Fortalezas Familiares Program: Building Sociocultural and Family Strengths in Latina Women with Depression and Their Families

The purpose of this article is to describe F ortalezas Familiares ( FF ; Family Strengths), a community‐based prevention program designed to address relational family processes and promote well‐being among L atino families when a mother has depression. Although depression in L atina women is becoming increasingly recognized, risk and protective mechanisms associated with children's outcomes when a mother has depression are not well understood for L atino families. We begin by reviewing the literature on risk and protective psychosocial mechanisms by which maternal depression may affect L atino youth, using family systems theory and a developmental psychopathology framework with an emphasis on sociocultural factors shaping family processes. Next, we describe the theoretical basis and development of the FF program, a community‐based 12‐week intervention for L atina immigrant women with depression, other caregivers, and their children. Throughout this article, we use a case study to illustrate a L atina mother's vulnerability to depression and the family's response to the FF program. Recommendations for future research and practice include consideration of sociocultural processes in shaping both outcomes of L atino families and their response to interventions.