Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Models and Frameworks for Culturally Responsive Adaptations of Interventions

  • Published:
Contemporary School Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Research suggests that culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) youths are underserved by mental health systems; CLD youths are less likely to receive mental health services and more likely to receive services that are inappropriate or inadequate. The lack of well-established treatments for CLD youths has been cited as one contributing factor to this problem. Consequently, it has been suggested that therapists should incorporate cultural awareness frameworks into their practice and adapt interventions in order to best serve youths from this population. The purpose of this literature review is to present established models that incorporate principles of cultural awareness and systematic intervention adaptation. Related studies that describe the applications of these models are also reviewed. Commonalities between different culturally responsive adaptation models are discussed, and implications for school-based practice are explored.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alegria, M., Canino, G., Rios, R., Vera, M., Calderon, J., Rusch, D., & Ortega, A. N. (2002). Inequalities in use of specialty mental health services among Latinos, African Americans, and non-Latino whites. Psychiatric Services, 53, 1547–1555. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.53.12.1547.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • American Psychological Association (2010). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. Retrieved from American Psychological Association website: http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/principles.pdf.

  • Aud, S, Wilkinson-Flicker, S., Kristapovich, P., Rathbun, A., Wang, X., & Zhang, J. (2013). The condition of education: 2013 (NCES 2013-037). Retrieved from U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics website: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2013/2013037.pdf.

  • Barksdale, C. L., Azur, M. A., & Leaf, P. J. (2009). Differences in mental health service sector utilization among African American and Caucasian youth entering systems of care programs. Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 37, 363–373. doi:10.1007/s11414-009-9166-2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bernal, G., Bonilla, J., & Bellido, C. (1995). Ecological validity and cultural sensitivity for outcome research: issues for cultural adaptation and development of psychosocial treatments with Hispanics. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 23, 67–82. doi:10.1007/BF01447045.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, C. P., Waasdorp, T. E., & Leaf, P. J. (2012). Effects of school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports on child behavior problems. Pediatrics, 130, e1136–e1145.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Breslau, J., Kendler, K. S., Su, M., Gaxiola-Aguilar, S., & Kessler, R. C. (2005). Lifetime risk and persistence of psychiatric disorders across ethnic groups in the United States. Psychological Medicine, 35, 317–327. doi:10.1017/S0033291704003514.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Callahan, S. T., & Cooper, W. O. (2005). Uninsurance and health care access among young adults in the United States. Pediatrics, 116, 88–95. doi:10.1542/peds.2004-1449.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Castro-Olivo, S. (2014). The impact of a culturally adapted social-emotional learning program on ELL students’ resiliency outcomes. School Psychology Quarterly, 29, 567–577. doi:10.1037/spq0000055.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Castro-Olivo, S., & Merrell, K. W. (2012). Validating cultural adaptations of a school-based social-emotional learning program for use with Latino immigrant adolescents. Advances in School Mental Health Promotion, 5, 78–92. doi:10.1080/1754730X.2012.689193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013). Mental health surveillance among children—United States, 2005—2011. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/su6202a1.htm.

