title: The TAFES multi-family group intervention for Kosovar refugees: a feasibility study.
abstract: The object of this study was to describe a feasibility study of the Tea and Families Education and Support (TAFES) intervention used in a group of newly resettled adult refugees from Kosova. The subjects were 86 newly resettled Kosovar refugees in Chicago who gave informed consent to participate in an investigation of the TAFES intervention. All subjects received family home visits, and most participated in the TAFES multi-family groups. The instruments were administered to adult participants before and 3 months after the intervention. The TAFES program had contact with 61 Kosovar refugee families, of which 42 families (69%) engaged in TAFES groups, including families with educated and working members. Several characteristics were associated with engaging in TAFES groups and included lower monthly family income and higher age of the first child. The uncontrolled postintervention assessments demonstrated increases in social support and psychiatric service use associated with engagement in the TAFES group. Participants also showed time changes in scale scores assessing trauma mental health knowledge, trauma mental health attitudes, and family hardiness. This study provides preliminary evidence that multi-family support and education groups are a feasible and possibly beneficial intervention for newly resettled refugees and indicates the need for further studies.
authors.affiliation: International Center on Human Responses to Social Catastrophes, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1601 W. Taylor Street, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA.
authors.forename: Stevan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Weine
authors.forename: Dheeraj
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raina
authors.forename: Merita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhubi
authors.forename: Mejreme
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delesi
authors.forename: Dzana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Huseni
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Feetham
authors.forename: Yasmina
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kulauzovic
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mermelstein
authors.forename: Richard T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rolland
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pavkovic
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002641:Chicago; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D005192:Family Health; D005195:Family Relations; D005196:Family Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group / Q000379:methods*; D012036:Refugees / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support; D015022:Yugoslavia / Q000208:ethnology