Fuerte Program for Newcomer Immigrant Youth

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · Nov 6, 2019

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This study is testing Fuerte, a school‑based prevention program for newcomer immigrant youth who may be at risk for traumatic stress. In a randomized design, students in San Francisco high schools are assigned to either participate in Fuerte for about six to eight weeks or wait to receive the program later (delayed waitlist control). The main goal is to see if the program helps kids understand mental health better, improve their social life at school and in the neighborhood, and most importantly, help those at risk get connected to specialty mental health services when needed. The main outcome is the percentage of at‑risk youth who actually link to these services, measured before, right after the program, and about three months later.

Eligible participants are SFUSD high school students aged 12 to 20 who are recent immigrants (within five years of enrolling) from Spanish‑speaking Latin American countries and who are fluent in Spanish. They should not have completed a Fuerte group before. The study involves group sessions led by bilingual mental health professionals and asks participants to complete surveys at three time points to look at things like social connections, experiences of discrimination, language‑related stress, and how the community environment feels. Results are not available yet, and enrollment is ongoing with an estimated completion around mid‑2025. The project is led by the University of California, San Francisco, with partners in the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Fuerte RCT Inclusion Criteria:
• • SFUSD High School student
• • 12 to 20 years old
• • Recent Immigrant to the US (within five years of enrollment date)
• • Country of origin is from Spanish-speaking Latin American countries
• • Participant is fluent in Spanish
• • Has not completed a Fuerte group in the past
• Fuerte Facilitator and Support Staff Focus Group Inclusion Criteria:
• • -Must have been a facilitator for a Fuerte group after 2019 or work for a school or community-based organization directly involved in implementing a Fuerte group after 2019.
• Fuerte Adaptation for MENA/Arabic-Speaking Focus Groups Inclusion Criteria:
• • SFUSD High School student
• • 12 to 20 years old
• • Recent Immigrant to the US (within five years of enrollment date)
• • Country of origin is Middle East or North African country.
• • Participant is fluent in Arabic.
• MENA/Arabic-Speaking Provider Focus Group inclusion criteria:
• • -Works for an organization that provides behavioral health, educational, and/or social services to Arabic-speaking families in San Francisco county.
• Fuerte RCT Exclusion Criteria:
• • -Youth participant does not speak Spanish as a primary language, i.e., their primary language is an indigenous dialect/language.
• Fuerte Facilitator and Support Staff Focus Group Exclusion Criteria:
• • -Provider has not facilitated Fuerte after 2019 or does not work for a school or community-based organization directly involved in implementing a Fuerte group after 2019.
• Fuerte Adaptation for MENA/Arabic-Speaking Focus Groups Exclusion Criteria:
• • Youth participant's primary language is Spanish.
• • Adult provider does not engage in providing services to MENA newcomer immigrant youth.