Engineering Ethics in Puerto Rico: Issues and Narratives

This essay discusses engineering ethics in Puerto Rico by examining the impact of the Colegio de Ingenieros y Agrimensores de Puerto Rico (CIAPR) and by outlining the constellation of problems and issues identified in workshops and retreats held with Puerto Rican engineers. Three cases developed and discussed in these workshops will help outline movements in engineering ethics beyond the compliance perspective of the CIAPR. These include the Town Z case, Copper Mining in Puerto Rico, and a hypothetical case researched by UPRM students on laptop disposal. The last section outlines four future challenges in engineering ethics pertinent to the Puerto Rican situation.     

Personality and psychopathology of drug addicts in Puerto Rico

Drug abuse is one of the most pressing sociomedical problems of society. The purpose of this study was to examine the personality and psychopathology of addicts. 229 addicts in treatment programs scored high on Neuroticism and on the Lie Scale and low on Psychoticism and Extraversion on the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire for Puerto Rico. An Addiction Scale, based on a factor analysis, showed a high component of Neuroticism items.     

Integrating Mental Health Services into a General Hospital in Puerto Rico

The prevalence of mental health problems in the general population should be carefully considered. The literature has reported a high co-morbidity of medical and mental illnesses; therefore, collaborative efforts incorporating psychological services into medical settings are imperative. In Puerto Rico, this is not a regular practice in general hospitals. Improving access to mental health services is a challenge and requires the creation of new venues within the healthcare system. This paper describes the theoretical framework, mission, and objectives of the Clinical Psychology Services Program (CPSP) implemented at Damas Hospital in Puerto Rico. From December 2002 to December 2010, a total of 13,580 visits were made to inpatients in diverse clinical units of the hospital; 61 % of all inpatients evaluated met the criteria for at least one mental health disorder based on the DSM-IV-TR. The CPSP’s outcomes highlight the acceptance and relevance of incorporating mental health services and clinical psychologists into general hospitals.     

Community Interventions in Puerto Rico: The Impact of Social-Community Psychology

La psychologie des Social-Communauté est un nouveau et dynamique champ dont le but explicite concerne le changement social. Cet article présente le contexte socio-politique portoricain où cette discipline a été développée, ainsi que ses principaux concepts théoriques. Il fournit quatre exemples d'interventions conduites par des psychologues des sociales-communautés, l'une avec des groupes d'aide à la santé mentale, la seconde avec un groupe de femmes ouvrières dans l'industrie, la troisième dans une église protestante et la dernière dans une communauté du plus bas des niveaux économiques. Le rôle, l'impact et le développement futur de cette discipline sont passés en revue et critiqués.
Social-community psychology is a new and dynamic field with its explicit goal being social change. This paper presents the Puerto Rican sociopolitical context in which this discipline has developed and its main theoretical concepts. It provides four examples of interventions carried out by community social psychologists: one with support groups for the mentally ill; one with a group of women industrial workers; one within a Protestant Church; and the last in a lower socio-economic community. The discipline's role, impact and future development are critically assessed.     

Comparison of special education and regular students in Puerto Rico on the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire

The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire for Children have been standardized for Puerto Rico. In this study the latter test was administered to 24 14-yr.-old boys in special education. No significant differences in scores on Neuroticism or Psychoticism were observed for these boys and 405 12-yr.-old regular students. Results are discussed in terms of the effectiveness of the special education program in Puerto Rico.     

Listening to the Sound of Silence: Gender Roles and Communication about Sex in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rican women are at high risk for the heterosexual transmission of HIV. I examined social and interpersonal aspects of communication about sex in regard to safer sex practices within a specific cultural context. Participants in this study were 42 heterosexual Puerto Rican adults living in Puerto Rico, who ranged in age from 18 to 56 years. Participants were interviewed regarding their sexual communication, sexual practices, and their perceptions regarding the roles of culture and gender in the practice of safer sex. Inductive qualitative analysis showed that three factors limit meaningful communication about sex in Puerto Rico: (1) machismo, (2) the changing role of virginity, and (3) the silencing of both men and women. Implications for theory-based inventions informed by an interpersonal communication perspective are discussed.This research was supported by the Northeastern University Provost’s Research and Development Fund.     

Movement patterns of persons with HIV receiving treatment in public clinics in the Southern Health Region,Puerto Rico

A survey conducted among 187 HIV-infected patients from publicly supported HIV clinics in the Puerto Rican Southern Health Region (SHR) failed to substantiate health planners' concern that this group travels frequently to the US to receive medical services. Respondents were questioned about all places of residence and all sites of HIV treatment in the past 12 months. Movement was defined as being anywhere outside of the SHR for 2 weeks or longer. 7% of the sample had moved at least once in the past year; 4% had moved outside the SHR but within Puerto Rico, while 3% had been in the continental US. Compared to the heterosexual risk group, intravenous drug users and men who have sex with men were 7-8 times more likely to have moved. The attainment of at least a high school education was also significantly and independently associated with increased probability of movement. Medical care was not identified by any of these respondents as the primary reason for travel. 58% indicated they were in their current place of residence to be near family, friends, and relatives. Both the small sample size and the low socioeconomic status of respondents may have limited the ability of this study to identify the so-called "air bridge," however.     

A Cross-Cultural Investigation of Relational and Social Aggression in Female College Students from Puerto Rico and the United States

Researchers compared scores on a self-report measure of relational and social aggression using 2 groups, European American female university students (M = 20.23 years, SD = 3.88) from the mid-Atlantic region of the United States and Hispanic females from Puerto Rico (M = 19.34 years, SD = 1.26). Results indicate that cultural differences were evident in the use of relational and social aggression. The exclusively Hispanic Puerto Rican sample reported being more socially aggressive than the European American, mid-Atlantic sample. In contrast, the European American sample identified as being more relationally aggressive in their relationships than the Hispanic Puerto Rican sample. This distinction allows us to consider potential cultural differences in interpersonal relations in college-age females.     

Scores on the eysenck personality questionnaire for a sample of children and adolescents receiving psychological treatment in Puerto Rico

Personality questionnaire scores obtained by children and adolescents (n = 28) receiving psychological treatment at a health facility in Humacao, Puerto Rico were examined. The scores were compared with those of regular school children of the same age, of Gurabo, Puerto Rico, who were not in treatment (n = 30). The children in treatment obtained higher scores on Psychoticism, lower scores on Extraversion, and similar scores on Neuroticism and Dissimulation by comparison with regular students.     

社区背景下的心理赋权研究:回顾与展望

心理赋权作为社区心理学的一个核心概念,关注的是在特定社区背景下,以公民参与为目标的个体人格定向与自我调控过程。目前对心理赋权的理论研究已有一定积累,但实证研究还相当薄弱,无论是测量工具的开发、有关影响因素的探讨还是心理赋权的干预研究或行动研究,都亟需加强。本文着重介绍了心理赋权在理论研究方面所取得的成果以及实证研究的最新进展,并对未来的研究趋势进行了展望。     

日本对自杀的心理学研究

20世纪 50年代以来 ,日本青少年自杀率急剧上升 ,为了更好地实施危机干预 ,日本学者对自杀行为进行了广泛的研究。研究呈现出由关注宏观的社会因素转向更加关注个体的心理和个性特征的趋势 ,取得了一些很有价值的研究成果。本文综述了日本学者对自杀的内涵、分类、年龄特征、性别特征、动机、手段、自杀前的心理特征和自杀预防的研究成果。