A Social Psychological Index for Transitional Political Reconciliation (SPITPR–5F).

Abstract

Societal reconciliation and the transition from trauma to peace are increasingly prominent themes in psychosocial studies. In Chile, 3 decades after a transition from a long dictatorship (1973)(1974)(1975)(1976)(1977)(1978)(1979)(1980)(1981)(1982)(1983)(1984)(1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990) to restored democratic rule, the measurement of progress in reconciliation remains imprecise, despite a large body of testimony and other empirical evidence. This study explores the factor structure and measurement invariance of the Social Psychological Index for Transitional Political Reconciliation (SPITPR-5F) in a sample of 559 participants from Valparaíso, Chile. Exploratory factor analysis and multigroup confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the invariance of the correlated 5-factor structure with respect to sex and age variables. The reconciliation index shows good levels of reliability (w ϭ .91), and results support a correlated 5-factor model of political reconciliation. Similarly, the fit index indicates the validity of the model and supports its strict invariance by gender but not by age. These results suggest that the SPITPR-5F is an evaluative five-factor measure of political reconciliation across the Chilean population. Public Significance StatementThis study offers a valid and reliable model to measure progress in political reconciliation. The proposed model includes the measurement of variables political tolerance, social cohesion, support for democracy and human rights, institutional trust, and respect for rule of law and due process. Together these 5 dimensions help to properly represent the concept of political reconciliation.