Mapping Trauma Exposure in Community Violence Intervention Programs: A Scoping Review With Pilot Data Integration

Abstract

Community violence intervention (CVI) programs employ violence interrupters, staff, and volunteers who often carry emotional burdens from repeated exposure to violence and trauma. Yet existing research narrowly focuses on frontline roles, uses inconsistent definitions of trauma, and offers limited insight into workforce-wide stress or organizational support. This study addresses those gaps through a two-part design. First, we conducted a scoping review guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s framework, searching seven databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, SocINDEX, CINAHL, Criminal Justice Abstracts, Academic Search Complete and Scopus) and Google Scholar for studies published between 2000 and 2024. Inclusion criteria required empirical or conceptual articles examining secondary traumatic stress (STS), vicarious trauma (VT), or related indirect trauma among CVI practitioners, including hospital-based and street outreach models. Of 103 records screened, 10 studies met criteria for synthesis. Second, we administered a pilot to 75 CVI practitioners to assess STS and professional quality of life (ProQOL). Findings from the scoping review revealed inconsistent terminology, little insight into stress across the full CVI workforce, or the adequacy of organizational support. The pilot survey demonstrated high levels of stress (mean Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale = 53.83), burnout, and compassion fatigue across roles, despite many participants reporting access to training and peer support. Together, these results underscore the need for standardized measurement, larger and more representative samples, and stronger trauma-informed organizational practices to sustain the CVI workforce.