Cultural Adaptation of the Strengthening Families Program 10–14 to Italian Families

Abstract

The family context has proven to be a useful target in which to apply prevention efforts aimed at child and adolescent health risk behaviors. There are currently a variety of cultural adaptation models that serve to guide the international adaptation of intervention programs. The cultural adaptation process and program reception of the Strengthening Families Program 10–14 (SFP 10–14) was described in this article. The implementation context is one in which strong family bonds and high family communication are the norm. We described our cultural adaptation process comparing our efforts to the recommended stages of the main current cultural adaptation models. We pilot tested and implemented the adapted version of our program with a total of 35 families in the city of Turin Italy. This study showed that the SFP 10–14 may indeed be quite suitable for Italian families given the particularities of Italian society regarding strong family bonds and extended social networks. We described the language translation, cultural adaptation process for program materials, staff training, onsite supervision, and the process evaluation feedback that were undertaken as part of the adaptation efforts. The field of prevention could greatly benefit from the identification of tools and techniques that are applicable to populations with diverse social and cultural backgrounds. The family is extremely important for Italians and represents a rich context in which prevention efforts could be addressed.