Bárbara Scandroglio

Family perception of the process of organ donation. Qualitative psychosocial analysis of the subjective interpretation of donor and nondonor families

Family perception of organ donation has been explored by numerous authors using statements by the people who decided whether or not to donate the organs of a relative in a situation of brain death. Within this tradition, in this work, we analyze the discourse of six families who granted permission for organ donation and three who refused. We describe the process-based interpretation of this experience and identify psychosocial variables and processes that further our understanding of the decision finally adopted. We have identified two heuristics that guide family decision when organ donation is requested: the explicit or inferred will of the deceased and family attitudes to organ donation and transplant. It is postulated that the interaction of these two factors explains a large amount of the decisions made. We also hypothesize that a marked discrepancy between these two factors increases the importance of other aspects, especially the role of the transplant coordinator and of other healthcare personnel. These results support, at a social level, the implementation of transplant promotion programs; and at a healthcare level, the combined use of techniques of crisis intervention and attitude change.

Analysis of the attitudes and motivations of the Spanish population towards organ donation after death

Starting with the relevance of the Spanish experience, this study analyses the population’s disposition towards organ donation after death by means of a representative survey of the adult Spanish population (N = 1206, estimated error ±2.87%, P < 0.05). Of the participants, 8.1% were declared donors, 59.3% were likely to donate, 14.5% were against donating and 18.1% did not know or did not respond; 87.3% would donate relative’s organs if the deceased favoured donation, 50.2% if the deceased’s wishes were unknown and 13.1% even if the deceased opposed donation. Among people who were favourable towards donation, the main motives expressed were the will to save other people’s lives, solidarity and knowing they might someday need a donation. The most important motives for not donating among participants who were against it were the fear of premature organ extraction, of premature pronouncement of death and of mutilation. Reticence to donate is associated with low socio‐economic and cultural level, advanced age and high religious commitment; it is also associated with a low perception of transplant efficacy, not directly knowing any transplanted people and the lack of qualified information. The results support diverse potentially effective strategies for promoting donation in the general population.

Factors related to attitudes toward organ donation after death in the immigrant population in Spain.

López JS, Valentín MO, Scandroglio B, Coll E, Martín MJ, Sagredo E, Martínez JM, Serna E, Matesanz R. Factors related to attitudes toward organ donation after death in the immigrant population in Spain. 
Clin Transplant 2012 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399‐0012.2011.01586.x. 
© 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

AN EXPLORATORY MULTIVARIATE APPROACH TO DRUG CONSUMPTION PATTERNS IN YOUNG PEOPLE BASED ON PRIMARY SOCIALIZATION THEORY

Drug consumption patterns and their psychosocial conditioning factors are explored on the basis of Primary Socialization Theory (PST), through the application of a questionnaire to a representative sample (N = 650) of the young population (age 15 to 29 years) in the Madrid Region. Cluster analysis identifies five consumption groups. Discriminant analysis, including indicators about subjects integration in primary socialization environments, beliefs about the effects of drugs, indicators of psychosocial wellbeing, and variables related to leisure time, allows 67.45% of correct consumption group prediction. Complex associations between drug use, socialization environments and psychosocial wellbeing are found, calling into question approaches establishing cumulative or unidimensional relationships between posited “risk factors” and drug consumption.

Investigación-acción-participativa con la agrupación Latin King en Madrid: potencialidades y límites de una estrategia alternativa al control de los grupos juveniles conflictivos

El presente trabajo relata una extensa experiencia de Investigacion-Accion Participativa llevada a cabo con la agrupacion de Latin Kings residentes en Madrid, Espana. El proceso se llevo a cabo a partir de la demanda del propio grupo y se inicio mediante un analisis participativo de su situacion y necesidades. En consenso con sus miembros, las acciones estuvieron destinadas a: fortalecer los aspectos positivos de la estructura y funcionamiento grupal, potenciando su papel de recurso de insercion y apoyo; reducir las conductas violentas; conectar el grupo con las redes sociales e institucionales del contexto y avanzar en su reconocimiento como agente social legitimo. El trabajo se llevo a cabo priorizando la intervencion a traves de los espacios de encuentro y las vias de comunicacion e influencia del propio grupo, e incluyo diversas estrategias y acciones en los niveles individual, grupal, comunitario y social/institucional. A lo largo del proceso el grupo incorporo normas prosociales a sus discursos y funcionamiento, y desarrollo estrategias de auto-contencion frente a potenciales conflictos, convirtiendose en un agente socializador positivo. No se consiguio, sin embargo, el apoyo politico e institucional necesario para que la agrupacion pudiese funcionar de forma normalizada y abierta, sin estar sometida a protocolos de control policial. Esta situacion dificulto la obtencion de recursos para consolidar los objetivos y para proporcionar refuerzos sociales a los miembros de la agrupacion, socavando la continuidad del proyecto.

Economía, Psicología e Inversión en Bolsa: análisis de las variables que participan en el proceso de toma de decisiones

The ININBE questionnaire has been recently validated in order to measure the variables that affect individual investor behavior in stock exchange. The lack of information about the methodology, items selection and psychometric properties of the instruments used in other researches has shown the necessary to elaborate and validate a questionnaire. In the present work we have applied the ININBE questionnaire to 257 individual investors. We have found interesting results about the relationship between the “psychological” and “economical” variables with individual investor’s characteristics.

The role of emotions arising from instability in investment behaviour / El papel de la carga emocional de la inestabilidad en el comportamiento de inversión

Abstract Clear empirical evidence has been found on how significant changes to a person’s environment can alter their behaviour. This is important when considering investments made on the stock exchange as the variations that occur in stock market prices are frequent and continuous. This study analyses the role instability has on individual investors’ behaviour when investing in the stock market. The results suggest that instability in investment situations plays a significant role in individual investors’ behaviour, probably due to the emotional effect provoked by the possibility of suddenly losing savings. This would modify the perception investors have about investing as well as their intentions, attitudes and feelings of control in regards to investment in financial markets, thus hindering the capacity to predict their behaviour.

The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research (Norman K. Denzin y Yvonna S. Lincoln, Ed.)

Desde la primera edicion del Handbook of Qualitative Research, Denzin y Licoln se han convertido indiscutiblemente en una referencia obligatoria y, por mucho tiempo, excepcional para el heterogeneo conjunto de concepciones y practicas que se encuentran reunidas bajo la etiqueta de “investigacion cualitativa”. Cada una de las ediciones de esta monografia, manteniendo un corpus de planteamientos y contenidos comunes, ha intentado responder a las demandas de los contextos intelectuales e historicos por los que ha ido transitando el campo.