Development and evaluation of a Mexican immigrant family support program.
A report to Congress in the fall of 1998 warned that immigrant children are in a state of emergency regarding access to health care. This article presents the three phases involved in developing, implementing, and evaluating a Mexican American Problem Solving (MAPS) program designed to promote the mental health of families. Methods were Phase 1 focus groups to identify concerns and desired approaches for intervention; Phase 2 instrument assessment and prevalence assessment of mental health; and Phase 3 intervention testing. In Phases 1 and 2, 67% of mothers and 59% of children had mental health scores that required referral for evaluation. Participating mothers and children reported positive views of the intervention and showed significant improvements in mental health scores.
Cowell
J M
JM
Rush University, College of Nursing, Chicago, IL, USA.
McNaughton
D B
DB
Ailey
S
S
D002641:Chicago; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005192:Family Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology*; D016730:Program Development / Q000379:methods*; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods; D012573:School Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D012944:Social Support