(PS7-A4) Guidelines for Adapting Evidence-based Interventions with Marginalized Youth in Under-resourced Schools

With the growing diversity within the US population and notable barriers to accessing behavioral health care, marginalized youth (i.e., youth who experience discrimination and exclusion because of unequal power relationships across economic, social, and cultural dimensions) are placed at risk for developing psychosocial and mental health problems. Promoting evidence-based interventions (EBIs) through school-based mental health services may improve accessibility and quality of care for marginalized youth facing mental health disparities. Given the need to enhance equity in youth mental health care, we provide guidelines for implementing and adapting EBIs with marginalized youth in under-resourced schools. First, we will offer recommendations for overcoming barriers to implementing EBIs in under-resourced schools while emphasizing the importance of using a community-based participatory research approach for implementing and sustaining EBIs. Following, we will discuss techniques for tailoring culturally sensitive interventions that better engage marginalized youth and their families in school-based prevention and treatment. These cultural tailoring techniques include adapting communication styles, emphasizing family values, and considering how sociopolitical history can impact youth, their families, and their communities. We hope these guidelines offered might inform more equitable practice in youth mental health care and motivate future studies advancing evidence-based mental health care with marginalized youth in under-resourced schools.