Observed Engagement in Community Implemented Evidence-Based Practices for Children and Adolescents: Implications for Practice Delivery.

OBJECTIVE: This observational study characterizes youth and caregiver behaviors that may pose challenges to engagement within a system-driven implementation of multiple evidence-based practices (EBPs). We examined links between Engagement Challenges and therapist EBP implementation outcomes. METHOD: Community therapists (N = 102) provided audio recordings of EBP sessions (N = 666) for youth (N = 267; 71.54%, Latinx; 51.69%, female; Mage = 9.85, Range: 1-18). Observers rated the extent to which youth and/or caregivers engaged in the following behaviors: Caregiver and/or Youth Expressed Concerns about interventions, and Youth Disruptive Behaviors. Multilevel modeling was used to identify predictors of observable Engagement Challenges, and examine associations between Engagement Challenges, and therapist-reported ability to deliver planned activities, and observer-rated extensiveness of EBP strategy delivery. RESULTS: At least one Engagement Challenge was observed in 43.99% of sessions. Youth Engagement Challenges were not associated with outcomes. Caregiver Expressed Concerns were negatively associated with therapist-reported ability to carry out planned session activities (B = -.21, 95% CI[-.39-(-.02)], p < .05). However, Caregiver Expressed Concerns were positively associated with extensiveness of EBP Content strategy delivery (B = .08, 95% CI[.01-.15], p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that Youth Engagement Challenges have little observed impact on EBP delivery. In contrast, although therapists perceive that Caregiver Expressed Concerns derail their planned activities, Caregiver Expressed Concerns are associated with more extensive delivery of content about therapeutic interventions. Community therapists' implementation of EBPs appear unaffected by common youth in-session behavioral challenges, but future research is needed to clarify whether caregivers' concerns about interventions prompt, or are prompted by, more intensive therapist EBP content instruction.

Caregiver Attendance as a Quality Indicator in the Implementation of Multiple Evidence-Based Practices for Children.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated a quality indicator for children's mental health, caregiver attendance in youth psychotherapy sessions, within a system-driven implementation of multiple evidence-based practices (EBPs) in children's community mental health services. METHOD: Administrative claims from nine fiscal years were analyzed to characterize and predict caregiver attendance. Data included characteristics of therapists (n = 8,626), youth clients (n = 134,368), sessions (e.g., individual, family), and the EBP delivered. Clients were primarily Latinx (63%), male (54%) and mean age was 11; they presented with a range of mental health problems. Three-level mixed models were conducted to examine the association between therapist, youth, service, EBP characteristics and caregiver attendance. RESULTS: Caregivers attended, on average, 46.0% of sessions per client for the full sample and 59.6% of sessions for clients who were clinically indicated, based on age and presenting problem, to receive caregiver-focused treatment. Following initial EBP implementation, the proportion of caregiver attendance in sessions increased over time. Caregivers attended a higher proportion of youth psychotherapy sessions when clients were younger, had an externalizing disorder, were non-Hispanic White, and were male. Further, higher proportions of caregiver attendance occurred when services were delivered in a clinic setting (compared with school and other settings), by bilingual therapists, and the EBP prescribed caregiver attendance in all sessions. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the patterns of caregiver attendance appear consistent with evidence-informed practice parameters of client presenting problem and age. Yet, several improvement targets emerged such as client racial/ethnic background and service setting. Potential reasons for these disparities are discussed.

Using stakeholder perspectives to guide systematic adaptation of an autism mental health intervention for Latinx families: A qualitative study.

