Building resilience after school: an evaluation of a community-based program in Tamil Nadu, India
Date
2018
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
As the world globalizes, mental health researchers increasingly “export” evidence-based mental health treatments to low and middle-income countries, where there is high need for interventions, particularly regarding trauma. However, prior research has shown the importance of cultural considerations and community participation in local interventions. The present longitudinal study measures the impact of an after-school resilience-building program for a group of marginalized Indian schoolchildren in rural farming villages of Tamil Nadu, India. This intervention was locally developed and also includes evidence-based components. The current study is a collaboration between a local community organization, Communities Rising (CR), and an academic research team. A group of children (N= 162) who received the CR intervention for two years were compared with a group of children who did not receive the intervention (N= 241) and all students were followed over the course of four years. Baseline demographic variables, exposure to traumatic events, and school environment variables were included as moderators. Children receiving the Communities Rising intervention reported greater reductions in post-traumatic stress symptoms and greater increases in academic outcomes compared to students who did not receive the intervention. Qualitative data also revealed generally positive attitudes and program acceptability to participants, teachers, and parents. Implications for using locally-developed school-based resilience programs in hard to reach low-resource areas are discussed. ☐ Keywords: children, trauma, international mental health, resilience, schoolbased interventions, participatory action research
Description
Keywords
Social sciences, Psychology, Children, International mental health, Participatory action research, Resilience, School-based interventions, Trauma