Integrating trauma-informed services in out-of-school time programs to mitigate the impact of community gun violence on youth mental health

This article provides justification for integrating evidence-based, trauma-informed services in OST programs within communities characterized by high rates of violent crime to minimize the impact of violence exposure on youth mental health. We describe the initial feasibility of a model program, the Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) Initiative, implemented in a small city in southeastern Pennsylvania. Within the first six months of the VIP Initiative, 95 community residents (90% under age 18; 51% Hispanic) received intervention services, primarily through single-session and short-term weekly group intervention in OST programs, and 80% of OST youth development staff participated in at least one trauma-informed professional development training. Recommendations to enhance and expand the delivery of trauma-informed services in the novel setting of OST programs are provided.PMID:38349066 | DOI:10.1080/10852352.2024.2313382
Source: Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Source Type: research