Janine M. Jones

This article explores the vital role of culturally responsive adaptations in evidence-based interventions for Black youth. While evidence-based interventions have proven effective in addressing adolescent mental health challenges, it is clear that a one-size-fits-all approach does not consider the diverse cultural factors influencing mental health and help-seeking behaviors of Black youth. This article focuses on the unique needs of Black adolescents, who often face disparities in accessing culturally appropriate mental health services, and emphasizes the significance of cultural adaptations in mental health interventions, highlighting the positive impact of such adaptations on treatment outcomes, retention, and client satisfaction. A review of previous studies on cultural adaptations for Black adolescents is provided along with the application of a process for completing cultural adaptations using the ecological validity and cultural sensitivity framework (Bernal et al., 1995), a versatile model for adapting interventions. Practical examples of cultural adaptations within each of the elements of the ecological validity and cultural sensitivity framework are also provided. This article contributes to the growing body of knowledge on culturally responsive mental health care and advocates for more inclusive and effective interventions for Black adolescents, highlighting the importance of cultural adaptations in evidence-based interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Background: Intervention adaptation is often necessary to improve the fit between evidence-based practices/programs and implementation contexts. Existing frameworks describe intervention adaptation processes but do not provide detailed steps for prospectively designing adaptations, are designed for researchers, and require substantial time and resources to complete. A pragmatic approach to guide implementers through developing and assessing adaptations in local contexts is needed. The goal of this project was to develop Making Optimal Decisions for Intervention Flexibility during Implementation (MODIFI), a method for intervention adaptation that leverages human centered design methods and is tailored to the needs of intervention implementers working in applied settings with limited time and resources. Method: MODIFI was iteratively developed via a mixed-methods modified Delphi process. Feedback was collected from 43 implementation research and practice experts. Two rounds of data collection gathered quantitative ratings of acceptability and inclusion (Round 1) and feasibility (Round 2), as well as qualitative feedback regarding MODIFI revisions analyzed using conventional content analysis. Results: In Round 1, most participants rated all proposed components as essential but identified important avenues for revision which were incorporated into MODIFI prior to Round 2. Round 2 emphasized feasibility, where ratings were generally high and fewer substantive revisions were recommended. Round 2 changes largely surrounded operationalization of terms/processes and sequencing of content. Results include a detailed presentation of the final version of the three-step MODIFI method (Step 1: Learn about the users, local context, and intervention; Step 2: Adapt the intervention; Step 3: Evaluate the adaptation) along with a case example of its application. Discussion: MODIFI is a pragmatic method that was developed to extend the contributions of other research-based adaptation theories, models, and frameworks while integrating methods that are tailored to the needs of intervention implementers. Guiding teams to tailor evidence-based interventions to their local context may extend for whom, where, and under what conditions an intervention can be effective.

In this article, we present an introduction to the second part of a two‐part special series focused on embedding equity into school mental health. In the previous part, we focused on measurement and practice, and in this second part, we focus on theory.

This chapter addresses difficulties of imagining social change that derive from the problem of constituting an imagining We-group: What is the identity of the imagining We-group (including collaborating affiliates and affinity groups)? What is the relation between a We-group’s identity, its interests, goals, and desires (stated and unstated), the social projects it homes in on, and the type of means \it imagines for realizing a project? What happens when some group is only nominally part of an operating We-group? Which groups become the “collateral damage” of some We-group’s imagined project? A concept of radical entanglement for imagining social change is elucidated. World-bound conditions for radical entanglement are not proposed as imaginable. Rather, the type of condition from which might emerge a world where Love is the message, the message is death is put before the reader for consideration. “Love is the message, the message is death” is offered as encoding one type of logic the mobilized oppressed may use to examine and access social change proposals. The reasoning it champions asks how well a proposed project links the death, dying, and disposal of everyone were it to be enacted.

In this article, we present an introduction and overview for a two‐part special issue series focused on embedding equity into school mental health through theory, research, and practice. The papers in Part 1 of the special issue series cover critical topics for advancing equitable school mental health, including the centering of community and youth perspectives; a focus on reducing disproportionality in discipline practices; and details on equity‐focused interventions. In Part 2, papers focus on integrating race and racial equity into school mental health frameworks; integrating a racial equity lens into trauma‐informed school practices; addressing outcomes that have disproportionate impacts on youth of color; and exploring domains of injustice and oppression beyond racial inequity. We hope that the topics discussed in this special issue series move us towards providing equitable and just school mental health services for all children and youth.

As schools are increasingly tasked with improving student outcomes related to both academic and social and emotional wellbeing, digital interventions are becoming utilized as viable tools for successful outcomes. This study aimed to measure the effectiveness of a culturally responsive, art‐based mindfulness intervention called L.A.U.G.H.® (Let Art Unleash Great Happiness), in a diverse sample of 243 elementary school students. Using an iPad app, students practiced mindful breathing and created digital art in their classrooms. The app also measured students' moods, school connectedness, and joy of learning. The study design was a one‐group repeated measure intervention design where ratings were compared between Weeks 1, 4, 8, and 12 of the intervention. Results indicated that L.A.U.G.H.® time improved and increased students’ moods, School Connectedness, and Joy of Learning over time. Race played a significant role in how students rated their feelings about school, with significant effects that emerged among Black/African American and Asian American/Pacific Islander students. Both groups began with the lowest ratings of school connectedness and demonstrated significant improvements by Week 8. This study revealed results from a digital mindfulness intervention and highlighted the importance of a nuanced study of differential impacts of such interventions among diverse students.

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disrupted the way of life for humans all around the world. As the consequences continue to be revealed, it has been abundantly clear that the pandemic has disproportionately impacted communities of color. The COVID-19 pandemic shined a magnifying glass on racially based structural inequities in a manner that was impossible to unsee or to look away. COVID-19 disrupted education norms-from forcing online classroom instruction models to hindering our reliance on standardized testing. Education is already rife with evidence of systemic racism as its foundation. Disproportionality in special education, disproportionate punitive discipline, underrepresentation in highly capable learning problems are well established structures that maintain systemic racism in education (Diamond, 2018). As systemic racism is embedded in all of our social and environmental contexts, it is easy to conclude that systemic racism and COVID-19 are not just coexisting, they are interacting to exacerbate negative outcomes for communities of color. This commentary addresses the disproportionate impact of the dual pandemics: COVID-19 and systemic racism. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).