Embedded within a Hybrid Type 1 randomized effectiveness-implementation trial in publicly funded mental health services, the current study identified stakeholder recommendations to inform cultural adaptations to An Individualized Mental Health Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder (AIM HI) for Latinx and Spanish-speaking families. Recommendations were collected through focus groups with therapists (n = 17) and semi-structured interviews with Latinx parents (n = 29). Relevant themes were identified through a rapid assessment analysis process and thematic coding of interviews. Adaptations were classified according to the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications-Enhanced (FRAME) to facilitate fit, acceptability, and sustained implementation of AIM HI and classify the content, nature, and goals of the adaptations. Recommended adaptations were classified through FRAME as tailoring training and intervention materials, changing packaging or materials, extending intervention pacing, and integrating supplemental training strategies. Goals for adaptations included improving fit for stakeholders, increasing parent engagement, and enhancing intervention effectiveness. The current study illustrates the process of embedding an iterative process of intervention adaptation within a hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial. The next steps in this study are to integrate findings with implementation process data from the parent trial to develop a cultural enhancement to AIM HI and test the enhancement in a Hybrid Type 3 implementation-effectiveness trial.

Implementing an intervention to address challenging behaviors for autism spectrum disorder in publicly-funded mental health services: Therapist and parent perceptions of delivery with Latinx families.

OBJECTIVES: As implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) in publicly funded children's mental health services has become increasingly common, concerns have been raised about the appropriateness of specific EBPs to the diverse client populations served in these settings. Exploring stakeholder perspectives can provide direction for refinements of EBPs when delivered with Latinx families. The current study used qualitative methods to examine therapist and Latinx parent perceptions of therapist-parent interactions and the intervention process when therapists are trained to deliver AIM HI (An Individualized Mental Health Intervention for ASD), a structured, parent-mediated intervention for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHOD: Therapist and parent participants were a subset of participants from a large-scale community effectiveness trial. Perceptions were gathered through focus groups with therapists (n = 17) and semistructured interviews with Latinx parents (n = 29). Therapists were 94% female, 35% Latinx, and 47% were fluent in Spanish. Parents were 93% female, 100% Latinx, and 66% preferred Spanish. A coding, consensus, co-occurrence and comparison approach was used to analyze data. RESULTS: Three primary themes emerged: (a) limited parental knowledge about ASD and the need to address knowledge gaps; (b) differing perceptions regarding parental participation in treatment; and (c) identification of influences on parent-therapist interaction, including the cultural value of respeto/deference (emphasized by therapists), and importance of personalismo/personal connection (emphasized by parents). CONCLUSIONS: The themes provide specific direction for enhancements to AIM HI to maximize engagement of Latinx families. The themes also have broader implications for intervention development and community implementation including refinement of EBPs to facilitate fit and sustained implementation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Immigration stress and internalizing symptoms among Latinx and Asian American students: The roles of school climate and community violence.

Immigration-related problems and stressors are prevalent and pressing concerns among Latinx and Asian American school-age youth. Youth fears related to family deportation have been associated with adverse mental health outcomes. This study used an ecological framework to examine the impact of immigration stress and school- and community-level resources and protective factors on Latinx and Asian American youth internalizing symptoms. The sample included 1309 Asian American and 701 Latinx students (N = 2010) who participated in a routine school-based mental health needs assessment survey. Multilevel regressions analyses revealed that first-generation youth, Latinx youth, and female youth were more vulnerable to experiencing immigration-related problems and worry. Student perceptions of negative school climate and community violence were associated with greater internalizing symptoms regardless of immigration worry. Moderation analyses revealed that immigration-related problems and worry were positively associated with internalizing symptoms and that this relationship did not differ by race/ethnicity. However, immigration worry was a particular risk factor for students who perceived their neighborhood community as safe. Findings highlight that a sociopolitical climate that sows immigration-related challenges fuels youth distress and that students' experiences of their community environment can play an essential role as a psychological resource.

Outside the Clinic Door: How Neighborhood Sociodemographic Disadvantage is Associated with Community Therapist Secondary Traumatic Stress and Emotional Exhaustion.

