Perfil del psicópata institucionalizado sin comportamiento criminal previo a su entrada en prisión / A profile of institutionalized psycopaths without a history of criminal behavior before incarceration

La inclusión en el PCL-R del comportamiento criminal previo como criterio para la evaluación de la psicopatía en las prisiones, supone que los individuos evaluados como psicópatas en la comunidad por sus consistencias de personalidad no sean detectados al llegar a prisión. Se pretende establecer el perfil diferencial del psicópata no detectado frente al psicópata criminal a nivel familiar, educativo, de consumo y delictivo. La muestra está conformada por 352 internos en prisión que fueron evaluados mediante el PCL-R. Los resultados obtenidos confirman que el psicópata no detectado presenta mismas consistencias de personalidad que el psicópata criminal, difiriendo en el estilo de vida; exhibe variables moderadoras durante su desarrollo que le han mantenido alejado del comportamiento criminal; no ha tenido un estilo de vida delictivo, pero mantiene la misma capacidad que el psicópata criminal para la comisión de los delitos más graves, siendo víctimas más frecuentes familiares y parejas.

The previous criminal behavior included in the PCL-R like a criterion to evaluation of the psychopathy in the prisons, suppose that individuals considered as psychopaths in the community for their personality were not detected when they arrive to prison. The aim of this research was to establish the different profile of the undetected psychopath in comparison with criminal psychopath in the familiar, educative, substance abuse and criminal environments. The sample was made up of 352 prisoners evaluated with the PCL-R. Results revealed that undetected psychopath showed the same personality but different lifestyle than criminal psychopath. Moreover, undetected psychopath accounted with moderating variables during his development that avoid them committing criminal behavior. Finally they did not show a criminal lifestyle, however, as the same as a criminal psychopath, they had the capacity to commit serious crimes being their victims their relatives or couples.

Factores de riesgo asociados al desarrollo de fístula anal / Risk factor associated to the development of anal fistula

Objetivo: Determinar los factores de riesgo asociados para el desarrollo de fístula anal posterior a absceso anal. Sede: Hospital General de México. Diseño: Estudio de casos y controles. Análisis estadístico: Análisis univariado. Pacientes y métodos: Se incluyeron 250 pacientes observados en el periodo de mayo de 2009 a enero de 2012, evaluados en consulta externa de la Unidad de Coloproctología con el diagnóstico de absceso anal y con tres meses o más de seguimiento. Las variables analizadas fueron: edad, ocupación, diabetes mellitus, tabaquismo, consumo de alcohol, antibióticos previos y posteriores al drenaje, tipo de evacuación de acuerdo a la escala de Bristol, anorrecepción, tiempo de evolución del absceso y lugar de drenaje del absceso (consultorio, quirófano o espontáneamente). Resultados: De los 250 pacientes con absceso anal tratados con un drenaje simple, 103 (41.2%) desarrollaron fístula anal. Los resultados del análisis univariado no mostraron significancia estadística para ninguna de estas variables. Conclusión: No identificamos factor de riesgo, estudiados en este trabajo, para poder determinar qué pacientes pueden desarrollar fístula anal posterior a un evento de absceso anal.

Objective: To determine the risk factors associated to the development of anal after an anal abscess. Setting: General Hospital of Mexico (third level health care center). Design: Case-controls study. Statistical analysis: Univariate analysis. Patients and methods: The study comprised 250 patients observed in the period of May 2009 to January 2012 assessed in the outpatient clinic of the Coloproctology Unit, with a diagnosis of anal abscess and three months or more of follow-up. Analyzed varaibles were: age, ocupation, diabetes mellitus, smoking, alcohol consumption, previous antibiotics and after the drainage, type of evacuation according to the Bristol scale, anal reception, time of abscess evolution, and site where drainage of the abscess was performed (outpatient clinic, surgery room, or spontaneously). Results: Of the 250 patients with an anal abscess treated with a simple drainage, 103 (41.2%) developed an anal. Results of the univariate analysis did not reveal any statistical significance for any of the studied variables. Conclusion: We did not identify any risk factor in this paper to be able to determine which patients can develop an anal after an anal abscess event.

