Felix Cova

• Head of Department at University of Concepción

La experiencia de hijos/as de padres/madres con un trastorno mental grave (TMG) ha sido escasamente estudiada desde una perspectiva que considere la forma en que ellos mismos perciben las estrategias que han desarrollado para afrontar esta experiencia y los efectos, tanto positivos como negativos que ello ha significado en la propia vida. Esta inve...

Concern about the apparent increase in mental health problems among adolescents and young people has intensified considerably in recent years, with it being common nowadays to refer to a “mental health crisis” in this age group. Available epidemiological studies confirm an increase in internalized behaviors within this population. This article prop...

The relationship between parenthood and subjective well-being has been a subject of considerable interest in recent decades. Some studies have indicated that mothers and fathers exhibit lower levels of subjective well-being than those who are not parents, leading to the phenomenon known as the “well-being gap”. However, the results are often contra...

Objective This research aimed to determine the stigma toward people with mental illness among mental health personnel and identify individual, professional, and contextual predictors. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional, and correlational design was used. The sample consisted of 218 mental health personnel working in Outpatient Psychiatric Unit...

Background Mental disorders in university students are a growing attention problem in the international community due to their high prevalence and serious consequences. One possible reason is university students’ difficulties in coping with stress. Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) is a transdiagnostic process that, when combined with stress, can...

Interventions to reduce the stigma of health care personnel toward people with mental disorders have been generally evaluated fundamentally by improving attitudes and reducing the desire for a social distance toward this population. However, decreasing stigma should be accompanied by an increase in good treatment behaviors toward those affected. Hu...

The study aimed to understand the meaning of parenthood and the reproductive decisions of adults who do not have children in Chile. Based on a qualitative approach, 10 participants aged between 30 and 39 were interviewed. After that, a thematic analysis was conducted. The results indicated that the meanings of parenthood encompass a broad interplay...

Interventions to reduce the stigma of health care personnel toward people with mental disorders have been generally evaluated fundamentally by improving attitudes and reducing the desire for a social distance toward this population. However, decreasing stigma should be accompanied by an increase in good treatment behaviors toward those affected. Hu...

This article analyzes available data on high prevalence of mental disorders and a possible increase in recent decades. Interpreting meaning in different ways is discussed. Psychiatric and social determinants perspectives are contrasted against critical perspectives addressing the role of socio-cultural factors in what is understood, expressed, and...

Antecedentes: La población sobre 60 años va en aumento y es relevante tener más conocimiento sobre los factores que inciden en su bienestar y salud mental. Objetivo: Este estudio busca comprender la relación entre bienestar, apoyo social y sintomatología depresiva en personas mayores de la provincia de Concepción. Método: 538 adultos mayores fuer...

Introduction Aging is a demographic global trend and a challenge for public mental health; however, gaps persist for a comprehensive definition of mental health, risk, protective factors, and processes involved, which represent a greater problem in middle-income countries, where evidence is scarce. Objectives To identify combined mental health pro...

Background This study aims to describe the relationship between life satisfaction, positive affect, depression and anxiety symptoms with sociodemographic, psychosocial and clinical variables, and to identify the relative importance of these predictor groups. Methods We evaluated life satisfaction (SWLS), positive affect (PANAS), depressive (PHQ-9)...

Background While there are reviews of the literature on mental health stigma reduction programs, very few have focused on the workplace. Objective: We sought to identify, describe and compare the main characteristics of the interventions to reduce the stigma towards mental health at work. Method The search of original articles (2007 to 2022) was ca...

The promotion and protection of the emotional well-being of older adults is a relevant challenge, given the increase in life expectancy and demographic changes. Although many older adults experience “successful aging” and positive emotional well-being, biological, psychological, and social factors may favor the development of depressive disorders,...

The concept of intensive parenting refers to a trend that has broadened and extended the cultural mandates around what is expected of parents in the “adequate” exercise of their roles. It implies that they focus their vital attention on the upbringing of children and give them full dedication; invest an enormous amount of energy, resources and capa...

