Culturally adapting an evidence‐based parenting intervention for the Chilean context: Balancing fidelity, context, and cultural relevance

Abstract

The dissemination of evidence‐based parent training (PT) interventions remains extremely limited in Latin American countries. This is concerning when considering the high prevalence of child maltreatment associated with punitive parenting practices across countries in the region. Furthermore, efforts to disseminate PT interventions must be conducted by adhering to the core parenting components that have established effectiveness for such interventions, while ensuring contextual and cultural relevance for focus populations. In this manuscript, we describe the cultural adaptation of an evidence‐based PT intervention in the context of Chile. This initial phase of adaptation was informed by the theoretical tenets of the Ecological Validity Model of cultural adaptation (Bernal et al., J. Abnorm. Child Psychol., 23, 1995, 67). According to findings from a qualitative thematic analysis conducted with five interventionists in training, therapists perceived that the intervention's core components were relevant to Chilean caregivers who participated in the parenting program. Interventionists also provided specific suggestions to enhance the intervention's contextual and cultural relevance. This investigation illustrates the importance of culturally adapting evidence‐based interventions according to comprehensive cultural adaptation frameworks, prior to engaging in large‐scale dissemination of adapted interventions in Latin American contexts.

Preliminary Outcomes and Adaptation of an NDBI for Spanish-Speaking Families

“…In addition to being delivered within an outpatient setting, the sample was well characterized and included a diverse group of SS families with respect to nationality, years living in the United States, and socioeconomic status. This diversity expands cultural adaptation research that has sometimes used more focused SS Latinx samples (e.g., Mexico City; Baumann et al, 2014; Chile; Parra-Cardona et al, 2022) and was important given the significant diversity of SS Latinx individuals and families living in the United States. Although there are important distinctions in cultural identities and values across SS Latinx individuals (e.g., Chavez-Dueñas et al, 2019) that may impact the relevance of deep-structure adaptations specific to unique cultural identities, the broader sample of this study may capture adaptations that reflect the needs of larger intersecting populations (e.g., first- or second-generation bilingual immigrant families at different stages of acculturation navigating intricate systems of care).…”

“…To do this, bilingual clinicians led the review and discussion of these field notes. Consistent with other research examining the cultural adaptation of parent training programs for Latinx populations (Parra-Cardona et al, 2022), field notes were categorized into each of the eight dimensions of the EVM (e.g., by language, content, context, and metaphors). Categorizing adaptations into each of these eight dimensions involved the full research team reviewing field notes and discussing examples of adaptations that fell within each category.…”

Different perceptual worlds: Parent and youth perspectives on parenting outcome trajectories from a Latino family‐based program

“…Examples of evidence‐based programs adapted for use with Latino populations are Parent Management Training—Oregon Model (GenerationPMTO; Cai et al., 2022; Parra Cardona et al., 2012; Parra‐Cardona et al., 2022; Parra‐Cardona et al., 2023), and Parent–Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT; Christian‐Brandt & Philpott, 2018; Matos et al., 2006; McCabe & Yeh, 2009; McCabe et al., 2012; Ramos et al., 2018).…”

Culturally adapting relational savoring: A therapeutic approach to improve relationship quality

“…Prior to initiating this work, the researchers who did not belong to the target population reflected on approaches that would reduce the likelihood of researcher bias or unintentionally cause harm to communities. We intentionally adopted a community‐based participatory research (CBPR) framework, as applied in another evidence‐based parenting intervention targeting Latine families (Parra Cardona et al., 2012, 2023). CBPR aims to share power and collaborate in partnership with community members, who are the experts of their own lived experiences (Wallerstein & Duran, 2006; White & Epston, 1990).…”