Support for immigrant children, and in particular those who have fled conflict, is crucial for facilitating integration into a new life. The school environment is a key space for providing psychosocial support to mitigate the impact of the displacement experience and for promoting successful settlement outcomes. This study considers the historical context which sees Chile adding, to considerable Latin American immigration, selected cohorts of humanitarian refugees from the other side of the world, in this case, Farid, a boy from Baghdad's Palestinian community who arrived with his family in Chile after living two years in the Al-Tanf camp. Based on a qualitative approach, including three ninety-minute interviews, the study considers Farid's pre-, peri- and post-immigration experiences, paying special attention to instances and processes of integration and exclusion in the Chilean school context. The research contributes to understanding the refugee experience in a country broadly unfamiliar with the reception of highly vulnerable people from markedly different cultures. Ultimately, the inclusion of refugees is a challenge and an opportunity for an education system and a society connecting ever more intricately with the wider world.
Displaced people from Afghanistan comprise the largest protracted refugee population in Asia and the second-largest refugee population in the world. For nearly 40 years, most Afghan refugees have been received in neighboring Iran and Pakistan. In Iran, they have been provided with such provisions as healthcare, education, housing, employment, food, visas, and continuing residence. However, many Afghan refugees face significant barriers in accessing services, particularly when it comes to undocumented persons. This study identifies the factors affecting homelessness among refugees, drawing on interviews with eight Afghan men. We explore a four key elements (4Es) construct for supporting the empowerment of refugee people in Iran through education, employment, economic, and emotional support. The study argues that the 4Es approach can alleviate homelessness among refugees.
La menarquia señala el inicio del periodo reproductivo y constituye un importante marcador del crecimiento humano femenino. La edad en la que se presenta depende de la interacción de factores genéticos y socioambientales, por lo que resulta un interesante indicador del bienestar biológico de las poblaciones. Con una muestra inicial de 445 mujeres residentes en Valparaíso y nacidas entre los años 1851-1895, evaluamos la incidencia de factores socioambientales en la edad de la menarquia en un contexto histórico caracterizado por un fuerte incremento del Producto Interno Bruto y un intenso, pero inarmónico desarrollo urbano. Aunque los resultados muestran una tendencia al adelanto de la edad de menarquia, este no resulta estadísticamente significativo (p > .05). El origen rural/urbano, el tamaño familiar y el estrés intrafamiliar no parecen incidir en la edad de menarquia de la población de la muestra. El fenómeno de penalización urbana podría explicar en parte los resultados.
La Institución Psiquiátrica es el lugar preferente para la atención de personas con alguna patología de salud mental de alta complejidad. Al interior de ella se pueden identificar dos estamentos: el de los pacientes y el del personal de salud. Este último puede diferenciarse entre los profesionales –liderados por los médicos– y el personal de salud no profesional (auxiliares paramédicos y auxiliares de servicio o aseo), el cual se caracteriza por pasar la mayor cantidad de tiempo en contacto directo con el paciente, resultando de interés explorar las dinámicas institucionales desde la perspectiva de este estamento. Para ello se consideró una metodología cualitativa donde se entrevistaron a 13 funcionarios pertenecientes a los sectores agudos de dos hospitales psiquiátricos de la Región Metropolitana, Chile. Los resultados den cuenta de una alta jerarquización de las relaciones dentro de la institución, con roles altamente definidos, donde el personal de salud no profesional se le mandata a cumplir con el rol custodial (vigilar, normar y controlar al paciente), estando permanentemente expuesto a agresiones de parte de los funcionarios y a sanciones administrativas de parte del estamento profesional. Dado que el material de las entrevistas data de fines de 1999, los resultados permiten nutrir las reflexiones actuales sobre las dinámicas propias de esta institución y el sentido de ella en el presente.
In this study we analyze distinct socio-political predictors, namely, system justification, moral foundations, political ideology, social dominance orientation and authoritarianism, of two distinct but interrelated postcolonial ideologies, namely symbolic exclusion and historical negation in regards to the Mapuche people, in a sample of the general Chilean population (n = 1.242). According to the results, symbolic exclusion is explained by the political ideology of the participants, their social dominance orientation, right-wing authoritarianism, system justification and one specific moral foundations' dimension: harm/care. On the other hand, right-wing authoritarianism, system justification, political ideology, and two specific moral foundations (loyalty/betrayal and authority/subversion) play an important role in predicting the historical negation of negative events affecting the Mapuche Indigenous people in Chile. Our results are discussed in terms of their implications for present-day intergroup relations between the Mapuche and non-Indigenous Chileans.
