Society for Prevention Research 2009 conference presentation

1. What do facilitators & participants bring to the table?
Collaborative adaptation processes in the
New Beginnings Program
Cady Berkel, Melissa Hagan, Sharlene Wolchik, Nancy Gonzales,
Irwin Sandler, Clorinda Schenck & Emily Winslow
Prevention Research Center
Arizona State University
Society for Prevention Research
May 27, 2009
Contact: cady.berkel@asu.edu

2. Cultural Adaptations
 Transitioning an EBP
from efficacy to
effectiveness often
requires some retooling
to ensure that the
program fits the
ecological context of the
new environment
 Beyond planned
adaptations, in situ
adaptations will
inevitably occur –
because culture takes
place on the local level

3. New Beginnings
 The New Beginnings
Program (NBP) has
demonstrated positive
long-term mental health
benefits for adolescents
following parental divorce
by increasing effective
discipline and improving
parent-child relationship
quality
 The sample was 88%
European American

4. The Process of Culturally Adapting the
New Beginnings Program (NBP)
 Surface structure
adaptations
 Pilot tested planned
adaptations
 African American
 Latina
 Asian American
 Participants and group
leaders provided
culturally-focused
process and content
feedback throughout
the program via
surveys and focus
groups

5. Data
 Sessions were videorecorded, with
mothers and facilitators visible on screen
 Data for the current study came one of
the groups with African American mothers
 Group was led by two clinical psychology
graduate students under supervision. One
facilitator was Afro-Caribbean and the
other was European American.

6. Analysis
 Observed all sessions
 Sections containing
challenges to the
program or new
material were
transcribed and coded
inductively
 Findings were compared
to research with African
Americans to triangulate
the relevance to cultural
values or practices

7. Results: Impact of divorce on health
 “If you can’t take care of yourself,
you can’t take care of them.”

8. Results: Importance of family
 Warm, communicative
relationships between
mothers and children
through home practice
assignments
 Family Fun Time
 One-on-One Time
 Families were already
engaging in these
activities
 Extended family

9. Results: Hierarchical family structure
 Direction of
communication: Parent
-> child
 Places parent in the
role of teacher
 Appears incongruent
with elements of
activities designed to
increase bonding
(Family Fun Time &
One-on-One Time)

10. Results: Communication patterns
 Mm-hmms and
summary
statements
 “We don’t usually
talk to our kids
like that, at some
point my daughter
would have said,
duh!”

11. Results: Addressing disrespect
 “As the parent you
want to correct that
because it’s just
something you don’t
do, it’s disrespectful.
It’s like when you
walk into a room you
say hello, whether you
know the person or
not. You’re not
bringing the negative
into a room with new
people.”

12. Results: Ignoring bad behaviors
 “What does it
mean by ignore
bad behaviors?
You don’t ignore
that!”

13. Results: Addressing Problem Behaviors
 “And there are
some things that
are so serious that
it needs to be
STOPPED NOW. I
need you to stop it
now and not ever
ever do it again.”

14. Discussion
 Both participants and facilitators actively
engaged with the program and negotiated
its content to make it fit the needs and
cultural values of the participants
 Facilitators responded with affirming,
fidelity, adaptation, negotiation
 Process of negotiation takes much more
time than is allotted to the activity, which
can cause problems for facilitators in
achieving fidelity
 Observational studies of implementation
can inform future iterations of the
program by identifying problems and
solutions accomplished collaboratively by
facilitators and participants