Meeting Communities Where They Are: Adapting Evaluation to Contextual Needs

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s (AFSP) signature education program Talk Saves Lives (TSL) has reached nearly 200,000 people across the United States since 2015. Building on its success, and in recognition that tailored approaches that meet the needs of impacted communities are necessary for effective prevention, AFSP has developed multiple TSL modules for specific communities, including LGBTQ+ communities and adults aged 65+. To evaluate these tailored presentations effectively, adaptations for contextual and community needs were necessary. In this presentation, presenters will discuss designing, implementing, and evaluating two specific suicide prevention education modules. For the first, AFSP partnered with the National Latino Behavioral Health Association to culturally adapt TSL for Hispanic/Latinx and Spanish-speaking communities. For the second, AFSP partnered with the Indiana Department of Corrections to tailor TSL for corrections staff serving in jails and prisons. Presenters will discuss the key themes of partnership (working with communities and agencies to develop and implement these two distinct, tailored modules), design (the importance of culturally reflective design and imagery), cultural authenticity (the need for content to not simply be translated, but culturally relevant and appropriate), and evaluation adaptation (using and adapting innovative data collection tools to meet the needs of community partners). Though intended for different audiences, there were common lessons learned in developing and implementing comprehensive evaluation plans that met the needs of unique partners, provided adequate data, and met data privacy requirements. Presenters will highlight these lessons learned and offer future directions for evaluation of these programs.