Con una muestra de chilenos y de inmigrantes peruanos, colombianos y venezolanos investigamos sobre el grado de cercanía afectiva y relacional percibido entre los miembros de estos grupos. Adicionalmente indagamos en torno a la percepción de los inmigrantes acerca de los chilenos previo y posterior a su arribo a Chile y al enriquecimiento cultural percibido. Para los análisis estadísticos utilizamos la Prueba t de Student para comparar las medias entre los grupos. Los resultados muestran que los inmigrantes valoran la incorporación de los elementos culturales del país de acogida en su propia cultura, que mejoran la percepción que tienen sobre los chilenos al residir en Chile y que se sienten más cercanos y expresan más afecto que lo que perciben recibir de parte de los chilenos. En general los chilenos se sienten menos cercanos y expresan menos afecto de lo que reciben de parte de los inmigrantes.
ABSTRACT This article examines the Proyecto Escuelita Libre y Feliz María Lefebre Lever (‘María Lefebre Lever Free and Happy School Project’), which gathers the largest network of schools outside the formal educational network in Chile. Drawing on a qualitative case-study based on in-depth interviews with staff and parents, it highlights the experiences of the community members who have founded this alternative educational network at the margins of prevailing educational formats in Chile. The main findings show how a community of parents and educators dissatisfied with the mainstream educational system have initiated, developed, and expanded a new educational project. The data goes on to describe the main characteristics of this model, and to relay the benefits and disadvantages of being part of an only contingently recognized schooling movement in the Chilean context.
Spirituality, or what motivates the search for the sacred from particular and free positions, allows us to provide a framework from which to interpret the experience of loss and suffering, contributing in different ways to the resignification and re-authorship of people after the trauma. It is related to resilience, with that ability to overcome adverse events. It favors the mitigation of the negative effects of the traumatic event and fosters healthy and successful psychological development -despite the suffering caused by an external situation- by promoting the construction and redefinition of people's life purpose -one of the central components of human wellbeing-, being especially relevant in those who have been victims of trauma. Thus, spirituality can contribute to the reconfiguration of the narrative about the survived experience from practices that promote spiritual emotion such as the actions of meditating or praying, the latter considered as one of the mechanisms of self-revelation that is fundamental within the post traumatic growth process. Spirituality and religion maintain a complex interrelation that at times makes difficult the distinction between them. However, this distinction is especially sensitive and necessary when it comes to accounting for spirituality in people who do not profess a theistic faith. This is the case of a significant part of people with left-wing ideologies -who suffered some type of violence during the military dictatorships implanted from the second half of the 20th century in Latin America. Particularly in Chile, the civic-military dictatorship (1973-1990) was especially cruel with people of left-wing ideologies, many of them not ascribed to a belief of a theistic order. In this context, it is relevant to account for spiritual practices-differentiating them from religious beliefs- in relation to post-traumatic growth in people victims of political violence. For this objective we have proposed in this article the validation of the short version of the Parsian and Dunning (2009) Spiritual Practice Scale. For this purpose, we utilized a sample of adult people victims of political violence in Chile during the military dictatorship between 1973 and 1990 (n = 251, M = 60.85, DT = 13.40). To assess the structure of the scale, we estimated a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The reliability index was calculated (a =.85) and the convergent validity was assessed with a series of bivariate correlations between variables. As expected, the CFA reports an adequate adjustment to the unifactorial structure and the results show the significant relationship between spiritual practices and post-traumatic growth (r =.45), and between spiritual practices with religiosity (r =.29). Being the relationship between spiritual practices and religiosity medium-low, it allows us to conclude that although they are related, they are different constructs. From the analysis of the data, it cannot be concluded that there is a relationship between spiritual practices with age and income level. In conclusion, the short version of the Spiritual Practices Scale presents adequate levels of reliability and validity, so it is recommended to be used in the measurement of spiritual practices, especially in those populations that do not adhere to a theistic faith.
