1st International Conference

This volume contains the proceedings of the First International Conference, “Challenges in Psychology in the Face of Latin American Realities: A Dialogue with the Psychosocial: Practices, Roles, and Knowledge,” and the 2nd International Symposium on Community Social Psychology, organized by UNAD. The volume brings together research, presentations, and reflections aimed at analyzing contemporary psychosocial issues in Latin America, particularly those related to mental health, the pandemic, social vulnerability, psychosocial action, legal psychology, work, environmental education, and emerging fields of psychology.

The foreword highlights the institutional commitment of UNAD and the Center for Research and Community Psychosocial Action (CIAPSC) to creating academic spaces that integrate research, social outreach, and community work. The text emphasizes that the research is grounded in the real experiences and needs of vulnerable communities, addressing phenomena such as poverty, violence, emotional regulation, sexuality, and social exclusion from interdisciplinary and territorial perspectives.

The papers are organized into eleven thematic areas covering the role of psychologists and psychosocial intervention; the psychosocial impacts of the pandemic; legal psychology; remote work; community and environmental psychology; multiculturalism and mental health; sports as a psychosocial resource; military psychology; and emerging fields in Latin American psychology.

Among the studies presented, particular attention is given to research on perceived vulnerability to COVID-19, psychosocial risks, mental health in the Colombian population, prison conditions during the pandemic, protocols for investigating adolescent suicide, and community intervention strategies. Several contributions emphasize the need to strengthen public policies, social support networks, and comprehensive psychosocial care models capable of responding to the social, economic, and cultural conditions of Latin America.