An Ecological Inquiry on Young People's Suicidal Ideation at University: Individual, Relational and Cultural Factors and Their Interactions.

To understand the factors related to suicidal ideation in university students, we examined individual and microsystemic variables with an ecological model organizing bidirectional influences between different dimensions. Suicidal ideation, psychological distress, multidimensional self-concept, loneliness, community social support, life satisfaction, family functioning, bullying victimization, and problematic use of virtual social networks were measured in a sample of 376 Mexican university students (67% women) from 18 to 34 years of age (M = 20.8). Data were collected in March 2020, before mandatory confinement for COVID started in Mexico. Discriminant analyses showed that psychological distress, loneliness, self-concept, life satisfaction, family functioning, internet violence/rejection, and informal social support predicted belonging to high or no suicidal ideation groups with 88% accuracy. Only psychological distress and family self-concept predicted suicidal ideation in multilinear regression analyses. There were differences by gender in multilinear regression, with family self-concept significant for women and physical self-concept, but not family self-concept for boys. Conclusions: Early Suicide prevention in universities should include periodic screening of psychological distress, loneliness, and virtual social media use to identify students that need further evaluation and intervention. University-based strategies of mental health promotion that strengthen family relationships and the sense of community, including gender-sensitive orientation, could enhance the effect of protective factors.

Impact of Bullying-Victimization and Gender over Psychological Distress, Suicidal Ideation, and Family Functioning of Mexican Adolescents.

Bullying victimization is strongly associated with increased psychological distress and suicide in adolescents and poor family functioning. Knowledge of gender differences influencing these factors will improve the prevention of mental problems and suicide in victimized adolescents. A total of 1685 Mexican secondary students, 12-17 years old (m = 13.65), of whom 54% were girls, responded to a standardized scale questionnaire to analyze such differences. Based on the statistical analysis, girls reported significantly lower family functioning and higher psychological distress and suicidal ideation than boys. The cluster analysis classified adolescents into high (5.78%), moderate (24.07%), and no-victimization (69.76%) groups. Boys predominated in the high (3.1%) and moderate-victimization (12.4%) clusters, and girls in the no-victimization group (39.51%). Multivariate statistical analyses found significant differences between the three groups, with the highest means of psychological distress and suicidal ideation and lowest family functioning in the high-victimization group. Only for suicidal ideation, there was an interaction between gender and the degree of victimization, with girls showing a higher increase of suicidal ideation than boys in the same cluster. Conclusions: Early detection and intervention in bullying-victimized adolescents, aiming to decrease psychological distress and suicidal ideation and strengthen family functioning, should consider contextual gender differences for effective prevention of mental health problems and suicide in adolescents.

Bullying Victimization among Mexican Adolescents: Psychosocial Differences from an Ecological Approach.

This transversal study over a random representative sample of 1687 Mexican students attending public and private secondary schools (54% girls, 12-17 years old, M = 13.65. DT = 1.14) aimed to analyze psychosocial differences between victims and non-victims of bullying from the bioecological model. It included individual variables (ontosystem), familiar, community, and scholar factors (microsystem), and gender (macrosystem) to perform a multivariate discriminant analysis and a logistic regression analysis. The discriminant analysis found that psychological distress, offensive communication with mother and father, and a positive attitude toward social norms transgression characterized the high victimization cluster. For the non-victims, the discriminant variables were community implication, positive attitude toward institutional authority, and open communication with the mother. These variables allowed for correctly predicting membership in 76% of the cases. Logistic regression analysis found that psychological distress, offensive communication with the father, and being a boy increased the probability of high victimization, while a positive attitude toward authority, open communication with the mother, and being a girl decrease this probability. These results highlight the importance of open and offensive communication between adolescents and their parents on psychological distress, attitude toward authority, community implication, and bullying victimization.

Las relaciones intrafamiliares de apoyo como mecanismo explicativo de la conducta violenta en adolescentes escolarizados / Supportive Intrafamily Relationships as explanatory Mechanism of Violent Behavior in Scholarized Adolescents

Resumen El objetivo del presente estudio fue analizar la participación de los adolescentes en conductas violentas, a partir de un modelo estructural, en una muestra aleatoria y estratificada de 1 498 estudiantes de 5.º y 6.º de primaria y de los tres niveles de secundaria de escuelas públicas de Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, México. Se utilizaron cuestionarios de autoinforme con respuestas Likert, midiendo violencia escolar, funcionamiento familiar y actitud hacia la autoridad. Las conductas violentas correlacionaron negativamente con el buen funcionamiento familiar (valores altos de unión/apoyo). El funcionamiento familiar correlacionó negativamente con la conducta violenta de forma indirecta, a través de la actitud hacia la autoridad institucional y la transgresión de normas. Finalmente se discuten los resultados.

