The purpose of this grant is to develop a new culturally-based intervention model for Spanish-speaking Mexican American families with a relative diagnosed with schizophrenia. Intervention development has been informed by our extensive clinical experience with Latinos, the literature on protective factors, and our recent in-depth ethnographic research with Spanish-speaking Mexican origin Latinos.
The CFIMA employs a family group format guided by the heuristic model of family-provider cultural exchange we have developed. It cultivates cultural resources that can play an influential role in improving family and patient outcomes within three sequential treatment stages: cultural assessment, cultural accommodation, and cultural integration.
Based on a stage model for intervention development and intervention literature on the development of culturally congruent services, we propose to:
The results will provide preliminary evidence on whether the manualized CFIMA is effective for Mexican Americans. This work will provide a model for how to integrate cultural factors into other intervention services and enhance these in real-world settings for culturally diverse groups.