Increasing accessibility and equity within suicide prevention community trainings via language translation and cultural adaptation: Lessons learned

Body of Abstract: An ongoing challenge in the journey towards equity in suicide prevention efforts, is the need for suicide prevention community trainings that fit the culture and diversity needs of numerous cultural communities (each with their own multiple intersecting cultural identities), balanced with available of trainings in multiple languages (Cwik et al., 2016; Persaud et al., 2019; Wexler et al., 2015). Limited resources make it difficult to achieve accessibility and attention to the unique needs of multiple communities (Chiu et al., 2024). The current presentation provides an example of how to feasibly approach these challenges with evidence-based solutions and partnerships that can further our collective journey towards equitable suicide prevention.

Presenters will share their experiences and lessons learned from the translation and/or adaptation of the Be Sensitive, Be Brave for Suicide Prevention and Mental Health community helper trainings for Black or African American communities and Chinese-, Spanish-, Tagalog-, Tongan-, and Vietnamese-speaking communities. A total of 28 pilot-testing trainings were delivered within the translation and adaptation process, delivered by community stakeholders and leaders. Qualitative data regarding lessons learned will be discussed, including common themes that emerge in the process of ensuring that culturally-infused trainings fit the unique needs of intersectional communities. These translated/adapted trainings are now available for use in public health suicide prevention efforts with multiple non-English speaking communities.

Through this presentation, participants will learn about critical components needed to make suicide prevention and mental health community trainings more accessible for non-English-speaking, culturally diverse, underserved communities: 1) The infusion of culture and diversity content throughout training curricula; 2) leadership of prevention initiatives from key stakeholders within a community; and 3) translation and adaptation of trainings into non-English languages. The session will also discuss a community-based participatory methodology and approach to testing, translating, and adapting suicide prevention material to fit the needs of culturally-diverse and non-English speaking communities that involves multiple stakeholders: cultural community leaders, training curriculum developers with academic expertise and lived experience, and county government leaders who support these community-partnered efforts. These approaches mirror guidance from research on community-based participatory methods and patterns in the cultural adaptation of evidence-based practices (e.g., Case et al., 2014; Chu et al., 2017).