Psycho-community perspective

Contributions of community psychology to strengthening social justice, democracy, well-being, and sustainable development (2021). Psicoperspectivas (Chile, Q3)
The July 15, 2021 edition (Vol. 20, No. 2) of Psicoperspectivas brings together a sample of the transformations that invite us to review the relationship between community actions developed from psychology and other related disciplines, and how we are defining change. We delve into the work produced mainly in Chile and Brazil, which has emerged from current challenges. Covering phenomena such as community dynamics in neighborhoods, social support and collective health for homeless people, building health from community dynamics, the sense of community among adolescents, women's resistance to violence, the politicization of community spaces such as soccer fans, and organization in the face of environmental problems, the researchers develop innovative and rigorous methodological procedures and share results that challenge what is known and go beyond it.

Socio-environmental conflict, citizen participation, and territorial disputes: The perspective of Community Environmental Psychology (2021). Psicoperspectivas (Chile, Q3)

The planet is suffering from global warming and climate change, for which the neoliberal capitalist development model bears a large part of the responsibility as the main contributor to the socio-environmental problems that are leading us into a new era of extinction. In Chile, under the current model, conflicts are multiplying over territory and the value placed on it and the common goods that exist there. In this research, from the perspective of Community Environmental Psychology and using collective mapping as a methodological tool, together with the socio-environmental movement “No to the Quebradilla Thermoelectric Plant,” La Ligua (Valparaíso Region, Chile), we describe and analyze the socio-environmental conflicts occurring in the Province of Petorca, along with the citizen participation practices carried out by communities defending their territory. As a result, organized collective action emerges from the community in response to the conflict, stimulating the sustainable development of the territory that the inhabitants have built up over decades and challenging authorities and institutions, halting a project classified as harmful to the ecosystem and local productive initiatives.

Participatory assessment of community psychosocial dynamics from the perspective of community strengthening (2021). Psicoperspectivas (Chile, Q3)
From the perspective of Latin American community psychology, which emphasizes the analysis and promotion of community strengthening processes, participatory action research is accompanied by the objective of collaborating to improve the capacity for organization and collective action in a neighborhood in the municipality of Temuco. Within this framework, this article characterizes a strategy for evaluating community psychosocial dynamics. The data production strategy considered mixed methods and participatory methodologies, including systematic feedback. The methodological process is systematized, and criteria are proposed for the participatory evaluation of community psychosocial dynamics, an important aspect in communities that have seen the conditions for collective action weakened. It concludes that this integrated evaluation system contributes to communities by allowing them to focus their attention, analysis, and intervention on these dynamics, providing evidence and guidance for doing so. It also contributes to public policy programs that often omit the psychosocial components of community dynamics as an important aspect for mobilizing processes and resources to improve living conditions.

Relationship between sense of community, well-being, mental health, and gender in school-going adolescents (2021). Psicoperspectivas (Chile, Q3)
The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of sense of community perceived in school contexts and its relationship with the well-being and mental health of school-going adolescents, also considering gender as a relevant category. A total of 2,839 students from 11 municipal educational establishments in Calama (Chile) participated in the study. They were enrolled in grades 6 through 12 and ranged in age from 11 to 18 years. The sense of community, level of well-being, and mental health difficulties were assessed using the SCI-2, Kidscreen-27, and PSC-17 instruments, respectively. Student's t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regressions were used for data analysis. The results show that the sense of community, well-being, and mental health are better in students in primary education and in males. It was also found that sense of community predicts both well-being and mental health in adolescents. In conclusion, the study reflects on the relevance of sense of community in the well-being and mental health of school-going adolescents.