Examining the effect of the individual characteristics of implementers and the interaction of multiple relationships on the structure of psychosocial intervention teams

BACKGROUND

Teams' structure may undergo modifications due to the individual attributes of actors and collective-level variables. This research aims to understand the effect of extensive experience working in the program and the simultaneous interaction among different relationships in the network structure of a team of implementers. The Psychosocial Care Program for Victims of Conflict is implemented by psychologists, social workers, and community advocates.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was carried out. Multivariate analysis, quadratic assignment procedures, and graphic visualization are used to (a) determine how seniority affects the professionals' level of centrality in the program and (b) clarify how the interaction among professionals favors new relationships.

RESULTS

Longer-lasting professionals in the program report stronger network bonding, predisposition to work, and information exchange. The nonparametric permutation test indicates an intense association between the information requests submitted and received and between the predisposition to work network and the network of received information requests. The results are discussed to optimize the teams implementing the intervention programs.

CONCLUSIONS

Network analysis is a powerfull tool to evaluate program implementation processes. Analyzing the interactions among multiples relationships that emerge between members of multidisciplinary teams allows knowing how certain relationships (e.g., information exchange) triggering other kind of relationships (e.g., users referral). The implementers who have been collaborating in the program for a long time are key informants who can facilitate the process of adaptation of newly incorporated professionals.

Underlying Dimensions of Social Cohesion in a Rural Community Affected by Wartime Violence in Colombia

War deteriorates the quality of life of the population and profoundly alters social dynamics. We discuss a rural community in northern Colombia whose population was the victim of a massacre and examine the main components that model social cohesion: (a) positive attitudes towards the community, (b) prosocial behaviours and (c) interpersonal relationships. This investigation is a cross-sectional empirical study that includes an analysis of social support networks. The research involved 106 residents, (81.1%, women), with an average age of 42.5 years (standard deviation (SD) = 16.4), who have lived in the community an average 28.8 years (SD = 18.75). Cluster analysis shows that there are two types of personal networks based on homophily and the duration of the ego-alter relationship. The networks that provide the most types of social support shows a moderate level of homophily according to the type of relationship and place of origin and in which the duration of the ego-alter relationship is shorter, compared to networks characterized by high homophily and in which the duration of the ego-alter relationship is longer (χ² = 5.609, p < 0.018). Homophily based on place of residence actively affects the sense of community and social cohesion. Moreover, the sense of community is the variable that most affects social cohesion (β = 0.650; p < 0.001) and is, in turn, determined by prosocial behaviour (β = 0.267; p < 0.006). However, prosocial behaviours do not significantly affect interpersonal relationships or community cohesion. The results are discussed to promote social development strategies aimed at building individual, organizational and community capacity to foster psychosocial well-being in post-war contexts.

Sense of community, psychological empowerment, and relational structure at the individual and organizational levels: Evidence from a multicase study

The aim of this study was to determine the associations among psychological sense of community (PSoC), psychological empowerment (PE), and relational structure with indicators of centrality and cohesion in egocentric and sociocentric networks when analyzed at different levels. A multicase analysis was used (four developed in Colombia and one in Spain) in which 458 people participated in five studies conducted in organizational and community contexts of vulnerable urban and rural areas. The results suggest that PSoC and PE are intertwined processes whose association is accentuated in organizational contexts. However, the relationships between relational context and PSoC and PE vary notably depending on (a) the type of relationship evaluated, (b) the focus of the study (individual/egocentric vs. group/sociocentric) and the type of indicator used to assess the relational context (centrality vs. structural cohesion). Findings are discussed to understand the role that social bonds play in the development of PSoC and in the ability of subjects to empower themselves in different contexts.