Increasing support for the prevention of adverse childhood experiences and substance use: Implementation of narrative change strategies in local health departments

This article reports on a $2.9 million program to promote health equity and inform narratives for the prevention of ACEs and substance use within three Midwestern communities. Program partners sought to create new transformational narratives that linked ACEs and substance use, while underscoring the importance of addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) that lead to disparities in ACEs and substance use. A mixed-methods evaluation design included document review, in-depth interviews with program staff (N = 8) and community liaisons (N = 2), and site reports from program staff (N = 8) and their community partners (N = 17). Analyses showed that successful implementation efforts had early leadership buy-in and support, set clear and manageable expectations at the outset of implementation, and developed strong relationships with organizations that engage in health equity work. Training and technical assistance were critical to helping community partners build trust, recognize each other's perspectives, broaden and reframe their world view, and better understand narrative efforts for the primary prevention of ACEs and substance use.PMID:38356403 | DOI:10.1002/ajcp.12741
Source: American Journal of Community Psychology - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Source Type: research