Actualidades en Psicología (AP) is an official publication of the University of Costa Rica sponsored by the Psychological Research Institute (IIP, for its initials in Spanish), an entity belonging to the same university. Its objective is to promote scientific production in all fields of psychological science and associated fields, which is achieved via the publication of original and unpublished articles that present results of empirical research, mixed studies, methodological contributions, narrative states of the art, meta-analyses and literature reviews. This freely accessible journal is aimed primarily at students and professionals in the area of psychology and related sciences. The journal publishes in Spanish, English and Portuguese. The journal has been published continuously since 2018; i.e., article are published one at the time until the complete issue is compiled (issue closings are held in June and December). The journal’s call for papers is likewise open and permanent; thus, authors are welcome to submit their manuscripts throughout the year. The submissions should reflect the guidance provided under “Authors Guidelines.” Submission, revision and processing of manuscripts is free of charge. The journal is interested in original research contributions to the psychological sciences, which must respect and adhere to the highest ethical and scientific rules. Current Trends in Psychology seeks to encourage scientific investigation, to promote the discussion of relevant ideas for psychological sciences, and to disseminate professional and academic information relevant to the discipline. The journal currently ranks high in the UCRIndex. Furthermore, it is indexed in: PsycINFO , la base de datos de la Asociación Americana de Psicología SCIELO , Biblioteca Científica Electrónica en Línea-Brasil REDALYC , red de revistas para América Latina, el Caribe, Portugal y España PEPSIC , Revistas Electrónicas de Psicología – Brasil DIALNET , base de datos de revistas españolas y latinoamericanas DOAJ , Directorio de revistas de acceso abierto; Universidad de Lund, Suecia LATINDEX , Sistema regional de información en línea para revistas científicas de América Latina, el Caribe, España y Portugal REDBIB , Red Iberoamericana de Innovación y Conocimiento Científico CLASE , Citas Latinoamericanas en Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades Google Académico ESCI (Índice de citas de fuentes emergentes) SCOPUS
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Analysis of a Writing Test with the MFRM Model
This paper describes how a Rasch model (Many-Facet Rasch Measurement) can be applied to performance assessment focusing on analysis of examinee, raters, tasks and variables. The article provides an introduction to MFRM, a description of analysis procedures, and an illustrative example to examine the effects of various sources of variability on students’ performance on a writing test by means of the FACETS program. Results highlight the usefulness of the MFRM to detect raters that have extreme values on the continuum of severity/leniency as well as providing objective measurement of examinee (scores free of rater severity).
Copyright (c) 2015 Actualidades en Psicología http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Verification of a Theoretical Model Between Empathy, Ethic Socialization and Cultural Orientation in Young Brazilian
The present study aims to investigate the association between empathy, transmission of moral and ethical values and cultural orientation in youth. Theoretically, empathy and the functional exchange of experiences layout of people is believed to be important for moral and ethical training of the young, as well as to the orientation of the conventional patterns culturally established. 427 subjects of both genders between the ages of 12- 19 years old of private and public institutions of the city of João Pessoa-PB and Patrocínio-MG answered the multidimensional Davis Interpersonal Reactivity test. This consists on a set of questions about the belief of parents and teachers conveying / teaching moral and ethical principles and scale attributes of individualist and collectivist cultural orientation. It was observed that empathy was positively associated to socialization and ethical collectivist orientation, but in relation to the individualistic orientation, the first two variables were negatively associated. Thus, those who develop empathic abilities in their interpersonal relationships, both contribute to the transmission of social and moral values, as well as to the orientation, cooperation and maintenance of interpersonal relationships.
