Looking within: Elevating Black scholarly contributions to empirical approaches in developmental science.

Over the past century, Black American scholars have designed, applied, and promoted conceptual frameworks and research models that propose nuanced understandings of psychological development. This article highlights examples of their contributions to understanding the differential impact of diverse contextual and situational factors. Through examinations of the psychological effects of Blackness on the development of cognition, competence, identity, and social functioning, Black psychologists outline pathways and provide tools for ecological culturally rooted methodologies. These multidisciplinary approaches run in contrast to dominant trends in the field and thus broaden developmental science's reach and influence. In the 1950s, developmental research by Black psychologists was instrumental to the fight for civil rights. Today, it continues to provide a basis for advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Falling through the cracks: Failing to identify compromised Miranda abilities for defendants with limited cognitive capacities.

Custodial suspects must be informed of their Miranda rights (Miranda v. Arizona, 1966) prior to police questioning. Since this landmark decision, scholars have rigorously studied Miranda comprehension and reasoning among vulnerable groups including those with intellectual disabilities (ID). However, the focus on ID has left arrestees with limited cognitive capacities (i.e., LCCs with IQs between 70 and 85) entirely overlooked. The current dataset addressed this oversight using a large (N = 820) sample of pretrial defendants who had completed the Standardized Assessment of Miranda Abilities (SAMA). Traditional (i.e., ID and no-ID) criterion groups were first analyzed with the standard error of measurement (SEM) removed. Second, a nuanced three-group framework included defendants with LCCs. Results indicate that LCC defendants are vulnerable to impaired Miranda comprehension (i.e., limited recall of the Miranda warning and deficits in Miranda-related vocabulary knowledge). Not surprisingly, their waiver decisions were often impaired by crucial misconceptions (e.g., seeing the investigating officers as beneficently on their side). The practical implications of these findings were underscored with respect to Constitutional safeguards for this critically important group, who have appeared to fall through the cracks in the criminal justice system.

Discriminatory attitudes against unvaccinated people during the pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, sizeable groups of unvaccinated people persist even in countries with high vaccine access1. As a consequence, vaccination became a controversial subject of debate and even protest2. Here we assess whether people express discriminatory attitudes in the form of negative affectivity, stereotypes and exclusionary attitudes in family and political settings across groups defined by COVID-19 vaccination status. We quantify discriminatory attitudes between vaccinated and unvaccinated citizens in 21 countries, covering a diverse set of cultures across the world. Across three conjoined experimental studies (n = 15,233), we demonstrate that vaccinated people express discriminatory attitudes towards unvaccinated individuals at a level as high as discriminatory attitudes that are commonly aimed at immigrant and minority populations3-5. By contrast, there is an absence of evidence that unvaccinated individuals display discriminatory attitudes towards vaccinated people, except for the presence of negative affectivity in Germany and the USA. We find evidence in support of discriminatory attitudes against unvaccinated individuals in all countries except for Hungary and Romania, and find that discriminatory attitudes are more strongly expressed in cultures with stronger cooperative norms. Previous research on the psychology of cooperation has shown that individuals react negatively against perceived 'free-riders'6,7, including in the domain of vaccinations8,9. Consistent with this, we find that contributors to the public good of epidemic control (that is, vaccinated individuals) react with discriminatory attitudes towards perceived free-riders (that is, unvaccinated individuals). National leaders and vaccinated members of the public appealed to moral obligations to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake10,11, but our findings suggest that discriminatory attitudes-including support for the removal of fundamental rights-simultaneously emerged.

Desafios e proposições para a avaliação psicológica com grupos minorizados: (des)alinhamentos sociopolíticos / Challenges and propositions for psychological assessment with minority groups: sociopolitical (mis)alignments / Desafíos y propuestas para la evaluación psicológica con grupos minoritarios: (Des)ajustes sociopolíticos

Este trabalho visa discutir desafios e proposições relacionados à avaliação psicológica e pesquisa com grupos minorizados no Brasil. Para tanto, o conteúdo da seção Participantes de todos os artigos publicados na Revista Avaliação Psicológica entre 2011 e 2021 foi agregado, gerando um corpus analisado pelo software Iramuteq. Os resultados da Classificação Hierárquica Descendente indicaram a existência de quatro classes, que enfatizam informações de gênero e idade (Classe 1), regional e educacional (Classe 2), dados interseccionais (Classe 3) e ênfase nosológica (Classe 4). Foram visibilizados os estudos que apresentaram maior detalhamento nos dados sociodemográficos. Conclui-se que existe a necessidade de ampliar as informações divulgadas de forma a visibilizar grupos minorizados socialmente. Para tanto, são apresentadas propostas que visam contribuir com a visibilização desses grupos, de acordo com a legislação vigente do Conselho Federal de Psicologia, e com o cruzamento de informações relevantes para a construção de um conhecimento interseccional na área. (AU)

