‘Leadership and cooperation in regional innovation systems for sustainable development’ (2024-26), funded by the Government of Aragon, which addresses the mediating effect of organisational mattering in innovation contexts.
From an intercultural and historical perspective, the team analyses territories and groups to identify risks, resources and potential, developing prevention and social intervention projects.
2. Community determinants of health
Thanks to these academic and institutional experiences in the Applied Area of Health and Community, in 1996 we designed a health survey protocol based on primary care in health centres. This involved the design and integration of psychosocial indicators in government surveys. The statistical analysis of these indicators gave rise to various research and development projects:
In addition, the group evaluates health programmes and services. Notable examples in this area include the ‘Assessment of virtual reality glasses in nursing homes’ and the ‘Assessment of satisfaction with the services provided at the Alto Gállego Nursing Home’ (OTRI).
In direct relation to community health determinants, in 2024 the Foundation of the Autonomous University of Madrid funded the project ‘Evaluation process of the CuidArte programme’. This study focuses specifically on the analysis of social and health interventions, reinforcing the understanding of how social and environmental factors influence the health of the population.
Within a broader spectrum of social and territorial research, the Spanish State Research Agency has promoted two significant initiatives. On the one hand, ‘Emerging cultures of mobile precariousness in the digital gig economy’ (2021-25) examines the impact of the platform economy on social welfare, addressing the dynamics of precariousness. On the other hand, the project ‘Natural resources and productive activities in inland areas of the Crown of Aragon (14th-16th centuries)’, co-funded by the European Union (2022-25), offers a historical perspective on territorial sustainability, analysing the interdependent evolution between resources and productive activities.
Finally, the research extends to the field of historical public health with the support of the European Union's ERC (European Research Council) Programme for the project ‘EUROPEST / A Novel Understanding of Pandemic Disease in Pre-industrial Europe (1300-1800)’, running from 2025 to 2031. This interdisciplinary effort merges history and natural sciences to unravel the study of pandemic diseases in pre-industrial Europe, connecting with the past using innovative methodologies and providing a deeper understanding of the historical determinants of population health.
3. Lifestyles and health
Collaboration with the public administration allows the group to develop research projects focused on the interrelationship between food, sport and leisure. An example of this is the study ‘Healthy habits in a community: Food and gender’ (Ministry of Education and Science, 2006-09). In addition, there is also the study ‘Eating patterns and psychological well-being: The role of environmental and personal demands and resources in the eating behaviour of university students on the Teruel campus’ (Antonio Gargallo University Foundation, 2010-12). This work delves into the factors that shape eating behaviours.
Within this framework of analysis, participation in integrated European actions is essential for exploring our ways of understanding health. Initiatives such as Healthy Ageing (2000-03), European Cultural Heritage (2002) and ‘Choosing foods, eating meals, sustaining independence and quality of life in older people’ (2003-05) enrich our understanding of how our daily practices influence quality of life and the process of healthy ageing.
Continuing our exploration of how these everyday behaviours directly affect health, we collaborated with the Association for Applied Social Studies, the Immigration Office (2004), the Bofia Foundation (2003-05) and the Catalan Consumer Agency (2006). These institutional meetings facilitated the analysis of behavioural patterns that are crucial determinants in promoting healthy lifestyles.
Active and healthy ageing represents a social challenge that requires specific promotion strategies. In response to this need, the group led the project ‘The social dimension of active ageing: New trends in European senior volunteering’, awarded by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness and funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF, 2018-21). This initiative explores how social engagement and meaningful activities contribute to full and healthy ageing.
In line with our commitment to improving the well-being of older people and addressing contemporary lifestyle challenges, the group is currently participating in the project ‘Technical and legal assistance for the development of a strategy to tackle unwanted loneliness among older people in the Autonomous Community of Aragon’ (2024). Funded by the Regional Government of Aragon and developed by the University of Zaragoza, this work reinforces the group's interdisciplinary approach to finding solutions for improving health and quality of life in old age, recognising loneliness as a factor that directly affects individual and collective well-being.
