Older Colombians face significant adversities: poverty, violence and displacement. However, there is evidence that Latinos are often resilient. We examine resilience in older Colombians living in poverty using an ecological framework that identifies three levels: individual; community; and societal. In this paper we examine data from 16 semi-structured interviews with older Colombians that explore resilience within the context of poverty. We analyze our data using three stages: (1) modified grounded theory; (2) assignment of resilience status; (3) identification of components of the ecological framework which contribute to resilience in these participants. The most striking feature is that some participants are able to adapt to their situation, demonstrating resilience, whilst others are not. Individual characteristics such as psychological and material resources contribute to resilience. At the community level, family, social support, participation and cohesion promote resilience. Finally, at the societal level, social and welfare services, finance, religion and social policy, are important factors. These different levels of resilience are co-dependent, and we illustrate how this is so. We suggest that older Colombians living in poverty often demonstrate resilience, but that more can be done to enhance their lives. This includes interventions at the individual and community levels alongside changes in social policy.

Well-being is a complex construct related to sociodemographic and cultural aspects that vary across cultures. Latin America is a region with high social inequalities among population groups, although this varies significantly depending on the country. This article proposes a model that seeks to establish the relationship between psychosocial variables, psychological well-being, and life satisfaction in a sample of Colombian older adults. The model explores associations between resilience, socioeconomic status, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being. A study with a sample of 617 Colombian older adults was conducted. A structural equation modeling technique was performed. The results showed a model in which life satisfaction is positively explained by psychological well-being and resilience, whereas psychological well-being is explained by a higher socio-economic status. The results contribute to the evidence about how well-being is determined by psychosocial and cultural factors. The evidence found represents novel information about older adults in Colombia.

original adicciones vol. 27, nº 4 · 2015For more than two years, Corporación Nuevos Rumbos (Colombia) has been carrying out, in eight Colombian communities, a preventive system called Comunidades Que se Cuidan (CQC), an adaptation of Communities That Care (CTC), created at the University of Washington (Seattle), developed for more than 25 years in the United States of America and implemented in eight countries of America, Oceania, and Europe. The system is based on the public health approach, and the social development strategy for community empowerment. The core idea is to teach communities how to make decisions based on data regarding drugs and alcohol consumption and the identification of protective and risk factors, on the basis of the original survey validated in Colombia: these will allow communities to choose the best preventive interventions, tailored for each of them according to their needs. This paper describes the process of implementation of CQC in Colombia, its differences with CTC, the creation of Colombian cutpoints, the main difficulties and how these were solved. CQC seems to be a preventive system with a wide potential applicability in other Latin American countries.

El bienestar es un constructo complejo que se refiere a la experiencia óptima y el funcionamiento. El bienestar subjetivo, basado en la perspectiva hedónica, es la valoración general de la vida y el bienestar psicológico, fundamentado en la perspectiva eudaimónica, se asocia al desarrollo personal y realización del potencial de uno mismo. Este trabajo compara un grupo de jóvenes con un grupo de adultos mayores en medidas de bienestar subjetivo y del bienestar psicológico, para estudiar los posibles cambios asociados a la edad. Se realizó un estudio correlacional, en el que participaron 148 sujetos pertenecientes a dos grupos de edad: jóvenes y adultos mayores de Valencia (España). Los resultados mostraron diferencias en el bienestar subjetivo con puntuaciones más altas en el grupo de los adultos mayores para las escalas de afecto positivo. Para el bienestar psicológico los adultos mayores obtuvieron puntuaciones significativamente mayores en las dimensiones de autoaceptación, autonomía y dominio del ambiente. Los resultados apoyan las teorías sobre el sesgo de positividad en la vejez y un mayor uso de estrategias de tipo acomodativo como forma de adaptación a las nuevas situaciones.

Background. Effective coping strategies facilitate older adults’ optimal adaptation and contribute to their well-being. Problem-focused strategies are associated with active styles and enhance well-being. This study analyzes the role of coping strategies in Colombian older adults’ subjective well-being (SWB) using structural equation modelling. Additionally, Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the Life Satisfaction Scale and Coping Strategies Questionnaires are performed. Method. A cross-sectional study is conducted with 455 Colombian older adults, ranging from 65 to 92 years old. Results. The results show that problem-focused coping has a positive effect on SWB, whereas emotion-focused coping has a negative effect on SWB. Conclusions. This article highlights the relationship between effective coping and life satisfaction by showing that problem-focused coping strategies are adaptative and enhance well-being during aging.