Características clínicas asociadas al escurrimiento fecal ''soiling'' en pacientes operados de enfermedades anales / Clinical characteristics associated to fecal ''soiling'' in patients subjected to anal surgeries

Objetivo: Describir las características clínicas relacionadas con el escurrimiento fecal ''soiling'' que presentan los pacientes operados de enfermedad hemorroidal, fístula, fisura anal y drenaje de absceso. Sede: Unidad de Coloproctología del Servicio de Gastroenterología del Hospital General de México ''Dr. Eduardo Liceaga''. Diseño: Estudio de casos y controles. Análisis estadístico: Medidas de tendencia central, t de Student, cálculo de momios (odds ratio; OR) y análisis no paramétrico con χ². Pacientes y métodos: Se aplicó un cuestionario de ocho ítems a 132 pacientes que acudieron a la consulta externa de nuestra unidad. El manchado de ropa interior, eritema anal, cicatriz, prurito y utilización de material para proteger la región anal, así como el cambio de alimentación, la presencia de materia fecal en el ano y la limpieza de la región anal sin haber evacuado fueron las variables evaluadas y comparadas entre pacientes operados y no operados. Resultados: Se incluyeron 59 hombres y 73 mujeres con edad media de 45 años, 58 pacientes operados y 74 no operados. El manchado de ropa interior fue el síntoma más frecuente en los pacientes operados (37% versus 25%). Las otras variables con significancia estadística, al compararse ambos grupos, fueron: prurito, la presencia de una cicatriz y eritema anal. El OR para cirugía en pacientes con manchado de ropa fue 3.22 (95% IC 1.57-6.60), para prurito 2.24 (95% IC 1.11-4.52) y la presencia de una cicatriz anal 91.38 (95% IC 24.46-341.43). Conclusiones: El soiling caracterizado como manchado de la ropa interior se presenta en al menos un tercio de los pacientes operados de cirugía anal. La presencia de eritema, materia fecal en el ano y una cicatriz anal asociadas hacen pensar en esta alteración.

Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics related to soiling present in patients subjected to anal surgery due to hemorrhoidal disease, fistula, anal fissure, and abscess drainage. Setting: Coloproctology unit of the Gastroenterology Service of the General Hospital of Mexico ''Dr. Eduardo Liceaga''. Design: Cases and controls study. Statistical analysis: Central tendency measures, Student's t test, odds ratio (OR) and non-parametric analysis using χ². Patients and methods: We applied an eight-item questionnaire to 132 patients that came to the out-patient consultation of our unit. Soiling of underwear, anal erythema, scar, pruritus, use of material to protect the anal region, change in feeding habits, presence of fecal matter in the anus, and cleaning of the anal region without having defecated were the assessed variables and these were compared between operated and non-operated patients. Results: We included 59 men and 73 women, average age of 45 years, 58 operated and 74 non-operated. Soiling of underwear was the most frequent sign in operated patients (37% versus 25%). The other variables with statistical significance when comparing both groups were: pruritus, presence of a scar and anal erythema. The OR for surgery in patients with underwear soiling was 3.22 (95% CI 1.57-6.60); for pruritus, 2.24 (95% CI 1.11-4.52) and presence of anal scar, 91.38 (95% CI 24.46-341.43). Conclusions: Soiling of underwear was found in at least one third of patients subjected to anal surgery. The presence of erythema, fecal matter in the anus, and an anal scar should lead to consider this alteration.

Alteraciones de la función intestinal y de la continencia fecal posteriores a cirugía preservadora de esfínteres por cáncer de recto / Alterations of intestinal function and fecal continence after sphincter-preserving surgery due to rectal cancer

Objetivo: Cuantificar el grado de severidad del síndrome de resección anterior baja (SRAB) en pacientes postoperados de cirugía preservadora de esfínteres (CPE). Sede: Unidad de Coloproctología del Hospital General de México ''Dr. Eduardo Liceaga''. Diseño: Estudio descriptivo de cohorte transversal. Análisis estadístico: Porcentajes como medida de resumen para variables cualitativas. Pacientes y métodos: Se incluyeron 30 pacientes tratados con cirugía preservadora de esfínteres, de enero 2007 a diciembre del 2011. A dichos pacientes se les evaluó por medio de la escala de síndrome de resección anterior baja del Hospital Universitario de Aarhus, en Dinamarca, de cinco parámetros. Se evaluó la prevalencia del síndrome de resección anterior baja, intensidad con base en el tiempo y la distancia del tumor al margen anal. Resultados: El 60% de los pacientes se encontró con síndrome de resección anterior baja, con un seguimiento promedio de 20 meses. La incontinencia a líquidos estuvo presente en el 48%, fraccionamiento de defecación 21%, urgencia defecatoria 17%; los otros dos parámetros evaluados prácticamente no se presentaron. El grado más severo de síndrome de resección anterior baja se observó en los primeros 8 meses posteriores a la cirugía y sólo un paciente, después de 24 meses de operado, continuó con sintomatología severa. Los pacientes con tumores entre 7 y 10 cm del margen del ano no desarrollaron las alteraciones evaluadas o éstas fueron leves. Todos los pacientes con un tumor menor de 7 cm desarrollaron alteraciones severas. Conclusión: Las alteraciones más frecuentemente encontradas fueron la incontinencia fecal a líquidos, fraccionamiento de la defecación y urgencia defecatoria. Las alteraciones valoradas mediante la escala de síndrome de resección anterior baja fueron severas en los primeros meses posteriores a la cirugía y cuando el tumor se encontraba más cerca del margen anal.

