Latinx populations are underrepresented in clinical research. Asking Latinx research participants about their research experiences, barriers, and facilitators could help to improve research participation for these populations.

The Salud Estres y Resilencia (SER) Hispano cohort study is a longitudinal cohort study of young adult Latinx immigrants whose design and conduct were tailored for their study population. We administered the Research Participant Perception Survey (RPPS) to SER Hispano participants to assess their experiences in the study. We describe overall results from the RPPS and compare results of surveys administered to SER Hispano participants via email versus telephone.

Of 340 participants who were contacted with the RPPS, 142 (42%) responded. Among respondents, 53 (37%) responded by initial email contact; and 89 (63%) responded by subsequent phone contact. The majority of respondents were between 35 and 44 years of age (54%), female (76%), and of Cuban origin (50%). Overall, research participants expressed high satisfaction with their research experience; 84% stated that they would “definitely” recommend research participation to friends and family, with no significant difference by method of survey administration (P = 0.45). The most common factor that was chosen that would influence future research participation was having summary results of the research shared with them (72%).

We found that culturally tailored studies can be good experiences for Latinx research participants; and we found that use of the RPPS can be administered successfully, particularly when administered by more than one method, including telephone, to evaluate and to improve research experiences for this population.

Acculturative stress is a key social driver of health impacting the mental health of immigrants and refugees from Latin America, which contributes to inequities experienced by them. While there is a robust scientific literature describing and evaluating evidence-based treatments targeting a range of psychiatric disorders, these treatments often do not primarily target acculturative stress. Thus, the present study examined how psychotherapists ought to treat acculturative stress directly in their clinical practice. Ten therapists were interviewed using a qualitative descriptive approach. Rapid contemporary content analysis was used to describe Latino/Hispanic immigrants’ most common presenting problems, the context in which they provide care for these problems, and the psychotherapeutic approaches currently utilized or considered effective in mitigating acculturative stress. Findings revealed that common mental health conditions that therapists addressed among this population, including depression, anxiety and trauma-related somatization, including the unique context in which therapy was delivered. Additionally, specific strategies for addressing acculturative stress such as the importance of acknowledging this stressor, drawing out immigration journey narratives, and behavioural activation approaches were shared. The results from this study can be used to improve the effectiveness of mental health interventions addressing acculturative stress among immigrant and refugee populations.

1. (1) To explore how acculturative stress represents a key driver of mental health for immigrants and refugees from Latin America.

2. (2) To consider ways that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) elements can be applied to treating acculturative stress and mental health problems among immigrants and refugees from Latin America.

3. (3) To expand upon strategies that can be helpful in rapport-building and establishing trust with patients who are struggling with acculturative stress.