This work aims to discuss challenges and propositions related to psychological assessment and research with minority groups in Brazil. For this, the content of the Participants section of all articles published in the Revista Avaliação Psicológica between 2011 and 2021 generated a corpus for analysis using the IRaMuTeQ software. Results of the Descending Hierarchical Classification indicated the existence of four classes, which emphasized information on gender and age (Class 1), regional and educational data (Class 2), intersectional data (Class 3) and nosological information (Class 4). Studies that presented more detailed sociodemographic data are discussed. The conclusion highlights the need to expand the information disclosed to make social minority groups visible. Accordingly, proposals are presented that aim to contribute to the visibility of these groups, in accordance with the current legislation of the Conselho Federal de Psicologia. Relevant information for the construction of intersectional knowledge in the area is also presented. (AU)

Este trabajo busca discutir desafíos y propuestas relacionadas con la evaluación psicológica de grupos minoritarios en Brasil. Para ello, se agregó el contenido de la sección Participantes de todos los artículos publicados en la Revista Avaliação Psicológica entre 2011 y 2021, generando un corpus analizado por el software Iramuteq. Los resultados de la Clasificación Jerárquica Descendente indicaron que existen cuatro clases, que enfatizan informaciones de género y edad (Clase 1), de regional y educativa (Clase 2), datos interseccionales (Clase 3) y énfasis nosológico (Clase 4). Se hacen visibles los estudios que presentaron datos sociodemográficos más detallados. Se concluyó que existe la necesidad de ampliar la información divulgada para visibilizar a grupos socialmente minoritarios. Para eso, se presentan propuestas que tienen como objetivo contribuir a la visibilidad de dichos grupos, en consonancia con las reglamentaciones actuales del Consejo Federal de Psicología, y con el cruce de información relevante para la construcción de un saber interseccional en el área de la evaluación psicológica. (AU)

Reassessing the relationship between procedural justice and police legitimacy.

OBJECTIVE: A large body of cross-sectional research has identified a positive relationship between perceptions of police procedural justice and legitimacy. Following Tyler's theoretical framework, studies have often interpreted the observed relationship as evidence of an unequivocal causal connection from procedural justice to legitimacy. Here we reexamined the validity of this conclusion by considering the temporal order of that association and the potential biasing effect of time-invariant third common causes. HYPOTHESES: (a) Past perceptions of police procedural justice would predict future perceptions of legitimacy; (b) Past perceptions of police legitimacy would predict future perceptions of procedural justice; and (c) Perceptions of police procedural justice and legitimacy would be associated as a result of 3rd common causes. METHOD: We fitted random intercepts cross-lagged panel models to 7 waves of a longitudinal sample of 1,354 young offenders (M = 16 years) from the "Pathways to Desistance" study. This allowed us to explore the directional paths between perceptions of police procedural justice and legitimacy, while controlling for time-invariant participant heterogeneity. RESULTS: We did not find evidence of the assumed temporal association; lagged within-participant perceptions of procedural justice rarely predicted within-participant perceptions of legitimacy. We did not find evidence of a reciprocal relationship either. Instead, we detected substantial time-invariant participant heterogeneity, and evidence of legitimacy perceptions being self-reproduced. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings challenge the internal validity of the commonly reported positive associations between procedural justice and legitimacy reported in studies using cross-sectional data. Most of such association is explained away after considering time-invariant participant heterogeneity and previous perceptions of legitimacy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Uma avaliação da criança como sujeito assujeitado no processo judicial / An assessment of the child as an objectified subject in the judicial process / Una evaluación de los niños como individuos sujetos en el proceso judicial

