# SER Familia: A Family-Based Intervention Addressing Syndemic Conditions among Latino Immigrant Families

> **NIH NIH R01** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $649,466

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Latino immigrants experience health inequities that are heightened over time and across generations. In fact,
the syndemic (conditions that cluster among marginalized groups) comprised of substance use, intimate
partner violence (IPV), risk for HIV, and mental health conditions has been found to increase among Latino
immigrants over time and higher levels of US acculturation. Acculturative stress, the stress associated with
being a Latino immigrant and acculturating to the US, is the most robust predictor of this syndemic and the
impact these stressors have on family level dynamics (e.g., marital stress, acculturation gaps) are particularly
harmful. Latino immigrant families have multiple sources of resilience that allow them to resist, recover, and
rebound from this stress. These include individual active coping, optimisim in the American Dream, and a
positive ethnic identity; family support, parental monitoring and positive parent-child communications; and
community social support and access to social and health resources. This application aims to prevent
syndemic health conditions by decreasing acculturative stress and promoting resilience via SER Familia
(Salud, Estrés y Resilencia en Familias/ Health, Stress, and Resilience in Families), a family-based
intervention informed by our observational (SER Hispano; R01MD012249) and pilot studies. SER Familia is a
six-session intervention co-developed and delivered by community health workers (CHWs) that uses strategies
to reduce acculturative stress, promote resilience, improve parent-child and family level health, while
simultaneously helping families maintain strong social networks and better navigate community resources to
address social determinants of health (SDOH). More specifically we aim to: 1) Examine the efficacy of SER
Familia to prevent or reduce the syndemic comprised of substance abuse, IPV, HIV risk, depression, and
anxiety among Parents and Youth; and 2) Identify how individual, family, and community mechanisms of
change related to acculturative stress and resilience mediates the effect of SER Familia. We will carry out a
community-engaged, mixed-methods, randomized controlled trial with 380 Latino immigrant families to
determine the impact of SER Familia compared to a delayed intervention condition. Data from surveys using
culturally specific measures of acculturative stress, resilience, and syndemic outcomes collected at baseline,
immediately after the intervention, and 6 and 12 month follow-up periods from Parent and Youth dyads will be
integrated with interviews with a sub-set of dyads randomized to the SER Familia (n=20) to generate a
comprehensive understanding of the impact and mechanisms of the intervention. Our long-term goal is to
develop scalable interventions that prevent syndemics and employ multi-level approaches to address
acculturative stress and resilience among Latino immigrants in the US. The findings from this study will help
identify strategies to promo...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10898524
- **Project number:** 1R01MD018920-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** RICHARD C CERVANTES
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $649,466
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-07-21 → 2029-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10898524

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10898524, SER Familia: A Family-Based Intervention Addressing Syndemic Conditions among Latino Immigrant Families (1R01MD018920-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10898524. Licensed CC0.

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