Papers by Eliut Rivera-Segarra
The provision of care and support to a person living with a psychotic spectrum disorder can have ... more The provision of care and support to a person living with a psychotic spectrum disorder can have deleterious effects on the health and quality of life of the family caregiver. However, research has neglected to document the impact of the caregiving process on the health of Latino caregivers, particularly Puerto Ricans. The objective of this article is to present the experiences of Puerto Rican carers of people living with a psychotic spectrum disorder. An exploratory qualitative design was used and the study examined the experiences of caregivers attending four family psycho-educational groups in Puerto Rico. Using thematic analysis, three categories were identified as comprising the psychosocial factors theme: (1) burden, (2) social support, and (3) stigma. These findings are discussed in light of the previous literature while taking into account the specific cultural dynamics of the context. Finally, empirically based recommendations to inform future research and interventions with this population are presented.
El avance del estudio de la música Heavy Metal (HM) desde diversos campos académicos se ha docume... more El avance del estudio de la música Heavy Metal (HM) desde diversos campos académicos se ha documentado en disertaciones, conferencias, libros dedicados en su totalidad al tema y artículos en revistas científicas. Más aún, los estudios sobre el HM han sido realizados desde la interdisciplinareidad, comenzando desde los campos de estudios culturales (Riches, 2011) hasta la física (Silverberg, Bierbaum, Sethna, & Cohen, 2013). Dentro de los estudios sobre el HM, el mosh ha sido identificado como una práctica esencial de la experiencia de un concierto de Metal (Riches, 2012). En este trabajo, proponemos documentar los significados asociados a la práctica del mosh en la escena metalera de Puerto Rico. Este trabajo forma parte del primer estudio sistemático de la cultura del HM en Puerto Rico. A partir de salidas etnográficas y entrevistas a profundidad a miembros de la escena metal local, encontramos tres dimensiones emergentes sobre el significado del mosh: 1) la existencia de un código no escrito compartido por la comunidad relacionado a cómo llevar a cabo el mosh; 2) la conceptualización del mosh como un espacio liminoide; y 3) su rol terapéutico. Concluimos que el mosh es un espacio propicio para la emergencia de la confianza, amistad y camaradería, a la vez que permite un nivel aceptable de violencia y riesgo. Es allí, entre ese orden y ese caos, en donde encontramos una experiencia comunal que reta, desafía y problematiza los aspectos inherentes a la condición humana.
Religion is an important aspect for Puerto Rican population. For years the scientific literature ... more Religion is an important aspect for Puerto Rican population. For years the scientific literature has emphasized the importance of religion on physical and psychological health. Several researchers have developed tools to measure religiousness in order to better understand this phenomenon. However, a religiousness instrument for the Puerto Rican population has not been identified. In order to develop a religiousness scale for Puerto Rico, a comprehensive literature review was conducted that allowed the development of 63 items distributed among four sub-scales (Intrinsic, Organizational, No-Organizational, and Subjective). Validity and reliability analyzes were conducted for the religiousness instrument with an availability sample of 140 participants. Data was collected using auto-administered questionnaires online and in paper. Exploratory factor analyses results showed the existence of three factors. Internal validity of the religiousness scale was satisfactory, also for each of the sub-scales. Convergent validity was supported with the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL). These results suggest that the religiousness scale has the potential to measure this construct among Puerto Rican population. Moreover, the religiousness scale will advance further research of the phenomenon of religion in Puerto Rico.
Los Determinantes Sociales de la Salud (DSS) son una prioridad para la reducción de las inequidad... more Los Determinantes Sociales de la Salud (DSS) son una prioridad para la reducción de las inequidades en salud. La Psicología y la Educación para la Salud son disciplinas cuyo enfoque principal es el mejoramiento de la salud de las personas. No obstante su quehacer tradicionalmente se ha enfocado en el trabajo con los individuos, obviando la atención a los aspectos estructurales. Objetivos: documentar la percepción sobre los DSS en las profesiones de Psicología y en Educación para la Salud en Puerto Rico e identificar experiencias en sus respectivas prácticas con los DSS. Método: Se administró la Encuesta de Percepción sobre Factores Socio-estructurales a 124 profesionales y estudiantes de Psicología y Educación para la salud en Puerto Rico. Para el análisis se utilizaron estadísticas descriptivas. Resultados: se observa un mayor desconocimiento sobre los efectos de DSS como la pobreza, el estigma, el apoyo social y la clase social. Asimismo, la mayor parte de los/as encuestados/as manifestaron que su rol como promotores de la salud se ha centrado a nivel individual fomentando el cambio conductual. Conclusiones: Estos resultados resaltan la importancia de reflexionar críticamente sobre nuestro quehacer y los discursos dominantes en los que nos hemos formado como profesionales de la salud. Se incluyen recomendaciones para trabajar con algunos hallazgos del estudio.