En el presente estudio se comparan los niveles medios de salud y bienestar social de adultos nacidos en Chile (n = 155) e inmigrantes de nacionalidad colombiana (n = 166), peruana (n = 154) y venezolana (n= 180). Los resultados están en línea con la “hipótesis selectiva de la inmigración”, pues se encontraron mayores niveles de salud (Minmigrantes = 40.35; Mchilenos = 38.93; t[203.579] = 2.745, p < .01)y bienestar social en inmigrantes(M = 88.62) que en chilenos (M = 85.42; t(190.778) = –3.197, p < .01). En general, en este trabajo se muestra el efecto negativo que tiene la percepción de discrimi-nación sobre la salud, y el efecto positivo de las variables socioculturales de identidad endogrupal, enriquecimiento cultural y cercanía intergrupal sobre el bienestar social en personas inmigrantes.
The present study explores reports of growth in survivors and family members of victims of state terrorism ( N = 254) in Chile from 1973 to 1990. The results indicate the presence of reports of posttraumatic growth ( M = 4.69) and a positive and statistically significant correlation with variables related to the life impact of the stressful events ( r = .46), social sharing of emotions ( r = .32), deliberate rumination ( r = .37), positive reappraisal ( r = .35), reconciliation ( r = .39), spiritual practices ( r = .33), and meaning in life ( r = .51). The relationship between growth and forgiveness is not statistically significant. The variables that best predict posttraumatic growth are positive reappraisal (β = .28), life impact (β = .24), meaning in life β = .23), and reconciliation (β = .20). The forward-method hierarchical model indicates that these variables are significant predictors of growth levels, R 2 = .53, F(8, 210) = 30.08, p < .001. The results indicate that a large proportion of the victims of state terrorism manage to grow after these experiences, and the redefinition of meaning in life and the positive reappraisal of the traumatic experiences are the elements that make it possible to create a new narrative about the past.
Abstract This study follows a former child refugee’s experience of family resettlement in Chile. Born into the Palestinian Iraqi community further imperiled by the 2003 invasion of Iraq, his family fled first to the Al-Tanf refugee camp before placement in Chile. While most of the world’s refugees dwell in marginal conditions in areas neighboring conflicts, another strain of permanent settlement has been highly developed amongst some of the wealthiest countries. For countries such as Chile—by strict definition now high-income, but only newly considering a role as a haven for refugees—tentative steps toward resettlement protocols mean that case data are limited. By carefully studying a family’s resettlement and subsequent experience from a child refugee’s reflections, it is possible to sketch out and understand a range of challenges at the human scale of supporting refugees.
This study compares the average health and social welfare levels of adults born in Chile (n = 155) and immigrants of Colombian (n = 166), Peruvian (n = 154), and Venezuelan (n = 180) nationality. The results are in line with the "selective hypothesis of immigration," since higher levels of health (Minmigrants = 40.35; Mchilenos = 38.93; t [203,579] = 2,745, p < .01) and social welfare were found in immigrants (M = 88.62) than in Chileans (M = 85.42; t (190,778) = -3,197, p < .01). In general, this work shows the negative effect that the perception of discrimination has on health, and the positive effect of the socio-cultural variables of endo-group identity, cultural enrichment, and inter-group closeness on the social welfare of immigrants.
Spirituality, or what motivates the search for the sacred from particular and free positions, allows us to provide a framework from which to interpret the experience of loss and suffering, contributing in different ways to the resignification and re-authorship of people after the trauma. It is related to resilience, with that ability to overcome adverse events. It favors the mitigation of the negative effects of the traumatic event and fosters healthy and successful psychological development –despite the suffering caused by an external situation– by promoting the construction and redefinition of people's life purpose –one of the central components of human well-being–, being especially relevant in those who have been victims of trauma. Thus, spirituality can contribute to the reconfiguration of the narrative about the survived experience from practices that promote spiritual emotion such as the actions of meditating or praying, the latter considered as one of the mechanisms of self-revelation that is fundamental within the post traumatic growth process. Spirituality and religion maintain a complex interrelation that at times makes difficult the distinction between them. However, this distinction is especially sensitive and necessary when it comes to accounting for spirituality in people who do not profess a theistic faith. This is the case of a significant part of people with left-wing ideologies –who suffered some type of violence during the military dictatorships implanted from the second half of the 20th century in Latin America. Particularly in Chile, the civic-military dictatorship (1973-1990) was especially cruel with people of left-wing ideologies, many of them not ascribed to a belief of a theistic order. In this context, it is relevant to account for spiritual practices –differentiating them from religious beliefs– in relation to post-traumatic growth in people victims of political violence. For this objective we have proposed in this