The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15): Validation in Mexico and Disorder in the State of Knowledge.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Geriatric Depression Scale in its 15-item version (GDS-15) in Mexican older adults. Participants included 1178 older adults between the ages of 60 and 94 (M = 69.16, SD = 7.69); 53.9% were women and 55.8% were married or with a partner. They completed the GDS-15, a subjective well-being scale, and a quality-of-life questionnaire. A Kuder-Richardson coefficient of .80 was obtained, which indicates an acceptable internal consistency of the GDS-15, as well as evidence of divergent validity with significant correlations of -.783 with subjective well-being and -.569 with quality of life, in addition to concurrent validity when discriminating between participants with low scores from those with high scores of depressive symptoms. The need for a simple screening tool such as the GDS-15 that helps in the identification of depressive symptoms in Mexican older adults is underlined.

Beliefs About Parent Participation in School Activities in Rural and Urban Areas: Validation of a Scale in Mexico.

The objective of this study was to test a measurement and invariance model for a scale of beliefs about parent participation in school education for children residing in both rural and urban areas. The questionnaire was answered by 2,576 parents, 52% from urban areas and 48% from rural; also an exploratory confirmatory multigroup analysis was performed to identify invariance. The final version of the instrument consisted of two factors with three items each, showing a goodness of fit, in addition to adequate indices. The invariance analyses indicated that both samples were equivalent in structure and factorial weight. The comparative fit index was greater than 0.95 for each model, and when compared with the restrictive model, the differences were less than 0.01; therefore, the instrument is considered applicable.

Connectedness to Nature: Its Impact on Sustainable Behaviors and Happiness in Children.

Given the environmental problems humanity is currently facing, and considering that the future of the planet lies in the hands of children and their actions, research on the determinants of sustainable behaviors in children has become more relevant; nonetheless, studies on this topic focusing on children are scarce. Previous research on adults suggests, in an isolated manner, the relationship between connectedness to nature, the development of behaviors in favor of the environment, and positive results derived from them, such as happiness and well-being. In the present research, connectedness to nature was considered as a determinant of sustainable behaviors, and happiness was considered as a positive consequence of the latter. This research aimed to demonstrate the relationship between these variables in children. Two hundred and ninety-six children with an average age of 10.42 years old participated in the study, in which they responded to a research instrument that measured connectedness to nature, sustainable behaviors (pro-ecological behavior, frugality, altruism, and equity), and happiness. To analyze the relationships between these variables, a model of structural equations was specified and tested. The results revealed a significant relationship between connectedness to nature and sustainable behaviors, which, in turn, impact happiness. This suggests that children who perceive themselves as more connected to nature tend to perform more sustainable behaviors; also, the more pro-ecological, frugal, altruistic, and equitable the children are, the greater their perceived happiness will be. The implications for studying and promoting sustainable behaviors are discussed within the framework of positive psychology.