Copyright (c) 2016 Actualidades en Psicología http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Family influence on antisocial behavior in adolescents from Arequipa, Peru
The aim was to determine the influence of the family on antisocial behavior in non-institutionalized adolescents. The sample consisted of 929 high school students, between 14 and 17 years old. In the process, a battery of test about social-demographic data, antisocial behavior and family functioning: relationship, satisfaction, cohesion, adaptability and family communication was applied. We analyzed variables using structural equation models differentiated by sex. The results indicated that family functioning in both sexes and the number of siblings in males are considerable factors when discussing antisocial behavior. The risk factors are: child abuse and violence between parents in females, besides consumption of alcohol by parents in both sexes.
behaviornon-institutionalized adolescents
El psicólogo en los Centros de Salud: informes distantes del SUS
La investigación tuvo el objetivo de comprender las concepciones acerca de la salud y el papel profesional, en la vida cotidiana, entre psicólogos de las Unidades Básicas de Salud. Fueron realizadas diez entrevistas a Psicólogos de la región metropolitana de la ciudad de São Paulo. Se obtuvo información acerca de la trayectoria profesional, el trabajo diario, el papel del psicólogo, las concepciones de salud, las orientaciones teóricas, además de expectativas y desafíos. El Análisis de Contenido de las entrevistas apunta a que las acciones de los psicólogos son orientadas por presupuestos de la práctica clínica ejercidas en el ámbito del consultorio privado. Los datos sugieren que la identidad profesional se sustenta por los ideales clínicos, y que las prácticas son restringidas a la psicoterapia. Los cambios necesarios para una atención coherente con los principios del Sistema Único de Salud (SUS), solo ocurrirán si los espacios académicos y profesionales se convierten en ambientes democráticos de intensa reflexión crítica y de producción de nuevos saberes.
Adaptation of two measures of social support in argentinian university students
Social support is an important construct in education which influences behavioral, cognitive and affective terms. Although there are numerous instruments to assess this construct, in Argentina there are no published scales to assess perceived support by students. Therefore, our aim was to adapt Social Support for Children and Adolescents (Malecki, Demaray & Elliot, 2003) and Academic Support (Lent et al., 2005) scales in college students. For this projectIn this regard, data from 551 students of different degrees from the National University of Cordoba (Argentina) was collected. For both instruments, results showed satisfactory internal consistency values (composite reliability, ρ > .70) and the original structure was replicated for each measure using confirmatory factor analysis. Limitations and new lines of research are suggested.
Social support scale for children and adolescents
university studentsEliminar university students
Measuring Emotion Understanding with the Rasch Model
The aim of this study was to construct emotion understanding items from the Rasch Model approach by experimenting through comparison between verbal /image response format. The participants were 204 subjects from a Spanish community sample. A randomized experiment was carried out to test the effect of response format (verbal/image) and participants’ gender on the emotion understanding Rasch measurements. The effect on item difficulty of the social distance (close/far) was also contrasted. No interaction effect was found. Response format had a significant effect on measurement regardless of gender: the verbal response format was easier than the image one. There were significant gender differences on emotion understanding favoring women. Items describing situations with close receivers were significantly easier than the items showing far recipients.
Innovations in Measurement: Visual Analog Scales and Retrospective Pretest Self-Report Designs
The authors discuss limitations of two popular measurement procedures, the Likert scale and conventional pretest-posttest self-report design. Both techniques have limits and yet are often combined, leading to restricted fidelity for measuring change. The authors go on to discuss two innovations in measurement that provide researchers with greater assessment fidelity: Visual analog scales and the retrospective pretest design. Moreover, when used in combination, these innovations measurement techniques provide dramatic increases in the power to detect and quantify change.
Psychometric Analysis of Attitudes Toward Mathematics Through the Graduated Response Samejima Model
The assessment of attitudes in education has been used as a tool for preventing the loss of subjects and the desertion. The aim of the study is to perform a psychometric analysis of the “Attitudes towards Mathematics” scale with Samejima´s graded response model (MRG). The sample was of 944 students from different university careers. To analyze the TCT and the MRG model was used. In conclusion, the scale has good psychometric quality. Finally, the benefits of using the MRG for assessing attitudes are presented.
