Eduardo Valenzuela

Trust and reciprocity: A theoretical distinction of the sources of social capital

The social capital literature has focused on the functional and structural properties of social relations, partially neglecting the way in which they are experienced by individuals. Drawing on anthropological and social theory, this article distinguishes two ideal-typical forms of social capital — reciprocity and trust — based on the meaning of the social relations that embed them. Reciprocity is the type of social capital embedded within personal relations, triply defined in the factual, social and temporal dimensions by co-presence, reciprocity and memory, respectively. Trust is the type of social capital embedded within relations with strangers, defined by the condition of impersonality or anonymity. These two types of social capital cannot be reduced to extremes in a continuum, nor are they fungible, and while reciprocity is by definition particularistic (this is the source of its strength as a linking mechanism), trust has a universalistic potential. Analytical and empirical implications of this distinction are outlined.

Identificación y caracterización del adulto mayor saludable

Aun no existe una definicion operacional de envejecimiento saludable en la practica clinica, pese a ser una meta de las politicas de salud de la OMS. El objetivo de este estudio es desarrollar un protocolo clinico que permita identificar personas mayores saludables en la comunidad, con el fin de estudiar sus caracteristicas clinicas, de laboratorio y funcionalidad. Metodos: Se invito de manera abierta a participar de este estudio a personas mayores saludables. Se considero saludable a individuos mayores de 60 anos, de la comunidad, funcionalmente activos, con baja carga de comorbilidad y que se auto-percibieran saludables. Los participantes fueron entrevistados telefonicamente y aquellos que cumplieron los criterios fueron evaluados mediante una evaluacion geriatrica integral, que incluia evaluacion clinica, antropometrica, funcional (Timed get up and Go), y laboratorio. Resultados: Un total de 384 personas respondieron al llamado y 83 cumplieron los criterios de saludable, 57% mujeres, edad promedio 71 anos (60-98), 78% no consumia ningun medicamento, 100% tenia una capacidad fisica mayor de 3 Mets . El laboratorio basico mostro que cerca del 90% de los sujetos estaba en el rango de normalidad usando los criterios de referencia estandar establecido para poblacion adulta. Conclusiones: Este estudio revela que el protocolo desarrollado fue capaz de identificar personas mayores saludables, con baja carga de comorbilidad y buena funcionalidad. Ademas valida la historia clinica y la valoracion geriatrica integral como instrumento fidedigno para identificar a estos sujetos. Este protocolo podria ser usado para mejorar el conocimiento sobre las caracteristicas propias de un envejecimiento saludable.

Homofilia, Selección e Influencia en un Estudio Longitudinal de Drogas en Población Escolar

Este estudio pretende establecer los niveles de homogeneidad de pares —a veces llamada homofilia en la literatura especializada— que se encuentra en el uso de tabaco, alcohol y marihuana en relaciones de amistad en la adolescencia temprana. Se utilizan datos longitudinales que identifican diadas de amistad entre alumnos de 7o y 8o grado provenientes de una muestra representativa de poblacion escolarizada de la Region Metropolitana de Chile. Tambien se ofrecen estimaciones sobre el origen de la homofilia observada, sea como resultado de procesos de seleccion, en los que la similitud precede a la amistad, o de influencia, en la que, por el contrario, la amistad conduce a la concordancia de pares. Los resultados muestran que la iniciacion en el uso de drogas se realiza en ambientes moderadamente concordantes y que los efectos de influencia predominan sobre los de seleccion. Palabras clave: drogas, efecto de pares, adolescencia This study seeks to establish levels of peer homogeneity —sometimes called homophily in the literature— in the use of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana in friendship relations in early adolescence. Longitudinal data from a representative sample of school population of the Metropolitan Region of Chile was used to identify friendship dyads between students in 7 th and 8 th grades. Additionally, some estimates about the origin of the observed homophily are provided, as a result of selection processes in which similarity precedes friendship or, alternatively, as a result of influence processes where friendship leads to matching pairs. The results show that initiation into drugs takes place in environments that are moderately homogeneous and that influence effects are more important than selection effects.

