Community-Based Applied Research With Latino Immigrant Families: Informing Practice and Research According to Ethical and Social Justice Principles

Abstract

This manuscript describes the implementation of two community-based programs of research with Latino immigrant populations exposed to intense contextual challenges. We provide background on our program of research and specific implementation of an evidence-based parenting intervention. We also describe how our research efforts were seriously affected by immigration-related events such as the ICE raids in Utah and a history of discrimination and exclusion affecting Latino immigrants in Michigan. These external political and social challenges have affected the very core principles of our efforts to implement community-based approaches. The current manuscript describes key lessons that we have learned in this process. Finally, reflections for research, practice, and social policy are included.

Mental Health Care for Latino Immigrants in the U.S.A. and the Quest for Global Health Equities*

“…Even in these cases there are multiple challenges, including low levels of resources including tight and decreasing budgets for public mental health care as well as the time needed to execute needs assessment and strategic planning agendas in collaborative ventures with multiple stakeholders. In sum, applying scientific findings in local public mental health agendas demands a serious investment of resources by all stakeholders (Barrera, Castro, & Steiker, 2011;Baumann, Domenech-Rodríguez, & Parra-Cardona, 2011;Trickett & Schensul, 2009). …”

“…Notwithstanding, in communities with some minimal level of political will and investment in improving the health of its citizens, scholars and research scientist who specialize in mental health care broadly and/or in immigrant populations are obliged to contribute to the well-being of immigrant populations (Baumann et al, 2011). There are many roads to improve the mental health of immigrants in the local population which depend on local histories, economic and socio-cultural and political realities.…”

Rethinking Research Ethics for Latinos: The Policy Paradox of Health Reform and the Role of Social Justice

“…Other scholars have similarly grappled with how to incorporate a critical social action lens into their research agenda that goes beyond the institutional aims of gathering data for the purpose of expanding the scientific corpus of knowledge. For instance, Baumann, Rodriguez, and Parra-Cardona (2011) argued that it is necessary to address contextual challenges and advocate for better conditions for participants in order to implement a social-justice approach to research. In fact, researchers should question how "business-asusual" research contributes to structural inequities and seek input from communities they are doing research with so as to develop mutually beneficial approaches to research that extend the basic principles of respect, autonomy, and benefice from the individual to the entire community.…”

A two-way street: bridging implementation science and cultural adaptations of mental health treatments

“…Policies can shape the type, forms and frequency of practices that can and cannot be implemented and can create incentives and disincentives for organizations and communities to engage and invest in the implementation of EBTs [60]. They can be used as leverage points throughout the entire ecology of implementation, imparting their influence at the levels of the organization, regulatory agencies, and the political and social milieu [83,84]. It is not sufficient for EBTs to be culturally and linguistically appropriate for racial and ethnic minorities; the context that surrounds an EBT must be carefully considered in order to enhance its uptake, and ultimately its impact in reducing mental health care disparities [22].…”