A 电子游戏软件社会工作学院 initiative launching this fall will address the mental health and well-being of millions of people affected by 暴力 and upheaval in Colombia and neighboring Venezuela.
由$1支持.康拉德基金会拨款500万美元. 希尔顿基金会, BCSSW researchers will culturally adapt and pilot-test two trauma-informed, evidence-based interventions—practices or programs that been proven effective through outcome evaluations. These will help serve the needs of some of the more than 8.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) officially recognized as victims of the five-decade conflict in Colombia, 以及近似的1.8 million Venezuelans who fled to Colombia to escape their country’s economic devastation, 暴力, 政治压迫.
“Both populations suffer from many layers of trauma related to forced migration, 家庭分离, 接触暴力,” according to a project summary authored by Assistant Professor Maria Piñeros-Leaño and Alethea Desrosiers, who has since left the University after working at BCSSW for five years. “These life disruptions have limited their access to education, 卫生保健, 就业机会.”
“This is an example of the global dimension of social work, and its role in resolving societal problems on a major scale,” says Maria Piñeros-Leaño (above) of the BC School of 社会工作 project, which will adapt and pilot two programs designed to aid people affected by 暴力 and upheaval in Colombia and Venezuela. (凯特琳Cunningham)
The Family Strengthening Intervention for Early Childhood Development will focus on Venezuelan migrant families with children under three years of age, while the Youth Readiness Intervention will be tailored to Colombian IDPs and Venezuelan migrant youth between the ages of 18 and 30. Both were developed by BCSSW Salem Professor in 全球 Practice Theresa Betancourt, director of the school’s 电子游戏正规平台 Program on Children and Adversity, 当时她在哈佛大学读书. Betancourt is renowned for her work with war-affected youth in Rwanda, 乌干达, 埃塞俄比亚, 和塞拉利昂, and with refugees in Boston and around the world; she and BCSSW Assistant Professor of the Practice Indrani Saran will be co-investigators for the project in Colombia.
The interventions are intended to bridge gaps in the policies and outreach efforts Colombia has implemented to aid IDPs and Venezuelan migrants, Piñeros-Leaño和Desrosiers说, but first they must go through a rigorous cultural adaptation to be effective. The BCSSW team will use an eight-step model to culturally adapt the FSI-ECD and YRI without changing their core elements or theoretical underpinnings. 这是适应的重要组成部分, 电子游戏正规平台人员指出, is engagement with the communities being served: A feasibility study involving 40 Venezuelan migrant families with at least one child three years old or younger will be conducted as part of the FSI-ECD program, with an emphasis on assessing parental mental health, 亲子互动, 育儿方式, 家庭暴力.
“This is an example of the global dimension of social work, and its role in resolving societal problems on a major scale. With crisis situations such as those in Colombia, there is often a tendency for the public or the media to focus on the most immediate concerns, 就像住房, 医疗, 和食物相关的问题. But gauging the impact and extent of trauma on individuals and families, 以及他们的长期需求, 同样重要.”
The YRI adaptation for Colombian IDPs was completed during a prior pilot study in collaboration with the Bogota Mayor’s Office and Foundation Compaz, 哥伦比亚非政府组织. The BCSSW team will now conduct a larger trial of the culturally adapted YRI, integrated within entrepreneurship training programs for Colombian IDP and Venezuelan migrant youth, which will assess effects on emotion regulation, 自我效能感, 抑郁症, 焦虑, 创伤后压力, 以及人际暴力.
“This is an example of the global dimension of social work, and its role in resolving societal problems on a major scale,Piñeros-Leaño说. “With crisis situations such as those in Colombia, there is often a tendency for the public or the media to focus on the most immediate concerns, 就像住房, 医疗, 和食物相关的问题. But gauging the impact and extent of trauma on individuals and families, 以及他们的长期需求, 同样重要.”
Desrosiers补充道, “One of the key aspects of these interventions is that they can be implemented by community health workers or others without an advanced level of professional certification. So, the FSI-ECD and YRI can become part of the resources that Colombian human and social services provide.”
The adaptability of interventions makes them potentially scalable in other settings, Piñeros-Leaño和Desrosiers说, noting that they and BCSSW colleagues have held initial discussions about the possibility of introducing such initiatives in Mexico, 萨尔瓦多, 和危地马拉, countries that also have experienced severe conflict.
The project in Colombia will draw logistical support from BCSSW’s Center for Social Intervention, Piñeros-Leaño和Desrosiers说, who added that they hope to provide opportunities for BC undergraduates—such as those enrolled in the interdisciplinary 全球 Public Health program or pursuing an independent major—to serve as research assistants.
Sean Smith | University Communications | October 2022