Estrés de pandemia por COVID-19 y el conflicto trabajo-familia y familia-trabajo en Buenos Aires, Argentina / Pandemic stress due to COVID-19 and the work-family and family-work conflict in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Resumen La pandemia ha generado un nuevo entorno que establece determinadas exigencias o demandas de actuación a las personas, potenciales estresores que pueden desencadenar el proceso de estrés, al que se le podría denominar Estrés de Pandemia (EDP). A este contexto, se sumaron los cambios en la jornada laboral que derivaron en mayor interferencia entre la familia y el trabajo. De esta manera, se volvió relevante generar conocimiento sobre la temática durante este contexto particular. El objetivo del presente estudio fue determinar la asociación entre el (EDP) y el Conflicto Trabajo-Familia (CTF) y Familia-Trabajo (CFT). Además, se indagaron diferencias de grupos según factores laborales como la modalidad de trabajo y la tenencia o no de niños a cargo, entre otros. Se utilizó el Inventario SISCO de EDP (Macías, 2020), la escala de CTF y CFT (Netemeyer et al., 1996) y un cuestionario ad-hoc. Los participantes fueron 637 adultos (M.edad = 38.14, DS = 13.05, femenino = 487). Se encontraron asociaciones positivas entre las variables CFT y CTF y ambas se asociaron de manera positiva con el EDP. Quienes trabajaron de manera virtual evidenciaron mayor CFT y quienes lo hicieron, tanto virtual como presencialmente fueron los que más puntuaron en CTF. Finalmente, quienes tenían niños a cargo tuvieron mayor CFT y CTF. En conclusión, el estrés en torno al COVID-19 se vincula con mayor interferencia y conflictos entre el ámbito laboral y el familiar.

Abstract Pandemic Stress can be defined as a psychological state produced by an adaptation process where the individual values ​​the environment demands, determined by the pandemic, as overflowing with their resources to carry them out effectively (Macías, 2020). The change in routine carries the possibility of an increase in relation to work-family conflict. Family conflict involves two directions: work can interfere with the family (family work conflict or FWC) and the family can interfere with work (work family conflict, or WFC) (Bellavia y Frone, 2005) because of the incompatibility of responsibilities in the workplace and family (Greenhaus y Beutell, 1985). Added to this context are changes in the working day and, since there are no studies that analyze the relationships between SP and family and work conflict, it becomes relevant to generate knowledge on this issue during this context that humanity is going through. In this way, the aim was to establish the association between Pandemic Stress (PS), Work-Family Conflict (WFC) and Family-Work Conflict (FWC). In addition, the possible existence of group differences was analyzed according to work factors such as work modality, and the possession or not of dependent children. SISCO Pandemic Stress Inventory (Macías, 2020), the Work-Family Conflict and Family-Work Conflict scale (Netemeyer et al., 1996) and an ad-hoc questionnaire were used. The participants were 637 adults (M.age = 38.14, SD = 13.05, female = 487). Positive associations were found between the variables WFC and FWC, and both were positively associated with PS. Those who worked virtually showed higher FWC and those who did it both virtually and in person, were the ones who scored the most in WFC, realizing the difficulty in balancing family and work demands. This could be due to the difficulty for parents who worked outside the home, since they had to organize alternative solutions to take care of their children, which is hampered by the closure of establishments, difficulty in mobilizing and preventive and mandatory isolation of social networks that, in another context, contribute to the care of children. It is of great relevance to consider that the majority of those surveyed have been women, being the most likely to report that the excessive amount of housework made it difficult for them to combine work and family (Blasko, 2020). Finally, those who had children had higher WFC and FWC. In this sense, Gutierrez et al. (2020) explain that in households the unpaid workload and care has increased, which falls unequally on women, a fact that further limits their availability of time to develop productive and / or work activities. Following Park et al. (2020), being young, being female, and being a caregiver increase the risk of exposure to stressors and a greater level of stress. In conclusion, the lawsuits surrounding COVID-19 interfere in conflicts between the workplace and the family. This shows the importance of carrying out evidence-based interventions aimed at mitigating the effects of SP due to COVID-19 and reducing WFC and FWC. In this sense, the present research provides an advance in the understanding of interference between home and work, as well as the impact of the pandemic in both spheres of daily life.

