Family interventions to improve mental, emotional, and behavioral health outcomes among Latinx youth: A systematic review

Abstract

BackgroundThe Latinx population is the largest and fastest-growing segment of the U.S. While the vast majority of Latinx children are US-born, over half are growing up in a family where they live with at least one foreign-born parent. Despite research showing that Latinx immigrants are less likely to experience mental, emotional, and behavioral (MEB) health issues (e.g., depression, conduct disorder, substance misuse), their children have one of the country's highest rates of MEB disorders. To address the MEB health of Latinx children and their caregivers, culturally grounded interventions have been developed, implemented, and tested to promote MEB health. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify these interventions and summarize their findings. MethodsWe searched PubMed, PsycINFO, ERIC, Cochrane library, Scopus, HAPI, ProQuest, and ScienceDirect databases from 1980 through January 2020 as part of a registered protocol (PROSPERO) following PRISMA guidelines. Our inclusion criteria were randomized controlled trials of family interventions among a predominantly Latinx sample. We assessed the risk of bias in the included studies using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. FindingsInitially, we identified 8,461 articles. After going through the inclusion criteria, twenty-three studies were included in the review. We found a total of 10 interventions, with Familias Unidas and Bridges/Puentes having the most information available. Overall, 96% of studies demonstrated to be effective in addressing MEB health, namely substance use, alcohol and tobacco use, risky sexual behaviors, conduct disorder, and internalizing symptoms among Latinx youth. Most interventions focused on improving parent–child relationships as the main mechanism to improve MEB health among Latinx youth. DiscussionOur findings show that family interventions can be effective for Latinx youth and their families. It is likely that including cultural values such as familismo and issues related to the Latinx experience such as immigration and acculturation can help the long-term goal of improving MEB health in Latinx communities. Future studies investigating the different cultural components that may influence the acceptability and effectiveness of the interventions are warranted.