Ganando Confianza: Research Focus Groups with Immigrant Mexican Mothers.
Build trust first with immigrant Mexican moms by promising privacy, using flexible language, and honoring gender roles.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team ran focus groups with immigrant Mexican mothers who have kids with developmental delays.
They asked open questions about what helps and what hurts when joining a parenting program.
Six big cultural themes came up again and again.
What they found
Mothers said trust is the gatekeeper. Without it, they won’t share, won’t return.
They want clear promises that stories stay in the room.
They like flexible language—switch between Spanish and English as needed.
They prefer women-only groups and respect for traditional mom roles.
How this fits with other research
Dyches et al. (2004) first shouted that autism services ignore culture. Hausmann-Stabile et al. (2011) answer with a six-item checklist for one Latino group.
Hladik et al. (2025) also show mom confidence grows when programs fit home life. Their feeding focus differs, but the core is the same: tailor to family culture.
Tawankanjanachot et al. (2024) echo the call in Thailand. They rename social-skills groups to “social communication” to match local values—same tune, new lyrics.
Why it matters
You can open your next parent group by stating ground rules out loud. Ask each mom if she wants Spanish or English. Offer a women-only time slot. These tiny moves cost nothing and buy the trust you need before teaching any skill.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Immigrant families with children with developmental disabilities must be served using culturally sensitive approaches to service and research to maximize treatment benefits. In an effort to better understand cultural issues relevant to the provision of parenting programs for immigrant Mexican mothers of children with developmental disabilities, we conducted sustained focus groups through which we could learn more about our participants and thereby improve services. This paper reports on the challenges and lessons learned from these groups. We characterize the key lessons as (a) recruitment and retention is more than agreement to participate; (b) confidentiality is not just a word but an activity; (c) the complicated nature of language; (d) cultural norms shape the group process; (e) appreciating the value of taking time; and (f) gender issues and group interaction. Service providers and researchers who work with Mexican families may benefit from our experiences as they promote and develop programs and projects in the developmental disabilities field.
Education and training in autism and developmental disabilities, 2011 · doi:n/a