Construcción de una escala para evaluar tipos de elogios otorgados por cuidadores primarios a infantes de 0 a 3 años / Construction of a scale to assess the types of praise given by primary caregivers to infants 0-3 years

Resumen Los elogios son definidos como devoluciones positivas otorgadas a personas sobre sus atributos, sobre la realización de una tarea o sobre los objetos o productos realizados. Los distintos tipos de elogios que los cuidadores primarios o padres utilicen con los infantes cuando ellos realicen una actividad impactarán en su desarrollo, en las creencias o percepción de sí mismos o de los modos de aprender, y en la motivación hacia esas tareas que la niña o el niño realice. Estos modos de elogiar no han sido estudiados en la Argentina y no existen instrumentos estandarizados psicométricos para evaluarlos. Por esto, el objetivo de este estudio fue la creación y validación de una técnica de auto-reporte para evaluar los elogios que otorgan los cuidadores a infantes de 0 a 3 años. Los participantes que conformaron la muestra (. = 128) fueron reclutados por medio de internet y completaron un cuestionario de escala Likert de aproximadamente cinco minutos de duración. A partir del análisis factorial exploratorio, se ajustó la técnica y se agruparon las preguntas del cuestionario en tres dimensiones: elogios de persona, proceso y producto. Esto permitiría hacer una evaluación breve y sencilla de los elogios utilizados, lo que en un futuro aportaría a intervenciones o estudios que pretendan favorecer elogios que beneficien un desarrollo adaptativo de los infantes. Sin embargo, aún es necesario un futuro estudio que indague cambios en la técnica con un mayor tamaño muestral para la realización de una validación más exhaustiva.

Abstract Praise is defined as positive feedback given to people about their attributes, their performance, the objects or products made by them. The different types of praise that primary caregivers or parents use with infants when they carry out an activity will impact on their development, beliefs or perception of themselves or types of learning, and motivation toward the tasks that the children perform. One type of praise is the praise directed towards an individual, which compliments their own attributes such as her intelligence. Another one is the product praise, which is directed towards the final objects or actions that the infant performs, such as a drawing or physical activities. Finally, a praise directed at the process aims to congratulate the infant during the task as a process, either for making an effort or for the strategies that they use to achieve something. This last kind of praise favors perseverance in the face of new tasks to a greater extent, while praise directed at the person could generate more frustration when the infant experiences failure. Therefore, the way caregivers interact with infants is relevant, since it modulates motivation and the development of different skills. For this reason, the main objective of this study was the creation and validation of a self-report technique to assess the praise that Argentinean caregivers give to infants from 0 to 3 years of age. The sample was made up of 128 primary caregivers (. = 128) who were recruited through the internet. They completed a Likert scale questionnaire of approximately 5 minutes of duration. The data was collected during preventive social isolation due to COVID-19. This could lead to changes in parental behavior, while it also provides ecological value for understanding the ways to praise in this context, where caregivers spend a lot of time with infants; however, it would be important to conduct future research outside of this context. An exploratory factor analysis was performed, which led to an adjustment in the technique by eliminating four items in order to improve the psychometric characteristics of the instrument. By this analysis, the formation of the three dimensions was justified by the types of praise: person, process, and product praise.The final instrument consisted of 13 phrases that represent possible compliments used by caregivers. Participants indicated how often they usually use those compliments on a scale from 1 (never) to 5 (very often). The items are divided by types of praise: six were assigned to the product dimension, three to the process dimension and four to the person dimension. The internal consistencies of the dimensions were process (α = .91), product (α = .74) and person (α = .73). This self-report technique for primary caregivers of infants would allow a short and simple evaluation of the praise used. In future research, this technique would allow an assessment of praise for the realization of studies that seek to expand the knowledge about how they affect child development. Likewise, it would contribute to the development of interventions with caregivers aimed to promote praise that benefits an adaptive development of infants. However, more studies are needed to investigate possible changes in the inventory, such as the inclusion of neutral praise or negative feedback. Furthermore, a larger sample size would be necessary to carry out a more exhaustive validation, performing a confirmatory factor analysis, convergent variance and factor invariance.

Is emotional support the key to improving emotion regulation? A machine learning approach.

BACKGROUND: According to the emotion regulation process, situation selection comprises actions that increase or decrease the likelihood of being in contexts that foster a certain type of emotion, positive or negative. This concept is complemented by the social basis theory, which starts with the assumption that the primary ecology of humans is characterized by its social components. Thus, reduced access to social relationships increases cognitive and physiological effort, which leads to a decrease in well-being. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: In order to make a joint assessment of both concepts, the study used supervised machine learning models to analyze the associations between selected variables of social support, emotion regulation, coping, and several psychological symptoms (somatization, obsession-compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism). For this purpose, an Argentine sample (N = 812, M age = 44.35, female = 435) was collected through the Internet, nested cross-validations were performed with 8 different learning algorithms and Shapley values were computed for the predictive models that minimized the test errors. RESULTS: The results showed that adaptive strategies have considerable effects on maladaptive strategies, but they do not have significant effects on symptoms. Contrariwise, social support variables have significant effects on symptoms, while they do not have major effects on maladaptive strategies. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that the main function of regulatory flexibility does not appear to be a better adaptation to situations, but rather the maintenance of adequate levels of social support, i.e. emotional support received, perception of available emotional support, and perceived comprehension. Further implications are discussed, and a hypothetical model proposed.

