Cultural adaptation of an evidence-based intervention to address mental health among youth affected by armed conflict in Colombia: An application of the ADAPT-ITT approach and FRAME-IS reporting protocols

Abstract Background In Colombia, over 9 million people have been impacted by armed conflict, creating a significant need for mental health services. This study aimed to culturally adapt and pilot test the Youth Readiness Intervention (YRI), an evidence-based transdiagnostic mental health intervention, for conflict-affected Colombian youth aged 18-28 years. Methods The eight phases of the Assessment, Decision, Administration, Production, Topical Experts, Integration, Training, and Testing (ADAPT-ITT) framework were used to culturally adapt the YRI for conflict-affected Colombian youth. The Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications to Evidence-based Implementation Strategies (FRAME-IS) was used to track the adaptations made. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered and analyzed throughout the adaptation process. Results Data from the Assessment phase demonstrated a high need for mental health interventions among conflict-affected youth. The Testing phase revealed significant improvements in emotion regulation and functional impairment, suggesting the YRI is a promising intervention among conflict-affected Colombian youth. Qualitative data confirmed the intervention’s acceptability among youth and mental health providers. Conclusions The YRI was successfully adapted for conflict-affected Colombian youth. Future studies using randomized designs are needed to test the effectiveness of the YRI for improving mental health among larger samples of Colombian conflict-affected youth.

• Publication year

  2024

• Venue

  Global Mental Health

• Publication date

  2024-11-28

• Fields of study

  Sociology, Medicine, Psychology

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1017/gmh.2024.106PMID 39776986PMCID 11704387
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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