RESUMEN
Resumen El objetivo de este estudio fue observar los estilos de resiliencia entre estudiantes de pregrado y explorar la forma en la que cada uno de ellos se encontraba asociado al engagement académico y a las redes de apoyo social al inicio de los estudios universitarios. La muestra correspondió a 371 estudiantes de pregrado del Caribe Colombiano evaluados a partir de un análisis estadístico de clústeres, por el método jerárquico aglomerativo. Posteriormente se clasificaron en grupos de acuerdo con sus similitudes en las 12 dimensiones de resiliencia y finalmente se compararon en términos de engagement y redes personales. Los resultados señalaron cuatro perfiles de estudiantes: (1) sujetos con baja-resiliencia, alto engagement y fuertes vínculos relacionales; (2) resilientes-en-proceso, con niveles intermedios de resiliencia, bajo engagement y redes sociales con poca cercanía; (3) resilientes-autónomos con altos puntajes de resiliencia, niveles intermedios de engagementy redes sociales débiles; y (4) resilientes-con-redes, exhibieron altos niveles de resiliencia, con alto engagement y amplias redes de apoyo. Se concluye que la mayor porción de jóvenes que comienzan la universidad muestra perfiles de baja resiliencia; sin embargo, los altos niveles de motivación por los estudios y los recursos sociales como las redes de apoyo de los compañeros son las condiciones que más permiten afrontar los obstáculos de la vida universitaria. Es importante notar que solamente el último perfil integró los elementos de alta resiliencia, alto engagement y fuertes redes de apoyo que permiten confirmar la íntima asociación entre estos constructos. Los otros perfiles representan casos en los cuales los rasgos de resiliencia son independientes de los niveles de engagement y de la composición de las redes de apoyo personal.
Abstract Adjustment of first-year students to university environments, as well as their academic success, is not exclusively related to their academic aptitude; instead, this adjustment is associated with psychological characteristics, personal and even social resources that help students cope with stressors and new circumstances. A comprehensive assessment of the students' adjustment to university environment must transcend preoccupation on academic performance, and instead explore associations among psychological, academic, and social elements that promote adaptation during the initial years of higher education (Marenco-Escuderos et al., 2021). In this line of research, the objective of this work was to inquire how internal characteristics of students (psychological and academic) interplay with external elements in their support systems to promote adaptation in a higher education environment. Associations were explored among resilience, academic engagement, and social support as determining elements in the adjustment to the demands of the university context. The sample consisted of 371 undergraduate students (60 % female), of low socioeconomic status, enrolled in public universities in the Caribbean region of Colombia. Firstly, the resilience of university students was explored, as the ability to respond to obstacles with a positive view of the world, of others, and of one's own abilities to cope with stressors (Saavedra-Guajardo et al., 2019). Second, the level of engagement that drives young students to concentrate their energies on academic activities was reviewed; and third, the role of peers, and friends as the close-support system that facilitates the overcoming of personal and academic difficulties was investigated (Fernández-Martínez et al., 2017). Based on a statistical cluster analysis, by the agglomerative hierarchical method, individuals were classified according to their similarities in the expression of 12 dimensions of resilience (SV-RES scale), and subsequently compared in terms of engagement (UWES-S scale), and personal support networks (UNICET software). The results showed four student profiles: (1) the largest group consisting of students with low-resilience, high engagement and strong support networks; (2) a resilient group with low levels of engagement and support networks with little intimacy; (3) a resilient group with high characteristics of autonomy, intermediate levels of engagement, and support networks with weak structure; and (4) a very resilient group, high engagement, and wide and strong social support networks. The results point out the fact that the greatest proportion of students who start college show profiles of low resilience, however, high levels of motivation for studies and social resources such as peer support networks are the conditions that mostly allow for coping with adversity in the first years of college. These results could point to cultural aspects specific to the Caribbean region, where social networks are of great importance for daily functioning (Marenco-Escuderos et al., 2021). Regarding the association among the studied variables, it is important to note that only the last profile gathered all elements of high resilience, high engagement, and strong support networks that allow for confirming the association among these constructs. The other three profiles represent cases in which the resilience traits are independent of the students' levels of engagement and the composition of their personal support networks. This study is valuable as it provides a differentiating picture of the relationship of resilience with other psychological and social constructs, and in that it allows to better understand resilience in association with other elements that mediate its interpretation. Important gender differences among the profiles are additionally discussed.
