Dierkhising, C. B., & Kerig, P. K. (2018).
Pilot evaluation of a university-based training in trauma-informed services for gang intervention workers. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 27(3), 291–308. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2017.1382634
Type of Study:
Pretest–-posttest study with a nonequivalent control group (Quasi-experimental)
Number of Participants:
30
Population:
- Age — Mean=40.21 years
- Race/Ethnicity — 47% African American, 37% Latino/a, and 13% Mixed/Other/Asian
- Gender — 50% Female
- Status — Participants were gang intervention workers.
Location/Institution:
Los Angeles, California
Summary:
(To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of a course designed to bring trauma-informed practices into community-based intervention programming for gang-involved youth and families. Participants were program staff assigned to a university-based course on trauma [now called Resilience for Trauma-Informed Professionals (R-TIP)] or to a nontreatment control group. Measures utilized include the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL), the Perceived Characteristics of Intervention Scale (PCIS), and study-developed surveys. Results indicate that participants in the course significantly improved in their knowledge related to trauma and confidence in their ability to respond to trauma among clients. Participants in the course also rated themselves significantly higher in these domains compared to gang intervention workers who did not take the course. Participants rated the course positively on dimensions that are associated with staff members’ willingness to implement evidence-based interventions following training. Limitations include the small sample size, high attrition rate in the comparison group, lack of follow-up, and lack of generalizability due to the geographic specificity of Los Angeles.
Length of controlled postintervention follow-up:
None.
