Developing Interventions for Latino Children, Youth and Families

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objectives of the three scientific meetings comprising this conference, titled "Developing Interventions for Latino Children, Youth and Families," are to advance knowledge and methods on integrating cultural constructs into extant and new interventions. We propose to bring together leading scholars in Latino mental health, behavioral sciences, and intervention research to address three objectives: to (1) identify, isolate, and crystallize conceptual definitions of core cultural constructs of diverse Latino groups considered essential for developing interventions for children, youth and parents (Year One Meeting), (2) (a) generate via expert consensus and empirical and theoretical literatures precise operational descriptions of how each core cultural construct is manifested behaviorally by Latinos in different age groups and (b) transform the constructs into intervention-behaviors that therapists must use with clients (Year Two Meeting), and (3) (a) sponsor adaptations of extant psychosocial interventions by junior investigators that integrate the definitions and (b) support research grant applications and publications (Year Three Meeting). Past literature on Latino mental health and behavioral sciences described cultural traditions, beliefs, values, and behavioral practices but they have not been clearly defined nor operationalized into a set of cultural constructs for incorporating into treatment protocols. Questions remain about which cultural constructs are important, how they are operationalized, and how they can be embedded into the therapy process. This conference will fill the critical gaps in knowledge in the development of interventions for Latino children, adolescents and families in the areas of depression, anxiety, and conduct disorders. The conference will be held annually in early April of 2006, 2007, and 2008 at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. An Organizing Committee will oversee the meetings to insure a successful, high quality endeavor. Products from the conference will include scientific papers to be published in high impact journals, conference proceedings, and 4 or more NIH grant applications to test the integration of Latino cultural constructs in empirically supported interventions.