Dra. Carolina Santillán Torres Torija:<br />
<br />
We have reached a decision regarding your submission to Revista Interamericana de Psicologia/Interamerican Journal of Psychology, "ANXIETY SYMPTOMS IN MEXICAN COLLEGE STUDENTS".<br />
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Our decision is to: Declined submission -- <br />
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Please the comments:<br />
(1) Originality. <br />
While the topic is timely, given the increased focus on the burden of mental disorders and prevalence in youth, the paper did not expand the empirical, theoretical or practice understanding of the topic. They appeared to replicate findings that are fairly robust across contexts.  <br />
(2) Research [if applicable].  <br />
More information was needed on the sampling techniques and the authors did not systematically identify the data collection procedures (when, how, informed consent etc.), or provide sufficient information about the BAI (e.g., interpretation guidelines - cut off scores; factor structure). In addition, the quantitative methodology fit with the research questions was less than optimal as the research questions were not all clear (e.g., "Are anxiety symptoms the same for female and male college students?"), the authors did not identify the data analytic approach prior to the presenting the results and appeared to perform analyses in an ad hoc fashion; this is most evident with the three sets of analyses used to establish a relationship between age and anxiety. The data support the findings, but the multiple analyses noted above, inclusion of results that were not connected to research questions, and the discussion of findings not presented in the results section were problematic. The previous literature (as presented in the literature review and discussion) raises the question about the need for the major research question, as it is clear that the study replicated findings from the Mexican and other contexts. In addition, the discussion on depression and academic achievement were puzzling, as was the authors' statement that the failure to address academic achievement was a weakness. Perhaps this statement reflects the authors' realization that the study did not contribute to the literature. <br />
(3) Theory [if applicable]. <br />
While the authors cited the information processing approach to anxiety, there was no consideration of other theoretical or conceptual perspectives that guided the research study. The use of the BAI, with its two-factor structure, provided an opportunity to enhance the theoretical foundation but the authors failed to incorporate the factor structure into the interpretations. <br />
(4) Practice [if applicable]. <br />
The paper provides little information that will be useful in the practice of psychology as it replicates existing findings; additional analyses linked to socio-demographic characteristics might have had more utility. The recommendations on screening and provision of mental health services are fairly routine. <br />
(5) Literature Review.  <br />
The authors' review of the literature was overly simplistic with minimal critique; ultimately, the knowledge of the field and the critique was inappropriate for a professional journal article. They referenced predictors of academic success in the literature review, but did not sufficiently explore this topic in the literature review. Although they noted that the study was a component of a larger project on predictors of academic success, the reason for inclusion was unclear. Overall, the authors did not build sufficiently on existing literature in the design of the study.<br />
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(6) Writing. <br />
The manuscript was poorly written and with an inordinate number of mechanical errors (e.g., word substitution, omissions, problems with grammar & sentence structure etc.). In addition, the overall organization and cohesion were problematic. The conclusions were clear but the final statement motivation and self-efficacy was needed further elaboration and integration with the findings to the study. The structure of the manuscript (e.g., methodology section) did not conform with APA publication guidelines and overall citation was extremely problematic as the authors did not cite sufficient sources at key points in the manuscript and did not utilize APA citation style (in-text) on the reference page (e.g., formatting etc.). <br />
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(7) Relevant Interamerican Papers<br />
There are multiple publications that might be useful to the authors. One such publication is provided below.<br />
Baloglu, M., Abbasi, A., & Mastern, W. G. (2007). A cross-cultural comparison of anxiety among college students, College Student Journal, 41(4), 977 - 984. <br />
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<br />
Dr. Edil Torres Rivera<br />
South University<br />
etorresrivera@gmail.com<br />
_______________________________________________<br />
Edil Torres Rivera, Ph.D., Editor<br />
Interamerican Journal of Psychology<br />
http://journal.sipsych.org/index.php/IJP