A report to Congress in the fall of 1998 warned that immigrant children are in a state of emergency regarding access to health care. This article presents the three phases involved in developing, implementing, and evaluating a Mexican American Problem Solving (MAPS) program designed to promote the mental health of families. Methods were Phase 1 focus groups to identify concerns and desired approaches for intervention; Phase 2 instrument assessment and prevalence assessment of mental health; and Phase 3 intervention testing. In Phases 1 and 2, 67% of mothers and 59% of children had mental health scores that required referral for evaluation. Participating mothers and children reported positive views of the intervention and showed significant improvements in mental health scores.

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information processing mental health service psychological aspect methodology human Chicago school health nursing School Nursing social support family health ethnology program development United States Humans Hispanic preschool child female Child, Preschool Psychometrics Community Mental Health Services psychometry Article organization and management program evaluation migration health care quality Emigration and Immigration Focus Groups Mexican Americans Child