Abstract The aim of this study was to analyze the students´ participation in violent behavior in a sample of 1498 adolescents attending 5th and 6th grades (elementary school) and the three levels of middle school in public schools of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, México, using a structural model. We utilized self-report questionnaires with Likert-type answers, measuring school violence, family function and attitude toward institutional authority. Results revealed that violent behavior in school were negatively related with a good family function (high scores of family union and support). Good family function related indirectly and negatively with violent behavior through attitude towards institutional authority and rules transgression. Finally, we discuss the findings.

Complexidade e esquizofrenia / Complexity and Schizophrenia

Hoy en día hablar de esquizofrenia implica hablar de complejidad. "Complejidad" significa incluir el orden recurrente-estructural, los patrones circulares sistémicos, en diferentes dimensiones, biológica, psicológica y social, pero también el desorden, lo que es cambiante en las mismas dimensiones. Orden y desorden forman parte de los procesos de salud y enfermedad mental y uno sin el otro nos llevarían al reduccionismo o al relativismo ingenuo. Conceptualizar la enfermedad mental desde la complejidad implica generar intervenciones complejas, obligadamente interdisciplinarias y complementarias. En este breve trabajo damos cuenta de la evolución de la terapia familiar en torno a la esquizofrenia, desde los primeros modelos interaccionales de la comunicación hasta las actuales propuestas de equipo interdisciplinario, tomando en cuenta el cambio del foco primero en explicaciones causales relacionales a los enfoques que privilegian la solución de los problemas y retos que plantea la enfermedad a la persona afectada y a su familia. Planteamos los desafíos actuales de la relación profesional entre la terapia familiar y la psiquiatría para atender los casos de esquizofrenia, apoyándonos en la teoría de la complejidad de Morin (1984), que nos conduce a una reflexión epistemológica y ética de los profesionales de la salud. Concluimos que el trabajo en red en la atención a personas y familias con psicosis requiere, ineludiblemente, el diálogo inclusivo entre profesionales de diversas áreas que permita relacionar y organizar los diferentes saberes en una práctica eficiente y verdaderamente interdisciplinaria.(AU)

In recent times, talking about schizophrenia implies complexity. "Complexity" means including the recurring-structural order, systemic circular patterns in different dimensions (biological, psychological and social), but also disorder, that which changes in these dimensions. Order and disorder are part of mental health and illness, and one without the other would lead us to reductionism or naïve relativism. Conceptualizing mental illness from complexity implies generating complex interventions, obligatorily interdisciplinary and complementary. In this work, the evolution of family therapy is addressed in relation to schizophrenia, from the first interactional communication models to the current interdisciplinary approaches, taking into consideration the change of the initial focus, based on causal-relational explanations, to approaches focused on the solution of problems and challenges set by the disease for the patient and family. Current challenges of professional relation between family therapy and psychiatry in cases of schizophrenia are presented, based on Morin's theory of complexity (1984), which presents an epistemological and ethical reflection for healthcare professionals. Networking with psychotic persons and their families requires inclusive dialog among professionals in many areas, allowing the relation and organization of different knowings in an effective and truly interdisciplinary practice.(AU)

Hoje em dia, falar de esquizofrenia implica falar de complexidade. "Complexidade" significa incluir a ordem recorrente-estrutural, os padrões circulares sistêmicos em diferentes dimensões (biológica, psicológica e social), mas também a desordem, o que muda nessas mesmas dimensões. Ordem e desordem fazem parte dos processos de saúde e doença mental, e um sem o outro nos levaria ao reducionismo ou ao relativismo ingênuo. Conceitualizar a doença mental a partir da complexidade implica gerar intervenções complexas, necessariamente interdisciplinares e complementares. Neste breve trabalho, abordamos a evolução da terapia familiar em torno da esquizofrenia, desde os primeiros modelos interacionais da comunicação até as atuais propostas de equipe interdisciplinar, levando em conta a mudança do enfoque inicial, baseado em explicações causais relacionais, para os enfoques que privilegiam a solução dos problemas e desafiosimpostos pela doença para a pessoa que a padece e sua família. Apresentamos os desafios atuais da relação profissional entre a terapia familiar e a psiquiatria para atender os casos de esquizofrenia, baseando-nos na teoria da complexidade de Morin (1984), autor que propõe uma reflexão epistemológica e ética dos profissionais da saúde. Concluímos que o trabalho em rede na atenção a pessoas e famílias com psicose requer, indubitavelmente, o diálogo inclusivo entre profissionais de diversas áreas que permita relacionar e organizar os diferentes saberes numa prática eficiente e verdadeiramente interdisciplinar.(AU)