Mais de três décadas após a promulgação de legislações garantistas dos direitos das crianças, observa-se que a enorme distância entre o que se diz e o que se faz, no Estado Brasileiro, inviabiliza a garantia efetiva de seus direitos. Há, no texto das referidas leis, expectativa de oitiva de crianças, mas suas vozes seguem silenciadas, de forma que, em que pese a mudança de termos e nomes, seguem mantidas as velhas práticas ideológicas e distintivas de pessoas e classes, na sequência de um processo histórico e dialético de exclusão/inclusão. Neste estudo, de abordagem qualitativa e fundamentado nos pressupostos teóricos da Psicologia Sócio- Histórica de Vygotsky, foram realizadas pesquisas de cunho bibliográfico e empírico. A partir de entrevistas de roteiro não fechado com profissionais do Direito que atuam em processos judiciais que envolvem crianças, observou-se o assujeitamento das crianças e a distância que separa a positivação e o efetivo cumprimento dos direitos das crianças. AU

More than three decades after the enactment of guaranteeing children's rights, it is remarkable that the distance between what is said, especially based on the law, and what is done, by the Brazilian State, may jeopardize the effectiveness of guaranteeing their rights. Analyzing the content of these laws, there is an expectation concerning the hearing of children, however, their voices remain silent, so that despite the change of terms and names, the old ideological and distinctive practices continue, following a historical and dialectical process of inclusion-exclusion. In this qualitative study, based on the theoretical assumptions of the Socio-Historical Psychology of Vygotsky, bibliographical and empirical research was carried out. The analysis of semi-structured interviews with legal professionals who work with lawsuits involving children, showed an objectification of the children and the distance between the positivation and the effective fulfillment of the children's rights. AU

Más de tres décadas después de la promulgación de legislaciones que garantizan los derechos de los niños, se puede observar una gran distancia entre lo que se propuso y lo que se cumple en el Estado Brasileño, haciendo inviable la garantía efectiva de derechos de los menores. En el texto de las referidas leyes, hay expectativa de escucha de niños, pero sus voces siguen silenciadas, de modo que, a pesar del cambio de términos, se mantienen prácticas ideológicas arcaicas y distintivas de personas y clases, en la secuencia de un proceso histórico y dialéctico de inclusión-exclusión. En este estudio, con enfoque cualitativo y fundamentado en los presupuestos teóricos de la Psicología Socio-Histórica de Vygotsky, se realizaron investigaciones de cuño bibliográfico y empírico. A partir de entrevistas con profesionales del Derecho que actúan en procesos judiciales que involucran niños, se observó el asujeamiento de los niños y la distancia que separa el positivado y el efectivo cumplimiento de los derechos de los niños. AU

Effectiveness of the Miranda Acquiescence Questionnaire for Investigating Impaired Miranda Reasoning.

The capacity of arrestees to comprehend their Miranda rights adequately and to waive them intelligently remains largely unexamined by most defense attorneys and forensic practitioners. Although much is now known about Miranda comprehension, only recently has forensic research emerged on Miranda reasoning. This archival study utilizes an extensive dataset of 847 pretrial detainees who were administered the Standardized Assessment of Miranda Abilities. This study focuses on how forensic practitioners can evaluate Miranda misperceptions that may have contributed to highly consequential decisions to cooperate with law enforcement without seeking legal counsel. Specific items from the Miranda Acquiescence Questionnaire of the Standardized Assessment of Miranda Abilities clearly identified detainees with impaired Miranda reasoning. Two important patterns of Miranda misperceptions were observed: adversarial perspective on arrest and trusting law enforcement. For instance, more than 20 percent of detainees with impaired reasoning wrongly believed that cooperating with police could only have positive outcomes. Even more troubling, more than one fourth of detainees erroneously believed that they must always comply with police requests, which obviously could entail self-incrimination. These findings are then placed in a broader context when examining the professional roles of forensic practitioners in recognizing, understanding, and evaluating for impaired Miranda abilities.

Voting rights for persons with serious mental illnesses in the U.S.

OBJECTIVE: Voting is a fundamental right in democratic societies. Despite this fact, persons with serious mental illnesses (SMIs) frequently encounter barriers to exercising this right. The purposes of this Brief Report are to emphasize the importance of electoral participation in this population, to describe common barriers, and to outline relevant federal and state laws. METHOD: We conducted a review of the relevant psychological and legal literature. FINDINGS: Due to the structural barriers that they encounter, individuals with SMIs are less likely to vote than the general population. Federal laws that protect voting rights for persons with disabilities are the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, the Americans With Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Help America Vote Act, the Voting Rights Act, and the National Voter Registration Act. State laws concerning voter competence, photo IDs, voter challenges, and incarceration practices can affect the electoral participation of persons with SMIs. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: We offer recommendations for mental health professionals and other stakeholders who are interested in addressing barriers and engaging in advocacy efforts that might increase voting opportunities among persons diagnosed with SMIs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Problems of Control: Alcohol Dependence, Anorexia Nervosa, and the Flexible Interpretation of Mental Incapacity Tests.