4. Identity, gender and well-being
The group's research trajectory is characterised by a firm commitment to integrating the gender perspective. Thanks to the support of entities such as the Ministry of Equality-Women's Institute, the Aragonese Women's Institute and the Catalan Women's Institute, projects have been designed that highlight how the sex/gender system continues to act as a powerful axis of stratification and inequality.
Studies such as ‘Women and health, a psychosocial and community approach’ (2003-06) address the influence of social and community contexts on women's experience of well-being. This line of research was expanded with the project ‘Women as heads of single-parent families, conditions of access to housing’ (2006-07), which studies material living conditions and access to basic rights such as housing, especially in situations of structural vulnerability.
In 2012, an agreement with the Huesca Provincial Police facilitated the study of gender violence from an institutional perspective, analysing care, prevention and protection mechanisms as well as their coordination with social and family services.
These works contribute to consolidating a critical view of gender identity as a key dimension in social welfare processes. Research on socialisation, the construction of subjectivity and gender violence is essential to understanding social capital not only as a network of links, but also as a space for symbolic and political dispute.
Within this framework, the project ‘CUMADE: Care matters. Gender impact on carers of older people and dependent persons in times of COVID-19’ (2020-21), funded by Banco Santander, updates this line of research in the context of a health crisis, highlighting the central role of care and its gender-differentiated impact.
The intercultural dimension is explicitly incorporated through the project ‘Women and interculturality. Plurality and diversity in gender studies in sociocultural spaces in transformation,’ in collaboration with the University of Zacatecas (Mexico). This initiative reinforces the need to develop intervention strategies that recognise the diversity of women's experiences in contexts of social change.
Taken together, these projects form a solid and coherent line of research that links the gender perspective with well-being, social justice and the transformation of institutional, community and educational spaces.
5. Multidisciplinary approach to well-being at work
Since its inception, the BYCS group has approached well-being as an experience mediated by occupational, social and cultural factors. Between 2007 and 2009, this line of research was consolidated with the national project ‘Job satisfaction in Spain: An analysis of geographical differences’. It explored how the working environment affects perceptions of well-being, taking into account regional inequalities.
From 2013 onwards, this perspective was broadened to include the study of youth and volunteering, thanks to the support of the Aragonese Youth Institute. The research on ‘Volunteering and employability among young people in Aragon’ introduces education as a driver of change and as the backbone of human and social capital. In this context, volunteering emerges as a hybrid practice between work and leisure, capable of generating transferable skills and psychosocial well-being.
This perspective is further explored in subsequent research such as ‘Analysis of volunteering in the third sector of social action’ (2015) and ‘Senior volunteering: cooperation and well-being’ (2016), which address the organisational management of volunteering and its impact at different stages of life, from youth to retirement.
The group has reinforced its commitment to inclusion and organisational health through projects that integrate applied research, social intervention and knowledge transfer. The project ‘Towards inclusive employment for people with intellectual disabilities’ (2021-25), funded by the Spanish State Research Agency, represents a significant advance in the analysis of the structural challenges faced by vulnerable groups in accessing decent employment.
The preventive and wellness promotion dimension is embodied in two projects developed in 2023: ‘Health promotion in organisations’, focused on developing an organisational model of healthy practices to prevent non-communicable diseases and ‘Healthy companies: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and worker well-being’, which links corporate social responsibility with quality of working life. Both projects, carried out by the University of Zaragoza, highlight the need to integrate health into organisational culture, recognising that well-being is not only an individual goal but also a collective responsibility.
Together, these projects form a coherent trajectory that links well-being with inclusion, social participation, equity and the transformation of work environments. The BYCS group not only researches well-being as a subjective phenomenon, but also actively contributes to redefining its conditions, barriers and opportunities in real contexts.