Revista Interamericana de Psicología

The preference for English as the language of scientific publications has resulted in a greater number of citations and a higher level of esteem for English-language scientific journals compared to those published in other languages. Consequently, researchers are frequently compelled to select a language other than their native tongue in which to disseminate their findings. This study sought to examine the extent and quality of coverage of Latin American psychology journals. A bibliometric analysis of scientific journals was conducted via the Scimago portal, with consideration given to the membership quartile based on the SJR indicator. It was determined that publications from Latin America account for 3.52% of the total coverage on Scopus (n=1336). The distribution of journals across the quartiles is as follows: 80.85% are located in quartile 4, while 19.15% are in quartile 3. A total of 85.11% of Latin American journals are open access. In the context of Latin America, Brazil is the country that exhibits the highest level of coverage and performance. In general, the results indicate that, although the coverage is less extensive than in other regions, the majority of Latin American publications are open access, facilitating rapid access to information.

This paper presents the main results of research conducted with rural Mapuche children from La Araucanía, Chile, at the Cognition and Culture Laboratory, Kimkantun. The objective of this work was to describe cultural practices that occur in the participants' homes and at school. A mixed multilevel design was used. The research team made visits to the children's families and to the school, which were recorded in field notes and videos. A textual and conceptual analysis of the contexts in which the Mapuche children deployed their patterns of cultural interaction was carried out. The videos were analyzed using a micro- ethnography technique. In addition, to assess third-party attention, the children were invited to build a toy. The results show that the children display their own cultural patterns of interaction that are expressed through silence, attention to others, and the primacy of collaboration. These behaviors are consistent with the Mapuche Kimeltuwün model of learning, and constitute a powerful resource for promoting the development of Mapuche children.

Environmental psychology is a field focused on understanding the relationships between individuals and the socio-physical environment. It has seen extensive development in the United States and Europe, with notable contributions from authors, institutions, and journals in the global north, leaving a gap in the development of environmental psychology in the global south. Consequently, our goal is to analyze the scientific production of Latin American environmental psychology. To achieve this, we examine a sample of scientific production from Latin America in publications indexed in the Web of Science and Scopus. To characterize the literature, we analyze socio-bibliometric aspects and conduct a thematic analysis of its content. Findings indicate that author collaboration is characterized by small and regionally unassociated groups. The trends in literature published on the Web of Science and Scopus reveal a predominantly traditional Environmental Psychology, both in methodologies and addressed themes. The discussion emphasizes the invisibility of relevant research and interventions to analyze the historically situated production of people and the socio-physical environment, as well as mechanisms maintaining social order.

Many studies have been conducted so as to understand what causes women to remain in abusive relationships and the barriers encountered in the process of leaving. We aimed to investigate the secondary victimization behaviors of women who resume an abusive relationship. Participants were 261 people aged between 18 and 72 years (M = 32.06; SD = 9.96), mostly female (83.9%). Participants were asked to read a vignette that described the relationship between John and Mary. However, there were three relationship outcomes based on which we manipulated information about the victim's behavior. The participants answered the questionnaire containing the Secondary Victimization Scale of Women Victims of Marital Violence (SVS), as well as socio-demographic information. The results found indicate that the participants perceived the victim's suffering more, devalue her and avoid her when she resumed the relationship. We realized that men blamed and devalued the victim more than women. Men also perceived less the victim’s suffering than women.  Thus, our study presented empirical results that, when we refer to women victims of IPV, they are more victimized when they leave and resume the abusive relationship, which is described as the most frequent behavior of women.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has endorsed the Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR) therapy as an effective intervention for reducing PTSD symptoms, enhancing self-regulation, and improving interpersonal efficacy. However, Spanish-speaking veterans at the VA Caribbean Healthcare System lacked access to STAIR manuals in their preferred language. This study addressed this gap by translating and culturally adapting the STAIR therapy participant manual using the Ecological Validity Model (EVM). The materials were then tested in a randomized intervention with six Caribbean Spanish-speaking male veterans, aged 23-62, diagnosed with PTSD who received mental health services at the Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PC-MHI) level of care. Nonparametric tests were used to evaluate symptom progression, and content analysis was conducted on semi-structured interviews. There were no statistically significant changes in PTSD, emotion regulation, or interpersonal problems within the groups. However, participants in the intervention group reported clinically significant changes regarding PTSD symptoms. Interviews with therapists and STAIR participants highlighted improvements in social engagement and interpersonal boundaries. The intervention was found to be feasible and acceptable at PC-MHI. The culturally adapted Spanish version of the STAIR manual proved to be effective, suggesting that STAIR may be a viable approach for reducing PTSD symptoms and improving interpersonal and self-regulation strategies among Spanish-speaking veterans in primary care settings. A randomized control trial is recommended to further explore its efficacy.