This article investigates the ability of mental incapacity tests to account for problems of control, through a study of the approach to alcohol dependence and a comparison with the approach to anorexia nervosa, in England and Wales. The focus is on two areas of law where questions of legal and mental capacity arise for people who are alcohol dependent: decisions about treatment for alcohol dependence and diminished responsibility for a killing. The mental incapacity tests used in these legal contexts are importantly different-one involves a 'cognitive' test, while the other includes an explicit impaired-control limb-and the comparison provides insight into a longstanding debate about the virtues of one type of test over the other. It is shown that both kinds of test can take control problems into account, but also that both can be interpreted in narrow and wide ways that significantly influence the outcome of the assessment. It is therefore argued that to a large extent, it is not the kind of mental incapacity test that matters, but how the test is interpreted. It is further proposed that value judgements are playing an unrecognised and inappropriate role in shaping this interpretation. This raises concerns about the current approach to assessing the impact of alcohol dependency on the capacity to make decisions about alcohol use or treatment, as well as broader concerns about flexibility within incapacity tests.

Guardianship, psychotic disorders and capacity to vote / Procesos de Determinación de la Capacidad Jurídica, Trastornos Psicóticos y Competencia para Votar.

The article is aimed to offer an approach of the state of the art of the practices in legal ability determination proceedings in people affected by psychotic disorders and their competency to vote. Therefore, we offer a revision of the subject with special emphasis in the contribution from psychiatry, linked with capacity evaluation models for the decision-making process, and the report of a brief descriptive study based on the results of legal proceedings carried on by a Family Court in Buenos Aires Province from March 2014 to December 2016.

El objetivo del presente artículo es ofrecer una aproximación al estado de la cuestión de la actuación en los procesos judiciales de determinación de la capacidad jurídica en personas afectadas por trastornos psicóticos y su competencia para votar. Para ello se ofrece centralmente una revisión de la temática con especial énfasis en los aportes desde la psiquiatría, vinculados entre otros aspectos a los modelos de evaluación de capacidad para toma de decisiones, y la comunicación de un breve estudio descriptivo de los resultados obtenidos en procedimientos realizados en un Juzgado de Familia de la Provincia de Buenos Aires en el período comprendido desde marzo de 2014 a diciembre de 2016.

Interrogated with Intellectual Disabilities: The Risks of False Confession.

False confessions happen. At least 245 people have been exonerated from convictions in cases featuring confessions that were simply not true. Confessions offer a narrative that allows law enforcement, and society in general, to neatly resolve cases with apparent clarity and closure. And yet the pressures officers place on suspects to provide that closure weigh disproportionately on the vulnerable, including individuals with intellectual disabilities. These individuals are disadvantaged at every step of the custodial interrogation, and they face heightened risks of falsely confessing. Moreover, the principal judicial safeguards against false confessions--assessing a suspect's Miranda waiver and determining whether a confession was voluntarily given within the bounds of the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause--provide little protection for the innocent with intellectual disabilities. Few pieces of scholarship focus specifically on the heightened risks faced by individuals with intellectual disabilities throughout the process of police interrogation. This Note describes the various ways these individuals are disadvantaged. And it offers an additional data point illustrating the vulnerability of people with intellectual disabilities. This Note analyzes the 245 individuals (as of June 2, 2017) on the National Registry of Exonerations who have falsely confessed. Over one-quarter of them display indicia of intellectual disability. This percentage dwarfs the prevalence of people with intellectual disabilities in the general population and even exceeds most estimates of the proportion of the prison population suffering from intellectual disabilities. This Note concludes with several policy and doctrinal suggestions to better protect individuals with intellectual disabilities from the risks of false confession.

Psychiatric evaluation of civil capacity with the new Brazilian Statute of the Person with Disabilities

The objective of this paper is to provide an update to psychiatrists regarding the new Brazilian Law for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities (BLI, Law 13,146 of 2015), and, specifically, to discuss potential implications of situations in which examination by a forensic psychiatrist points toward civil incompetence, while the above-mentioned law mandates full civil capacity for disabled persons. A study of Law 13,146/2015 was conducted, including a comparative analysis of legal and psychiatric approaches on the subject. This analysis revealed that the BLI has generated differences of opinion among legislators. However, the greatest difference seems to arise between the justice system and psychiatric expertise in relation to the difference of criteria adopted in the two approaches. The BLI is very recent; it should be revised in response to debates among psychiatrists and the criminal justice system, and especially as jurisprudence is formed over time.