Construction and Statistical Analysis of the Multidimensional Inventory of Romantic Jealousy: Preliminary Study
Aiming to construct and validate a test to measure jealousy, the Multidimensional Inventory of Romantic Jealousy (MIRJ) was developed from three axes: 1) the notion of jealousy, 2) the situations that generate it and 3) cognitive, affective and behavioral responses involved. The MIRJ consists of five Likert scales with five response options each. The inventory was validated by expert judgment on the content validity and exploratory factor analysis to construct the validity of each scale, showing higher reliability coefficients (α > .85). MIRJ has a fairly clear structure with independent dimensions that measure with reasonable accuracy the three axes. In Conclusion, romantic jealousy is a multidimensional construct with affective, cognitive and behavioral responses, triggered from a situation that represents the possible loss of a partner.
Norma Ivonne González-Arratia López-Fuentes
Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) as a Theoretical Framework to Understand Behavior Change
A theoretical framework to explain, predict, and modify health behaviors is presented which consists of various psychological constructs and a mediator mechanism. Risk perception, outcome expectancies, self-efficacy, intention, planning, and action control constitute the building blocks for a mediator model that is based on two processes: goal setting and goal pursuit. When it comes to the development of interventions to modify behaviors, one can target either the initial motivation phase or the subsequent volition phase. This is an open architecture framework allowing for various research designs and subsets of constructs. Hundreds of studies have been conducted based on this model. Three correlational and two intervention studies were chosen to illustrate the diversity of approaches targeting physical activity in Germany and Costa Rica, dental cleaning in India and Poland, and dust mask wearing in China. They differ in terms of the predictors that emerged as most relevant for behavior change.
Evaluation of a Multicomponent Tele-care Model for Supporting People with Prediabetes and Obesity in Chile
Background: Prediabetes is a reversible condition and its treatment a chance to change unhealthy practices. Objective: to evaluate the effectiveness of a multi-component tele-care model to support people with pre-diabetes and obesity in Chile. Method: a randomized clinical trial in primary care setting, Santiago, Chile. Participants: 70 adults with pre-diabetes: BMI between 25 and 34 and access to mobile phone. GI (n = 33) received telephone counseling, SMS, educational materials and self-monitoring equipment and GC (n = 32) usual care and self-monitoring equipment. Measures of knowledge of prediabetes, unhealthy diet, physical activity, weight, waist circumference, glucose, triglycerides and total cholesterol were made pre and post intervention. Results: in GI the intervention to maintain stable knowledge level about pre-diabetes, and decrease triglycerides level was effective. The model did not exceed usual care for decrease in weight, waist circumference, glucose and cholesterol.
Open Access Scientific Evidence of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Patients with Fibromyalgia
Objective: To provide a summary of scientific open access resources Cognitive Behavioral Therapy interventions in patients with fibromyalgia. Method: Bibliographical search performed in Pubmed and PsycInfo, Latindex, Scielo and Redalyc online databases. No year of publication criterion was applied. Results: 377 citations were reduced to a list of 59 relevant publications, from 1993 to 2016. Most studies were performed in adult samples, in Spain or the United States, with pre-post quantitative design. Only 15 publications were open access. Conclusions: Empirical evidence is ample, yet mostly restricted. Open access material might promote interest in and encourage the design, implementation and evaluation of CBT interventions in the benefit of fibromyalgia patients, the health system and science.
Factors associated with treatment adherence of Brazilian patients undergoing hemodialysis
Objective: To evaluate patients’ adherence to hemodialysis (HD) and its relationship to psychosocial variables. Methods: Participated in the study 64 adult patients undergoing HD, assessed in regard to depression, anxiety, social support, disease and treatment knowledge, and adherence. Results: It was found association between sex and adherence to HD, to diet and to medication, as well as between schooling and overall adherence. There is association between disease knowledge and depression, with adherence to fluid restrictions. No association was found between adherence and anxiety. Conclusion: Identifying the determinants of treatment adherence is essential to devise efficacious strategies to improve patients’ quality of life.
