TY - JOUR
T1 - Mental Well-being InSciEd Out
T2 - Health Partnerships with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico
AU - Yowler, Joanna Yang
AU - Ramirez, Ana Mia Corujo
AU - Roche-Miranda, Marcos I.
AU - Alvarado, Jennifer
AU - Sauri, Yazayra Aponte
AU - Calderon Lopez, Ricardo A.
AU - Heeren, Amanda A.
AU - Mays, Mary Helen
AU - Mundy, Dena
AU - Ortiz, Widalys
AU - Weavers, Karen
AU - Yusuf, Naima
AU - Martinez Gonzalez, Karen G.
AU - Rivera, Maribel Campos
AU - Pierret, Chris
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Johns Hopkins University Press.
PY - 2023/9/1
Y1 - 2023/9/1
N2 - Background: Mental health care is a top clinical concern for modern Puerto Rico, especially given a dramatically changing economic landscape paired with recurrent natural disasters. Youth are particularly at-risk due to long-term impacts of toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences on health and development. Objectives: Here we present a novel clinician–community– educator–scientist partnership to address Puerto Rican youth mental well-being and wellness. We deployed pilot health workshops within the Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico to build youth mental health conceptual understanding and competencies in stress recognition and management. The work in progress herein evaluates acceptability and feasibility of our curricular model. Methods: Dialogue with community stakeholders guided curricular design of workshops for youth ages 6 to 13 and older. Prior to implementation, educators and volunteers attended a 1-day training on educational strategies. Workshop success was evaluated using qualitative approaches (i.e., narrative feedback, educator and volunteer reflections, youth Talking Drawings) to assess youth engagement, youth conceptual health understanding, and educator/volunteer impressions of feasibility and impact. Results: Initial findings indicate high acceptability and feasibility of our curricular model. Youth engagement and enthusiasm were noted in educator feedback and continue to be sustained post-workshop. Preliminary analysis shows accompanying increases in youth conceptual mental health understanding, particularly for 6-to 12-year-olds in recognition of stress and healthy coping mechanisms. Reciprocal gains were observed for volunteers. Conclusions: Activities have evolved into a formal partnership called Semilla, which features expanded analysis of mental well-being and wellness outcomes. Our collaborative model continues to engage Puerto Rican youth in the science of their well-being.
AB - Background: Mental health care is a top clinical concern for modern Puerto Rico, especially given a dramatically changing economic landscape paired with recurrent natural disasters. Youth are particularly at-risk due to long-term impacts of toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences on health and development. Objectives: Here we present a novel clinician–community– educator–scientist partnership to address Puerto Rican youth mental well-being and wellness. We deployed pilot health workshops within the Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico to build youth mental health conceptual understanding and competencies in stress recognition and management. The work in progress herein evaluates acceptability and feasibility of our curricular model. Methods: Dialogue with community stakeholders guided curricular design of workshops for youth ages 6 to 13 and older. Prior to implementation, educators and volunteers attended a 1-day training on educational strategies. Workshop success was evaluated using qualitative approaches (i.e., narrative feedback, educator and volunteer reflections, youth Talking Drawings) to assess youth engagement, youth conceptual health understanding, and educator/volunteer impressions of feasibility and impact. Results: Initial findings indicate high acceptability and feasibility of our curricular model. Youth engagement and enthusiasm were noted in educator feedback and continue to be sustained post-workshop. Preliminary analysis shows accompanying increases in youth conceptual mental health understanding, particularly for 6-to 12-year-olds in recognition of stress and healthy coping mechanisms. Reciprocal gains were observed for volunteers. Conclusions: Activities have evolved into a formal partnership called Semilla, which features expanded analysis of mental well-being and wellness outcomes. Our collaborative model continues to engage Puerto Rican youth in the science of their well-being.
KW - children and adolescents
KW - community health partnerships
KW - community health research
KW - community-based participatory research
KW - curriculum
KW - health outcomes
KW - health promotion
KW - mental health
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85173980835&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85173980835&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1353/cpr.2023.a907980
DO - 10.1353/cpr.2023.a907980
M3 - Article
C2 - 37934448
AN - SCOPUS:85173980835
SN - 1557-0541
VL - 17
SP - 503
EP - 513
JO - Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action
JF - Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action
IS - 3
ER -