Therapists serving families with high rates of trauma exposure in community mental health clinics face the potential risk of experiencing secondary traumatic stress and emotional exhaustion, both of which pose barriers for the implementation and sustainment of evidence-based practices. Previous research documents negative effects of living in socioeconomic disadvantaged neighborhoods on child development but has not examined the effects of working in these neighborhoods on therapist well-being. The current study merges publicly available data, administrative claims data on mental health services, and therapy survey data to 1) identify associations between neighborhood sociodemographic disadvantage and two community therapist well-being constructs, specifically secondary traumatic stress and emotional exhaustion; and 2) examine potential clinic- and therapist-level explanatory factors in the associations between neighborhood sociodemographic disadvantage and therapist well-being. A cumulative risk index approach was applied to calculate neighborhood sociodemographic disadvantage. Greater neighborhood sociodemographic disadvantage was significantly associated with higher levels of therapist secondary traumatic stress (B=.09, p<.05) but not emotional exhaustion. Because therapists in higher risk neighborhoods face higher secondary traumatic stress levels, additional research is needed to better understand how these therapists can be best supported; thus, supporting families receiving treatment and implementation of evidence-based practices.

Multi-level alignment processes in the sustainment of a youth substance use treatment model following a federal implementation initiative: A mixed method study.

INTRODUCTION: Government agencies have identified evidence-based practice (EBP) dissemination as a pathway to high-quality behavioral health care for youth. However, gaps remain about how to best sustain EBPs in treatment organizations in the U.S., especially in resource-constrained settings like publicly-funded youth substance use services. One important, but understudied, determinant of EBP sustainment is alignment: the extent to which multi-level factors that influence sustainment processes and outcomes are congruent, consistent, and/or coordinated. This study examined the role of alignment in U.S. states' efforts to sustain the Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA), an EBP for youth substance use disorders, during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: In this mixed methods study, the qualitative investigation preceded and informed the quantitative investigation. We interviewed state administrators and providers (i.e., supervisors and clinicians) from 15 states that had completed a federal A-CRA implementation grant; providers also completed surveys. The sample included 50 providers from 35 treatment organizations that reported sustaining A-CRA when the COVID-19 pandemic began, and 20 state administrators. In qualitative thematic analyses, we applied the EPIS (Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment) framework to characterize alignment processes that interviewees described as influential on sustainment. We then used survey items to quantitatively explore the associations described in qualitative themes, using bivariate linear regressions. RESULTS: At the time of interview, staff from 80 % of the treatment organizations (n = 28), reported sustaining A-CRA. Providers from both sustainer and non-sustainer organizations, as well as state administrators, described major sources of misalignment when state agencies ceased technical assistance post-grant, and because limited staff capacity conflicted with A-CRA's training model, which was perceived as time-intensive. Participants described the pandemic as exacerbating preexisting challenges, including capacity issues. Sustainer organizations reported seeking new funding to help sustain A-CRA. Quantitative associations between self-rated extent of sustainment and other survey items largely followed the pattern predicted from the qualitative findings. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic amplified longstanding A-CRA sustainment challenges, but treatment organizations already successfully sustaining A-CRA pre-pandemic largely continued. There are missed opportunities for state-level actors to coordinate with providers on the shared goal of EBP sustainment. A greater focus on alignment processes in research and practice could help states and providers strengthen sustainability planning.

Shared decision making between community therapists and Latinx caregivers during evidence-based practice delivery in publicly-funded children's mental health services.

OBJECTIVES: This observational study examined shared decision-making (SDM) with caregivers of Latinx youth within the delivery of multiple evidence-based practices (EBPs) in community mental health services. Study aims were to (1) Characterize therapist use of SDM strategies and (2) Describe the types of treatment decisions that were the focus of therapist use of SDM. METHODS: The OPTION instrument was used to measure SDM in 210 audio-recorded therapy sessions with 62 community therapists and 109 Latinx caregivers; frequency and mean ratings of OPTION items were examined. Qualitative analysis on the descriptions of treatment decisions being deliberated was also conducted. RESULTS: Results revealed that therapists used at least one SDM step in most sessions (N = 192; 91.43%) with a mean composite score of 32.78 (SD=17.79; range: 6.25-81.25). Four superordinate categories of decisions were: (1) Treatment planning, (2) Evidence-based Parenting Strategies, (3) Addressing Youth Functioning, and (4) Addressing Family Psychosocial Needs. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that community therapists serving Latinx families are naturalistically engaging in SDM steps about a variety of decisions during most EBP sessions, but only at modest levels.

