Solastalgia is a recent concept that refers to disruptive psychological responses in people exposed to environmental degradation. The aim of this study was to determine the number of dimensions solastalgia has using a sample of people exposed to the effects of climate change in the coastal dry land of Maule region, Chile. In order to achieve this, a Scale Of Solastalgia (SOS) was designed and then validated, by means of applying it to 223 inhabitants at the municipalities of Pencahue (n = 105) and Curepto (n = 118), who were also evaluated by the Short Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Rating Interview (SPRINT-E). Using robust validation methods (Parallel factor analysis and Omega), two dimensions were obtained for solastalgia: solace and algia. Both correlate with the SPRINT-E scale (r = 0.150, p < 0.01 and r = 0.359, p < 0.01, respectively) and have 58% sensitivity and 67% specificity to detect cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Like PTSD, solastalgia is related to psychopathologies expected after disasters and also presents a spatial pattern where the concentration of positive cases occurs in places of greater exposure to environmental change or degradation.

This is the first time that the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural therapy for post-disaster stress (CBT-PD) in symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been tested outside the United States of America. Quasi-experiment with three groups. In the quasi-control group, complete CBT-PD was applied even though its members did not have PTSD; in quasi-experimental conditions, participants received complete treatment because they had this diagnosis; and in the third group, participants with PTSD received an abbreviated treatment (double sessions) due to organisational requirements. Primary health care workers in Constitución (Chile), city exposed to earthquake and tsunami; public department workers in Talca (city exposed only to earthquake) and teachers from a school (Constitución). A total of 13 of the 91 people diagnosed with PTSD participated. In addition, 16 people without diagnosis voluntarily participated. The treatment was completed by 29 participants. There were no dropouts. Only 1 of the 9 participants in the quasi-experimental group did not respond to treatment. CBT-PD is a group therapy (10-12 sessions) that includes psychoeducation, breathing retraining, behavioural activation and cognitive restructuring. CBT-PD (complete and abbreviated) was applied between September and December 2010. Short Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Rating Interview (SPRINT-E) was used to measure PTSD symptoms before and after treatment. The group that received the complete treatment and was diagnosed with PTSD showed a significant decrease in the total symptoms to below dangerous levels (IGAAB: 31.556; p<0.01; 95%CI: 0.21-2.01]; η2=0.709). The effectiveness and benefits of incorporating CBT-PD in the health network after events like disasters were discussed.

Validation of the Davidson Trauma Scale in its original and a new shorter version in people exposed to the F-27 earthquake in Chile

SUMMARY: The literature identifies multiple factors that can affect the adoption of new technologies and practices in agriculture to support farm innovation, such as farmers’ socio-economic characteristics and the characteristics of the promoted technology, among others. It has, however, scarcely contemplated the role of the farm workforce in technology and practice adoption. The objective of this study is (i) to describe innovative behaviour and its relation with farmers’ ability to collaborate with the workforce in the adoption process; and (ii) to associate this description with the level of adoption of certain technologies and practices. Structural equation modelling (bifactor model) was used to identify the components of innovative behaviour, and correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between these components and adoption level. The results show that relevant components of innovative behaviour are farmers’ ability to generate and implement new ideas, to extend their networks and to involve the workforce in the adoption process. Worker involvement proved to be a key factor within the definition of farmers’ innovative behaviour, which additionally shows a positive and significant correlation with the level of adoption of technologies and practices. A main theoretical implication is that research on technology and practice adoption needs to move beyond looking at single owner-managers of (family) farms and incorporate workers into the unit of analysis. The practical and policy implications are that innovation support programmes should give more attention to workforce management, training and skills of owner-managers as transformative and inclusive leaders, as these are essential for technology and practice adoption, and more broadly for innovation capacity.