Objective: To assess the degree of severity of the low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) in patients after sphincter preserving surgery (SPS). Setting: Coloproctology unit of the General Hospital of Mexico ''Dr. Eduardo Liceaga'' (Third level health care hospital). Design: Cross-sectional cohort descriptive study. Statistical analysis: Percentages as summary measure for qualitative variables. Patients and methods: The study included 20 patients subjected to sphincter preserving surgery, from January 2007 to December 2011. These patients were evaluated according to the five-parameter LARS scale of the Aarhus University Hospital, in Denmark. We assessed prevalence of low anterior resection syndrome, intensity based on time and distance of the tumor from the anal margin. Results: Of the patients, 60% coursed with the low anterior resection syndrome with an average follow-up of 20 months. Incontinence to liquids was present in 48%, fragmented defecation in 21%, urgency to defecate in 17%; the other two assessed parameters were practically inexistent. The most severe degree of low anterior resection syndrome was seen in the first 8 months after surgery and only one patient, after 24 months of the surgery, continued with severe symptoms. Patients with tumors between 7 and 10 cm from the anal margin did not develop the assessed alterations or they were very mild. All patients with a tumor at less than 7 cm developed severe alterations. Conclusion: The most frequently found alterations were fecal incontinence to liquids, fragmented defecation, and urgency to defecate. The alterations assessed by the LARS scale were severe during the first months after surgery and when the tumor was closer to the anal margin.

Características clinicopatológicas de pacientes con tumores retrorrectales en el Hospital General de México / Clinicopathological characteristics of patients with retrorectal tumors at the General Hospital of Mexico

Objetivo: Identificar la prevalencia de tumores retrorrectales y describir sus características clinicopatológicas. Sede: Hospital General de México ''Eduardo Liceaga''. Diseño: Estudio retrospectivo, observacional, descriptivo y transversal. Análisis estadístico: Porcentajes como medida de resumen para variables cualitativas. Pacientes y métodos: Revisión de expedientes clínicos para identificar a los pacientes con diagnóstico de tumor retrorrectal desde al año 2000 al 2012. Las variables a evaluar fueron: edad, sexo, síntomas, tratamiento, reporte histopatológico final y prevalencia de la enfermedad. Resultados: De un total de 28,452 consultas de primera vez, de enero de 2000 a diciembre de 2012 se identificaron 6 pacientes con tumores retrorrectales, cuatro de ellos fueron hombres (66.6%); la edad promedio fue de 57.8 años (46-69). Los principales síntomas fueron: estreñimiento en seis (100%), tenesmo en cinco (83.3%), dolor anal en tres (50%), dolor lumbar en tres (50%), rectorragia en dos (33.3%) y pérdida de peso en dos (33.3%). La duración promedio de los síntomas fue de 21.8 meses. Todos los pacientes fueron operados; tres por abordaje abdominal (50%) y tres por abordaje posterior (50%); el sangrado transoperatorio, los días de estancia hospitalaria y las complicaciones fueron mayores en el grupo de abordaje abdominal. El tumor más frecuente fue el cordoma en cuatro pacientes (66.6%) seguido de sarcoma pleomórfico en un paciente y tumor del estroma gastrointestinal en un paciente. El seguimiento fue de 4.6 meses (4 a 6). Conclusiones: Los tumores retrorrectales son una enfermedad con baja prevalencia y características clínicas heterogéneas por los tipos de tumores que se pueden localizar en esta región. El tumor maligno más frecuente fue el cordoma.