ABSTRACT Social Determinants of Health (SDH) have been identified as a priority in the reduction of health inequities. Psychology and Health Education are disciplines that aim to improve the health of people. However, their work has traditionally focused at an individual level, neglecting structural aspects that impact health. The objectives of this study where: (1) document the perception about SDH among Psychology and Health Education professionals in Puerto Rico and (2) identify their experiences in their practices with SDH. The Survey on the Perception about Socio-structural Factors was administered to 124 participants. Descriptive statistics were used for the analysis. Results reflect a greater lack of knowledge on the effects of DSS as poverty, stigma, social support and social class. Also, most of the participants manifested that their role as health professionals has focused at an individual level promoting people to change their behaviors. This results emphasize the importance of critically reflect on our practices and the dominant discourses embedded in us as health professionals. Recommendations for working with the study findings are included and discussed. KEY WORDS: Social Determinants of Health, Psychology and Health Education
Heavy metal music has constantly been under scrutiny due to its perceived negative effects on its... more Heavy metal music has constantly been under scrutiny due to its perceived negative effects on its listeners. Quantitative research has focused on heavy metal music as a risk factor for mental health problems and antisocial behaviour. This research agenda has neglected to explore and quantitatively document how the music can foster positive outcomes among its listeners, in particular a strong sense of community. Fans and producers of heavy metal music constantly reference community as an important aspect of the sonic experience. Still, few studies have addressed the communal experience in heavy metal music from a quantitative perspective. Therefore, the specific aims of this study were to (1) document levels of sense of community among members of the Local Metal Scene (LMS) in Puerto Rico, (2) explore differences on sense of community among core scene members and those at its periphery, and (3) explore predictive variables that can explain sense of community among its members. We present data from a larger study of the metal scene in Puerto Rico, which used a mixed methods approach including ethnographic observations, qualitative interviews and surveys with members of Puerto Rico’s metal scene. Results evidence high levels of sense of community, with existing differences among members of the same scene. Furthermore, our results identify six predictive variables of importance for sense of community among the LMS in Puerto Rico.
Heavy metal music is simultaneously reflective of, and reactive to, the cultural underpinnings of... more Heavy metal music is simultaneously reflective of, and reactive to, the cultural underpinnings of the spaces in which it is created. Wallach et al. have emphasized the need to understand metal music outside of Anglo-American contexts and culture. Although the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico seems like an unlikely scenario for the emergence of a metal scene, it has in fact existed via underground means for the past 25 years. Due to the Island’s strong Hispanic and Catholic roots, stemming from Spanish colonialism in the fifteenth century, religion has played a central role in the development of the local metal scene. The first systematic organization of a metal scene was structured by Christian metal groups under the name of ‘Metal Mission’ and served as a meeting space for social interaction based on metal music and religion. The objective of this article is to document the role of Christian religion in the emergence and maintenance of a metal scene in Puerto Rico. We will present data from a larger study of the metal scene in Puerto Rico, which used a mixed methods approach including ethnographic observations (300 hours), qualitative interviews (n=50) and surveys (n=400) with members of Puerto Rico’s metal scene. Although metal music has roots in critical perspectives towards religion, our research shows how it has also helped shape the Island’s metal scene.
The experiences of stigmatization among people living with specific Serious Mental Illnesses (SMI... more The experiences of stigmatization among people living with specific Serious Mental Illnesses (SMI), such as Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) has not been addressed by the scientific literature. In this study we wanted to explore how people living with BPD experience stigmatization. We examine the experiences of 8 people (7 women and 1 man) living and receiving treatment for BPD in Puerto Rico. We used an exploratory qualitative design with semi-structured interviews. To interpret our data, we conducted a thematic analysis. We discuss three categories that focus on one identified theme: the interpersonal dimension of the stigmatization process. These categories are (a) society's views of people living with BPD, (b) family relationships, and (c) partner relationships. Our findings show that people with BPD experience a high attributed personal responsibility, discrimination, social exclusion, and lack of social support. In addition, our findings suggest that the stigmatization of BPD might be more complex than other mental illnesses as it shares characteristics of both SMI and less severe forms of mental illness. We also discuss the importance for practitioners to address stigmatization in therapy and the importance for research to address other aspects of the stigmatization process such as its structural dimension.
