A hospital and community-based violence intervention program for Black & Latino youth and their caregivers

Abstract

Background

Black and Latino youth are disproportionately affected by trauma from community violence, but to date, few data support the benefit of evidence-based treatments for these youth or of including peer support to engage these youth in mental health services.

Objective

From 2018 until 2020, a hospital and community-based violence intervention program in Philadelphia pilot tested the integration of home and community-based Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) with peer services and case management for youth impacted by community violence. This study describes the implementation of this intervention.

Method

Data was gathered by querying the program’s database. The Child Post Traumatic Stress Symptom Severity Scale (CPSS-SR-5) and the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ) were utilized to evaluate the participants’ pre- and post-intervention assessment of PTSD and depression. The sample (N = 50) consisted of Black and Latino youth, mean age 14.

Results

Twenty-nine (58%) completed TF-CBT, and 82% met peer and case management goals. Youth who completed therapy showed significant improvement in both PTSD and depression symptoms at post-test.

Conclusion

To our knowledge, this is the first study describing the implementation of home and community-based TF-CBT with peer support and case management. The study’s limitations and need for further research are discussed.

Plain language summary

Black and Latino youth are disproportionally affected by violence across US cities. Mental health research is needed to evaluate how to engage these youth in mental health services and provide effective and culturally relevant trauma treatment. This research describes the experiences of 50 children and adolescents (ages 8–18) who participated in this pilot tested health services intervention using their electronic health records to access de-identified information and present youths’ demographics, services received, and clinical outcomes. Specifically, we describe ways in which the intervention was culturally relevant to the participants' lived experiences. Services delivered consisted of the integration of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) with peer services and case management for youth impacted by community violence. Services were provided by licensed social workers and certified peer specialists at a hospital and community-based (i.e., youth’s home, school) violence intervention program (HVIP). Our results indicate that this intervention shows preliminary efficacy for decreasing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms for Black & Latino youth impacted by ongoing violence. This real-world study lays out a blueprint for implementing similar programs. The study has several limitations, and we discuss the need for additional research.