RESUMEN
Resumen Introducción: La ansiedad ante los exámenes (AE) es común entre universitarios e implica manifestaciones cognitivas, motoras y fisiológicas de tensión y preocupación permanente ante la evaluación que puede afectar su desempeño académico. Objetivo: Evaluar si el engagement, la inteligencia emocional y los factores asociados con la realización de pruebas académicas predicen las manifestaciones de AE en una muestra de 400 estudiantes universitarios. Método: Mediante un diseño predictivo transversal se evaluó el engagement (Vigor, Dedicación, Absorción), la inteligencia emocional (Atención, Claridad, Reparación) y diversos factores relacionados con pruebas académicas, analizando su relación con las manifestaciones de AE, y se construyeron modelos de regresión categórica para definir el nivel predictivo de las variables. Resultados: Se descartó la relación entre engagement y AE (p>0,05) mientras que Claridad y Reparación se asociaron inversamente con las manifestaciones de AE, excepto las fisiológicas. Diferentes factores asociados con la realización de exámenes como control docente, temor a la evaluación y tipo de preguntas predicen las respuestas de ansiedad fisiológica (R2=0,10, p<0,01), motora (R2=0,09, p<0,01) y cognitiva (R2=0,12, p<0,01). La Claridad predice negativamente la ansiedad motora (β=-0,131, p<0,01). Conclusiones: Engagement académico y AE se registran como variables independientes una de la otra, entre tanto, la Claridad emocional regula débilmente la ansiedad motora. Factores cognitivos y situacionales al momento de realizar exámenes son relevantes en el desencadenamiento de la respuesta ansiosa.
Abstract Introduction: Test Anxiety (TA) is common among university students and involves cognitive, motor, and physiological manifestations of tension and permanent concern about exams that may affect their academic performance. Objective: Assess whether engagement, emotional intelligence and factors associated with academic test solving predict the manifestations of TA in a sample of 400 university students. Method: Using a cross-sectional predictive design, engagement (Vigor, Dedication, Absorption), emotional intelligence (Attention, Clarity, Repair) and several factors related to academic test solving were evaluated, analyzing their relationship with the manifestations of TA, and categorical regression models were constructed to define the predictive level of the variables. Results: The relationship between engagement and TA was discarded (p>0,05) while Clarity and Repair were inversely associated with TA manifestations, except the physiological ones. Different factors associated with exams such as professor control, fear of exams and the question type predict physiological (R2=0,10, p<0,01), motor (R2=0,09, p<0,01) and cognitive (R2=0,12, p<0,01) anxiety responses. Clarity predicts motor anxiety (β=-0,131, p<0,01) negatively. Conclusions: Academic engagement and TA are registered as independent variables of each other; meanwhile, emotional Clarity regulates motor anxiety weakly. Cognitive and situational factors at the time of exams are relevant in the triggering of the anxious response.
RESUMEN
Resumen La familia es un escenario primordial en el estudio del acoso entre iguales, y particularmente la relación paterno-filial ha cobrado relevancia en la investigación científica sobre el tema. En este sentido, la socialización parental puede ser clave como factor de protección o de riesgo en la aparición de situaciones de acoso. El presente estudio aborda el análisis de estrategias y estilos de socialización de padres y madres en estudiantes de secundaria implicados en acoso escolar, como testigo, agresor, víctima y agresor-víctima. Se evaluaron 551 adolescentes de entre 12 y 18 años mediante un diseño comparativo de grupos naturales. Se aplicó el cuestionario del defensor del pueblo sobre violencia escolar ajustado para contexto colombiano y la escala de estilos de socialización parental en la adolescencia (ESPA 29). Como resultado se identificaron en los participantes altos niveles de estrategias de socialización basadas en coerción/imposición por parte de ambas figuras paternas. A diferencia de estudios previos, no se identifica relación entre ninguno de los estilos parentales de la madre y los roles asumidos por los estudiantes en situaciones de acoso, mientras que el estilo indulgente en el padre mostró relación estadísticamente significativa con los roles de testigo y agresor-víctima. Se discuten las implicaciones de los resultados resaltando la importancia de la crianza afectiva y el rol que desempeñan las figuras parentales en la socialización y formación de habilidades psicosociales que contribuyan en la disminución de las prácticas de acoso en niños y adolescentes.