Objective: To identify the prevalence of retrorectal tumors and to describe their clinicopathological characteristics. Setting: General Hospital of Mexico ''Eduardo Liceaga'' (third level health care center). Design: Retrospective, observational descriptive, cross-sectional study. Statistical analysis: Percentages as summary measure for qualitative variables. Patients and methods: Review of clinical files to identify those patients with a diagnosis of retrorectal tumor in the period from 2000 to 2012. Analyzed variables were: age, sex, symptoms, treatment, final histopathological report, and prevalence of the disease. Results: From a total of 28,452 first-time consultations from January 2000 to December 2012, six patients were identified with retrorectal tumors, four of them were men (66-6%); average age was of 57.8 years (46-69). The main symptoms were constipation in six (110%), tenesmus in five (83.3%), anal pain in three (50%), lumbar pain in three (50%), rectorrhagia in two (33.3%), and weight loss in two (33.3%). Average length of symptoms was of 21.8 months. All patients were operated; three through an abdominal approach (50%) and three through a posterior approach (50%), transoperative bleeding, longer in-hospital stay and minor complications were encountered in the abdominal approach group. The most frequent tumor was the chordoma in four patients (66.6%) followed by a pleomorphic sarcoma in one patient, and a tumor of the gastrointestinal stroma in one patient. Follow-up was of 4.6 months (4 to 6). Conclusions: Retrorectal tumors have a low prevalence presenting with heterogeneous clinical characteristics due to the type of tumors that can occur in this region. The most frequent malignant tumor was the chordoma.

Tratamiento de la fístula anal mediante ligadura del trayecto fistuloso en el espacio interesfintérico con poliglactina 2-0: Estudio piloto / Treatment of anal fistula by ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract with 2-0 polyglactin: Pilot study

Objetivo: Determinar el porcentaje de curación y de continencia fecal (CF) con la ligadura interesfintérica del trayecto fistuloso (LIFT, por sus siglas en inglés: ligation of intersphinteric fistula tract) con poliglactina 2-0. Diseño: Estudio piloto, experimental, descriptivo y no comparativo. Sede: Unidad de Coloproctología del Hospital General de México (UCHGM). Análisis estadístico: Los resultados se presentan en tablas de frecuencia y porcentaje de acuerdo con cada variable estudiada. Material y métodos: De forma no probabilística y por conveniencia, se eligieron 14 pacientes con fístula anal (FA) compleja para tratamiento con la técnica de LIFT con poliglactina 2-0. Sólo a 10 pacientes se les pudo realizar LIFT. Se les dio seguimiento postoperatorio por 3 meses. Resultados: Sólo a 10 pacientes se les pudo realizar LIFT (71%), de los cuales el 50%, a los 3 meses, no presentó orificio fistuloso secundario (OFS) ni exudado; el 80% no tuvo dolor después de la cirugía y el 100% se integró a sus actividades laborales a las 2 semanas. Después de 3 meses, 5 pacientes continuaron con FA. De los 10 pacientes a los que se les realizó LIFT ninguno presentó incontinencia fecal (IF). Conclusión: La LIFT con poliglactina 2-0 es un procedimiento seguro, se logró realizar en el 71% de los candidatos seleccionados y con buena efectividad para la curación del 50%.

Objective: To determine the percentage of healing and fecal continence (FC) with the technique of ligation of intersphinteric fistula tract (LIFT) with 2-0 polyglactin. Design: Experimental, descriptive non-comparative pilot study. Setting: Coloproctology Unit of the General Hospital of Mexico. Statistical analysis: Results are presented in frequency and percentage tables according to each studied variable. Patients and methods: We chose randomly and by convenience 14 patients with complex anal fistula (AF) to be treated with the LIFT technique with 2-0 polyglactin. LIFT could only be performed in 10 patients. They were followed for 3 months after surgery. Results: LIFT could only be performed in 10 (71%) of the patients; of these, 50% did not present secondary fistulous orifice nor exudates; 80% had no pain after surgery, and 100% returned to their working activities after 2 weeks. After 3 months, five patients continued with AF. Of the 10 patients subjected to LIFT, none presented fecal incontinence. Conclusion: LIFT with 2-0 polyglactin is a safe procedure; it was possible to performe the procedure in 71% of the chosen candidates, with a good healing efficacy in 50% of the patients.

