Delivering a family‐based child mental health promotion program among two resettled refugee communities during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Lessons learned in a hybrid type II implementation‐effectiveness randomized controlled trial.
Background: Resettled refugee families face elevated mental health risks, compounded by structural and cultural barriers. The Family Strengthening Intervention for Resettlement (FSIR), co‐developed with resettled refugee communities, aims to improve family functioning and child mental health. This s...
| Published in: | American Journal of Community Psychology Vol. 77; no. 1/2; pp. 231 - 248 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
| Format: | Article |
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Wiley-Blackwell
Mar2026
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=192462693&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 192462693 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00910562 CMP jtl: American Journal of Community Psychology issn: 00910562 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Mar2026 vid: 77 iid: 1/2 pid: 480 pub: Wiley-Blackwell artinfo: ui: 192462693 10.1002/ajcp.70021 ppf: 231 ppct: 17 formats: tig: atl: Delivering a family‐based child mental health promotion program among two resettled refugee communities during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Lessons learned in a hybrid type II implementation‐effectiveness randomized controlled trial. aug: au: Jung, Euijin Black, Candace Placencio‐Castro, Matias Chamlagai, Lila Osman, Rilwan Hoffman, Morgan Beardslee, William Betancourt, Theresa S. affil: School of Counseling Psychology and Social Welfare, Handong Global University, Pohang Kyungbuk,, South Korea Research Program on Children and Adversity, Boston College School of Social Work, Chestnut Hill Massachusetts,, USA Behavioral Health and Social Science Department, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence Rhode Island,, United States Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services (MEIRS), Lewiston Maine,, USA Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children's Hospital, Cambridge Massachusetts,, USA su: Refugees COVID-19 pandemic Clinical trials Community-based participatory research Family support Child mental health services Supervision sug: subj: Refugees COVID-19 pandemic Clinical trials Community-based participatory research Family support Child mental health services Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology) Supervision keyword: community‐based participatory research, EPIS, family functioning implementation science, prevention science youth mental health community‐based participatory research, EPIS, family functioning implementation science, prevention science youth mental health ab: Background: Resettled refugee families face elevated mental health risks, compounded by structural and cultural barriers. The Family Strengthening Intervention for Resettlement (FSIR), co‐developed with resettled refugee communities, aims to improve family functioning and child mental health. This study evaluated FSI‐R in Somali Bantu and Bhutanese communities in New England during COVID‐19 using a Hybrid Type II Implementation‐Effectiveness Trial guided by the EPIS framework. Methods: Linear mixed modeling assessed changes in family functioning and child mental health. A process evaluation identified implementation barriers and informed adaptations. Activities were registered under Clinical Registry #NCT03796065. Results: Bhutanese families receiving FSI‐R showed greater improvements in parental supervision compared to usual care. Process evaluation highlighted that responsiveness to community needs supported successful implementation despite pandemic stressors. Somali Bantu interventionists reported stronger emotional connection with families during in‐person delivery. Conclusions: Findings support the utility of hybrid trials in assessing both effectiveness and implementation of preventive interventions with resettling families. Despite contextual disruptions, attention to community needs and delivery flexibility enabled successful implementation. This study underscores the importance of context‐informed strategies to sustain core elements of evidence‐based interventions in dynamic settings. Key Highlights: Community‐based participatory research helped overcome barriers through collaborative, context‐informed implementation guided by the EPIS implementation science framework.FSI‐R improved parental supervision in Bhutanese families during a period of high stress due to the global COVID‐19 pandemic.The Hybrid Type II implementation‐effectiveness design supported real‐time adaptation to policy shifts and community needs. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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