Final answer:
CBPR establishes partnerships between community members, researchers, and organizations to leverage community strengths and enact social change, especially in public health. It addresses systemic issues and trusts and communication are pivotal in forming effective partnerships. Community psychologists engaged in CBPR also function as activists and organizers for social change.
Step-by-step explanation:
Community-based participatory research (CBPR) develops partnerships between community members, researchers, and organizations with the objective of identifying community strengths and collectively enacting social change. This approach emphasizes equity in all aspects of the research process and seeks to combine community and academic expertise to promote social change, particularly in improving health outcomes and reducing disparities.
CBPR has proven effective in public health sectors for addressing health disparities caused by various determinants including education, poverty, personal and environmental factors. Acknowledgment of intersectionality and the impacts of systemic issues such as racism are integral to this approach.
The process of establishing effective CBPR partnerships can be challenging due to potential mistrust from historical harms, communication barriers, and the need for mutual understanding between researchers and community organizations. Furthermore, community psychologists practicing CBPR also take on the role of activists and organizers, working closely with communities to advocate for social change and policy reform.