Asunción de responsabilidad en hombres maltratadores: influencia de la autoestima, la personalidad narcisista y la personalidad antisocial / Responsibility assumption among male batterers: self-esteem, narcissistic and antisocial personality influence

El principal objetivo de este estudio es analizar la relación entre la asunción de responsabilidad de hombres condenados por violencia doméstica contra la mujer, la autoestima, la personalidad narcisista y la personalidad antisocial. Los participantes en este estudio fueron 177 hombres que participaban en un programa de intervención con maltratadores en medio abierto al que acudían por orden judicial. Se realizaron tres MANCOVAS para comprobar si existían diferencias en atribución de responsabilidad (culpabilización de la víctima, defensa propia y autoatribución de culpa), y minimización de los hechos, en función de la presencia de rasgos de personalidad narcisista y antisocial, y de la autoestima. En todos los casos se controló por la variable deseabilidad social. Únicamente se encontraron diferencias significativas entre los grupos de baja y alta autoestima en minimización. Los sujetos con baja autoestima tendían a minimizar en mayor medida los hechos por los que habían sido condenados. Se discuten los resultados relativos a la relación entre las dos variables de personalidad evaluadas y la atribución de responsabilidad y sus implicaciones para la intervención con maltratadores.

The main aim of this study was to analyze the relation between responsibility assumption among men convicted for domestic violence against women and self-esteem, narcissistic personality and antisocial personality. Participants in the study were 177 men participating in a court-ordered batterer intervention program in the community. Three MANCOVAS were performed to analyze differences in responsibility attributions (victim-blaming, self-defense, and self-attribution), and minimization as a function of narcissistic and antisocial personality traits presence, and levels of self-esteem. All analysis controlled for social desirability. Significant differences were found only between groups of low and high self-esteem in minimization. Subjects with low self-esteem showed higher levels of minimization of the violence for which they were convicted. These results implications of for batterers intervention programs are discussed.

Una medida breve de la sintomatología depresiva (CESD-7)

