CA CIFFTA

Computer Assisted Family Intervention to Treat Self-Harm Disparities in Latinas and Sexual/Gender Minority Youth 

This study seeks to refine and test the efficacy of a computer assisted culturally informed and flexible/adaptive intervention (CA CIFFTA) for Latino adolescents reporting self-harm behaviors and reporting at least two factors that we hypothesize to maintain the risk of self-harm (i.e., depression, emotion dysregulation, substance use, and/or family conflict). We also focus on male and female lesbian gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth because both Latino and Latina LGBT youth demonstrate significantly higher risk for self-harm behaviors and can experience unique stressors (e.g., trauma, minority status, and marginalization).

The study aims to:

Build on the CA CIFFTA intervention by creating a website and web-based delivery system and by adding content that is relevant for the factors that maintain self-harm in Latina adolescents and for unique stressors often linked to sexual/gender minority youth and those exposed to trauma.

Investigate the preliminary efficacy of CA CIFFTA in reducing self-harm and in modifying the factors that place youth at risk for self-harm (e.g., depression, family conflict, substance use, and emotion dysregulation) when compared to controls (Treatment-As-Usual).

Investigate the linkages between co-existing problem areas (e.g., self-harm, risky sexual behavior, substance use) to determine if there is evidence of a syndemic.

Investigate the relationship of culture-related variables (e.g., acculturation, familism, and Hispanic

Stress) to the key factors hypothesized to contribute to self-harm behavior (i.e., depression, family conflict, substance use, and emotion dysregulation).