Translation and Cultural Adaptation of the Fun FRIENDS (Activity Book)

Abstract

The current study's aim was to translate and adapt the FRIENDS resilience program's Fun FRIENDS activity book into Urdu with the purpose to establish cultural equivalence in order to make it culturally appropriate and usable for Pakistani children. The study was carried out by adapting the activity book using the planned adaptation approach as well as the cultural adaptation approach. Review of the translated content was carried out by special interest groups and stakeholders to see whether the equivalences (semantic, conceptual and normative) had been maintained. The pictorial adaptation was carried out by following the same adaptation approaches and incorporation of the theoretical framework of FRIENDS program. The translated activity book can be used as an effective measure to promote prevention science in Pakistani culture while also providing a flexible, cost-effective, time-efficient, and resilience-building program for the children of Pakistan. It would be an effective measure for children to reduce anxiety and adult life socioemotional problems. This intervention would provide an opportunity for promoting mental health of Pakistani children and reducing the treatment gap in mental health care. Future researches can show the effects of prevention science and resilience building on children in Pakistan and around the world.