Relationships between Social Support, Self-Regulation and Drug Consumptions among Portuguese Adults
In this study the relationships between perceived social support, self-regulation and consuming behaviors of tobacco and other psychoactive substances we investigated. The sample consisted of 340 adult participants. Social support correlated positively with self-regulation, but was solely in the aspect of satisfaction with social support that this trend was noted clearly. The number of support providers differed considerably with the use of tobacco, which suggests the affiliative scope of some psychoactive substances. Accordingly, the use of tobacco may be associated with a larger social network, but not with the quality of social support.
Other substancesEliminar Other substances
Quality of Life in Costa Rican Patients with Brain Tumors: Neuropsychological Contributions
The systematization of a clinical and educational experience in a hospital setting shows evidence of the neuropsychological contributions to the multidisciplinary care for patients with brain tumors. Four cases of people diagnosed with brain tumors are exemplified. The patients were treated at the Neurosurgical Unit at the Hospital Mexico, Costa Rica. Each patient underwent neuropsychological evaluations as part of the established protocol for neurosurgical interventions.Results showed a slight yet consistent trend of cognitive performance improvement after each surgery, and identified residual neurocognitive consequences that would have a direct impact on the patients quality of life. This paper discusses the challenges associated with health expectancy of prolonging life while preserving its quality and functionality.
Mindfulness and Symptoms of Depression in Mexican Adolescents High School Students
The objective of this research was to identify the relation between depressive symptoms and mindfulness levels in mexican adolescents high school students. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 930 baccalaureate students between 15 and 19 years old was performed. The instruments, CESD (depressive symptoms) and MAAS (mindfulness) were applied, finding a 17.3% prevalence of depressive symptoms, furthermore, 55.2% of participants had low levels of mindfulness, and also adolescents with depressive symptoms have higher levels of mindfulness. The relation between depression symptoms and mindfulness was negative (r= -0.53; <.001). Conclusion: Study the feature of full awareness or mindfulness as a positive psychological factor because it’s reducing effect is demonstrated in psychological symptoms such as depression.
Happiness Differences by Sex and Age in Peruvian University
The study, comparative descriptive, describes the differences of happiness in Peruvian youth and adults based on sex and age using the Lima Happiness Scale (Alarcon, 2006). 402 people, male (50 %) and women (50 %), between 16 and 35 years old (average = 19.59, SD = 3.75) of the city of Lima participated in the study. The results show that women are more likely to experience some degree of happiness; while people of the older age group have higher happiness scores than the younger age group. The results contribute to a better understanding of happiness and its relation to sociodemographic variables related to health and well-being. This provides important empirical information for the implementation of actions to promote the development of positive variables
Emotional Intelligence and Health in Aging: PECI-PM Program Benefits
Training emotional intelligence in the elderly, it has demonstrated its effectiveness in improving the quality of life. The aim is to analyze the health benefits of a program of cognitive stimulation and emotional intelligence for older people (PECI-PM). The sample consisted of 28 students of the University Senior Almeria, who completed the first phase of PECI-PM. For the (pre-post) assessment of health, the Spanish version of the SF-36 was applied. The results showed significantly higher scores after the intervention, the dimensions of health: social function, bodily pain, vitality and social function. The first implementation of the PECI-PM reveals positive effects of emotional training on perceived health in the elderly.