"Life's hurried tangled road": A therapeutic jurisprudence analysis of why dedicated counsel must be assigned to represent persons with mental disabilities in community settings.

The right to counsel is a fundamental right for individuals facing criminal processes and involuntary civil commitment. However, individuals with serious mental illnesses are subject to many community proceedings (e.g., being taken by law enforcement to a crisis drop-off center) where counsel is not available. We argue that, unless meaningful counsel is provided in such situations, the cycle of arrest, hospitalization, and stays in the community will continue for these individuals, who are among some of the most disenfranchised citizens in the nation and are often without any meaningful voice.

LGBTS e gênero banidos? notas genealógicas sobre projetos de lei no Brasil / LGBTS and gender banned? genealogical notes about law projects in Brazil / ¿LGBTS y género prohibido? notas genealogicas de proyectos deley en Brasil

O objetivo desta investigação foi analisar os efeitos de um dispositivo da sexualidade heterocisnormativo que, nas tentativas de controlar corpos e modular vidas -por meio de tecnologias programáticas nacionalistas, moralizadoras, familistas -articula patologização, criminalização e extermínio. Esse dispositivo, no Golpe de Estado de 2015/2016, propagou o ódio contra as populações que fogem à normatividade de sexo e gênero. Para isso, partimos metodologicamente de uma genealogia dos discursos produzidos por normas legais em processo e/ou instituídas no Brasil que afirmam a ontologia de um verdadeiro sexo e silenciam posicionamentos divergentes. A partir do caminho escolhido, foi possível situar a psicologia como tecnologia de produção de subjetividades que emudece, mas também resiste às demandas normalizadoras recusando identitarismos e assujeitamentos que produzem uma gramática moral e fragilizam a democracia participativa. Um desafio para a psicologia reside na defesa da atuação laica em prol das diferenças de gênero e sexualidades que produzem novas diferenças, ao invés de identitarismos eassujeitamentos que minam o lugar da política.

This research propose analyze, with a genealogic perspective, the effects of a cis-heteronormativity dispositive of sexuality that in their attempts to control bodies and molds lives-through nationalist programmatic technologies, moralizing, familists -articulates pathologizing, criminalization and extermination. This dispositive, in the 2015/2016 coup, propagated hated against people fleeing the conservative standards. For this, we started methodologically from a genealogy about the discourses produced by legal standards in process and/or established in Brazil who claim the ontology of a true sex and silence divergent positions. It is a psychology as subjectivities production technology that silences, but also resists normalizing demands and refusing to produce a moral grammar and weaken participatory democracy. Even with these considerations, his agenda today lies in defense of secular work on behalf of differences in gender and sexuality that produce new differences, rather than regular identitarity andsubmissions that undermine the place of politics.

Esta investigación analiza, desde notas genealógicas, los efectos de un dispositivo heterocis normativo de la sexualidad que en sus intentos de controlar los cuerpos y las vidas­por intermedio de tecnologías programáticas nacionalistas, moralizantes, familistas -articula la patologización, la penalización y el exterminio. Este dispositivo, en el golpe de estado de 2015/2016, condujo el odio contra las personas que huyen de las normas conservadoras. Para esto partimos metodológicamente de una genealogía de los discursos producidos por las normas legales en proceso y/o establecidas en Brasil que reclaman la ontología de un verdadero sexo y ponen las posiciones divergentes en el silencio. Así, se pone la psicología como tecnología de producción de subjetividades que silencia, pero también se resiste a las demandas de la normalización y se niegan a los identitarismos y assujeitamentos que producen una gramática moral y debilitan la democracia participativa. Su agenda de hoy radica en defensa del trabajo secular en nombre de las diferencias de género y la sexualidad que producen nuevas diferencias, en lugar de identitarismos y assujeitamentos que socavan el lugar de la política.