article the validation of the short version of the Parsian and Dunning (2009) Spiritual Practice Scale. For this purpose, we utilized a sample of adult people victims of political violence in Chile during the military dictatorship between 1973 and 1990 (n = 251, M = 60.85, DT = 13.40). To assess the structure of the scale, we estimated a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The reliability index was calculated (α = .85) and the convergent validity was assessed with a series of bivariate correlations between variables. As expected, the CFA reports an adequate adjustment to the unifactorial structure and the results show the significant relationship between spiritual practices and post-traumatic growth (r = .45), and between spiritual practices with religiosity (r = .29). Being the relationship between spiritual practices and religiosity medium-low, it allows us to conclude that although they are related, they are different constructs. From the analysis of the data, it cannot be concluded that there is a relationship between spiritual practices with age and income level. In conclusion, the short version of the Spiritual Practices Scale presents adequate levels of reliability and validity, so it is recommended to be used in the measurement of spiritual practices, especially in those populations that do not adhere to a theistic faith. https://doi.org/10.16888/interd.2022.39.1.13
Societal reconciliation and the transition from trauma to peace are increasingly prominent themes in psychosocial studies. In Chile, 3 decades after a transition from a long dictatorship (1973-1990) to restored democratic rule, the measurement of progress in reconciliation remains imprecise, despite a large body of testimony and other empirical evidence. This study explores the factor structure and measurement invariance of the Social Psychological Index for Transitional Political Reconciliation (SPITPR-5F) in a sample of 559 participants from Valparaiso, Chile. Exploratory factor analysis and multigroup confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the invariance of the correlated 5-factor structure with respect to sex and age variables. The reconciliation index shows good levels of reliability (w = .91), and results support a correlated 5-factor model of political reconciliation. Similarly, the fit index indicates the validity of the model and supports its strict invariance by gender but not by age. These results suggest that the SPITPR-5F is an evaluative five-factor measure of political reconciliation across the Chilean population.
Introduction Although the positive and negative affect scale proposed by Mroczek and Kolarz has not been as widely used as other instruments, the adequate psychometric properties reported and the simplicity of the application, make it an adequate instrument to measure the hedonic component of subjective well-being. Thus, the scale validation in Chile will allow researchers to have a short and reliable instrument available in order to measure subjective well-being. Objective The initial objective of this study was to in Chile the "Positive and negative affect scale" proposed by Mroczek and Kolarz. Methods A non-probabilistic sample of 155 Chileans and a sample of 308 adult immigrants residing in Chile from Colombia, Peru and Venezuela were recruited. The sample of Chileans was used to validate the scale. The construct validity (Cronbach's Alpha and exploratory factor analysis) and the concurrent validity through bivariate correlations with other measures were estimated. Finally, the differences in affect expression by Chileans in comparison with migrants people were evaluated. Results The reliability index was Alpha = 0.92 for the positive affect sub-scale and Alpha = 0.75 for the negative affect sub-scale. The exploratory factor analysis reproduced in the same way the factorial loadings proposed in the original instrument with saturations greater than 0.35 per item. Colombian and Venezuelan migrants show greater expression of positive affect than Chileans, while this difference is not observed when comparing Chileans with Peruvians. Conclusion The positive and negative affect scale has adequate psychometric properties to measure the expression of affect (hedonic well-being) in the Chilean population.
This article examines the background in which enterprises called free schools, as well as complementary educational activities, have taken root in Chile. Two kinds of recently burgeoning free schools are identified; one supplementing regular schooling with a social justice focus, and another that is a fully fledged alternative to other schooling. The history of freedom itself in Chile is explored from a historical perspective, contrasting somewhat with freedom as it is understood in more developed countries. Parallels to Anglophone free schools such as AS Neill's Summerhill are also discussed, as well as the sociopolitical context in which Chilean free schools continue to develop.
Given the current debate over the distinction between subtle and blatant prejudice, this study provides new evidence regarding problems with the construct validity of the Pettigrew and Meertens’ Blatant and Subtle Prejudice Scale. To assess these issues, an existing data sample of 896 Chilean participants collected in 2010 was reanalyzed. The main analysis method used was a confirmatory factor analysis. The model that best represented the original theory (a model of two correlated second-order factors) had an improper solution due to the unidentified model. The scale has substantial psychometric problems, and it was not possible to distinguish between subtle and blatant prejudice.