La Comisión para los Determinantes Sociales de la Salud (CSDH por sus siglas en Inglés) define lo... more La Comisión para los Determinantes Sociales de la Salud (CSDH por sus siglas en Inglés) define los determinantes sociales como las condiciones de vida que son moldeadas por los factores sociopolíticos que contribuyen a la salud de las personas y la población en general (CSDH, 2007). Esta definición incluye todos aquellos factores estructurales, ambientales, socio-económicos, contextuales y de acceso a servicios que tienen un efecto en la salud de las personas (Organización Mundial de la Salud, 2007). En otras palabras, estos son "las características sociales dentro de las cuales la vida tiene lugar" (Moisa, 2007, p. 172). Entre los determinantes que han sido identificados como factores claves en la salud de las personas y la sociedad se encuentran la pobreza (Benach & Amable, 2004), la clase social (Muntaner et al., 2012) y el estigma (Rivera-Segarra & Ramos-Pibernus, 2013). En este trabajo, nos enfocaremos específicamente en el género.
Social Determinants of Health (SDH) are the conditions, in which people grow, age, live, work, th... more Social Determinants of Health (SDH) are the conditions, in which people grow, age, live, work, the system that deals with health and illnesses and the social, political and economic forces that shape it. Research has consistently shown the impact of stigma in these conditions and the role of social, political and economic forces. However, stigmatization has been an overlooked factor in the SDH literature. Using the Fundamental Cause Theory, I will discuss how and why stigma should be addressed as a SDH and the implications that emanate from this conceptualization for future research, theory and practice in the psychological endeavor.
El estigma hacia pacientes de salud mental ha sido identificado como una barrera para la búsqueda... more El estigma hacia pacientes de salud mental ha sido identificado como una barrera para la búsqueda de tratamiento y la adherencia al mismo. Literatura reciente ha documentado la necesidad de crear instrumentos válidos, confiables y adaptados culturalmente para medir este fenómeno. El objetivo de este estudio fue desarrollar y validar una escala para medir el estigma hacia pacientes de salud mental por parte de profesionales de la salud en adiestramiento. La muestra del estudio estuvo compuesta por 146 participantes divididos en las siguientes profesiones: medicina, psicología y trabajo social. El 76 % (n=111) se identificaron como mujeres y el 24 % (n=35) como hombres. La edad promedio de los participantes fue de 25 años. Los resultados obtenidos a través del análisis de factores, sugiere que la variabilidad de las puntuaciones se debe a tres factores, a saber: Distancia Social, Atribuciones Caracterológicas Negativas y Problemas de Autosuficiencia. Los coeficientes de confiabilidad fluctuaron entre 0.67 y 0.74.
Editorial Experience by Eliut Rivera-Segarra
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Papers by Eliut Rivera-Segarra
ABSTRACT Social Determinants of Health (SDH) have been identified as a priority in the reduction of health inequities. Psychology and Health Education are disciplines that aim to improve the health of people. However, their work has traditionally focused at an individual level, neglecting structural aspects that impact health. The objectives of this study where: (1) document the perception about SDH among Psychology and Health Education professionals in Puerto Rico and (2) identify their experiences in their practices with SDH. The Survey on the Perception about Socio-structural Factors was administered to 124 participants. Descriptive statistics were used for the analysis. Results reflect a greater lack of knowledge on the effects of DSS as poverty, stigma, social support and social class. Also, most of the participants manifested that their role as health professionals has focused at an individual level promoting people to change their behaviors. This results emphasize the importance of critically reflect on our practices and the dominant discourses embedded in us as health professionals. Recommendations for working with the study findings are included and discussed. KEY WORDS: Social Determinants of Health, Psychology and Health Education
Editorial Experience by Eliut Rivera-Segarra
ABSTRACT Social Determinants of Health (SDH) have been identified as a priority in the reduction of health inequities. Psychology and Health Education are disciplines that aim to improve the health of people. However, their work has traditionally focused at an individual level, neglecting structural aspects that impact health. The objectives of this study where: (1) document the perception about SDH among Psychology and Health Education professionals in Puerto Rico and (2) identify their experiences in their practices with SDH. The Survey on the Perception about Socio-structural Factors was administered to 124 participants. Descriptive statistics were used for the analysis. Results reflect a greater lack of knowledge on the effects of DSS as poverty, stigma, social support and social class. Also, most of the participants manifested that their role as health professionals has focused at an individual level promoting people to change their behaviors. This results emphasize the importance of critically reflect on our practices and the dominant discourses embedded in us as health professionals. Recommendations for working with the study findings are included and discussed. KEY WORDS: Social Determinants of Health, Psychology and Health Education