Intervención psicosocial, bienestar y capital social en comunidades con desventaja socioeconómica / Psychosocial intervention, welfare and social capital in communities with socio-economic disadvantage

Introducción: En Colombia se realizan programas de intervención psicosocial en comunidades con desventaja socioeconómica para mejorar su calidad de vida, sin embargo, no se realizan evaluaciones de impacto para medir su efectividad. Objetivo: Determinar la relación que existe entre el tiempo de exposición a procesos de intervención psicosocial en comunidades en desventaja socioeconómica, con su percepción de bienestar psicológico, bienestar social y capital social, en el área metropolitana de Barranquilla. Métodos: investigación fue de corte explicativo ex post facto, con una muestra de 135 personas mayores de 17 años. Se hizo un análisis de varianza para encontrar la dependencia entre los procesos de intervención y las variables dependientes. Resultados: Se encontró una relación de significancia entre el grupo etario de los participantes y algunas dimensiones del bienestar psicológico, del bienestar social y del capital social. No se encontraron relaciones significativas entre el tiempo de intervención y las variables dependientes mencionadas. Conclusiones: A pesar de la vulnerabilidad del entorno, las comunidades intervenidas participantes del estudio evidenciaron una percepción de bienestar psicológico y social y de valoración positiva de su capital social sin una relación significativa con el tiempo de exposición al trabajo comunitario. Los procesos de intervención psicosocial tienen el potencial suficiente para favorecer la mejora de las condiciones de las personas, grupos o comunidades, pero requieren de la implementación de procesos de evaluación que permitan hacer seguimiento a su impacto(AU)

Introduction: Colombia psychosocial intervention programs are carried out in communities with socioeconomic disadvantage to improve their quality of life; however, no impact's assessments are carried out to measure their effectiveness. Objective: Determine the relation between the time of exposure to psychosocial intervention's processes in communities at socioeconomic disadvantage, and their perception of psychological well-being, social welfare and social capital, in the metropolitan area of Barranquilla. Methods: The research was ex post facto explanatory one, with a sample of 135 people over the age of 17. A variance analysis was done to find the dependency between intervention processes and dependent variables. Results: A relationship of significance was found between the age group of the participants and some dimensions of psychological well-being, social welfare and social capital. No significant relationships were found between the intervention time and the dependent variables mentioned. Conclusions: Despite the vulnerability of the environment, the communities involved in the study demonstrated a perception of psychological and social well-being and positive assessment of their social capital without a significant relationship with the time of exposure to community work. Psychosocial intervention's processes have sufficient potential to promote the improvement of the conditions of individuals, groups or communities, but they require the implementation of assessment processes that allow to follow up on their impact(AU)

Gender, Anxiety, and Legitimation of Violence in Adolescents Facing Simulated Physical Aggression at School.

We analyzed gender and anxiety differences in middle school students facing a physical peer aggression situation. The participants were 1147 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years (male: n = 479; female: n = 668) who watched a 12 s animation representing the situation and filled out a questionnaire to analyze the legitimation of violent behaviors and anxiety levels. We registered their decisions to solve the situation using a categorical scale that included assertive, avoidant, aggressive, submissive, and supportive behaviors. Gender was not associated with the adolescent's behaviors in facing a simulated peer aggression situation. However, male teenagers tended to perceive adults as sanctioners and neutrals; those who used the diffusion of responsibility and dehumanization to justify their behavior also showed a higher state of anxiety. Female teenagers who expected legitimation from their peers, presented higher anxiety as well. Educational interventions may use these results, helping adolescents to understand that their acts have substantial implications in the lives of others. It is essential to develop group interventions that modify how adolescents manage their conflicts and change gender stereotypes that significantly impact health. We highlight the need for linking families in educational programs facing the challenges of transforming the legitimization of violence in parental practices.

Personal networks, social media, and community cohesion in the strategies of peace-building agents in Colombia to counteract the segregation of displaced populations.

As part of the "Colombian Peace Process," victim assistance programs, actions for the reincorporation into civilian life of ex-combatants, and demobilized persons of the armed conflict have been developed as well as innovative instances of intervention in cases of posttraumatic stress. In this study, we surveyed 143 community leaders from the Department of Atlántico (Colombia), participants in a program for capacity building in rehabilitation and mediation strategies. With a mixed design in which we combine the analysis of personal networks, psychometric scales, and qualitative interviews, we describe the use that community mediators make of their personal skills, their personal network, and social media in their actions to confront social trauma and promote coexistence in the local community. The results show a significant relationship between the density of personal networks and the psychological sense of community. Paradoxically, the high social cohesion of the communities of people displaced by political violence seems to pose objective difficulties in reducing trauma. In the discussion, we indicate that the sociogeographic segregation derived from housing policies becomes an obstacle to the effective functioning of the coexistence and reintegration programs of victims and demobilized persons of the armed conflict. In this context, social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp are little used by community mediators in the development of their activities, which they perceive as reinforcing largely the dynamics of segregation of the displaced population.