Building bridges through cultural adaptation: Examining the initial impact of a culturally adapted parent training intervention for the Chilean context

Abstract

Child exposure to maltreatment and neglect constitutes a significant public health problem throughout Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries. Although evidence-based parent training (PT) interventions constitute an empirically demonstrated alternative to prevent child maltreatment and neglect, multiple implementation barriers have prevented the large-scale dissemination of evidence-based PT interventions across LAC countries. This selective prevention study consisted of an exploratory quasi-experimental design implemented in Chile, aimed at examining the initial impact of a culturally adapted version of the evidence-based PT intervention known as Generation-PMTO©. The parenting intervention was adapted in a previous pilot study, according to a rigorous model of cultural adaptation. Based on self-reports completed by 281 caregivers, when compared to baseline measurements, significant improvements at intervention completion were observed in the majority of caregivers' parenting practices, as well as child internalizing and externalizing problematic behaviors. This study provides promising initial empirical evidence that efficacious PT interventions developed in the US can be transported to Latin American contexts, as long as they are thoroughly adapted to achieve high contextual and cultural relevance. The rates of child maltreatment across LAC

Cultural Adaptation of the Lighthouse Parenting Programme: Mentalization-Based Treatment to address child maltreatment

“…This challenges their application in regions with distinct cultural contexts, such as Latin America. Effective interventions in the realm of parenting must be culturally sensitive, considering the deep influence of cultural norms on parenting practices (Cardona et al, 2012;Mejia et al, 2017;Parra-Cardona et al, 2023).…”