(De)Gendering Older Patients: Exploring Views on Aging and Older Patients in Romanian General Practitioners
Abstract. Purpose: Demographic changes make it necessary to improve communication with older patients and design gender sensitive health promotion. The present article aimed to explore how general practitioners see old age and what role gender may play in their representations of aging. It also looked whether the gender of the older patients played a role for how general practitioners treated them. Methods: Episodic interviews were conducted with 17 women and 17 men who worked as general practitioners in Romania. Thematic coding was used to analyze data. Results: Findings showed that general practitioners saw old age as negative no matter their gender. Older patients were perceived as difficult and mostly older women were given as negative examples to illustrate treatment non-adherence and psychological or social problems related to aging. Conclusion: Negative aging views combined with a (de)gendering of aging patients may lead to maintain negative aging stereotypes and gender inequality in old age. Implications for preventing this from happening are discussed
Battlefield: Social Representations of Commercial Sex Work on Transvestite and Transsexual Females in Brazil
Objective. To analyze commercial sex work’s social representations among Brazilian women who identify as transvestite or transsexual. Methods: A qualitative study with a descriptive and analytical approach based on the Theoretical Paradigm of Social Representation with a structural approach. The sample group was formed by 100 women who defined themselves as transvestite and transsexual in Santa Catarina, Brazil. The data was gathered from September to December 2016 via a questionnaire using the technique of free association of words, as well as semi-directed interviews. Results: Through both prototypical and content analysis, it was confirmed that the most likely elements that formed the core of the social representation were: violence, drugs, risk, work, sadness, prejudice, and danger. In the objectification/objectivation process of commercial sex work, the image shows a mix between daily activities in the streets – which they consider to be their battlefield – and their own feelings and experiences of vulnerability in other areas of society, starting with families, churches, schools and the like. Conclusions: By experiencing commercial sex work, female transvestite and transsexual individuals reveal how the elements that form the social representation are of paramount importance in the legitimation, legalization, and simplification of their identities.
Copyright (c) 2018 Actualidades en Psicología http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Racial quotas: a study about university student’s and non-university’s social representations
This work aimed at analyzing the positioning of students and non-students about racial quotas in the Brazilian public universities and the justifications for that positioning. We also investigated the levels of prejudice existing among the participants and the relationship between their skin color and their positions about those quotas. The participants were 83 students and 63 non-students. The results showed that non-students perceive themselves as more prejudiced and 74% of the them were favorable to the quotas, being the selfdeclared black those that indicated greater agreement. The lexical analysis showed that students anchor their positions in meritocratic principles, while non-students anchor on egalitarian principles, reflecting the way in which these groups symbolically construct the meaning of racial quotas based on their group memberships.
Copyright (c) 2019 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Animal Model of Sexual Motivation and Arousal: Effects of Alcohol
Sexual motivation and arousal are two semi-independent processes that are fundamental to the performance of sexual behavior. In this study, male Wistar rats were used as an animal model to determine the effects of different doses of alcohol (0.75, 1.0 and 1.25 g/kg ethanol) on genital-grooming and nose-touching (two indices of sexual motivation), and non-contact penile erections (an index of sexual arousal). The moderate and high doses of alcohol had deleterious effects on both processes, while the low dose, in contrast, facilitated sexual activation. The results of this study confirm that sexual motivation and arousal are two semi-independent processes, and show that alcohol exerts differential effects on each one.
Copyright (c) 2019 Actualidades en Psicología http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Self-perceived social status: its relation to aggression and personality traits in two Spanish speaking samples
Dominance and prestige are two strategies to achieve status in humans. Dominance is the use of threat and aggression, and prestige is the pursuit of cultural achievement. This research presents a study carried out through self-report measures with two native Spanish speaking samples from Madrid (Spain) and San José (Costa Rica). Self-perceived dominance and prestige were correlated with dimensions of aggression and the big five personality traits. Results showed that a component that grouped different aggression subscales and agreeableness was the best predictor of dominance in samples of men and women of both countries. Prestige was mainly predicted by conscientiousness and extraversion in both samples and by low hostility and neuroticism but only in Spanish men.
