Promoting mental health in Latina immigrant women: Results from the Amigas Latinas Motivando el Alma intervention trial.

INTRODUCTION: Latina immigrants are at increased risk of depression and anxiety and limited access to mental health care. This study evaluated the effectiveness of Amigas Latinas Motivando el Alma (ALMA), a community-based intervention to reduce stress and promote mental health among Latina immigrants. METHODS: ALMA was evaluated using a delayed intervention comparison group study design. Latina immigrants (N = 226) were recruited from community organizations in King County, Washington from 2018 to 2021. Although originally developed to be delivered in-person, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the intervention was adapted mid-study to be delivered online. Participants completed surveys to assess changes in depression and anxiety post-intervention and at a two-month follow-up. We estimated generalized estimating equation models to assess differences in outcomes across groups, including stratified models for those receiving the intervention in-person or online. RESULTS: In adjusted models, participants in the intervention group had lower levels of depressive symptoms than the comparison group post-intervention (ß = -1.82, p = 0.01) and at two-month follow-up (ß = -1.52, p = 0.01). Anxiety scores decreased for both groups, and there were no significant differences post-intervention or at follow-up. In stratified models, participants in the online intervention group had lower levels of depressive (ß = -2.50, p = 0.007) and anxiety (ß = -1.86, p = 0.02) symptoms than those in the comparison group, but there were no significant differences among those that received the intervention in-person. CONCLUSIONS: Community-based interventions can be effective in preventing and reducing depressive symptoms among Latina immigrant women, even when delivered online. Further research should evaluate the ALMA intervention among larger more diverse Latina immigrant populations.

Amigas Latinas Motivando el Alma: In-Person and Online Delivery of an Intervention to Promote Mental Health Among Latina Immigrant Women.

Objective: A few mindfulness-based interventions have been developed for Latina immigrant populations. We describe the feasibility and acceptability of Amigas Latinas Motivando el Alma (ALMA), a culturally grounded intervention developed to prevent and reduce depression and anxiety among Latina immigrants. We also compare participation in the intervention in-person with an online adaptation developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: ALMA was developed through several years of formative research in collaboration with community organizations serving Latino immigrants. The curriculum integrates mindfulness-based approaches with Latino cultural strengths to reduce stress, enhance coping strategies, and increase social support. Latina immigrant women who spoke Spanish were recruited from Latino serving organizations to participate in an intervention trial. The program consisted of eight sessions offered weekly in person to groups of ∼20 Latina immigrants. After the onset of the pandemic, the program was adapted to be delivered online via zoom. Attendance and fidelity were monitored by intervention staff, and a satisfaction survey was given to participants post-intervention. Results: We enrolled 226 Latina immigrant women with an average age of 40 years and an average of 15.0 years living in the United States. The majority of participants were monolingual Spanish speakers (59%) with a high school degree (66%), although almost half were living on less than $2,200 per month (48%). One hundred and seven (47%) attended the program in-person, and 119 (53%) participated online. Program attendance was similar across modalities, with an average of 58% sessions completed among in-person and 60% among online participants. Participant satisfaction and perceived efficacy of the intervention were high in both in-person and online groups. Discussion: Our findings indicate that the ALMA intervention is acceptable and feasible in this population. Future research should assess the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions in Latina immigrant populations, including both in-person and online modalities. CTR# NCT03749278.

"They Wait until the Disease Has Taking over You and the Doctors Cannot Do Anything about It": Qualitative Insights from Harambee! 2.0.

African immigrants make up a large subgroup of Black/African-Americans in the US. However, because African immigrant groups are typically categorized as "Black," little is known about their preventative healthcare needs. Differences in culture, life and healthcare experiences between African immigrant populations and US-born people may influence preventive health care uptake. Thus, policymakers and healthcare providers lack information needed to make informed decisions around preventive care for African immigrants. This formative study was conducted among the largest East African immigrant communities in King County, WA. We recruited religious leaders, community leaders, health professionals, and lay community members to participate in thirty key informant interviews and five focus group discussions (n = 72 total), to better understand preventative healthcare attitudes in these communities. Through inductive coding and thematic analysis, we identified factors that impact preventative healthcare attitudes of the Somali, Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrant communities and deter them from accessing and utilizing healthcare. Cultural beliefs and attitudes around preventative healthcare, mistrust of westernized healthcare, religious beliefs/views, intersecting identities and shared immigrant experiences all influence how participants view preventative healthcare. Our results suggest that interventions that address these factors are needed to most effectively increase uptake of preventative healthcare in African immigrant communities.