Abstract The family is a primary scenario when studying harassment among equals. Particularly, the parent-child relationship has built up importance in scientific investigations regarding this topic. In this regard, parental socialization may be key as a protection or risk aspect in the occurrence of harassment situations. The development of this study focuses in the achievement of two main objectives. The first objective is aimed to identifying differences in the strategies of parental socialization in both parents, in accordance to the role of the participants involved in harassing behavior. The second objective is based in stablishing if the roles adopted by students have any co-relation with the parental socialization style. In order to fulfill these objectives an empirical, comparative, investigation took place that was based in the design of natural groups, which facilitates the comparison of different variables in social groups that belong to a same culture, e.g. students, where the analyzed variables source differences among individuals. The study had a base of 551 students (290 male and 261 female) from four different educational institutions, with ages ranging from 12 to 18 (µ = 15.2, of = 1.3). Harassment conducts were evaluated in accordance to the Defensor del Pueblo questionnaire, from a version adjusted to the Colombian context. Whereas the parental style of socialization was evaluated in accordance with Escala de Estilos de Socialización Parental en la Adolescencia (ESPA-29). The participant-type descriptive evaluation highlights that 296 (53.8 %) of the students take part as bully-victims, 95 (17.2 %) take part as non-involved, 87 (15.8 %) take part as victims, and 73 (13.2 %) take part as bullies. These roles were embraced similarly in men and women without a significant relationship between gender and the type of participant (χ2 = 5.328, p = .149 > .05). Concerning to the socialization strategies of parental figures, in the mother's case, the obtained data indicates that the main differences are found in the group of students who embrace the role of offender-victims. In this group, participants show a higher level of indifference that non-involved (p = .023 < .05) and bullies (p = .007 < .05), a higher level of physical coercion than non-involved (p = .000 < .05) and victims (p = .023 < .05), as well as a higher level of the strictness/imposition axis than non-involved (p = .001 < .05). The latest show higher verbal coercion (p = .009 < .05) and strictness/imposition (p = .032 < .05) than bullies. In the father's case, the obtained data also highlights the bully-victims as the group with higher ennui than non-involved (p = .000 < .05) and bullies (p = .046 < .05), higher indifference than non-involved (p = .000 < .05) and bullies (p = .010 < .05), higher physical coercion than non-involved (p = .000 < .05) and victims (p = .021 < .05), as well as a higher number than non-involved (p = .001 < .05) in the strictness/imposition axis. The most common parental style strategy in mothers is indulgent (n = 240, 43.6 %), followed by authoritative (n = 161, 29.2 %), neglectful (n = 102, 18.5 %) and last authoritarian (n = 48, 8.7 %). Meanwhile, the indulgent style is also the most common among fathers (n = 211, 38.3 %), followed by neglectful (n = 171, 31 %), authoritative (n = 109, 19.8 %) and authoritarian (n = 60, 10.9 %). This discards the existence of a significant association between the mother's socialization style and student's harassment roles. On the other hand, the indulgent style in fathers was significant in relation to the witnesses (χ2 = 16.88, p = .000 > .001; ϖ = .18, 1-β = .97) and the bully-victims (χ2 = 8.96, p = .03 > .05; ϖ = .14, 1-β = .80). The parenthood focused on fulfilling the children demands with low boundaries delimitation is reiterative in parents where indulgent is their most common style of parent socialization, which seems to be associated with an expectation to harass. This work highlights the important role that the parent figures play in the formation of psychosocial skills to the integration of children and teenagers. Furthermore, it features the importance of how parents build bonding relationships with their children.