This study analyzed a predictive model of posttraumatic growth (PTG) in a cohort of 244 workers affected by an occupational accident. A longitudinal design with three points in time (i.e., 1, 6, and 12 months after the accident) was used. PTG, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), subjective severity of the event, deliberate rumi-nation, and seekin...

This study analyzed a predictive model of posttraumatic growth (PTG) in a cohort of 244 workers affected by an occupational accident. A longitudinal design with three points in time (i.e., one month, six months and twelve months after the accident) was used. PTG, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), subjective severity of the event, deliberate rum...

Based on a set of items (Cova et al., 2007), the Inventory of Psychological Maladjustments for University Students (IDP-EU) was developed to assess four areas of prevalent maladjustments in this population: self-destructive behaviors, eating maladjustments, problematic consumption of substances, and academic stress .A sample of 1935 undergraduate s...

Experiencing violence has effects on people's well-being. Participants: Two samples of Chilean women, one of 425 university students and another of 118 mental health consultants (total 543, aged between 18 and 66 years). Design: Secondary cross sectional analysis of partner or intrafamily violence in the last year, depressive symptoms, hopelessness...

Los eventos altamente estresantes son sucesos que potencialmente generan consecuencias negativas en las per- sonas afectadas, como síntomas postraumáticos y depresivos. El presente estudio evalúa un protocolo de intervención preventiva, orientado a personas que han vivido un evento altamente estresante reciente, basado en la Terapia Sistémica Breve...

This study assessed the effectiveness of a program (called Igual-Mente, Equal-Mind) designed to reduce stigma in primary health care personnel. A random clinical trial was performed (ISRCTN46464036). There were 316 primary care professionals and technicians who were randomized and assigned to the experimental or control group. The program considere...

Being a parent plays an important role in people’s life trajectory and identity. Though the general cultural perception is that having children is a source of subjective well-being, there is evidence that, at least in some societies, the subjective well-being of those who are parents is worse, in some aspects, than that of those who are not. This g...

Parenting is a transforming experience for the life of parents that brings joy and satisfaction as well as challenges, frustration, and demands. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between “parental stress and satisfaction” and work-home conflict, perceived social support, and global satisfaction with life, and to determine the...

The psychosocial impacts of natural disasters are associated with the triggering of negative and positive responses in the affected population; also, such effects are expressed in an individual and collective sphere. This can be seen in several reactions and behaviors that can vary from the development of individual disorders to impacts on interper...

Background: This study aimed to assess the measurement properties (reliability, factor structure, and criterion validity) of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) as an instrument for screening major depressive disorder (MDD) in elderly primary care users in Chile. Method: About 582 participants aged between 65 and 80 years were enrolled from pr...

For several decades now, there has been a strong interest in quantifying the magnitude of mental health problems in the general population. In spite of the growing methodological sophistication of investigations, there remain conceptual issues. The aim of this article is to critically analyse both the community prevalence studies of mental disorder...

Introduction: in the student population, the transition from the school system to the university system often involves a normative life crisis; one of the central challenges of this stage is the shift from an external normative system in permanent operation to individual self-regulation of behavior. One of the areas most affected by this change ar...

La violencia filio-parental es un fenómeno de gran transcendencia social debido a su repercusión en las dinámicas familiares. La mayor parte de las investigaciones sobre este tema han sido realizadas en EEUU y España, siendo muy escasas en países de Latinoamérica, como por ejemplo, Chile. El objetivo del presente estudio fue adaptar y analizar las...

Introducción: a más de dos décadas de la introducción del concepto de salud intercultural en América Latina, su definición no está clara, pues ha adquirido diferentes significados dependiendo de su uso. Existen tensiones entre la tendencia a reducir la salud intercultural a la conciliación entre la biomedicina y la medicina indígena, y una perspect...

Background: Stigma towards people diagnosed with a severe mental disorder (SMD) is one of the main obstacles for these service users to receive timely and relevant healthcare. This study was undertaken to understand how stigmatizing attitudes are demonstrated towards people with SMD in primary healthcare centers (PHC) from the perspective of those...

Un número escaso de investigaciones en psicología son réplicas, lo que se relaciona con un sesgo negativo hacia estas. Sin embargo, la denominada crisis de la replicabilidad en psicología ha mostrado la necesidad de replicar para obtener resultados confiables.

