No abstract

Since 1997, Ecuador has undergone a series of changes to ensure family rights to sexual minorities. However, there is still limited research regarding attitudes toward them. This study focused on the attitudes toward lesbians (L), gay men (G), and their rights. A sample of 318 cisgender Ecuadorians who responded to an online survey was recruited. Analyses indicated that men, heterosexuals, who practice their religion, attend more frequently to religious services, and identify as conservative showed higher levels of prejudice against LG as well as less support toward their rights. Further, participants who did not have LG acquaintances, friends, family members, and those who did not know any LG parented family showed less support toward these populations. Multiple regression analyses indicated that believing that a person's sexual orientation is learned significantly predicted the attitudes measured in our study. Implications of these findings to help reduce prejudice against LG individuals are discussed.

Objective: Several studies have investigated the negative toll the pandemic has had on people’s mental health. However, there is limited research on the pandemic’s effect on positive mental health variables. This article reports on the levels of self-esteem and well-being (flourishing and happiness) in a sample of adults living in Ecuador and their relationships with the characteristics of their personal situation and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic had on their personal lives.Methods: A total of 766 adults completed an anonymous online survey between March and August 2020.Results: Participants reported average scores in the flourishing scale, the majority considered themselves to be happy or very happy people, and more than half presented high levels of self-esteem. Age, education, socioeconomic status, time spent using mobile phones and on hobbies, among others, explained self-esteem, happiness, and flourishing.Conclusion: The relationships between sociodemographic and situational variables of confinement during the pandemic are discussed, as well as the possible predictors of happiness, flourishing, and self-esteem.

Objetivo: Describir el estado de la salud mental de los adultos ecuatorianos durante la pandemia por COVID-19 de marzo a agosto de 2020. Para este fin, se analizaron los datos de un estudio más amplio que involucró varios países hispanohablantes. La investigación tuvo un diseño no experimental, cuantitativo, transversal de tipo descriptivo donde se aplicó una encuesta anónima en línea. Resultados: En total participaron 766 personas, 64.23% fueron mujeres y la edad media fue de 32.35 (DT = 12.54). Alrededor del 8% de los participantes declararon haber tenido diagnóstico de COVID-19 y un 12.9% haber experimentado síntomas relacionados. La mayor parte de los participantes (77.4%) indicaron no haber tenido problemas de salud mental en el pasado y el 87.6% no tener estos problemas durante la pandemia. Sin embargo, el 41% reconoció tener mayor malestar psicológico. Los participantes presentaron niveles bajos de síntomas (depresión, ansiedad y estrés). Las mujeres y los adultos jóvenes fueron los grupos más afectados por los síntomas evaluados. Conclusiones: En situaciones de confinamiento y pandemia es necesaria la atención de la salud mental de la población general y, en especial, la de las mujeres y los adultos jóvenes.

ResumenMenos del 30% de la población en Colombia está de acuerdo con que las parejas del mismo sexo adopten. Este clima de rechazo trae interrogantes sobre las experiencias de las familias homoparentales en el país. Debido a la importancia de los años preescolares para el desarrollo de niñas y niños, este estudio tuvo como objetivo describir las actitudes, percepciones de autoeficacia y prácticas de 53 docentes de prescolar en Bogotá, con relación al trabajo conjunto con los distintos miembros de familias homoparentales. El análisis de las encuestas revela preocupación ante la potencial victimización a la que pueden estar expuestas las hijas e hijos de estas familias. Así mismo, se encontró que, si bien afirman sentirse competentes, las y los docentes reconocen que con baja frecuencia implementan estrategias para construir climas escolares inclusivos. Los resultados permiten recomendar el desarrollo de iniciativas de formación para docentes para que, desde los primeros años de educación formal, los miembros de familias homoparentales cuenten con entornos afirmativos de la diversidad. AbstractLess than 30% of the population in Colombia agrees with same-sex couples adopting children. Given this climate of rejection, it is important to answer questions regarding same-sex parent families' experiences with systems such as schools. Due to the importance of preschool years in children's development, this study aimed to describe the attitudes, self-efficacy perceptions and practices of 53 preschool teachers in Bogotá towards working with same-sex parent families. The data analysis revealed concerns regarding the potential victimization that might affect children given their family structure. Furthermore, although teachers reported feeling mostly confident, it was found that they rarely use strategies to build safe and inclusive school environments. These results highlight the importance of working with teachers to create inclusive environments towards same-sex parent families from the very first years of compulsory education.