Manuel Moyano

El estudio del escepticismo y la responsabilidad social como variables influyentes en emergencias sanitarias como la del COVID-19 parece relevante; Sin embargo, la revisión de la literatura revela una falta de escalas validadas para este fin. La presente investigación consistió en la validación de la Escala de Escepticismo hacia la Enfermedad (DiSkS) y la Escala de Responsabilidad frente al Virus (ViReS), altamente aplicables a otros contextos de emergencia. Para ello, una muestra piloto de 300 estudiantes (75,3% mujeres) y 596 participantes (64,4% mujeres) completaron un cuestionario. Los resultados de los análisis factoriales exploratorios y confirmatorios confirmaron la estructura unifactorial de ambos instrumentos. Las relaciones entre ambos constructos, y con otras variables teóricamente relacionadas, así como los análisis de mediación, proporcionaron evidencia de la validez externa de ambas escalas. Se confirmó su invariancia en cuanto al sexo, destacando su idoneidad para su aplicación tanto en mujeres como en hombres. Ambos instrumentos, creados para ser aplicables a diferentes enfermedades o situaciones de emergencia sanitaria, son útiles para evaluar el escepticismo hacia la COVID-19 y otras enfermedades y la responsabilidad social respecto de su transmisión, dos variables relevantes para la adopción de medidas de protección y la prevención de la propagación de virus.

Objective: This study aimed to examine how families interpret disappearances, to assess their psychological and emotional impact, and to explore perceived support and coping strategies. Background: Disappearances are a widespread yet understudied phenomenon with severe psychological consequences for affected families. The uncertainty surrounding the fate of the missing person constitutes an ambiguous loss, often leading to prolonged grief, trauma, and unmet emotional needs. Method: Thirty‐six relatives of missing persons completed an ad hoc online survey that combined closed‐ and open‐ended questions. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, while qualitative responses underwent content analysis to identify recurring themes. Results: Most families attributed the disappearance to involuntary circumstances, often involving interpersonal conflicts, health‐related vulnerabilities, or possible criminal involvement. Participants reported intense emotional distress, including fear, guilt, and sadness, with many receiving psychological diagnoses post‐disappearance. Social isolation, interpersonal conflict, and loss of meaning in life were also prevalent. Families primarily relied on informal support networks and expressed dissatisfaction with institutional support. Most participants highlighted a lack of access to specialized psychological care and proposed improvements to police, legal, and psychosocial services. Conclusion: The disappearance of a loved one leads to profound and enduring emotional distress. Families experience ambiguous loss without adequate institutional support, resulting in persistent suffering and frustration. Implications: Greater institutional sensitivity and investment are needed to support families of missing persons. Recommendations include accessible mental health care, improved investigative protocols, and public awareness campaigns to reduce stigma and isolation.

Over the past two decades, research on terrorism has expanded considerably. Within this field, one central line of inquiry concerns the factors associated with this form of violence, and the relationship between psychopathology and terrorism has emerged as one of the most debated topics. Early studies largely concentrated on individuals operating within organizations. More recently, however, the rise of lone actors has led to growing scholarly attention to this group. Identifying whether mental disorders differentiate collective actors from individuals acting alone would be valuable for prevention and counterterrorism. This systematic review seeks to bring together existing evidence on the prevalence of mental disorders among individuals involved in terrorist activities, both within groups and as lone actors, and to examine whether differences between these two categories can be observed in this regard. The PRISMA method guided the selection and analysis of twenty articles. The review compiles data on diagnosed disorders, psychopathological traits, and related symptoms, along with other indicators such as hospitalizations linked to these diagnoses. Overall, the findings indicate that rates of psychopathology among individuals engaging in behaviors associated with terrorism tend to fall within ranges similar to those reported in population studies. At the same time, some research points to higher prevalence in certain subgroups, particularly among lone actors. Comparisons between group-based and lone actors yield uneven results: although some studies suggest a higher presence of disorders and psychopathological traits among lone actors, findings vary across the literature and no clear consensus has been reached. Taken together, the results underscore the need for further research into the role of psychopathology in terrorist behavior, as well as its implications for prevention and early detection.

En agosto de 2017, un grupo de jóvenes de Ripoll, conocidos como la célula del 17-A, llevó a cabo dos atentados terroristas en Barcelona y Cambrils, España, que causó la muerte de 16 personas y dejó más de un centenar de heridos. En un intento de entender lo que sucedió, y, sobre todo, cómo se llegó hasta ahí, en este trabajo de investigación exploramos la conducta verbal de esta célula terrorista a través de los textos hallados en sus ordenadores y dispositivos móviles. Adoptando una perspectiva de análisis del discurso basado en corpus, nuestro objetivo principal es determinar las características discursivas de estos individuos. Nuestro interés no sólo se centra en lo que dicen, a quién se dirigen, de quién hablan, y qué reacciones se pueden inferir de ello, sino también, y, sobre todo, en cómo lo hacen. Aquí, mostramos los resultados de un primer acercamiento a los datos básicamente inductivo. A fin de tener una visión panorámica de los materiales autoproducidos por la célula, hemos hecho uso de una de las herramientas imprescindibles en la lingüística de corpus, a saber, el análisis de palabras clave presentes en los mismos, ya fueran audios, mensajes cortos o conversaciones de WhatsApp.

Given the rise of violent extremism, it is crucial to explore protective factors that may mitigate such behaviors. This research investigates the role of cultural intelligence as a potential protective factor against political violence. Grounded in significance quest theory, it examines whether the quest for personal significance predicts support for political violence via the need for cognitive closure (H1). It also tests whether motivational cultural intelligence moderates this relationship: individuals with higher cultural intelligence may be less likely to seek cognitive closure under existential uncertainty, thus reducing support for violence (H2). Two studies were conducted. In Spain (n = 257; 71.98% women, Mage = 34, SD = 13.2), moderation analyses were used to test H2. In Israel (n = 322; 55.59% women, Mage = 36.4, SD = 12.7), both hypotheses were examined through moderated mediation analyses. Results showed that motivational cultural intelligence moderates the link between significance quest and need for cognitive closure. High cultural intelligence weakened the association between significance quest and cognitive closure, reducing support for political violence –but only when the quest for significance was low. When significance quest was high, it predicted support for violence via cognitive closure, regardless of cultural intelligence. These findings suggest that while cultural intelligence can be protective, its effect may be overridden by strong existential needs. Interest in learning from other cultures appears to buffer against political violence, but once the need for significance is activated, it may dominate other motivations and foster rigid thinking, ultimately increasing support for violence.