María Isabel Tapia

Evidence-based practice in groups includes research-based measures to assess group processes and outcomes. However, there are few evidence-based, culturally relevant instruments that can assist professionals in delivering evidence-based groups in Spanish to increase participant’s engagement and retention. This paper describes a project to translate a reliable and valid English version of the Group Engagement Measure (GEM) into Spanish and its relevancy to improve research outcomes when implementing socio-educational interventions in communities with family participation. The process of translation was deliberate and methodical, which produced a Spanish version for empirical testing named Medida de Compromiso en Trabajo Grupal (GEM-27). The measure demonstrated high internal consistency, with a Cronbach's alpha of .94, and a low standard error of measurement (3.74). As a part of evidence-based practice in groups, the Spanish GEM can help advance the measurement of important connections in the group, strengthening the helpfulness of group work in Spanish countries. .

Health risk behaviors continue to disproportionately affect Hispanic youth. Despite the existence of successful family and school-based interventions, there is a need for developing and testing individually-based preventive interventions that are easily accessed and widely disseminated. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a prototype (proof of concept) for an individual-level mobile application (app), informed by Hispanic parents and adolescents, to prevent/reduce drug use and sexual risk behaviors among Hispanic youth. An iterative user-centered approach was used to inform the development of the app prototype via focus groups with 66 participants (n = 46 adolescents, n = 20 parents). A coding team analyzed data from the focus groups and identified major themes. The coding team summarized interview data into sub-categories that yielded five intervention modules for Hispanic adolescents, three more than originally proposed (i.e., drug use and sexual risk behaviors): (1) effective communication, (2) depression, (3) sexual health, (4) drug use, and (5) mindfulness. A mobile application for health risk behaviors can be used as an additional preventive tool to decrease the existing behavioral health disparities among Hispanic youth. Incorporating a user-centered approach to inform development is important for including the needs and voices of this population.

Drug use and depression co-occur and disproportionately affect Latinx sexual minority youth relative to their heterosexual Latinx peers. However, heterogeneity in co-occurring patterns of drug use and depressive symptoms is unknown. The objective of the current study was to identify patterns of drug use and depressive symptom trajectories and examine how these patterns varied between Latinx sexual minority youth and Latinx non-sexual minority youth. Latent class trajectory analysis identified distinct patterns of drug use and depressive symptom trajectories among 231 Latinx adolescents (Latinx sexual minority youth: n = 46, 21.4%; Latinx non-sexual minority youth: n = 169, 78.6%). After identifying class mean trajectories, we examined differences in mean trajectories across groups. A 3-class model was selected as the optimal class trajectory model for both groups, yet classes and trajectories differed. There were differences in initial levels of depression and drug use trajectories between both groups, as well as differences in patterns of drug use trajectories between both groups in two of the three classes. Given the variation in trajectory patterns, there is a need for practitioners to consider the unique needs of both groups to inform the development of preventive interventions for these two populations.

Mental health professionals can support LGBT youth in schools by applying affirmative-counseling practices to prevent stressors that affect mental health. Little is known about the use of affirmati...

Latinx sexual minority youth (LSMY) are disproportionately affected by adverse health outcomes, due to stigma and/or lack of family support. There are currently no family-based interventions for LSMY. This qualitative study describes the development of Familias con Orgullo (Families with Pride), a family-based intervention to prevent/reduce substance use, risky sexual behavior, and depressive symptoms in LSMY. Familias con Orgullo was developed using an iterative, user-centered methodology across two study phases. A general inductive approach was used to analyze intervention development individual interviews (N = 24: n = 12 parents, n = 12 LSMY) and post-intervention focus groups (N = 4) to query participants about program components and enhancements to the developed program after delivery. Data were coded into 11 themes representative of program features for LSMY and their families. An intervention would need LSMY information delivered in a safe space and focused on communication, peer pressure, and mental health. Furthermore, participation would be dependent on parental level of acceptance. Informed by participants, we developed an intervention which addresses the multiple ecological levels of LSMY contexts within a cultural lens. Families gave positive feedback and indicated that additional content should focus on sexual health and intrapersonal topics. The intervention was modified and delivered to a new cohort of families; families felt the new intervention promoted inclusiveness; enriched relationships and communication between families; and enhanced lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) knowledge. Familias con Orgullo begins to address the significant gap in intervention research with LSMY and their families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Research has demonstrated that a number of evidence-based programs can be effectively implemented in different community settings, such as schools, to target Hispanic youth and their families; however, successful implementation of such programs represents a challenge for practitioners. This article describes experiences and strategies associated with recruiting, training, and supervising school mental health professionals in the school-based implementation of an evidence-based, family-centered prevention program for Hispanic families. School mental health professionals were recruited and given intensive training, weekly supervision for adherence monitoring, and ongoing technical assistance, in addition to intervention manuals and materials. We emphasize how strategies based on the prevention program itself were used to recruit, engage, and train school mental health professionals to deliver a family-based evidence-based program, blending research and practice in a large public school system. Implications of lessons learned are discussed, as well as the specific strategies to overcome challenges when engaging and training community partners in delivering a manualized intervention with rigorous adherence to the program.

This paper describes the Internet adaptation of an evidenced-based intervention for Hispanic families, eHealth Familias Unidas, and explores whether an Internet-based format is feasible and acceptable to Hispanic families. Core intervention components from the evidence-based intervention, Familias Unidas, were transposed into a video format and edited for content. Additionally, interactive exercises and a soap opera series were incorporated to reinforce intervention content and optimize participant engagement and retention. To understand the feasibility and acceptability of eHealth Familias Unidas, we conducted a pilot study and examined findings from: (1) session completion rates for both e-parent group sessions and family sessions (n = 23 families); and (2) qualitative data collected from Hispanic parents (n = 29) that received the eHealth intervention. Engagement and attendance in the intervention showed that 83% of families engaged in the intervention and that there was an overall session completion rate of 78%. Qualitative interviews were conducted mid and post intervention with a combined total of 29 participants. A general inductive approach was used to derive themes from the collected data. Overall, parents expressed positive feedback in regards to the intervention and stated that there were multiple lessons learned from participating in eHealth Familias Unidas. Findings indicate that an Internet-based family intervention is not only feasible and acceptable for Hispanic families, but also offers a viable option to ameliorate barriers to participation and implementation of preventive interventions.