Traducción y adaptación de la Level of Personal Functioning Scale - Brief Form 2.0

La quinta edición del Manual Diagnóstico y Estadístico de los Trastornos Mentales (DSM-5) introdujo el concepto de niveles de funcionamiento de la personalidad, los cuales indican la gravedad del trastorno de la personalidad. En nuestro conocimiento, no existen instrumentos psicométricos concisos para la evaluación del nivel de funcionamiento de la personalidad en lengua castellana, por lo que el objetivo del presente estudio consistió en la traducción y adaptación de la Level of Personal Functioning Scale - Brief Form 2.0. La muestra (N = 361) se recogió por internet. Los resultados del análisis factorial confirmatorio mostraron que el instrumento tiene una estructura bifactorial y que puede utilizarse, además de sus dos dimensiones autofuncionamiento y funcionamiento interpersonal, una dimensión que representa el funcionamiento general. Las consistencias internas obtuvieron valores aceptables, y en el análisis de validez convergente se encontraron correlaciones significativas con todos los rasgos de la personalidad.

A quinta edição do Manual Diagnóstico e Estatístico de Transtornos Mentais (DSM-5) introduziu o conceito de níveis de funcionamento da personalidade, que indicam a gravidade do transtorno da personalidade. Tanto quanto sabemos, não existem instrumentos psicométricos concisos para avaliar o nível de funcionamento da personalidade na língua espanhola, pelo que o objetivo deste estudo consistiu na tradução e adaptação da Level of Personal Functioning Scale - Brief Form 2.0. A amostra (N = 361) foi coletada via internet. Os resultados da análise fatorial confirmatória mostraram que o instrumento possui uma estrutura bifatorial e que pode ser utilizado, para além das suas duas dimensões, autofuncionamento e funcionamento interpessoal, com um fator que representa o funcionamento geral. As consistências internas obtiveram valores aceitáveis, e na análise da validade convergente foram encontradas correlações significativas com todos os traços de personalidade.

The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) introduced the concept of levels of personality functioning, which indicates the severity of personality disorders. In our knowledge, there are no concise psychometric instruments for assessing the level of personality functioning in Spanish, so the objective of this study was the translation and adaptation of the Level of Personal Functioning Scale - Brief Form 2.0. The sample (N = 361) was collected via internet. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis showed that the instrument has a bifactorial structure and it can be used, in addition to its two dimensions, self-functioning and interpersonal functioning, a factor that represents general functioning. Evidence of internal consistency is provided, and significant correlations were found with all personality traits.

[Development and Validation of a German-language Short Form of the Coping Strategies Inventory]. / Entwicklung und Validierung einer deutschsprachigen Kurzform des Coping Strategies Inventory.

When an external and/or internal demand is found to be depleting one's resources, certain strategies are used to cope with the associated stress. Although a correlation between emotional suppression and a higher degree of pathological states has been demonstrated, there are no short instruments in German that include this stress coping strategy. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to translate the Coping Strategies Inventory and to develop a short version of the instrument. The sample (n=272) was collected via a web-based survey; an exploratory factor analysis revealed the existence of nine stress coping strategies captured by the instrument instead of eight. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis showed not only appropriate psychometric properties of the nine-factor structure, but also its superiority compared with a higher-level factor structure. Significant correlations with all personality traits confirm the convergent validity of the instrument, so that its short version can be used in German-speaking countries.

Factor Structure and Internal Consistency on a Reduced Version of the Revised Test of Need for Cognitive Closure.

The need for cognitive closure is a construct postulated by Kruglanski that explains the motivational aspects which influence decision-making and its impact on the social environment. Initially, it was assessed through a unidimensional scale, later criticized for its poor satisfactory reliability and validity. Regarding these criticisms, Pierro and Kruglanski developed a new 14-item scale to measure two dimensions, which were not previously evaluated: urgency tendency and permanence tendency. Although the Revised Test of Need for Cognitive Closure is more economical in terms of assessment time, it would be optimal to develop a reduced test that can assess faster while maintaining validity and reliability. The present research aims to reduce the Revised Test of Need for Cognitive Closure scale to the Argentinian context. To this end, we worked on a non-experimental design, assessing this scale within a sample of 690 Argentinian university students (Women = 81.16%, Men = 18.84%), and proceeded to perform reliability, as well as confirmatory factor analysis, convergent validity, and factorial invariance analysis. The results indicate a bi-factorial structure of a Need for Cognitive Closure instrument with eight items and two dimensions: urgency tendency (α = 0.76) and permanence tendency (α = 0.64), suggesting good reliability in both of them. In addition, well convergent validity was checked with other validated instruments, and finally, the factor loadings were shown to be invariant. In conclusion, it was demonstrated the reliability and validity of reducing the Revised Test of Need for Cognitive Closure in our social environment.