Comparing organization-focused and state-focused financing strategies on provider-level reach of a youth substance use treatment model: a mixed-method study.

BACKGROUND: Financial barriers in substance use disorder service systems have limited the widespread adoption-i.e., provider-level reach-of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for youth substance use disorders. Reach is essential to maximizing the population-level impact of EBPs. One promising, but rarely studied, type of implementation strategy for overcoming barriers to EBP reach is financing strategies, which direct financial resources in various ways to support implementation. We evaluated financing strategies for the Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA) EBP by comparing two US federal grant mechanisms, organization-focused and state-focused grants, on organization-level A-CRA reach outcomes. METHOD: A-CRA implementation took place through organization-focused and state-focused grantee cohorts from 2006 to 2021. We used a quasi-experimental, mixed-method design to compare reach between treatment organizations funded by organization-focused versus state-focused grants (164 organizations, 35 states). Using administrative training records, we calculated reach as the per-organization proportion of trained individuals who received certification in A-CRA clinical delivery and/or supervision by the end of grant funding. We tested differences in certification rate by grant type using multivariable linear regression models that controlled for key covariates (e.g., time), and tested threats to internal validity from our quasi-experimental design through a series of sensitivity analyses. We also drew on interviews and surveys collected from the treatment organizations and (when relevant) interviews with state administrators to identify factors that influenced reach. RESULTS: The overall certification rates were 27 percentage points lower in state-focused versus organization-focused grants (p = .01). Sensitivity analyses suggested these findings were not explained by confounding temporal trends nor by organizational or state characteristics. We did not identify significant quantitative moderators of reach outcomes, but qualitative findings suggested certain facilitating factors were more influential for organization-focused grants (e.g., strategic planning) and certain barrier factors were more impactful for state-focused grants (e.g., states finding it difficult to execute grant activities). DISCUSSION: As the first published comparison of EBP reach outcomes between financing strategies, our findings can help guide state and federal policy related to financing strategies for implementing EBPs that reduce youth substance use. Future work should explore contextual conditions under which different financing strategies can support the widespread implementation of EBPs for substance use disorder treatment.

Resilience and Family Socialization Processes in Ethnic Minority Youth: Illuminating the Achievement-Health Paradox.

Youth in marginalized communities who "strive" to rise above adversity, including systemic racism and poverty, are considered "resilient." African-American, Latinx, and Asian-American youth often achieve admirable academic success despite limited social capital and high early life stress by adopting a "striving persistent behavioral style" (SPBS). SPBS may be supported by family socialization processes that facilitate reliance on self-regulation processes. Unfortunately, a young person's resilience in one domain (i.e., academic) can come at a cost in other domains, including physical and mental health morbidities that are under-identified and under-treated. Indeed, research suggests a link between SPBS in the face of adversity and later health morbidities among ethnic minority youth. Herein, we describe SPBS as an adaptation to minority stress that not only promotes social mobility but may also stoke physical and mental health disparities. We review how family processes related to academic, emotional, and ethnic-racial socialization can facilitate the striving persistent behavioral style. We emphasize the double bind that ethnic minority families are caught in and discuss directions for future research and clinical implications for individual and family-level interventions. While needed, we argue that individual and family-level interventions represent a near-term work around. Solutions and factors that shape the need for SPBS and its cost must be addressed structurally.

Therapist adaptations to evidence-based practices and associations with implementation outcomes in child therapy sessions.