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Summary: Depression is a mental health condition with a high prevalence in the population, low rates of detection in the health system, and a significant influence in the quality of life of individuals, affecting their family and social contexts. Because of this, research focusing on the development of instruments to measure depression has been an active area of research with a growing development in the Latin American context. In this paper, we present a brief version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CESD-20), and analyze its psychometric properties, factorial structure, and construct validity in a sample of Spanish adult population. Our aim is to provide researchers and professionals of Spanish-speaking countries with an instrument that allows to obtain relevant information about the mental health of individuals in a reliable and efficient way. The CESD-20 was originally designed to evaluate the severity of depressive symptomatology in adult population and has shown excellent properties among both adult and adolescent populations. The CESD evaluates depressed mood, positive affect, somatic and retarded activity and negative perception of interpersonal relationships during the last week. There is extensive literature about the factorial structure of the original instrument. In this sense, there is a general agreement among researches about the usefulness of using a summed up score of the 20 items to reflect depressive symptomatology. This global score is used as an indicator of the individual risk of developing clinic depression rather than to classify depressed individuals. The Spanish version of the original CESD-20 has been consistently validated in different populations, but so far a brief version in this language has not been avaliable to researchers. In this study we explore the internal consistency and factorial structure of a 7-item version (CESD-7), as well as its construct validity. To analyze the construct validity of the CESD-7 we explore the relationships of the scale scores with two variables of the physiological and social context, respectively. On the one hand, we explore the relationship between health perceptions and both the original and brief versions of the CESD. On the other hand, we analyze the relationship between social integration and the two versions of the CESD. There is extensive empirical evidence about the relationship of depression with physical health and social integration. In this sense, there is a general agreement as to the association between poor health conditions and higher levels of depression over time. Likewise, the levels of social integration have been traditionally regarded as antecedents of depression. Therefore, we expect that both the original and brief versions of the CESD would be negatively associated with physical health and social integration. Moreover, the statistical relationships among these constructs would not be different when analyzed with the original or brief versions of the CESD. This would indicate that the brief version might be used as a substitute of the long one. Method: Participants For this study we used data from a two-wave panel design with repeated measures in a community sample of Spanish adult population. In the first panel, 1051 participants of both sexes with ages ranging from 18 to 80 years completed the questionnaires. Participants in this panel were selected from a cross-section of representative neighbourhoods from a one million metropolitan area (Valencia, Spain). Participants completed questionnaires refering to their mental health, physical health, and social integration. Age, sex, educational level, and household income of participants were also coded. After six months, almost 75% (N = 740) of the respondents completed the same questionnaires in the second panel. Attrition analyses between respondents and drop-outs showed nonsignificant differences in socio-demographic variables. A 54% of the respondents were women. The mean age was 39 years. Average educational level was high school (full-time education until 18 years) and average household income was 21500 euros (26000 US dollars, approximately). Instruments Original version of the CESD (CESD-20). The original Spanish version of the CESD-20 used in this paper was adapted by the authors in previous works. Previous research with the CESD-20 scores of the translated version showed a high degree of internal consistency and construct validity. Brief version of the CESD (CESD-7). Based on the available literature, we selected seven items that showed the highest validity to classify cases of depression. Items for the revised measure included dysphoric mood (items 3, 6, and 18), motivation (item 7), concentration (item 5), loss of pleasure (item 16), and poor sleep (item 11 ). As indicated above, we also measured health perceptions and social integration to further analyze the construct validity of this brief scale. Two instruments were selected: Health Perception. We used the General Health Perception Questionaire developed by Davies and Ware to obtain information about the health status as appraised by the individual. The GHPQ includes 29 items with five category responses ranging from totally disagree to totally agree (e. g., "My health condition is excellent") that provides a global score with higher scores indicating better health perceptions. Social Integration. To measure social integration we used the Social Integration in the Community Scale. This is a five-item scale that measures the sense of belonging and/or identification to a community or neighbourhood (e.g., "I feel identified with my community"). A higher score represents a higher level of social integration. Results: Results showed that the CESD-7 can be described as undidimensional and that this one-factor structure remains mostly invariant after six months. Internal consistency was adequate (α' ≥ .82) in both panels. As for the validity of the brief version, we estimated several regression models for both the CESD-20 and CESD-7 as dependent variables. Predictors in these equations were: previous levels of depression, socio-demographic variables, physical health and social integration. Results showed a moderate relationship between measures of depression across time (CESD-20, β = 0.12, p < .001; CESD-7, β = 0.13, p < .001), and also that the CESD-20 and CESD-7 scores in panel two were significantly associated with sex, social integration, and physical health almost with the same strength for both versions. Also, non-significant associations were found for age, educational level, and household income for both versions. These results suggested that using the CESD-7 instead of the CESD-20 did not substantially change the results of linear regression models. Discussion. The results of this study indicate that the brief version of the CESD (CESD-7) has an adequate reliability and validity and that this brief measure is virtually equivalent to the original version (CESD-20) when used as a dependent variable in several linear regression models. Thus, both the original and brief versions scores were negatively and significantly associated with previous levels of good health conditions (perceived health) and social integration even after controlling for previous levels of depression in panel 1. There is extensive research showing that women report more depressive symptomatology than men. Also, physical health has been related with depression. Regarding social integration, there is also a vast array of empirical evidence relating it to the mental health of the individual. In our study, we found these expected associations both for the original CESD-20 and the brief version (CESD-7). According to the results obtained in this study, we encourage researchers to use this brief measure of depression when survey space is limited or a fast and reliable measure of depression is needed.

La comunidad como fuente de apoyo social: evaluación e implicaciones en los ámbitos individual y comunitario / The community as a source of social support: evaluation and implications at the individual and community levels

This paper presents results from three studies. In Study 1, we analyze the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Community Support Questionnaire. In Study 2, we examine the relations among community support and several indicators of psychological adjustment. In Study 3, we compare levels of community support across two types of residential areas: low and high risk residential areas. Results confirm both that perception of community support is associated with psychological adjustment and that community support also varies across different types of residential areas. We discuss the results implications for the analysis of community support both at individual and community level.

En este trabajo se presentan tres estudios. El estudio 1 se llevó a cabo con el objetivo de explorar las propiedades psicométricas y estructura factorial del cuestionario de apoyo comunitario percibido. El estudio 2 examina la relación del apoyo comunitario con diversos indicadores del ajuste psicológico. El estudio 3 se realizó para comprobar si existen diferencias en la percepción de apoyo comunitario entre participantes de áreas residenciales normales y de alto riesgo. Los resultados confirman que la percepción de apoyo comunitario está relacionada positivamente con en el ajuste psicológico, así como que las condiciones de la comunidad de residencia influyen en la percepción de apoyo comunitario de sus residentes. Se discuten las implicaciones de estos resultados para el análisis del apoyo comunitario tanto en el nivel individual como comunitario.