Conference: Developing Interventions for Latino Children, Youth and Families
Principal Investigator: Luis H. Zayas, Ph.D.
Funder: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH - R13 MH077403).
Timeframe: Funded 03/06-02/09.
Affiliation: Center for Mental Health Services Research (CMHSR)
Project Staff:Project Contact: Thyria Alvarez-Sanchez
Project Update as of 09/23/2009
Stage: CompletedDescription (Project Aims):
The objectives of the three scientific meetings comprising this conference are to advance knowledge and methods on integrating cultural constructs into extant and new interventions. The conferences will bring together leading scholars in Latino mental health, behavioral sciences, and intervention research to address three objectives:
(1) identify, isolate, and crystallize conceptual definitions of core cultural constructs of diverse Latino groups considered essential for developing interventions for children, youth and parents (Year One Meeting),
(2) (a) generate via expert consensus and empirical and theoretical literatures precise operational descriptions of how each core cultural construct is manifested behaviorally by Latinos in different age groups and (b) transform the constructs into intervention-behaviors that therapists must use with clients (Year Two Meeting), and
(3) (a) sponsor adaptations of extant psychosocial interventions by junior investigators that integrate the definitions and (b) support research grant applications and publications (Year Three Meeting).
Past literature on Latino mental health and behavioral sciences described cultural traditions, beliefs, values, and behavioral practices but they have not been clearly defined nor operationalized into a set of cultural constructs for incorporating into treatment protocols. Questions remain about which cultural constructs are important, how they are operationalized, and how they can be embedded into the therapy process. This conference will fill the critical gaps in knowledge in the development of interventions for Latino children, adolescents and families in the areas of depression, anxiety, and conduct disorders.
Total Direct Cost: $189,320