Pandemic control not only requires effective COVID-19 vaccines but also that they are accepted by at least 80% of the population. For this reason, understanding the social psychological variables associated with vaccination intent is essential to achieve herd immunity. Drawing on the theory of reasoned action, this study seeks to analyze vaccination intent using the beliefs about vaccine effectiveness, conspiracy theories, and injunctive norms as predictors. A non-probabilistic national online survey was conducted during December 2020. A sample of 1,033 people in Chile answered a questionnaire with the study variables. Using structural equation models, it was found that vaccination intent was explained in 62.1% by beliefs about vaccine effectiveness and injunctive norms, controlling for age, political orientation, socioeconomic status, educational level, and gender. Specifically, beliefs about vaccine effectiveness are based on people's experience with previous immunization processes, which predict vaccination intent. Regarding injunctive norms, they act by influencing and encouraging vaccination by seeking the approval of significant others. Contrary to expected, conspiracy beliefs were not directly associated with the intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccine but were highly related to lower beliefs about vaccine effectiveness. This study suggests that to enhance the vaccination intent, socio-psychological and structural variables need to be considered.

Este estudio tuvo por objetivo estimar las propiedades psicométricas de la Escala de Apoyo Social Percibido (MSPSS) de Zimet at al., en una muestra de 76 pacientes diabéticos tipo 2 pertenecientes a la ciudad de Temuco, Chile. La escala total presenta una consistencia interna de 0,849. Se condujo un análisis factorial exploratorio con rotación VARIMAX, obteniéndose los tres factores propuestos por Zimet et al., que en conjunto explican el 66,8% de la varianza. Los resultados alcanzados sugieren que esta escala posee adecuadas propiedades psicométricas para su utilización en población de pacientes diabéticos tipo 2.

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Health care effects of cultural beliefs about physicians and perceived discrimination Background: Healthcare inequities may hamper physical and mental health. Aim: To examine perceived discrimination in healthcare services in relation to socio-structural and cultural antecedents as well as their effect on psychological processes and health. Material and Methods: Questionnaires on beliefs about physicians, perceived discrimination, emotions and affective states and avoidance consequences in health were answered by 337 child caregivers (85% women) attending preventive health care appointments at primary health care centers. Results: Negative beliefs about healthcare professionals are directly associated with avoidance behaviors in health and perceived discrimination. The latter perception has no direct effects on avoidance behaviors, but it has an indirect effect through negative emotions associated with discrimination. Conclusions: There is an association between cultural, psychological and structural factors in health care. These results contribute to understand the phenomenon of discrimination and its negative consequences.

ResumenLa identificación de niveles de estrés en pacientes diabéticos tiene implicancias clínicas y prácticas. En Chile no hay escalas válidas y confiables que midan estrés en pacientes diabéticos. Con el objetivo de estimar las propiedades psicométricas de la Escala de estrés para diabéticos de Polonsky et al. (2005) en una muestra de pacientes diabéticos chilenos, se realizó análisis de confiabilidad, análisis factorial exploratorio y correlaciones con la escala de síntomas depresivos (CES-D) y con el marcador fisiológico hemoglobina glicosilada (HbA1c), en una muestra de 76 pacientes diabéticos tipo 2 de la ciudad de Temuco, Chile. Tras los análisis, se estimó una consistencia interna de 0.74, una estructura de 4 subfactores y evidencia de validez convergente con la escala CES-D y HbA1c. La escala de estrés para diabéticos posee propiedades psicométricas adecuadas, permite la identificación de 4 subfactores y es de fácil aplicación en el campo clínico e investigativo. Palabras clave: Propiedades psicométricas, escala de estrés, diabetes tipo 2. AbstractThe measurement of stress levels in type 2 diabetic patients has clinical and practical meaning. In Chile, there is a lack of reliable and valid scales that allow for the right assessment of stress level among diabetic patients. The study purpose was to determine the psychometric properties of the Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS) in a sample of Type 2 Chilean diabetic patients. Several analyses including reliability analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and correlations with the depressive symptoms scale (CES-D), and the HbA1c biomarker were conducted with a Type 2 diabetic sample (n= 76) from Temuco City, Chile. The results provided a reliability of 0.74, a four-factor structure, and evidence for convergent validity with both the CES-D scale and the HbA1c marker. The DDS has acceptable psychometrics properties. It allows for the assessment of 4 factors, and has as advantage to be easy to apply in both clinical and research settings.

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The devised instrument has adequate psychometric properties and is also culturally relevant. It allows the assessment of cultural beliefs about physicians.

ResumenUno de los principales problemas de la educación terciaria es la alta tasa de deserción universitaria. Los antecedentes dan cuenta que para permanecer y tener éxito en la universidad se necesitan habilidades transversales que el estudiante debió desarrollar antes y que hemos denominado preparatividad académica. El objetivo del estudio fue construir un instrumento de medición que permita identificar y medir los factores que subyacen a la preparatividad académica. Los participantes fueron 603 estudiantes de enseñanza secundaria y terciaria. Se realizaron análisis factoriales exploratorios y confirmatorios para identificar y comprobar la estructura factorial de la escala desarrollada, la cual quedó conformada por 67 ítems agrupados en 7 factores que explican el 59,6% de la varianza. La disponibilidad de la propuesta, denominada Escala de Preparatividad Académica para la Educación Superior (EPAES), permitirá la medición oportuna de la preparatividad y la aplicación oportuna de acciones remediales. Esto contribuirá a aumentar la retención de los estudiantes y así disminuir las actuales tasas de deserción universitaria. Palabras clave: preparatividad académica; retención; deserción universitaria; instrumento de medición Development and Validation of an Academic Preparedness Scale for Chilean Higher Education AbstractOne of the major problems in tertiary education comes from its high students' dropout rates. The literature on this matter indicates that to stay and succeed in college, students must have developed, prior to enrolling, a set of transversal abilities, which we have named 'academic preparedness'. The aim of the study was to construct a measuring instrument that would help identifying and measuring the specific array of factors that affect academic preparedness. Participants were 603 volunteer students from secondary and tertiary education. After performing the necessary exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, the definitive scale resulted in 67 items, grouped in 7 factors that explained 59.6% of variance. The availability of the Academic Preparedness Scale for Higher Education (EPAES) will allow the timely assessment of preparedness and the implementation of opportune remedial actions. This will contribute to retain students and therefore, to reduce the current university dropout rates.