Propostas de redução da idade penal no Brasil e o Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente / Proposals to reduce the age of criminal responsibility in Brazil and the Child and Adolescent Statute / Propuestas de reducción de la edad penal en Brasil y el Estatuto del Niño y del Adolescente

Neste artigo discutimos como as propostas de redução da idade penal no Brasil tensionam o Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente. A partir da genealogia e da arqueologia propostas por Michel Foucault analisamos as Propostas de Emenda Constitucional apresentadas pela Câmara de Deputados entre os anos de 1993 e 2013. Nossa análise indica que as propostas criticam o critério cronológico adotado pelo Estatuto e propõem sua substituição pelo que chamam de critério subjetivo-psicológico. Postos em oposição aos direitos sociais, os direitos civis são tomados como balizadores de uma responsabilização dos sujeitos jovens, tornando-os mais penalizáveis. Por fim, as propostas fazem uma série de críticas à ineficácia do Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente. Essas críticas não são produzidas no sentido de ampliar a efetivação das atuais políticas, mas de instrumentar o recrudescimento punitivo a partir da desqualificação do Estatuto.

This paper discusses how the proposals to reduce the age of criminal responsibility in Brazil strain the Statute of Children and Adolescents. Applying the archaeological and genealogical methods of Michel Foucault we analyze the constitutional amendment proposals presented by the country's Chamber of Deputies between 1993 and 2013. Our analysis points out that the proposals criticize the chronological criteria adopted by the Statute and propose replacing it with the so-called subjective-psychological criteria. Placed in opposition to social rights, civil rights are used as a reference to hold young subjects responsible, thereby making them more penalizable. Finally, the proposals critique the ineffectiveness of the Statute of Children and Adolescents. These critiques are not the result of attempts to expand the efficacy of current policies, but rather to implement a punitive upsurge starting with the disqualification of the Statute.

En este artículo discutimos cómo las propuestas de reducción de la edad penal en Brasil tensionan el Estatuto del Niño y del Adolescente. A partir de la arqueología y de la genealogía propuestas por Michel Foucault analizamos las Propuestas de Enmienda a la Constitución presentadas por la Cámara de Diputados entre los años 1993 y 2013. Nuestro análisis indica que las propuestas critican el criterio cronológico adoptado por el Estatuto y proponen su sustitución por lo que califican de criterio subjetivo/psicológico. Puestos en oposición a los derechos sociales, los derechos civiles son utilizados como referenciales de una responsabilización de los sujetos jóvenes, volviéndolos más penalizables. Finalmente, las propuestas hacen críticas a la ineficacia del Estatuto del Niño y del Adolescente. Estas críticas no son producidas en el sentido de ampliar la efectuación de las actuales políticas, pero de instrumentar el recrudecimiento punitivo a partir de la descalificación del Estatuto.

Factores asociados al estrés laboral en policías penitenciarios costarricenses / Factors Related to Workplace Stress among Costa Rican Correctional Officers

Resumen El objetivo de esta investigación fue determinar si una muestra de policías penitenciarios, en Costa Rica, experimenta estrés laboral y si está relacionado con la presencia de estrés, depresión, ansiedad, burnout y otras características personales y ocupacionales. Además, se determina si hay diferencias entre hombres y mujeres con respecto a la presencia de tales factores. La Escala de Depresión, Ansiedad y Estrés (DASS), la Escala de Estrés Laboral para Oficiales Correccionales (EELOC), y el Cuestionario Breve de Burnout (CBB) fueron administrados a 66 oficiales correccionales de diferen tes prisiones en Costa Rica. Conclusiones: El estrés laboral está significativamente relacionado con la presencia de estrés, ansiedad y depresión, pero no relacionado con la presencia de burnout. No se encontraron diferencias entre hombres y mujeres en ninguna variable. Es importante saber cómo el ambiente de trabajo afecta las vidas de los oficiales con el fin de mejorar las condiciones de trabajo que podrían tener efectos negativos sobre el desempeño en el trabajo y la salud, así como proporcio nar información para los psicólogos policiales, que están a cargo de proveer servicios clínicos y de consejería a los oficiales correccionales.

Abstract The aim of this study was to establish whether a sample of correctional officers in Costa Rica expe rience workplace stress and if workplace stress is related to the presence of stress, depression, anxie ty, burnout and other various personal and occupational characteristics. Additionally, whether there are differences between men and women regarding the presence of such factors are explored. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS), Work Stress Scale for Correctional Officers (WSSCO) and Brief Questionnaire on Burnout (CBB) were administered to 66 correctional officers from di fferent prisons in Costa Rica. Conclusions: Workplace stress is significantly related to the presence of stress, anxiety and depression, but not related to the presence of burnout. No differences between men and women were found on any variable. It is important to know how the work environment affects the lives of the officers, in order to improve the working conditions that could have negative effects on the job performance and health of the officers, as well to provide information for police psychologists who are in charge of providing clinical and counseling services to correctional officers.