Promotion and prevention are increasingly recognized as essential strategies in mental health. It has been shown that promotional and preventive programs in this area can be effective. It is expected that spreading these programs may help to decrease the gap between the assistance needs in mental health and the resources available. Besides describi...

Reflecting on negative emotional experiences can be adaptive but it can also maintain or intensify detrimental emotional states. Which factors determine whether reflection can have one consequence or another is unclear. This study focused on two research programs that have concentrated on this topic in the last decades: processing-mode theory (PMT)...

Background: Evidence about the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions to reduce the incidence of depression and anxiety and promote subjective well-being in older people is limited, particularly in Latin-American countries. This study thus aims to assess a program specifically designed to address this issue in persons aged 65 to 80 and attend...

Background Parenting training is a proven strategy for the promotion of positive parenting practices and for the prevention and treatment of behavior problems in children. The processes that explain this efficacy are less clear. The aim of this study was to assess the mediating role of parenting practice modification, encouraged through the impleme...

The Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ) is a widely used instrument to assess parenting practices. Recent studies show positive psychometric qualities and a robust factorial structure of a brief form. The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of this brief form with parental figures of children from two to six years old in C...

Background: People with severe mental disorders (SMDs) have higher disease and death rates than the general population. Stigma (negative attitudes and perceptions) contributes to limited access to health services and a lower quality of medical assistance in this population, and it is manifested as negative attitudes, social distance, and discrimina...

Background: Simple and brief questionnaires with adequate psychometric properties are useful for the early detection of depressive disorders. Aim: To analyze the psychometric behavior of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) in Chile. Material and methods: Data were collected from 1,738 adult patients, consulting in primary health care cent...

Background: Evidence for the effectiveness of parental training as a strategy for promotion of positive parental practices and prevention of child behavior problems in low and middle income countries is not conclusive. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a universal positive parental training program designed for this context, “Día a Día...

This article explores the psychometric properties of the Brief Adolescents' Subjective Well-Being in School Scale (BASWBSS) in a sample of 1332 Chilean students aged from 13 to 19 years. We performed factor structure, internal consistency and convergent validity analyses. The results show a bifactorial structure, which coincides with that proposed...

1.- El rol de las emociones positivas en los conflictos intergrupales: el conflicto territorial entre Chile y Bolivia/ The role of positive emotions in intergroup conflicts: the territorial conflict between Chile and Bolivia/ O papel das emoções positivas nos conflitos intergrupais: o conflito territorial entre o Chile e a Bolívia Fuad Hatibovic &...

We analyze the relationship between having experienced a work accident and the development of depressive symptoms six months later, considering the subjective severity of the event, the use of positive and negative religious coping strategies, and brooding as predictor variables. Methods: 244 people (57 women and 187 men) who experienced a work acc...

El propósito del estudio fue evaluar la influencia de la rumiación y el apoyo social sobre el burnout y el bienestar psicológico en funcionarios deuna unidad de cuidados intensivos de un hospital de alta complejidad en Chile. Se propuso un modelo de influencia indirecta del broodingsobre el bienestar psicológico, mediado por el apoyo social y el bu...

Overdiagnosis of mental disorders is an increasing concern, which was accentuated after the publication of the DSM-V. Jerome Wakefield is a renowned critic of the psycopathologization that, however, has developed an intense work to try to better delimit what a mental disorder is without rejecting this concept. A structured review of the work of thi...

Overdiagnosis of mental disorders is an increasing concern, which was accentuated after the publication of the DSM-V. Jerome Wakefield is a renowned critic of the psycopathologization that, however, has developed an intense work to try to better delimit what a mental disorder is without rejecting this concept. A structured review of the work of thi...

Objective: In order to increase the knowledge of rumination and its associations with stressful events, we explored the relationships between four types of rumination (brooding, reflection, intrusive and deliberate rumination) in a sample of 750 adult participants who experienced a highly stressful event. We also explored the predictive value of th...

Objective: To analyze the role of parenting stress as a mediating variable of the relationship between SES and both externalized and internalized behaviors in preschool children. Subjects and method: Descriptive secondary base study based on the Longitudinal Survey of Chilean First Infancy that selected a stratified sample, representative by clu...

