ABSTRACT
Ethical considerations regarding our treatment of animals have gained strength, leading to legislation and a societal focus across various disciplines. This is a subject of study within curricula related to agri-food sciences. The aim was to determine the perceptions of agronomy university students concerning animal welfare in livestock production systems. A survey was conducted to encompass various aspects, from participants' sociodemographic attributes to their attitudes and behaviors regarding animal welfare and the consumption of animal products. Statistical analysis, performed using R software, delved into the associations between participants' characteristics and their perspectives on the ethical, bioethical, and legal dimensions of animal welfare. Associations between demographic factors and ethical viewpoints among students were identified. Gender differences emerged in animal treatment perceptions, while rural and urban environments impacted perspectives on various animals. Bioethical considerations revealed distinctive disparities based on gender and education in concerns regarding animal welfare, value perceptions, evaluations of animal behaviors, and opinions on animal research. It is crucial to distinguish between animal welfare and the ethical considerations arising from coexisting with sentient beings capable of experiencing suffering. Ethical theories provide a lens through which we perceive our obligations toward animals. The responsibility to ensure animal welfare is firmly rooted in recognizing that animals, like humans, experience pain and physical suffering. Consequently, actions causing unjustified suffering or mistreatment, particularly for entertainment purposes, are considered morally unacceptable.
ABSTRACT
Resumen Durante la pandemia por COVID-19 se dio una acelerada virtualización de los procesos de atención psicológica en Costa Rica, en paralelo a la expansión en la regulación de esta modalidad por parte del Colegio de Profesionales en Psicología de Costa Rica. El presente artículo tiene el objetivo de identificar valoraciones de personas del gremio de profesionales en psicología de Costa Rica sobre sus habilidades terapéuticas y técnicas para ejercer psicoterapia clínica individual mediante las Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación (TIC) durante la Pandemia por COVID-19. Mediante la aplicación de un cuestionario autoadministrado en línea, se realizó un acercamiento al gremio, donde se consultó sobre las estrategias, herramientas y habilidades que puso en práctica para comenzar a utilizar las TIC en su ejercicio psicoterapéutico. Se obtuvieron experiencias muy importantes, aprendizajes sobre la marcha y, sobre todo, la ausencia de un consenso y claridad entre las personas profesionales en psicología sobre las buenas prácticas para el uso de esta modalidad. Como principal reflexión del proceso, se invita al gremio a ejercitar al máximo las habilidades de terapeuta, especialmente aquellas que quizá no resulten empleadas regularmente durante una consulta a distancia, como la observación y el examen clínico integral.
Abstract During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the virtualization of psychological care grew rapidly in Costa Rica, parallel to the expansion of regulation for this modality in the Colegio de Profesionales en Psicología de Costa Rica. The objective of this article is to identify the appraisals of Costa Rican psychology professionals regarding their abilities to practice individual clinical psychotherapy by means of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Through the completion of a self-administered online questionnaire, professionals were consulted about the strategies, tools and skills that they put into play during the use of ICTs in their psychotherapeutic practice, narrating deeply important experiences, presenting key learnings and above all, making visible the absence of a consensus and clarity regarding the best practices for use in this modality. The main recommendation emanating from this process is to promote to the maximum continuing-education on the topic of therapist skills, especially those that may not be used regularly during a remote consultation, such as observation and comprehensive clinical examination.
