Equity at the Workplace

Work Equity partnered with the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley to conduct the Boston Workplace Equity Study. The mission of the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley is “… to create positive, lasting change for people in need.”

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The Youth Readiness Intervention

The Youth Readiness Intervention (YRI) is a promising approach for addressing mental health problems among at-risk youth in low resource settings. The YRI uses a structured, manual curriculum divided into 12 modules, with sequential 90-minute group sessions designed to be delivered by non-specialists. It integrates six empirically-supported practice elements shown to have trans-diagnostic efficacy across symptom dimensions of mental health disorders, ranging from major depressive disorder and anxiety to conduct problems. The YRI has three phases which are delivered in a sequential fashion: stabilization, integration, and connection. The YRI is designed to be integrated into education or livelihood programs and has been successfully implemented in Sierra Leone, Kenya, Columbia, and South Sudan.

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Understanding Afghan Families Needs and Strengths During Resettlement and Refining Mental Health Measures for Afghan Youth

Through partnership with the International Rescue Committee's Switchboard Program, the RPCA is working to develop, refine, and optimize a mental health screening toolkit with psychometric properties and instrument functioning of mental health screening toolkits to provide refugee service agencies with a culturally relevant and statistically validated toolkit to use with Afghan children and youth. This research is currently being conducted to support new arrivals from Afghanistan so resettlement agencies and affiliates, state agencies, community-based organizations, and other Office of Refugee Resettlement funded organizations providing services to refugees can understand how to best work with vulnerable populations.

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Family Strengthening Intervention for Early Childhood Development and Violence Reduction

The family strengthening intervention for early childhood development and violence reduction (FSI-ECD+VP) has been refined and developed over decades of work in post-genocide settings in Rwanda. Informed by the World Health Organization (WHO) Care for Child Development package the intervention (a) builds parenting skills and improves knowledge of ECD to create a safe, stimulating, and nourishing environment for the growth of young children with a focus on nutrition, health, and hygiene promotion; (b) coaches parents of young children in “serve and return” interactions and playful parenting; (c) develops a “family narrative” to build hope and highlight sources of resilience for addressing challenges and reducing the risk of violence; (d) strengthens problem-solving skills as well as the navigation of formal and informal community resources; and, (e) builds skills in parental emotion regulation and alternatives to harsh punishment. The FSI-ECD+VP integrates these core components into 12 modules and two booster/follow-up sessions through a home-visiting model and active coaching. Currently, the FSI-ECD+VP is being implemented in Rwanda, with a digital component to test effectiveness, as well as in Sierra Leone and Colombia.

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Family Strengthening Intervention for Refugees

The Family Strengthening Intervention for Refugees (FSI-R) was developed and tested culturally and linguistically tailored in partnership with immigrant and refugee communities. The FSI-R is developed using a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach and is adapted for multiple cultures using the ADAPT-ITT framework. The FSI-R is designed to be delivered by non-specialists who are from the community they are serving in a home-visiting 10-12 module approach focused on building and supporting the whole-family during resettlement. Currently, the FSI-R is being implemented with Afghan resettled families.

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Intergenerational/Longitudinal Study of War-Affected Youth and Families in Sierra Leone

The RPCA has pioneered the Longitudinal/Intergenerational Study of War that began in 2002 at the end of Sierra Leone’s civil war. We are investigating how toxic stress 'gets under the skin' and transfers over generations. This research is the first known effort in Sub-Saharan Africa to examine modifiable risk and protective biobehavioral mechanisms driving the intergenerational effects of war on the mental health of offspring.

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Fathers & Families

This cohort study involving over 1,200 biological, adoptive, and social fathers of preschool-aged children and their co-parents comprehensively examines the role of fathers in childhood obesity prevention.

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An In-Depth Analysis of Fatal Encounters with U.S. Law Enforcement: Dissecting the Roles of Federal, State, and Local Agencies

This report from The Racism-based Violence Injury & Prevention Lab delves into the prevalence and characteristics of fatal encounters from 2013-2023, distinguishing the roles and responses of different law enforcement agencies.

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MI VACUNA explores vaccination rates in Latinx adults with mental illness

In partnership with NeighborHealth, behavioral health clinicians are trained to use motivational interviewing to engage Latinx patients missing a COVID or influenza vaccine in a guided conversation about vaccination.

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