Latina/o Parent Activation in Children’s Mental Health Treatment: The Role of Demographic and Psychological Factors

Patient activation has recently emerged as a critical component of effective health care (Hibbard & Greene, 2013), but Latina/o populations demonstrate lower levels of activation compared to non-Latina/o Whites (Cunningham, Hibbard, & Gibbons, 2011). The current study examined demographic and psychological factors associated with immigrant Latina/o parent activation in parents seeking mental health services for their children. Additionally, the study tested whether psychological factors (parental depressive symptoms, parenting stress, perceived severity of child psychopathology) were associated with the effectiveness of an activation intervention among immigrant Latina/o parents (MEPREPA— short for “me preparo”/I prepare [MEtas, PReguntar, Escuchar, Preguntar para Aclarar/goals, questioning, listening, questioning to clarify]). Results demonstrated that parenting stress and perceived severity of child psychopathology were associated with lower levels of parent activation. Additionally, although there was a treatment effect for all parents, stratified group analyses suggested that parents with higher depressive symptoms and greater parenting stress benefited more from the MEPREPA intervention compared to controls. Stratified analyses also showed that the intervention had a greater positive impact on parent activation in health care among parents whose children had more severe symptoms. Clinical and research implications are discussed.