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to investigate the psychological impact of Kangaroo Mother Care ?KMC? on mother–infant bonding in cases of premature delivery. Examined variables were mother– infant relationships, maternal anxiety levels, and infant interactive signals. The KMC method requires that babies be undressed and held upright between th...

The child Behavior checklist/1.5-5 and the caregiver/teacher report Form are one of the most widely internationally recognized instruments to evaluate desadaptative behaviors which may affect the current and future development of preschool children. The psychometric behavior of both instruments was evaluated in a socioeconomically diverse sample of...

El estigma está considerado como el principal obstáculo para la recuperación de las personas que sufren trastornos mentales (TM). La presente investigación tuvo el objetivo de analizar las propiedades psicométricas de la Escala de Actitudes Comunitarias hacia la Enfermedad Mental (CAMI), que evalúa el estigma del público hacia las personas con TM....

Background: In this article, the evaluation of a structural model that seeks to identify predictors and mediators of posttraumatic growth (PTG) of people affected by a natural disaster is presented. Method: The sample was composed of 349 adult men and women who experienced the earthquake and tsunami on February 27, 2010 in Chile. A modeling with st...

This article discusses the pattern of internet use from 93 young users of cybercafés in the city of Concepción (Chile). Two instruments were administrated: a questionnaire about sociodemographic data and Internet habits and another one about Internet problematic use (CERI). Additionally, the main motivation for using the internet was analyzed. The...

This research was intended to study the perception of both needs and social climate of a coastal community affected by the earthquake and tsunami lived in Chile in February 2010. Information collection techniques used in this study were five semi-structured interviews and a group interview. In total 11 people participated, two men and nine woman be...

Objective: To identify elements that either facilitate or hinder implementation of Chile's intercultural health policy. Methods: A descriptive study was conducted with the participation of health services users from the Mapuche ethnic group, biomedical health professionals, intercultural facilitators, and key informants in two health facilities ser...

Objetivo Identificar elementos facilitadores y obstaculizadores del proceso de implementación de la política de salud intercultural chilena. Métodos Se realizó un estudio descriptivo en el cual participaron usuarios de servicios de salud de la etnia mapuche, profesionales de la salud biomédica, facilitadores interculturales e informantes clave de...

Background: In this article, the evaluation of a structural model that seeks to identify predictors and mediators of posttraumatic growth (PTG) of people affected by a natural disaster is presented. Method: The sample was composed of 349 adult men and women who experienced the earthquake and tsunami on February 27, 2010 in Chile. A modeling with...

Introduction: Suicide is a relevant subject to public health. Its incidence has increased in Chile during the last decade. The current study aims to analyze psychological factors mediating the influence of depressive symptomatology in suicide ideation and attempt in mental health patients. Method: 96 mental health patients from public services and...

Introduction: Suicide is a relevant subject to public health. Its incidence has increased in Chile during the last decade. The current study aims to analyze psychological factors mediating the influence of depressive symptomatology in suicide ideation and attempt in mental health patients. Method: 96 mental health patients from public services and...

The aim of this study was to test a cognitive model of posttraumatic symptoms (PTS) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) after exposure to a natural disaster. It was hypothesized that although subjective severity of trauma would be related to the severity of PTS, this relation would be mediated by brooding and cognitive strategies related to the presence...

Background Stigma is one of the major impairments to social integration of people with mental disorders. The present research was aimed to study the psychometric properties and adapt the Link's Social Distance Scale (SD) in a sample from Chile. This scale assessed the public attitudes toward people with mental disorders by means of a vignette, foll...

Background: Suicide mortality rates are increasing among teenagers. Aim: To study the prevalence and predictive factors of suicide attempts among Chilean adolescents. Material and Methods: A random sample of 195 teenagers aged 16 ± 1 years (53% males) answered an anonymous survey about their demographic features, substance abuse, the Osaka suicidal...

Background: Suicide mortality rates are increasing among teenagers. Aim: To study the prevalence and predictive factors of suicide attempts among Chilean adolescents. Material and Methods: A random sample of 195 teenagers aged 16 ± 1 years (53% males) answered an anonymous survey about their demographic features, substance abuse, the Osaka suicidal...

