Isabela Osorio Jaramillo

Introduction: Community-based healthcare approaches can improve outcomes and reduce costs for long-term physical and mental health conditions. To design, evaluate and implement such interventions, it is essential to explore the existing resources of community and healthcare institutions, understand stakeholder perspectives and identify potential barriers and facilitators to community-based care for non-communicable diseases. Our aim was to conduct a situation analysis to better understand and contextualise community-based care for long-term physical and mental health conditions in Bolivia, Colombia and Guatemala. Methods: A multimethod approach was used, incorporating three data sources: (1) sociodemographic and morbidity indicators from selected regions and healthcare centres; (1) quantitative surveys completed by health centre management staff and (2) semistructured interviews with healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and community leaders. These tools helped assess the capacity of health centres, as well as barriers and facilitators for community-based care. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic framework analysis. Results: 25 health centres across the three countries were included: 12 were of low complexity, 21 in urban areas and 20 used electronic medical records. Daily seen patients ranged from 1 to 270. Most of the centres had general practitioners and nursing staff, with 72% having psychologists, 24% psychiatrists and 50% specialists in cardiovascular or metabolic conditions. Barriers to community-based care included duration and frequency of appointments, a shortage of both administrative and clinical staff, a lack of continuity in treatment, long distances for patients to travel, inadequate facilities and mental health stigma. Conclusion: Community interventions aim to manage long-term physical and mental health conditions; however, identified barriers may limit their implementation within the existing healthcare infrastructure and should be addressed when introducing new approaches.

This paper explores the multifaceted experiences of Venezuelan migrant women engaged in prostitution, framed through three critical moments: the “decision to enter in prostitution,” the unique abuses faced, and the resultant consequences on mental, physical, and social health. The study highlights how socioeconomic vulnerabilities—exacerbated by migration and poverty—significantly influence the likelihood of entering prostitution. It also shows how traumatic experiences, particularly in childhood and adolescence, coupled with a lack of support networks, contribute to a heightened risk of exploitation. Eleven life stories were collected through a phenomenological approach, revealing a common narrative of abuse, poverty, and the search for survival in a foreign country. The findings underscore that prostitution is not merely a personal choice, but a complex phenomenon shaped by structural inequalities and systemic violence. Overall, the research highlights the urgent need for comprehensive support systems to aid these women in overcoming the profound challenges they face, both during and after their involvement in prostitution.

In low- and middle-income countries such as Colombia, the increasing prevalence of mental disorders in youth has driven interest in school-based community-based psychosocial interventions aimed at prevention and wellness promotion. However, little is yet known about how key capacities such as resilience and compassion are perceived in these contexts, where patterns of access to resources are limited and cultural dynamics may differ significantly from those documented in Western, educated, industrialized, wealthy, and democratic countries from which most of the existing research originates. This study explored perceptions of resilience and compassion among children, adolescents and teachers in educational institutions in three departments of Colombia. A qualitative observational study with a phenomenological approach was conducted within the framework of the intervention “Conmigo, Contigo y Con Todos – 3Cs” (with me, with you, and with everyone) which analyzed 833 focus groups: 166 with teachers and 667 with students in three measurement moments. The findings reveal that resilience and compassion are dynamic capacities shaped by emotional experiences and sociocultural context. The 3Cs Model facilitated processes of self-reflection, emotional regulation, reinforcement of mutual care, a deeper sense of community, and a reconfiguration of the school environment as a space for collective care and emotional safety. In addition, there was evidence of a re-signification of suffering among both teachers and students. These results underscore the value of contextually relevant, community-based, school-centered interventions for promoting mental health awareness and enhancing socio-emotional competencies in educational settings affected by adversity.

In low- and middle-income countries such as Colombia, school-based mental health interventions that promote resilience and compassion have been consolidated as effective strategies to promote emotional well-being in adolescents, especially in contexts affected by the armed conflict. “Conmigo, Contigo y Con Todo” (3C) is a psychoeducational model designed to strengthen resilience, compassion and inclusion in school settings, through strategies based on cognitive-behavioral and third-generation approaches. This qualitative study aimed to explore children and adolescents’ perceptions of resilience, compassion and inclusion, and to understand how these were transformed after their participation in the 3C model and three months later, compared to their initial perceptions. A total of 335 focus groups were conducted with students aged 6 to 18 years before, during and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using a six-phase thematic analysis with inductive coding. Findings evidenced a dynamic process in which participants re-signified resilience as a proactive ability to cope with adversity, while compassion and empathy evolved into concrete actions of mutual support and care. This process reflected the practical integration of the model in their school and personal contexts. The results underscore the potential of culturally sensitive school-based interventions to promote psychosocial well-being, highlighting the importance of strategies that empower students as active agents in their emotional and social development.

Background: Many young people achieve recovery from mental health problems by using strategies to manage emotional distress and enhance well-being. Given that little is known about the functions of these strategies, especially in Latin American countries, this study aims to describe the usefulness of the resources used by youth from deprived urban neighborhoods in Bogotá (Colombia), Buenos Aires (Argentina), and Lima (Perú) in managing emotional distress. Methods: 112 in-depth interviews about strategies for dealing with emotional distress and their perceived function were conducted with young people from three Latin American cities. The sample included young adults and adolescents in a longitudinal cohort study. A thematic content analysis was carried out. Results: Participants identify different functions linked to their strategies to cope with emotional distress or increase their well-being. However, "coping with distress," "perceived support," and "distraction" are the three main functions of the strategies used by them in situations of emotional distress. Each of these functions comprises several aspects, some of which overlap between functions, such as motivation, emotional expression, companionship, and regulation. Conclusion: The variety of functions linked to the strategies used by young people to cope with emotional distress or enhance their well-being could guide the facilitation of a favorable social and interpersonal context through public policies and a community approach that promotes young people's access to strategies to cope with emotional distress.