Using Community-Based Participatory Action Methods to Adapt an Attachment-Based Intervention for Recent Immigrant Families from Latin America

Background: Recent immigrants from Latin America often experience migration-related stressors, including forced migration, family separation, and exposure to trauma, which can disrupt family bonds and contribute to adverse mental health and developmental outcomes. Despite the availability of evidence-informed attachment-based interventions, few are culturally adapted to reflect the lived experiences, values, and contexts of newcomer immigrant families from Latin America. Community-Based Participatory Action Research (CBPAR) offers a framework for equitable collaboration with communities to enhance cultural relevance and acceptability of interventions. This study describes the systematic adaptation of an attachment-based intervention for recent immigrant mothers and their adolescent children using a CBPAR-informed application of the ADAPT-ITT framework. This approach advances rigorous and inclusive social work inquiry that promotes equity, democratic participation, and wellbeing of research participants.

Methods: Researchers integrated CBPAR principles across the eight phases of the ADAPT-ITT framework : (1) assessment, (2) decision, (3) administration, (4) production, (5) topical experts, (6) integration, (7) training, and (8) testing. The adaptation process engaged mothers and adolescents who had migrated from Latin America. Data were collected through iterative qualitative methods, including 32 semi-structured interviews with immigrant mothers and adolescents, 3 focus groups with mothers and community providers, and two rounds of intervention theater testing with recent immigrant mothers (n=9) and their adolescent children (n=14), alongside ongoing input from a community advisory board and topical experts. CBPAR strategies emphasized power-sharing, co-construction of knowledge, and the integration of community-defined priorities to create a feedback loop reflecting democratic principles of shared decision-making and equitable participation in research.

Results: Findings demonstrate that the CBPAR methods used enhanced the cultural and contextual relevance of the intervention. Key adaptations included the integration of migration-related narratives (e.g., trauma exposure and family separation), culturally grounded parenting values, and relational dynamics reflective of families from Latin America. Participants and community partners identified the importance of addressing trauma within a relational and strengths-based framework, emphasizing trust, communication, and interdependence. Additionally, they identified challenges in measuring key constructs (i.e., video recording to measure attachment), advocated for the expansion of the intervention to include all eligible children in the family rather than a single identified child, and made adjustments to the protocols to account for families in long-term shelter settings rather than community centers. Iterative feedback improved the clarity, acceptability, and feasibility of intervention content and delivery, particularly within community settings. The structured yet flexible integration of CBPAR across ADAPT-ITT phases facilitated responsiveness to emerging community insights while maintaining fidelity to core intervention components, demonstrating how rigorous, community-engaged research advances social justice and strengthens inclusive systems.

Conclusions: Applying CBPAR principles to intervention adaptation is presented as an approach to culturally adapting interventions for immigrant families. Findings highlight the importance of centering lived experience and community expertise in intervention design with immigrant populations. Implications include advancing trauma-informed, culturally responsive practices and strengthening community–researcher partnerships to support the wellbeing of immigrant families. This presentation will highlight social work research that advances the democratic values of inclusion, representation, and collective wellbeing.