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Leveraging Implementation Science and Design Methods to Sustain Community Based Mental Health Interventions for Refugees

  • Project Site Name

    Syrian Community Network/Islamic Circle of North America

  • Project Site Location

    Chicago

  • UIC Lead Faculty Contact

    Mary Bunn, PhD, LCSW

This study conducted at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Department of Psychiatry in partnership with the Syrian Community Network (SCN) and Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) Relief, seeks to address this need by adapting and pilot testing a multiple family group intervention for refugee families to improve mental health and strengthen their family and community relationships. This NIMH-funded study will adapt an evidence-based model, Coffee and Family Education and Support (CAFES) model, for use with families from the Middle East and for delivery by peer providers who share similar cultural background and life histories as intervention recipients. The model will be tested for feasibility and preliminary effectiveness in community settings.

  • Aim 1: To adapt the multiple family group intervention for delivery by peers in community organizations using the ADAPT-ITT framework and human-centered design methods to develop an intervention that addresses the complex needs of refugee families, peer providers and for delivery in community settings.
  • Aim 2: To pilot the adapted multiple family group model with families to examine feasibility, acceptability, and provider fidelity when implemented by refugee peers in two community-based organizations in the Chicago area.
  • Aim 3: To explore the impact of the multiple family group model compared to enhanced control on outcomes of adult and child mental health and family and community support.