Presentation Information
[O-12-02]‘I felt like a fish in the water’: the feasibility of co-adapting a family intervention for asylum seeking families with parents themselves.
*Aseel Fawaz Alzaghoul, Rachel Kronick (McGill University (Canada))
Keywords:
Psychosocial Support,Cultural Adaptation,Asylum-seeking,Family Intervention
Background: Canada has received thousands of asylum seekers annually over the past decade. Asylum seekers face significant challenges, including pre-migration trauma and ongoing issues such as legal precarity, racism, and discrimination. Prevention programs to support asylum-seeking families are crucial. There is increasing emphasis on participatory frameworks and co-constructing interventions with users, but little research examines the experiences and challenges of those collaborating in the field. This study can provide important insights on opportunities and barriers to authentic adaptation design. Aims: This project aims to adapt the Teaching Recovery Techniques intervention (TRT) culturally and contextually, in partnership with refugee claimant parents, to enhance TRT’s fit within the context of temporary shelters in Québec. In this presentation, we examine the feasibility, opportunities and challenges of co-adapting TRT intervention with the refugee claimant advisory committee for asylum seeking families residing at temporary lodgings in Québec. Methods: This study used a participatory qualitative approach that included a Refugee Claimant Advisory Committee who adapted the TRT module. Thematic analysis of ethnographic notes and meeting minutes from the six adaptation sessions identified key themes. Preliminary Results: The adaptation of TRT into a peer-supported intervention for asylum-seeking families demonstrated feasibility, despite notable contextual challenges. These challenges included a limited adaptation period of only six sessions and difficulties in perceiving all emotional cues or facial expressions, frequently intensified by the necessity of managing three languages concurrently. While maintaining the core cognitive-behavioral structure, the intervention was enhanced through substantial contributions from the cultural knowledge of facilitators and participants, alongside creative input from an art therapy intern. This integration bolstered cultural relevance and participant engagement. Furthermore, the adaptation embraced a holistic comprehensive approach, addressing not only psychological well-being but also broader resettlement requirements, including parenting in a new environment, accessing services, and rebuilding community. The adaptation's feasibility was strengthened by grounding it in the Ecological Validity Model, ensuring that linguistic, cultural, and contextual dimensions were meaningfully integrated throughout.