Developing the Juramento into an Evidence-Based Brief Intervention: A Brief Report

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Addiction Medicine
• Cultural Psychiatry

Background:

• The juramento is a grassroots, culturally rooted practice in Mexican Catholicism involving a sacred pledge to abstain from alcohol.
• This intervention is particularly relevant for Mexican immigrant communities, addressing alcohol use disorders within a familiar cultural context.

Purpose of the Study:

• To recommend enhancing the effectiveness of the juramento by integrating evidence-based brief intervention strategies.
• To explore the potential of combining the juramento with Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) for improved outcomes.

Main Methods:

• The study utilized qualitative methods, analyzing data from 15 Mexican immigrant farmworkers who participated in the juramento.
• Two priests who administer the juramento were also included in the subsample.

Main Results:

• Integrating the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and referral to treatment into the juramento counseling maintains its religious and cultural integrity.
• The core ritual of the pledge to Our Lady of Guadalupe remains intact, preserving its appeal.

Conclusions:

• Applying an evidence-based brief intervention framework to the juramento expands culturally sensitive treatment options for the Mexican immigrant community.
• The organic, culturally and religiously grounded nature of the juramento suggests its high potential for reducing alcohol use disorders, especially among individuals with strong religiosity.