Examining the Social Validity of Parent Framing Programs for Mexican-Origin Families

 

Principal Investigator: Esther Calzada, PhD & Joaquin Borrego, PhD
Funder:  National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Timeframe: 03/07-07/08
Affiliation: Center of Mental Health Services Research (CMHSR)

Project Staff:  Esther Calzada, PhD

                        Joaquin Borrego, PhD

Project Contact:   Esther J. Calzada, PhD

                              Esther.Calzada@nyumc.org

                           
Project Update as of 06/25/2008:

Description:

Child behavior problems, if left untreated, can have a severe negative impact on the child and family and are often associated with poor academic performance and poor peer relationships.  Given this, prevention and early intervention efforts with young children is especially important.  Equally important is the focus on ethnic minority populations as much of the information we have on conceptualization models of child behavior problems and interventions are with Caucasian families.  Numerous intervention models (e.g., Eyberg, Webster-Stratton, McMahon, Barkley, Kazdin) exist all of which use similar treatment techniques and strategies (e.g., ignoring inappropriate behaviors, reinforcing prosocial behaviors).  These models share assumptions about what causes & maintains behavior problems from a social learning perspective (i.e., Gerald Patterson’s Coercion Model; Brestan & Eyberg, 1998).

 

As Latinos continue to be the fastest growing ethnic minority population in the United States, it is paramount that the development, adaptation, implementation, and evaluation of culturally appropriate mental health services be examined.  One strategy in providing culturally appropriate mental health services is to address issues related to social (i.e., ecological) validity. This includes a focus on: 1) the social significance of the goals (if clinicians were to identify treatment goals, would Latino parents agree on the same treatment goals?), 2) the social appropriateness of the procedures implemented (would Latino parents consider a specific treatment as acceptable?), and 3) the social importance of the effects (are Latinos satisfied with the treatment provided?). Social validity is essential to work towards gaining trust and improving rates of engagement and retention among Latino families.  This study proposes to examine the first and second aspects of social validity.

 

There are several potential clinical implications from this research.  For one, it can give clinicians a better understanding of Latino parents’ perceptions about the development and maintenance of child behavior problems.  Having a better understanding of parents’ views can aid in the discussion of viable treatment options.  Second, treatment goals can be tailored to Latino parents’ cultural values regarding childhood socialization and how children should behave in certain contexts.  Third, having a better understanding of parents’ treatment acceptability for different techniques can guide clinicians in implementing culturally appropriate interventions.  Following these steps may improve retention, engagement, and outcome of Latino families in treatment.