vol. 13 núm. 1 (2017)

This study investigated some aspects of a cooperative network aimed at Latin American Psychology. The study was based on documental data available to the public. The network included 262 researchers from Latin America and 38 from other countries, since the network supports researchers from other continents interested in cooperation. The data investigated were the country of origin, educational level and the professional occupation, general interests in cooperation and modalities of cooperation sought. Altogether, members came from 23 countries, including 12 Latin American and 11 countries from other continents. The countries with the largest number of participants were Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Peru. Regarding educational level, were identified from undergraduates to PhDs. The majority (n = 199) had a doctorate or master degree and the majority (n = 203) served as professor/researcher at the college level. The general interests of cooperation were divided into four groups and health and mental health and Social Psychology were the most cited topics. The form of cooperation cited more frequently was participation in Latin American research group. The data are compared with the literature and possibilities for advancing cooperation are discussed.

The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify the presence of suicidal attempt and suicidal ideation, sexual abuse and the relationship among these variables, in high school students from three towns in Boyaca, Colombia. This study was conducted with 1,292 participants whose ages ranged between 12 and 20 years old. The instruments used were a sociodemographic survey and the Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation Inventory. Statistically significant differences in the variables studied were found. Among the most relevant findings of this research, it was found that young victims of sexual abuse with penetration have had suicidal attempts (1.9%); moreover, 48% of the victims have suicidal ideation.

We studied the different problem solving strategies applied by chess players of different levels, with the goal of creating more intregrative programmes that are better at perfecting the training of chess players of all ages. Hence, this research might guide the selection of young talented players in sports schools in our country, and from the psychological point of view, the most relevant issue is how chess players solve problems in daily life using what they have learned through chess. The main goal was to identify problem solving strategies in chess players of different levels, and the specific goals were to determine the strategies used by chess players in logical thinking tasks, to define the strategies used by the sample in the solution of chess games, and to determine whether more experienced players use better strategies. The variables were: problem solving, logical thinking, thinking, strategy, and efficacy, measured with the Chess Test proposed by Przewoznik y Soszynski (2004) and the logical thinking test by Tobin & Capie (1981). The sample consisted of eight participants, and data were processed with Excel. We found that the five domains proposed in the logical thinking test (proportionality, variable control, probability, correlation, and combinatorial operations) are also present in the Chess Test, and that more experienced players had higher efficacy at solving chess positions. The Tobin and Capie test showed large similarities in terms of strategies.

The study of work stress is of great interest both globally and nationally, because of its negative effects on the health of people and organizations. The objective of this research was to analyse the concept of work stress, its explanatory models and associated variables, taking into account research conducted over the past five years. In order to achieve this goal, 62 articles were analyzed, 29 of which define stress in different ways, although they agree in some aspects: for example, as a psychophysiological response generated from threatening perception of an external stimulus; or the tension generated by a risk factor; the concept is also based on the explanatory models of stress, among which the most prominent is the model by Karasek and Siegrist. Finally, the importance of these two models is highlighted as the theoretical foundation for the construction of instruments for measuring stress.

The aim of this study was to analyze the differences in the life-job balance of women in two northern states of Mexico, Coahuila and Sonora, in order to know the contrasts in the distribution and harmonization of tasks inside and outside the home. A scale was applied to measure life-job balance to 556 women in both states. Six dimensions were explored: gratification, interference, family and parenting, health care and responsibility at home and free time. The results indicate that the sample of Sonora has higher levels of conciliation. In general, the incorporation of women into the workplace generates personal rewards, however, this condition has not substantially changed the sexual division of labor, and women working their daily hours and then continue with care and family care tasks at home.

Relationships during adolescence and emerging adulthood foster the acquisition of specific interpersonal skills and can influence future relations. In Colombia there is little published research focused exclusively on dating abuse, considering the age of the participants. The aim of this study was to detect the presence of intimate partner violence in 236 students aged 16 - 28 of the School of Psychology at the Pontificia Bolivariana University of Bucaramanga, comparing the possible forms of violence by age. The results indicated that the most frequent violent behavior was emotional- verbal, with no statistically significant differences between ages, except in behavior related to physical violence. Regarding the victimization experience, it was found that the emotional verbal victimization was most frequent, in addition to increased victimization experiences in younger students.

The aim of this study was to assess the scope of the implementation of the “Pacts for Life” program, designed to prevent alcohol abuse and dependence (Flórez-Alarcón & Velez, 2012), in modifying factors associated to drug use in a small municipality. Instruments used for the quantitative and qualitative assessment were: in-depth interview, field notes, mapping, surveys and direct observation records. Qualitative analysis of the material obtained and comparison of means of measurements associated with alcohol consumption were performed; and an analysis of the effectiveness of the program is included. We conclude that the strategy is probably effective, and that its application to small municipalities requires adjustment.

In the field of education there is high interest in emotional education programs. These programs must be evaluated to check their efficiency. The objective of this work is to develop a questionnaire to assess Emotional Intelligence (EI), following the model which conceives it as a set of skills, using the MSCEIT (Mayer et al., 2009) as reference; this questionnaire used a sample of high school and college students. We focused on 782 participants from 5 different centers; 39.4% are boys and 60.6% girls; 53.7% are Muslim and 46.3% Christian. The techniques used were a test developed to assess EI in teenagers and a similar adaptation of EHS (Gismero, 2000). The results show acceptable levels of reliability and also our expectations about theoretical dimensions were confirmed for both questionnaires. There are positive correlations between totals and their constituent dimensions. We found positive and significant correlations between both scales. Therefore, this questionnaire is an appropriate tool to evaluate these capabilities after making some modifications in future works.

This article presents a review of the social inclusion strategies at schools mentioned in scientific articles and books. These strategies were identified through categorical content analysis in four categories: competency, singularity, bonding and participation. There are contributions from strategies that go beyond their connection to diversity from its idea of “minority”, and the necessary connection between the recognition of the uniqueness for link building, skill development and their impact on participation as a key element of inclusion.