Addressing Mental Health Disparities in Refugee Children: A CBPR Collaboration

Brief Summary

Detailed Description

The proposed mixed methods study will apply CBPR methods in an innovative, cross-cultural project to assess mental health problems in children and community strengths in two refugee communities-the Somali Bantu and the Bhutanese-and to design and pilot test a family-based intervention for refugees in their native languages (Somali Bantu Maay Maay and the Nepali language used by Bhutanese refugees). We will use qualitative research methods developed in preliminary research with the Somali Bantu to identify local conceptualizations of mental health problems, resilience, attitudes about healing and help-seeking, and preferences for mental health services among resettled Bhutanese. The CBPR team will collaborate on mental health needs assessments for both communities, with attention paid to shared experiences and strengths. Findings on risk and protective factors influencing child mental health will inform development of a preventive intervention. Community Advisory Boards (CABs) will actively participate in the review and selection of intervention components. Based on preliminary research with the Somali Bantu community, we anticipate that a family-based intervention model will respond well to community requests for parenting support and psychoeducation about trauma and effects in families. An intervention positively oriented towards existing sources of family resilience and self-efficacy has great potential for improving access to and engagement in mental health care and other social services, and for increasing both formal and non-formal supports-all essential for reducing mental health disparities. In this manner, community and university partners will collaborate to achieve four Specific Aims: Aim 1: Strengthen existing relationships and decision-making partnerships with the Somali Bantu and Bhutanese refugee communities in Greater Boston through community based participatory research in partnership with the Shanbaro Community Association and Chelsea Collaborative in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Aim 2: Collect and analyze qualitative data on local conceptualizations of mental health problems and resilience in school-age children (ages 5-17) as well as help seeking and services preferences among Somali Bantu and Bhutanese refugee families; use findings to inform intervention targets and critical components of a family-based preventive intervention, the Family Strengthening Intervention (FSI) for refugees. Aim 3: Use qualitative findings to prepare (a) a needs assessment of mental health in school-age children, community strengths, barriers to care, and services preferences with each target refugee group; (b) a preliminary battery of mental health/psychosocial measures for use in mental health assessment of children and caregivers; and (c) a draft set of intervention, recruitment, and training materials. Aim 4: Use CBPR approaches to recruit and enroll 80 families in a feasibility study, with half randomized to care as usual and half to the FSI delivered by trained community interventionists; conduct longitudinal assessments at baseline, post-intervention, and 6 months. Hypothesis 4.1: Participation in the refugee FSI will be associated with improved communication and connectedness within families, increased mental health services access, and increased knowledge among caregivers and children on the consequences of trauma in refugee families. Hypothesis 4.2: Participation in the refugee FSI will be associated with increased application of healthy parenting skills, parental self-efficacy, parental supervision of children, improved functioning and reduced symptoms of internalizing and externalizing in school-age refugee children.

Primary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes

• Change in anxiety symptoms among children and adolescents(Anxiety symptoms will be measured at three time points - at baseline prior to intervention, immediately post intervention (an average of 16 weeks after baseline), and six months after the completion of the intervention)
• Change in externalizing/behavioral problems among children and adolescents(Externalizing symptoms will be measured at three time points - at baseline prior to intervention, immediately post-intervention (an average of 16 weeks after the baseline), and 6 months after the completion of the intervention)
• Change in parent-child relationships(Quality of parent-child relationships will be measured at three time points - at baseline prior to intervention, immediately post-intervention (an average of 16 weeks after the baseline), and 6 months after the completion of the intervention.)