Background: Stigma is one of the major impairments to social integration of people with mental disorders. The present research was aimed to study the psychometric properties and adapt the Link's Social Distance Scale (SD) in a sample from Chile. This scale assessed the public attitudes toward people with mental disorders by means of a vignette, fol...

Los hogares y residencias protegidas son elementos centrales de la red asistencial que atiende a personas con un diagnóstico de trastorno mental severo, dentro del modelo de salud mental comunitaria. Este modelo tiene como uno de sus propósitos centrales estimular la autonomía y participación social de los usuarios. Se evaluó la restrictividad pres...

Cómo citar: García, F., Villagrán, L., Wlodarczyk, A. & Cova, F. (2015). Perspectivas acerca del crecimiento postraumático. En: M. Bilbao, D. Páez & J. C. Oyanedel [Eds.], La felicidad de los chilenos. Estudios sobre bienestar (pp. 107-126). Santiago de Chile: RIL. A través de diversos constructos en las últimas décadas se ha intentado capturar la...

El propósito del estudio fue evaluar, en una población afectada por un desastre natural, la relación de algunas variables sociales y psicológicas con el bienestar psicológico y el crecimiento postraumático. Se obtuvo una muestra de 446 personas de la provincia de Concepción (Chile), afectadas por el terremoto del 27/F del 2010. Se emplearon el Inve...

RESUMEN Este estudio planteó como objetivo identificar las estrategias de afrontamiento y estilos rumiativos que se relacionan con la existencia de crecimiento postraumático (CPT), en una muestra de 195 estudiantes universitarios que experimentaron eventos de alto impacto emocional. La rumiación deliberada y las estrategias de afrontamiento religio...

Theoretically derived factors (preexisting child characteristics, trauma exposure, caregiver– child relationship, and school-based mental health programming) were examined as potential correlates of distress in children residing in the region closest to the epicenter of the 2010 Chilean earthquake. One year before the earthquake, 2nd-grade students...

There are not many instruments about evaluation of post Traumatic symptomatology in Latin-American children and adolescents. The current study analyzes the psychometric properties of the child PTSD Symptom Scale CPSS (Foa, Johnson, Feeny y Treadwell, 2001), among young victims of a natural disaster. Regular psychometric analyses were carried out, i...

The aim of the study was to evaluate, in a population affected by a natural disaster, the relationship of social and psychological variables with the psychological well-being and posttraumatic growth. Participated 446 people of the province of Concepcion, Chile, affected by the earthquake on 27/F, 2010. We used the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (P...

Introduction: KIPS is an observational instrument that allows assessing the quality of parental practices of both mothers and fathers of children from two to 71 month old. Study Aim: To evaluate inter-judges agreement and other psychometric properties. Method: A team of certified evaluators coded 30 recordings from games of mothers with their child...

RESUMEN El propósito de este estudio fue identificar procesos psicológicos relacionados con la sintomatología del estrés postraumático (SPT) y el crecimiento postraumático (CPT). A través de un análisis de sendero se evaluó un modelo que relacionó SPT y CPT con severidad subjetiva, impacto en las creencias básicas, compartir social y rumiación rela...

There are not many instruments about evaluation of posttraumatic symptomatology in Latin-American children and adolescents. The current study analyzes the psychometric properties of the Child PTSD Symptom Scale CPSS (Foa, Johnson, Feeny y Treadwell, 2001), among young victims of a natural disaster. Regular psychometric analyses were carried out, in...

Ponencia presentada en el XXXIV Congreso de la Sociedad Interamericana de Psicología, Brasilia, Brasil.

The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory represents one of the most important instruments measuring positive personal changes occurring after living a very negative or traumatic situation. The present study analyzes its psychometric properties in a population affected by a natural disaster. The instrument was administered to 449 adults exposed to the ear...

Introduction: The post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most frequent consequences of exposure to natural disasters, disabling both children and adults. Objectives: To describe prevalence of probable PTSD in children who experienced the disaster that occurred in southern Chile in February 2010. Methodology: The sample consisted of 1,3...