Preocupación a caer: validación de un instrumento de medición en personas mayores chilenas que viven en la comunidad

INTRODUCCIóN: Fear of falling, with or without previous falls history, is a risk factor for decreased mobility, disability, as well as a decreased quality of life, and can trigger the self-restriction of activities with loss of independence and functionality. Validated tools for measuring the fear of falling in the Chilean population is a needed to detect those at risk. There are currently no validated instruments to measure this phenomenon in Chile. The aim of this study is to validate the Spanish version of the short «Falls Efficacy Scale-International» (FES-I) in an elderly population living in the community in Chile. MATERIAL AND METHOD A cross-sectional study was performed using applications at baseline and 4 weeks. The short FES-I was translated using the back-translation method, evaluated by a panel of experts, and piloted in 10 older adults. After the pilot study, the final version was applied to a sample of 113 elderly persons. Data analysis used measures of central tendency, and reliability and confirmatory factor analysis was used. RESULTS The Spanish version of the short FES-I showed good reliability and validity in an elderly Chilean population. CONCLUSIONS This falls risks measurement tool can be used by clinicians and researchers in order to determine the magnitude of the problem and the impact of fear of falling on falls, functionality, and quality of life of the elderly who live in the community.

Substance Use among Adolescents Involved in Bullying: A Cross-Sectional Multilevel Study

Being involved in bullying as a victim or perpetrator could have deleterious health consequences. Even though there is some evidence that bullies and victims of bullying have a higher risk for drug use, less is known about bystanders. The aim of this research was to study the association between bullying experience (as victims, bullies, or bystanders) and substance use. We gathered complete information from a nationally representative sample of 36,687 students (51.4% female) attending 756 schools in Chile. We used a self-reported questionnaire which was developed based on similar instruments used elsewhere. This questionnaire was piloted and presented to an expert panel for approval. We used multilevel multivariate logistic regression analyses, controlling for several variables at the individual (e.g., school membership, parental monitoring) and school levels (e.g., school type, school denomination). This study shows that bullies and bully-victims have a high risk for cigarette, alcohol, and cannabis use than bystanders. This is one of the few studies exploring the association between witnessing bullying and substance use. These findings add new insights to the study of the co-occurrence of bullying and substance use. Other factors, such as higher academic performance, stronger school membership, and better parental monitoring reduced the risk of any substance use, while the experience of domestic violence and the perception of social disorganization in the neighborhood, increased the risk. These findings may help the design of preventive interventions.

Uso inapropiado de medicamentos en adultos mayores: resultados de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud 2010

Background: Inappropriate medication use in older people is an important source of adverse events and complications. Aim: To determine the frequency of inappropriate medication use in the general population. Material and methods: As part of the 2010 Chilean National Health Survey, 1048 persons aged 65 years or more were interviewed about medication use. The information obtained was analyzed using standardized Beer’s criteria, adapted for the Chilean population, to define inappropriate medication use. A logistic regression model was performed to define risk factors for inappropriate medication use. Results: Ten percent of subjects had a high risk of inappropriate medication use. The most common medications used were chlorphenamine, amitriptyline, diazepam, chlorpromazine, chlordiazepoxide and piroxicam. The risk factors detected were female gender, polypharmacy and a bad health self-perception. Conclusions: Inappropriate medication use is common among Chilean older people and should be discouraged.

Evaluación geriátrica inicial en una comunidad urbana y una rural en Chile con las "Escalas de la Cruz Roja Española y Social UC Chile"

Resumen La mayoria de los adultos mayores funcionan adecuadamente y no requieren una evaluacion geriatrica exhaustiva. No obstante existe un grupo en riesgo de declive, en el cual una deteccion precoz es vital para evitar mayor deterioro. Este articulo presenta los hallazgos de un estudio a gran escala de cribado geriatrico en una poblacion rural y otra urbana de bajos ingresos, en Chile. Se documenta la utilidad de un instrumento simple, la “Escala de la Cruz Roja y Social UC Chile”, para identificar sujetos con deterioro funcional, mental o social, que podrian beneficiarse de una valoracion geriatrica integral. Se anade una evaluacion social (la Escala Social UC Chile) a las Escalas funcional y mental de la Cruz Roja, lo que agrega importante informacion. Se encontro que los adultos mayores rurales tenian mayor discapacidad fisica y mejor soporte social que sus pares urbanos. No hubo diferencias en la evaluacion mental de ambas comunidades. La “Escala de la Cruz Roja y Social UC Chile” resulto ser un instrumento util que puede ayudar a identificar a aquellos adultos mayores que podrian beneficiarse de una valoracion geriatrica integral.