Copyright (c) 2017 Actualidades en Psicología http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
The perpetration of antisocial behaviours in young cape verdean: a predictive study
In Cape Verde, since the end of the 1990s years there has been a significant increase of antisocial behaviors committed by young people (aged 12 and 21). Nevertheless, knowledge of factors that lie at the origin and maintenance of such behaviors still reveals incident or are still at an early stage. In this study, we tried to identify possible risk factors that forecast antisocial behaviour, self-reported by using, for this purpose, the International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD-3).The sample consisted of 535 students from both sexes attending public secondary education in Cape Verde, of which 284 (53%) were females and 247 (46.25%) males. The age of young people varies between 13 and 21 years, having an average age of 16.66 and a standard deviation of 2.04. The results indicate that sex is a strong predictor of perpetration of antisocial behaviors, given that males show greater probability of engaging in antisocial behaviors. Teenagers with less antisocial attitudes are also those with less probability to engage in antisocial behaviors. Likewise, and even if only reveals marginally significant, adolescents who report major involvement in antisocial activities highlights a greater probability to engage in disruptive hobby activities. These results are analyzed in terms of their implications forthe prevention of delinquency.
Predictors of Facebook use among Portuguese adolescents: Contributes of an exploratory study
The widespread use of social networks has brought opportunities and constraints at the same time, even faster than research and knowledge on this topic. In this paper, we intend to explore the role of personal and psychosocial variables in Facebook use, considering a set of self-report questionnaires to a sample of 386 Portuguese adolescents. We found gender differences in social network use, a positive relationship with age, self-regulation and self-esteem, with peer interaction with offline contacts as the strongest predictor for social network use. These data suggest the role of this application as a mean to maintain contact with peers.
What do Chilean and Costa Rican psychologists believe and advise about parenting?
This research investigates the subjective theories of 12 Chilean and Costa Rican psychologists who work with children, with the purpose of describing and interpreting their explanations about child rearing. Episodic interviews were used and analyzed using a Grounded Theory model. The interviewees point out that they use their own experience and beliefs when advising parents. Results indicated that, according to the interviewees, the topics most frequently consulted by parents were children’s high impulsivity and disciplining. The interviewees believe the most common parenting styles are the authoritarian and the permissive ones, the latter being associated with parents’ fear and anxiety.
The agency of people living with HIV, living in impoverished areas of Chiapas in Mexico
This paper aims to identify the dimensions of the agency (present past and future) in people with HIV(PV) in communities of Chiapas/México. The agency is the capacity to respond to the challenges that arise in life with resources that are available. Twenty interviews were conducted (12 men and 8 women) to people that live with the virus (PV) who had received the diagnosis at least one year earlier with an age range from 21 to 59 years. A script of open questions followed. Results: PV participate within the extended family to meet the needs of the disease.
Comparative of the subjective quality of life in the Integral Care Centers of two Spanish-speaking countries: perspective from the aging
The purpose of the study was to identify the differences in between the perception of the quality of life of the elderly who attend the Instituto de Atención Integral in Saltillo, Mexico and the elderly who attend the Centros Espacio Mayor of the Providencia, municipality in Santiago de Chile, as well as the differences by sex of both samples. We used a quantitative methodology with exploratory scopes. An adapted version of the Quality of Life Questionnaire for Older Adults in Community was used. 535 older adults from Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico, 49% men (n = 262) and 51% women (n = 273) and 300 older adults from the Municipality of Providencia in Santiago, Chile, were elected by intentional sampling, 11% are men (n = 33) and 89% are women (n = 267). Data were processed by hypothesis testing for independent samples. The results showed that, if there are significant differences in the four sections of the instrument, being relevant the Autonomy section, since the differences were found in the six reagents that make it in favor of the Chilean sample. Regarding the results by sex, significant differences were found in each of the sections.
self-determinationEliminar self-determination
Validity and Reliability of the Family Satisfaction Scale in University Students of Lima, Peru
The present study is an instrumental research that aims to analyze the psychometric properties of the family satisfaction scale (FSS) in a sample of 607 students from a private university in Lima Metropolitana, aged between 16 and 28 years old. The scale was translated with the inverse method. An exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was performed, identifying optimal values for a unifactorial solution. The relationship with the family communication variable was analyzed in a positive, direct and moderated effect size. In the analysis of invariance according to sex, it indicated a weak level of invariance. Finally, optimal values of reliability are reported. It is concluded that the FSS presents evidence of validity and reliability, its use being recommended.