OBJECTIVE: Community therapists inevitably adapt evidence-based practices (EBPs) to meet the needs of their clients and practice settings. Yet, the implications of spontaneous, therapist-driven adaptations for EBP implementation outcomes are not well understood. We used a sequential QUAN → qual mixed-methods design to examine how different types of therapist-described adaptations were associated with observer-rated extensiveness of therapist delivery of EBP content and technique strategies at the session level. METHOD: Data were drawn from an observational study of a system-driven implementation of multiple EBPs into public children's mental health services. Community therapists (n = 103) described adaptations they made in 680 sessions with 273 clients (50.92% female, 49.08% male, Mage = 9.72 years, 70.70% Hispanic/Latinx). Coders classified therapist-described adaptations into five types: (a) Modifying Presentation, (b) Integrating, (c) Extending, (d) Reducing, and (e) Generalizing. Independent observers rated the extensiveness of EBP strategy delivery from session recordings using the EBP Concordant Care Assessment (ECCA) Observational Coding System. RESULTS: Quantitative analyses using multilevel regression revealed that Modifying Presentation adaptations were associated with higher extensiveness of EBP technique delivery, whereas Extending adaptations were associated with lower extensiveness of EBP content and technique delivery. Qualitative analysis of adaptation descriptions identified explanations for the quantitative findings. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that Modifying Presentation adaptations, associated with higher extensiveness, involved creative use of activities and materials, language modification, and personalization of EBP content to meet clients' diverse needs, whereas Extending adaptations, associated with lower extensiveness, involved slowing EBP pacing in response to client challenges. Implications for provider training are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Factors Associated With Caregiver Attendance in Implementation of Multiple Evidence-Based Practices in Youth Mental Health Services.

OBJECTIVE: The implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) in community mental health settings for youths has consistently yielded weakened effects compared with controlled trials. There is a need to feasibly measure the quality of large-scale implementation efforts to inform improvement targets. This study used therapist-reported caregiver attendance in treatment sessions as a quality indicator in the community implementation of EBPs. METHODS: Data were collected from therapists practicing in agencies contracted to provide publicly funded children's mental health services following a system-driven implementation of multiple EBPs. Community therapists (N=101) provided information about youth clients (N=267) and psychotherapy sessions (N=685). Multivariable binomial logistic regressions were conducted to examine associations between caregiver attendance and therapist factors (e.g., licensure status, education), youth factors (e.g., gender, age), and the type of EBP delivered. RESULTS: Caregiver attendance occurred in 42% of sessions. The following factors were associated with increased odds of caregiver attendance: younger client age, male sex of client, externalizing presenting problem, and delivery of an EBP that prescribes caregiver attendance at all sessions. Caregiver attendance at sessions targeting trauma or externalizing disorders appeared to explain the differences between boys and girls in levels of caregiver engagement. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the patterns of actual caregiver attendance appeared consistent with empirically informed practice parameters for involvement of caregivers in treatment. Still, the rates of caregiver attendance in externalizing-focused sessions were suboptimal, and the gender difference in these rates-which clearly disfavored girls-suggests targeted areas for quality improvement. Potential reasons for these quality gaps are discussed.

Mixed-method analysis of program leader perspectives on the sustainment of multiple child evidence-based practices in a system-driven implementation.

BACKGROUND: Understanding program leader perspectives on the sustainment of evidence-based practice (EBP) in community mental health settings is essential to improving implementation. To date, however, much of the literature has focused on direct service provider perspectives on EBP implementation. The aim of this mixed-method study was to identify factors associated with the sustainment of multiple EBPs within a system-driven implementation effort in children's mental health services. METHODS: Data were gathered from 186 leaders at 59 agencies within the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health who were contracted to deliver one of six EBPs within the Prevention and Early Intervention initiative. RESULTS: Multi-level analyses of quantitative survey data (N = 186) revealed a greater probability of leader-reported EBP sustainment in large agencies and when leaders held more positive perceptions toward the EBP. Themes from semi-structured qualitative interviews conducted with a subset of survey participants (n = 47) expanded quantitative findings by providing detail on facilitating conditions in larger agencies and aspects of EBP fit that were perceived to lead to greater sustainment, including perceived fit with client needs, implementation requirements, aspects of the organizational workforce, availability of trainings, and overall therapist attitudes about EBPs. CONCLUSIONS: Findings inform EBP implementation efforts regarding decisions around organizational-level supports and promotion of EBP fit.