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Theoretical basis and program design of a school-based mental health intervention for traumatized immigrant children: A collaborative research partnership

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Abstract

This article describes a collaborative research model for school-based mental health services that targets children who are recent immigrants with violence-related mental health symptoms. The model describes a conceptual framework used in the establishment of an academic-community partnership during the development, evaluation, and implementation of the Mental Health for Immigrants Program (MHIP), a school-based mental health intervention. The article discusses the challenges that occurred and provides specific examples of how a participatory research partnership may work together through all program phases—design through implementation and program evaluation—to meet a specific community's needs and produce generalizable knowledge. The challenges and limitations of collaborative research approaches also are discussed, with particular emphasis on the role of participatory research in the development and evaluation of school-based mental health programs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UCLA/RAND Center for Health Services Research, RAND, 1700 Main Street, 90401, Santa Monica, CA

    Bradley D. Stein MD, MPH (NIMH Faculty Scholar) & Lisa H. Jaycox PhD (Behavioral Scientist)

  2. Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, USA

    Sheryl Kataoka MD (Research Fellow)

  3. Mental Health Services, District Crisis Teams and Suicide Prevention, Los Angeles Unified School District, USA

    Marleen Wong MSW (Director)

  4. Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, USA

    Arlene Fink PhD (Professor of Medicine)

  5. Department of Health Services, School of Public Health, UCLA/RAND Center for Health Services Research, USA

    Lisa H. Jaycox PhD (Behavioral Scientist) & Arlene Fink PhD (Professor of Medicine)

  6. School Mental Health Services, Los Angeles Unified School District, USA

    Pia Escudero MSW (School Mental Health Coordinator) & Catalina Zaragoza MSW (Psychiatric Social Worker)

Authors
  1. Bradley D. Stein MD, MPH
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  2. Sheryl Kataoka MD
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  3. Lisa H. Jaycox PhD
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  4. Marleen Wong MSW
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  5. Arlene Fink PhD
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  6. Pia Escudero MSW
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  7. Catalina Zaragoza MSW
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Correspondence to Bradley D. Stein MD, MPH.

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Stein, B.D., Kataoka, S., Jaycox, L.H. et al. Theoretical basis and program design of a school-based mental health intervention for traumatized immigrant children: A collaborative research partnership. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research 29, 318–326 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02287371

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