  • Chao, R. C. (2013). Race/ethnicity and multicultural competence among school counselors: multicultural raining, racial/ethnic identity, and color-blind racial attitudes. Journal of Counseling and Development, 91, 140–151. doi:10.1002/j.1556-6676.2013.00082.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, J., & Vargas-Bustamante, A. (2011). Estimating the effects of immigration status on mental health care utilizations in the United States. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 13, 671–680. doi:10.1007/s10903-011-9445-x.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Chow, J. C., Jaffee, K., & Snowden, L. (2003). Racial/ethnic disparities in the use of mental health services in poverty areas. American Journal of Public Health, 93, 792–797. doi:10.2105/AJPH.93.5.792.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Cox, T. H., Lobel, S. A., & McLeod, P. L. (1991). Effects of ethnic group cultural differences on cooperative and competitive behavior on a group task. Academy of Management Journal, 34, 827–847. doi:10.2307/256391.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cramer, K. M., & Castro-Olivo, S. (2016). Effects of a culturally adapted social-emotional learning intervention program on students’ mental health. Contemporary School Psychology, 20, 118–129. doi:10.1007/s40688-015-0057-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curtis, M. J., Castillo, J. M., & Gelley, C. (2012). School psychology 2010: demographics, employment, and the context for professional practice—part 1. Communiqué, 40(1), 28–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dobalian, A., & Rivers, P. A. (2008). Racial and ethnic disparities in the use of mental health services. Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 35, 128–141. doi:10.1007/s11414-007-9097-8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Domenech Rodríguez, M., & Weiling, E. (2004). Developing culturally appropriate, evidence-based treatments for interventions with ethnic minority populations. In M. Rastogin & E. Weiling (Eds.), Voices of color: first person accounts of ethnic minority therapists (pp. 313–333). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Domenech Rodríguez, M. M., Baumann, A. A., & Schwartz, A. L. (2011). Cultural adaptation of an evidence based intervention: from theory to practice in a Latino/a community context. American Journal of Community Psychology, 47, 170–186. doi:10.1007/s10464-010-9371-4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garciá, C. M., Gilcrhist, L., Vazquez, G., Leite, A., & Raymond, N. (2011). Urban and rural immigrant Latino youths’ and adults’ knowledge and beliefs about mental health resources. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 13, 500–509. doi:10.1007/s10903-010-9389-6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Graves, S. L., Herndon-Sobalvarro, A., Nichols, K., Aston, C., Ryan, A., Blefari,… Prier, D. (2016). Examining the effectiveness of a culturally adapted social-emotional intervention for African American males in an urban setting. School Psychology Quarterly. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1037/spq0000145.

  • Green, J. G., McLaughlin, K. A., Alegria, M., Costello, E. J., Gruber, M. J., Hoagwood, K., … Kessler, R. C. (2013). School mental health resources and adolescent mental health service use. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 52, 501–510. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2013.03.002

