Cultural Adaptation of the Strengthening Families Programe to Brazil

Introduction:

The Strengthening Families Program (SFP) was originally developed in the University of Iowa, USA. The British version of the program (SFP UK) was the result of a review of the original proposal, and it was tested with 447 families in social and economic disadvantages. SFP UK is based on the biopsychosocial vulnerability model, the resiliency model and on the family process model linking economic stress and adolescent adjustment, which integrates family risk and protection factors that influence substance intake and misuse. The intervention program aims to strengthen family bonds in order to prevent substance misuse. By bringing SFP to Brazil, adjustments were necessary to fit the country’s social and cultural context, since cultural adaptation is one of the key elements that qualify a program’s implementation process, as well as fidelity. These elements influence participant’s feedback, expressed through assiduity, engagement in program activities and satisfaction. The program in Brazil is named “Programa Famílias Fortes” (PFF). This poster focuses on presenting the adaptations made on the SFP UK version to the Brazilian context, from 2013 to 2015.

Methods:

The adjustments focused in making the Program relatable and applicable to the Brazilian context. The main changes were made after a pilot experience with Brazilian families that included an evaluation process conducted by an academic research team, from the University of Brasilia (UnB).

Results:

Key elements like: themes, DVD, main activities, duration, facilitators roles, logistics, participants profile, sequence of sessions, and the program content were kept the same. The main adaptations were made in facilitator’s training and monitoring, language readjustments to the Brazilian reality and program materials.

The facilitator’s training originally lasted four days and was fitted into two days, to ensure Brazilian public workers could participate. The format, originally expositive, became more experiential, with activities and role plays. Other themes were included in the training: drug and prevention policies, risk and protector factors, intersectoriality and public policy transversality. The implementation process was also adjusted to include monitoring meetings with facilitators, multipliers and trainers, adding more time for continuous training and data exchange from the family groups attending the program. The materials were diagrammed, with translation adjustments to better fit local references and words, the images presented in the facilitator’s manual were also changed. The main innovation was the creation of two activity notebooks for youth and parents, as well as the production of permanent cards and posters, used by the facilitators.

Conclusions:

The program kept its key elements and made important changes to ensure it’s applicability within the context of public workers in Brazil and their working hours available.