Natural disasters have different impacts on people's psychological well-being and mental health. One of the most frequent consequences is the post-traumatic symptomatology. The psychological impact of disasters might be influenced by several factors. The coping style is one of the personal factors that influence the psychological impact of disaster...

Early treatment of depressive disorders is considered a health priority. One obstacle in achieving this purpose is the low adherence or abandonment of treatment performed by some consultants. The aim of this research is to understand the perception of people who deserted their treatment in primary care settings on the factors that led to the abando...

Family support, depressogenic inferential style and rumination were longitudinally analysed in a sample of female adolescents wherein depression is more prevalent compared to adolescente male population. The sample comprised a group of 142 first grade secondary school students, with an average age of 14.2 years. The assessment was undertaken 6, 13...

Artículo recibido en junio 8 de 2011; artículo aceptado en septiembre 14 de 2011 (Eds.) · Resumen: Este estudio compara el rendimiento intelectual de 100 jóvenes varones (12-17 años) que han infringido la ley, con el de 100 jóvenes no infractores. Los resultados indican que los jóvenes infractores de ley presentan una mayor proporción de CIs totale...

Este estudio analiza prospectivamente la relación entre soporte familiar, estilo inferencial depresogénico y rumiación negativa con sintomatología depresiva en adolescentes. Se focaliza en adolescentes de sexo femenino, donde la depresión es más prevalente. Participaron 142 estudiantes de primer año de secundaria, con un promedio de edad de 14.2 añ...

During 2011 the Grants from FONDECYT for Regular Competitions 2012 and for Introduction to Research 2011 were resolved. For Introduction to Research, 525 projects was submitted and 262 projects were approved. Of these, 7 corresponded to Psychology (from a total of 12 projects nominated), with an amount of 322.630 million pesos, representing 2,3% of...

This study compared the intellectual performance of 100 young men (12-17 years old) law offenders versus the performance of 100 young men non offenders. Results indicate that young offenders present a larger proportion of total IQ below average than non offenders. After removing education and socio-economical effects, differences between law offend...

Early treatment of depressive disorders is considered a health priority. One obstacle in achieving this purpose is the low adherence or abandonment of treatment performed by some consultants. The aim of this research is to understand the perception of people who deserted their treatment in primary care settings on the factors that led to the abando...

Natural disasters have different impacts on people’s psychological well-being and mental health. One of the most frequent consequences is the post-traumatic symptomatology. The psychological impact of disasters might be infuenced by several factors. The coping style is one of the personal factors that infuence the psychological impact of disasters....

This study assesses the impact of a preventive program of depression in female adolescents from first grade of secondary school. The program was implemented in two ways: 1) Indicated: Applied to patients with sub threshold depressive symptoms (experimental group N=101; control group N=108) 2) Universal applied to a class comprised only by girls (ex...

This study assesses the impact of a preventive program of depression in female adolescents from first grade of secondary school. The program was implemented in two ways: 1) Indicated: Applied to patients with subthreshold depressive symptoms (experimental group N=101; control group N=108) 2) Universal applied to a class comprised only by girls (exp...

Identifying factors related to conduct disorder is important for understanding the etiopathogeny of these problems to favor targeting of the interventions. This study analyzes a wide range of factors at social, familiar, educational and intellectual level that have been related to conduct disorders in adolescents. A sample of 200 adolescents, 100 f...

Both rumination and worry are repetitive and unproductive cognitive processes. Different studies have shown their negative impact on emotional wellbeing. This investigation evaluates the influence of depressive rumination (including its subfactors: reflection and negative rumination), and worry in the development of depressive symptoms in a sample...

Both rumination and worry are repetitive and unproductive cognitive processes. Different studies have shown their negative impact on emotional wellbeing. This investigation evaluates the influence of depressive rumination (including its subfactors: reflection and negative rumination), and worry in the development of depressive symptoms in a sample...

Depression is common and can have devastating effects on the life of adolescents. Psychological interventions are the first-line for treating or preventing depression among adolescents. This proposal aims to evaluate a school-based, universal psychological intervention to reduce depressive symptoms among student's aged 13-14 attending municipal sta...