Process Adaptations to Community-Engaged Research for Preventing Victimization Against Trans Women: Failure as a Blueprint Toward Nonexploitative Implementation Science

Effective violence prevention interventions are largely inaccessible to trans women and trans femmes, despite clear evidence that disproportionate exposure to experiences of victimization is a social determinant of health disparity. Community-engaged implementation science paradigms hold promise for guiding research psychologists in the delivery of evidence-based programming to address drivers of health disparities impacting trans women and trans femmes. Unfortunately, guidance on how to engage in a process of real-time self-reflection to note where implementation is failing in its goals to establish reciprocal and sustainable (i.e., nonexploitative) community partnerships are lacking. We describe our application of a modified failure modes and effects analysis to guide data-informed adaptations to our community-engaged implementation research project, tailoring and delivering an evidence-based intervention to prevent victimization of trans women and trans femmes. By mapping our failure modes, we offer a blueprint for other research psychologists invested in advancing nonexploitative research in partnership with community. Public Significance Statement Community-engaged implementation research paradigms aim to expand the reach and impact of evidence-based programming to populations experiencing health disparities. However, few models exist for evaluating implementation of this research for health equity goals. In this article, we analyze modes of failure as a blueprint for researchers hoping to move their study processes toward nonexploitation.