  • Griner, D., & Smith, T. (2006). Culturally adapted mental health interventions: a meta-analytic review. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 43, 531–548. doi:10.1037/0033-3204.43.4.531.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hass, M. R., & Kennedy, K. S. (2014). Integrated social-emotional assessment of the bilingual child. In A. B. Clinton (Ed.), Assessing bilingual children in context: an integrated approach (pp. 163–187). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hosp, J. L., & Reschly, D. J. (2003). Referral rates for intervention or assessment: a meta-analysis of racial differences. Journal of Special Education, 37, 67–80. doi:10.1177/00224669030370020201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hough, R. L., Hazen, A. L., Soriano, F. I., Wood, P., McCabe, K., & Yeh, M. (2002). Mental health care for Latinos: mental health services for Latino adolescents with psychiatric disorders. Psychiatric Services, 53, 1556–1562. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.53.12.1556.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Howell, E., & McFeeters, J. (2008). Children’s mental health care: differences by race/ethnicity in urban/rural areas. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 19, 237–247. doi:10.1353/hpu.2008.0008.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Huey, S. J., & Polo, A. J. (2008). Evidence-based psychosocial treatments for ethnic minority youth. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 37, 262–301. doi:10.1080/15374410701820174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hwang, W. (2006). The psychotherapy adaptation and modification framework: application to Asian Americans. American Psychologist, 61, 702–715. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.61.7.702.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hwang, W. (2009). The formative method for adapting psychotherapy (FMAP): a community-based developmental approach to culturally adapting therapy. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 40, 369–377. doi:10.1037/a0016240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ingraham, C. L., & Oka, E. R. (2006). Multicultural issues in evidence based interventions. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 22, 127–149. doi:10.1300/J370v22n02_07.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, J. M., Kawena Begay, K., Nakagawa, Y., Cevasco, M., & Sit, J. (2016). Multicultural counseling competence training: adding value with multicultural consultation. Journal of Educational & Psychological Consultation, 26, 241–265. doi:10.1080/10474412.2015.1012671.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kataoka, S. H., Zhang, L., & Wells, K. B. (2002). Unmet need for mental health care among US children: variation by ethnicity and insurance status. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 159, 1548–1555. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.159.9.1548.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., Berglund, P., Demler, O., Jin, R., Merikangas, K. R., & Walters, E. E. (2005). Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62, 593–602. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.62.6.593.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, S., & Matejkowski, J. (2012). Mental health service utilization among noncitizens in the United States: findings from the national Latino and Asian American study. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 39, 406–418. doi:10.1007/s10488-011-0366-8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Matos, M., Torres, R., Santiago, R., Jurado, M., & Rodriguez, I. (2006). Adaptation of parent-child interaction therapy for Puerto Rican families: a preliminary study. Family Process, 45, 205–222. doi:10.1111/j.1545-5300.2006.00091.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Merikangas, K. R., He, J. P., Burstein, M., Swanson, S. A., Avenevoli, S., Cui, L., et al. (2010). Lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in US adolescents: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication–Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 49, 980–989. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2010.05.017.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Association of School Psychologists (2009). Recruitment of culturally and linguistically diverse school psychologists (position statement). Bethesda: National Association of School Psychologists.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Association of School Psychologists (2010). National Association of School Psychologists model for comprehensive and integrated school psychological services. School Psychology Review, 39, 320–333.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nicolas, G., Arntz, D. L., Hirsch, B., & Schmiedigen, A. (2009). Cultural adaptation of a group treatment for Haitian American adolescents. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 40, 378–384. doi:10.1037/a0016307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ravindran, N., & Myers, B. J. (2012). Cultural influences on perceptions of health, illness, and disability: a review and focus on autism. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 21, 311–319. doi:10.1007/s10826-011-9477-9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosselló, J., & Bernal, G. (1999). The efficacy of cognitive-behavioral and interpersonal treatments for depression in Puerto Rican adolescents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, 734–745. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.67.5.734.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Skiba, R. J., Horner, R. H., Chung, C., Rausch, M. K., May, S. L., & Tobin, T. (2011). Race is not neutral: a national investigation of African American and Latino disproportionality in school discipline. School Psychology Review, 40, 85–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, T. B., Domenech Rodriguez, M., & Bernal, G. (2009). Culture. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 67, 166–175. doi:10.1002/jclp.20757.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sue, D. W., & Sue, D. (2012). Counseling the culturally diverse: theory and practice (6th ed.). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sugai, G., O’Keeffe, B. V., & Fallon, L. M. (2012). A contextual consideration of culture and school-wide positive behavior support. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 14, 197–208. doi:10.1177/1098300711426334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2000). Report of the surgeon General’s conference on children’s mental health: a national action agenda. Washington, DC: Department of Health and Human Services.

    Google Scholar 

  • Villarreal, V. (2014). Cultural and linguistic diversity representation in school psychology intervention research. Contemporary School Psychology, 18, 159–167. doi:10.1007/s40688-014-0027-5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, J. J., Chiu, A. W., Hwang, W., Jacobs, J., & Ifekwunigwe, M. (2008). Adapting cognitive-behavioral therapy for Mexican American students with anxiety disorders: recommendations for school psychologists. School Psychology Quarterly, 23, 515–532. doi:10.1037/1045-3830.23.4.515.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zimmerman, F. J. (2005). Social and economic determinants of disparities in professional help-seeking for child mental health problems: evidence from a national sample. Health Research and Educational Trust, 40, 1514–1533. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6773.2005.00411.x.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dallas Independent School District, 7150 East Grand Ave. #315, Dallas, TX, 75223, USA

    Lisa S. Peterson

  2. University of Texas at San Antonio, 501 W. Cesar E. Chavez Blvd, San Antonio, TX, 78207, USA

    Victor Villarreal

  3. University of Texas at San Antonio, 1300 Harvey Mitchell Parkway Apt 916A, College Station, TX, 77840, USA

    Maria J. Castro

Authors
  1. Lisa S. Peterson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Victor Villarreal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Maria J. Castro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lisa S. Peterson.

Ethics declarations

This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Submitted for consideration for publication in the special issue, “Culturally Responsive School-Based Mental Health Practices.”

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Peterson, L.S., Villarreal, V. & Castro, M.J. Models and Frameworks for Culturally Responsive Adaptations of Interventions. Contemp School Psychol 21, 181–190 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-016-0115-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-016-0115-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation