A Culturally Congruent Psychosocial Intervention for Latino Caregivers of Children with Cancer: Intervention Development

TL;DR

This study developed a culturally appropriate intervention to improve the well-being of Latino caregivers of children with cancer by incorporating community input and cultural values.

Contribution

A new community-based intervention framework for Latino caregivers that integrates health literacy, emotional well-being, and culturally congruent care.

Findings

Community collaboration identified key targets: health literacy, emotional well-being, and culturally congruent care.

A 12-session intervention was developed using bilingual and bicultural providers to address psychosocial needs.

The approach can serve as a model for reducing cancer health disparities in marginalized communities.

Abstract

What are the main findings?
This study highlights the need for community-engaged approaches to develop culturally congruent interventions to address disparities in palliative care for marginalized communities.Emotional well-being, health literacy, and healthcare that incorporates Latino cultural values emerged as important targets for a behavioral intervention to improve quality of life in Spanish-speaking families impacted by childhood cancer.

This study highlights the need for community-engaged approaches to develop culturally congruent interventions to address disparities in palliative care for marginalized communities.

Emotional well-being, health literacy, and healthcare that incorporates Latino cultural values emerged as important targets for a behavioral intervention to improve quality of life in Spanish-speaking families impacted by childhood cancer.

What are the implications of the main findings?
Engaging in a community co-development approach results in a culturally congruent intervention that utilizes community and healthcare providers to create a relevant intervention for Spanish-speaking families impacted by childhood cancer.Results of this study can serve as a model for development of culturally congruent interventions to address cancer health disparities in children and families.

Engaging in a community co-development approach results in a culturally congruent intervention that utilizes community and healthcare providers to create a relevant intervention for Spanish-speaking families impacted by childhood cancer.

Results of this study can serve as a model for development of culturally congruent interventions to address cancer health disparities in children and families.

Background: Cancer health disparities among Latinos in the United States are pervasive and manifest in higher morbidity and mortality among pediatric cancer patients and their parents/caregivers. There is a need to engage in culturally congruent approaches to develop interventions that effectively mitigate cancer health disparities among Latino caregivers. Aims: The purpose of this manuscript is to present the methodological process of adopting a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to develop a culturally congruent intervention to address psychosocial cancer health disparities in Spanish-speaking Latino families impacted by childhood cancer. Materials and Methods: We established two partnerships with Spanish-speaking parents of children previously treated for cancer and whose children were currently undergoing cancer treatment to collaboratively identify psychosocial intervention targets. A total of 22 meetings were held with community collaborators (n = 13) that followed CBPR principles. All meetings were audio recorded, transcribed, and coded using an inductive approach. Results: The intervention framework identified three psychosocial outcomes: caregiver health literacy, culturally congruent care, and emotional well-being. A 12-session intervention addressing the three outcomes was developed integrating cultural values and bilingual and bicultural community and healthcare providers. Conclusions: A CBPR approach was adopted to address disparities in quality of life in Spanish-speaking caregivers of children with cancer, which resulted in a multicomponent intervention that addresses the informational, practical, and psychosocial needs of Latino caregivers. The intervention can help mitigate disparities in well-being for Latino families impacted by childhood cancer by incorporating culturally relevant strategies to optimize health.

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