ABSTRACT
Introducción: La pandemia por COVID-19 ha tenido un impacto negativo en el bienestar psicológico de la población, siendo los jóvenes un grupo especialmente vulnerable. Objetivo: El presente estudio se propuso examinar los niveles de búsqueda de ayuda (formal e informal) para problemas en salud mental y sus variables asociadas en una muestra de estudiantes universitarios de la Región de La Araucanía, en el contexto de la pandemia por COVID-19. Método: A través de un muestreo no probabilístico por conveniencia, se reclutó a 500 estudiantes de entre 18 y 29 años. Se describió y comparó su nivel de búsqueda de ayuda, así como variables que podrían obstaculizarla o facilitarla, según género. Adicionalmente, se estimaron modelos de regresión lineal múltiple diferenciados por género, con la búsqueda de ayuda informal como variable criterio. Resultados: Se evidenció una renuencia general a buscar ayuda (formal e informal) tanto en hombres como mujeres, una mayor experimentación de malestar psicológico y mayor conocimiento sobre salud mental en mujeres. Finalmente, se observaron diferencias en los predictores de la búsqueda de ayuda informal entre hombres y mujeres, siendo el apoyo social y las emociones negativas en pandemia los únicos comunes entre géneros. Conclusión: Se discuten los bajos niveles de búsqueda de ayuda evidenciados, y las diferencias observadas en variables asociadas, en función de la brecha de género en salud mental.
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the psychological well-being of the population, with young people being a particularly vulnerable group. Aim: The present study examines help-seeking intention for mental health problems and associated variables among male and female university students in La Araucanía Region during the COVI-19 pandemic. Method: A sample of 500 students aged 18 to 29 was recruited through non-probabilistic convenience sampling. Help-seeking levels and facilitating or hindering variables were compared by gender. Multiple linear regression models were estimated separately by gender to predict the criterion variable of informal help-seeking. Results: The results indicate that both men and women are reluctant to seek help (formal and informal). Women reported higher levels of psychological distress and greater knowledge about mental health than men. Differences in predictors of informal help-seeking between men and women are evidenced, with social support and negative emotions in pandemic being the only common predictors between genders. Conclusion: The low levels of help-seeking evidenced, and the differences observed in associated variables based on the gender gap in mental health, are discussed.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adolescent , Adult , Young Adult , COVID-19 , Psychological Well-BeingABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Negative beliefs about vaccines can threaten herd immunity and pandemic control. Although beliefs about vaccines influence vaccination intention, there are no valid instruments that evaluate this in the Latin American population. AIM: To evaluate the psychometric properties of two scales that measure negative beliefs towards vaccines in general and against SARS-CoV-2 and provide evidence of their association with vaccination intention (convergent validity) in a Chilean sample. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two studies were carried out. The first included 263 people who answered the beliefs towards vaccines in general scale (CV-G) and the beliefs towards the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine scale (CV-COVID). Exploratory factor analyses were conducted. In the second study, 601 people answered the same scales. Confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling were performed to provide evidence of validity. RESULTS: Both scales had an unifactorial structure and excellent reliability and showed associations with the intention of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, providing evidence of convergent validity. CONCLUSIONS: The scales evaluated here are reliable and valid measures that showed associations with vaccination intention in the Chilean population.
Subject(s)
Humans , Vaccines , COVID-19/prevention & control , Psychometrics , Reproducibility of Results , Vaccination , Intention , COVID-19 Vaccines , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Negative beliefs about vaccines can threaten herd immunity and pandemic control. Although beliefs about vaccines influence vaccination intention, there are no valid instruments that evaluate this in the Latin American population. Aim: To evaluate the psychometric properties of two scales that measure negative beliefs towards vaccines in general and against SARS-CoV-2 and provide evidence of their association with vaccination intention (convergent validity) in a Chilean sample. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two studies were carried out. The first included 263 people who answered the beliefs towards vaccines in general scale (CV-G) and the beliefs towards the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine scale (CV-COVID). Exploratory factor analyses were conducted. In the second study, 601 people answered the same scales. Confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling were performed to provide evidence of validity. RESULTS: Both scales had an unifactorial structure and excellent reliability and showed associations with the intention of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, providing evidence of convergent validity. Conclusions: The scales evaluated here are reliable and valid measures that showed associations with vaccination intention in the Chilean population.
Subject(s)
Humans , Vaccines , COVID-19/prevention & control , Psychometrics , Reproducibility of Results , Vaccination , Intention , COVID-19 Vaccines , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
Abstract Although the Life Satisfaction Scale (SWLS) has been used to establish comparisons among nations/cultures, the measurement invariance of this scale has not always been demonstrated. The forced acculturative experience of indigenous minorities and its differentiation of gender roles could impact how people respond to this scale. The purpose of this study was to examine the measurement invariance of the SWLS when it is applied to a Chilean indigenous group, considering gender and their most frequent acculturative types (i.e., acculturated and bicultural). Eight hundred adults of Mapuche origin answered a Spanish version of the SWLS and the Mapuche Acculturation Scale. The results supported the SWLS strict invariance between acculturated and bicultural and also between acculturated men and women. Partial strict invariance was found between bicultural men and women; specifically, the residual variance of Item 3 was higher in women than in men. Since Spanish is a gendered language, a linguistic explanation is proposed for the non-invariance of this item. The importance of careful wording of the items, when administered in multilanguage acculturation contexts, is discussed.
Resumen Aunque la Escala de Satisfacción con la Vida (SWLS) se ha usado para comparar personas de distintas naciones/culturas, no siempre su invarianza de medición ha sido demostrada. La aculturación forzada de las minorías indígenas y sus particulares roles de género podrían afectar las respuestas de esas personas a esta escala. Este estudio tuvo por objetivo examinar la invarianza de la SWLS en un grupo indígena chileno, considerando el género y los tipos aculturativos más frecuentes (i.e., aculturados y biculturales). Ochocientos adultos mapuches respondieron, en castellano, la SWLS y la Escala de Aculturación Mapuche. Se encontró apoyo para invarianza estricta entre aculturados y biculturales y, además, entre hombres y mujeres aculturados. Se encontró invarianza estricta parcial entre hombres y mujeres biculturales; específicamente, la varianza residual del ítem 3 fue mayor en mujeres que en hombres. Siendo el castellano un idioma con distinción de géneros, se propuso una explicación lingüística para la falta de invarianza de ese ítem. Se discute la importancia de redactar cuidadosamente los ítems cuando son administrados en contextos aculturativos multilingües.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adult , Middle Aged , Personal Satisfaction , Chile , Indigenous Peoples , Gender Identity , AcculturationABSTRACT
Background: The Chilean population is aging rapidly. This socio-demographic change imposes psychosocial and economic challenges that are relevant for the health care of older people. Aim: To assess the association between perceived financial situation, perceived social support by friends, and age with health self-perception in older people. Material and Methods: A questionnaire about health self-perception, financial situation, and social support perceived by friends was applied to 383 occupationally active adults aged 68 ± 5 years (66% women) living in urban areas of Southern Chile. A gender-based multi-group path model was specified, which evaluated the association of health self-perception with the assessment of the financial situation, social support, and age. Results: The final model was moderated by gender. However, age was not associated with health self-perception. For men and women, the perceived financial situation showed a positive association with health self-perception. The perceived social support of friends was only significant for women. Conclusions: The financial situation and friends' support (among women) are factors that should be considered in the evaluation of the health perception of older adults.