Integrating Evidence-based Approaches to Prevent Child Maltreatment in Kyrgyzstan

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1 PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT 2 3 The purpose of this K01 Award is to provide the candidate with the training and expertise needed to transition to 4 research independence in prevention of child maltreatment (CM). The centerpiece of the project is a proposed 5 study which will use a community-engaged approach to integrate and test three evidence-based programs 6 (EBPs) to prevent CM, domestic violence (DV), and other ACEs in Kyrgyzstan. The project will feature innovative 7 training for the PI in integration and adaptation of EBPs to child/family outcomes, longitudinal intervention 8 research, and quantitative measurement/analysis. It will also feature strong mentoring from group of senior 9 mentors with an outstanding track record of NIH-supported research and an extensive history of mentoring junior 10 faculty, as well as NGOs, all with extensive experience/commitment to preventing CM. Prevention of CM is of 11 paramount importance to individual, family and community wellbeing, particularly among those 12 disproportionately affected, such as families in LMICs, and is relevant for immigrant and refugee populations in 13 the U.S. Although promising approaches exist, they have not been adapted and rigorously evaluated among 14 Central Asian (CA) populations. Although there is strong evidence about the efficacy of these approaches in the 15 general population in the U.S. and other global contexts, these complementary and synergistic approaches have 16 never been deployed jointly in research. To address the needs of the at-risk for ACEs families, the proposed 17 program will adapt and pilot a family-focused (Multiple Family Groups) school-based (School Children and Their 18 Families) economic empowerment (FEE) program to promote positive health and socioeconomic outcomes for 19 children: 1) MFG is a family-centered, group delivered EBP designed for children/adolescents whose families 20 struggle with poverty and associated stressors; 2) SAF has shown to have significant improvements in (co)- 21 parenting and child behavioral outcomes; 3) FEE builds protective factors for individual/family wellbeing by 22 addressing economic stressors and strengthening financial capability. Combining MFG+SAF+FEE is 23 hypothesized to improve child and family wellbeing more than any of the individual interventions’ effects, with 24 each intervention achieving its own specific effects and contributing to the efficacy of the others. These EBPs 25 must be carefully adapted to the culture and distinct needs of the target groups. The proposed study will build 26 on this prior research by implementing these approaches jointly as a package. Carrying out this innovative study 27 in a context of specialized training and mentoring will provide the PI with the skills and experience to leverage 28 community-engaged implementation science for wider application in global contexts. The award will equip the 29 PI to take on a leadership role in the prevention of CM through the use of innovative mixed-method measures in 30 the process of adapting and assessing the most promising approaches to prevent CM in global health contexts.