2026 · Study · English

Factors That Contribute to the Contextual Adaptation of Communities That Care for Romania: A Thematic Key Informant Analysis

Serban-Dragan, F. B., Bonilla, C., Gaitan, A., Scarlett, A., Paley, V., Leve, L. D., St. George, S. M., & Brown, E. C.

Serban-Dragan, F. B., Bonilla, C., Gaitan, A., Scarlett, A., Paley, V., Leve, L. D., St. George, S. M., & Brown, E. C. (2026). Factors That Contribute to the Contextual Adaptation of Communities That Care for Romania: A Thematic Key Informant Analysis. Journal of Prevention. doi.org/10.1007/s10935-026-00914-w

Summary

Qualitative key-informant study exploring what would help or hinder adapting Communities That Care for Romania, where illicit drug use among young people is rising and prevention infrastructure is thin. The authors interviewed 15 international CTC experts and then validated the themes with nine Romanian community stakeholders. Anticipated obstacles were a shortage of evidence-based interventions, scarce resources, cultural differences and resistance to change. Experts identified improved community readiness, continuous adaptation, favourable facilitator and champion characteristics, and community engagement as conditions for success. Romanian stakeholders suggested that rural communities might offer particularly favourable conditions and stressed partnerships that reflect local groups’ needs and attention to Romanian values – strong family ties, religious traditions, respect for authority – alongside wider experiences such as migration, funding limits and long-standing distrust of institutions. The findings rest on expert and stakeholder opinion, not on an implemented pilot. They are framed as relevant to the Balkans and other European countries new to prevention science.