A qualitative study of cultural congruency of Legacy for Children™ for Spanish-speaking mothers

• Published in: Children and youth services review Vol. 79; no. C; pp. 299 - 308
• Main Authors: Beasley, Lana O., Silovsky, Jane F., Espeleta, Hannah C., Robinson, Lara R., Hartwig, Sophie A., Morris, Amanda, Esparza, Irma
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2017; Elsevier Science Ltd; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adaptation; Best practice; Childrearing practices; Children; Children & youth; Cultural adaptation; Culture; Curricula; Hispanic; Hispanic Americans; Hispanic people; Home based; Infants; Legacy for Children; Mothers; Parenthood education; Parenting; Parents & parenting; Qualitative; Qualitative research; Recruitment; Software; Supervisors; Teachers; Teams; Parenting; Cultural adaptation; Qualitative; Legacy for Children; Hispanic
• ISSN: 0190-7409; 1873-7765
• DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.06.022

In recognition of the need to reach more families, the Legacy for Children™ (Legacy) program was translated and culturally adapted for Spanish-speaking Hispanic mothers and their infants. This study examined the cultural adaptations and logistical supports needed for successful implementation with Spanish-speaking mothers. The research team used purposive techniques to sample Hispanic bi-lingual providers (N=14) and supervisors (N=5) of local home-based parenting programs (Healthy Families, Parents as Teachers, and SafeCare®). The goal of the study was to determine from providers and supervisors the social validity (satisfaction, relevancy, importance, and acceptability of the intervention) and cultural congruency of the adapted Legacy curriculum. Researchers conducted a qualitative analysis of the transcriptions using a template approach within NVivo 10 software to identify broad themes within focus group data. Overall, results indicated many positive aspects of the Legacy program including content, approach, pace, topics, structure, social engagement, and straightforward curriculum language. Emergent themes from the focus groups included best practices in identifying, recruiting, and approaching Hispanic mothers, as well as key engagement strategies. Recommended revisions of the adapted Legacy curriculum focused on enhancing visual and auditory supplements, making minor improvements to lower the reading level, and reducing barriers to attendance. Implications for cultural adaptation of parenting programs are discussed. •Results indicate positive aspects of the Legacy program including content, approach, topics, social engagement, and straightforward curriculum language.•Themes from qualitative data include best practices in identifying, recruiting, and approaching Hispanic mothers, and key engagement strategies.•Recommended revisions of the adapted Legacy curriculum focus on enhancing supplements, lowering reading level, and reducing attendance barriers.