Scaling out evidence-based interventions outside the U.S. Mainland: Social justice or Trojan horse?

Global health disparities continue to widen as professional standards for effectiveness of mental health services provision become more precise and difficult to achieve across varied economic and social contexts. Within the United States, health disparities are evident in Latinx populations. Globally, the health disparities are also evident in Latin America compared to the United States and other economically affluent nations. The diversification of psychology in content and persons has led to a unique opportunity to build bridges that can help reduce disparities in- and outside of the U.S. mainland. Collaborations can be of great use in addressing health disparities internationally and also are of critical importance in testing the ecological validity of existing interventions. It is imperative that researchers approach these exchanges as truly collaborative and power-even, because researchers in all locations stand to learn and grow from the partnership; otherwise U.S.-based researchers can unwittingly engage in intellectual colonization and advance cultural imperialism. U.S.-based researchers must be particularly thoughtful about disparities in both resources and consequences for success and failure in research contexts. We discuss specific failures, recoveries, and successes that may be useful to other researchers engaged in, or seeking to engage in, international collaborations.