Abstract of Distinction: Parenting Programs for Underserved Populations: Issues of Science, Social Justice, and Adversity

Although there is substantial research supporting the effectiveness of parenting programs to prevent violence against children and child emotional and behavioral difficulties, most of this evidence has been gathered from studies in high-income countries. We still lack evidence of how to best deliver and sustain these programs for underserved and marginalized families in low-resource settings both in the United States and internationally. Current times require joint efforts to ensure underserved populations around the world have access to culturally and contextually relevant preventive services. This roundtable discussion will bring together a diverse group of parenting researchers from the US, Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia who will re-think existing paradigms of prevention and implementation science regarding the research and implementation of parenting programs for underserved populations around the world. How do we promote social justice in the evaluation and implementation of evidence-based parenting programs with underserved and multicultural populations facing adversity in the US and Global South? How can we assure that the parenting programs we implement in underserved communities are culturally and contextually relevant? How can we measure global and specific constructs of relevance? What designs are appropriate to ensure the balance between scientific rigor, cultural acceptability, and social justice? The discussion will focus on five main issues that span the continuum of intervention development, adaptation, optimization, evaluation, and dissemination: 1) balancing adoption of evidence-based programs and de-adoption of other practices and programs, 2) using innovative research methods to refine, adapt, and optimize interventions, 3) decolonizing research by acknowledging structural barriers and discrimination that underserved communities often experience, 4) adapting existing outcome measures to ensure appropriate fit to context and culture, and 5) engaging and empowering communities and beneficiaries facing adversity through participatory research methods. In this roundtable, panelists will draw on their experiences working with underserved communities to discuss some the challenges facing the evaluation, implementation, and sustainability of parenting programs. A dynamic discussion is guaranteed with dialogue and exchange encouraged from the audience.