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A Trauma-Informed Workshop Targeting the Attitudes of Mental Health Providers in a Rural, Racially Diverse Community Bordering Tribal lands

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Abstract

Purpose

This study examines a three-day trauma informed workshop with 32 mental health providers in a rural community that borders an American Indian reservation to determine if there is an association with positive trauma-informed care (TIC) attitudes.

Methods

Thirty-two workshop participants were invited to take the Attitudes Related to Trauma Informed Care (ARTIC-45) scale pre-workshop, post-, and six months- after the workshop. Results were analyzed at the group-level using t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests for subscales that were not normally distributed.

Results

Pre- to Post- (Time 1) findings reveal statistically significant positive changes in all ARTIC subscales. However, post-workshop to six months follow-up (Time 2) four subscales showed statistically significant decreases. This seems to be an indication that these trauma-informed attitudes, knowledge, and beliefs had gotten worse with time. There were three subscales without significant change.

Conclusion

The findings should be interpreted with caution but point to plausible implications related to the decline in trauma-informed attitudes such as, lack of ongoing training following the workshop, limitations in workforce and resources within the rural community, unaddressed implicit bias, and needing more organizational leadership buy-in and resources.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, [TSK], upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We are indebted to the workshop participants, the rural community, its leaders, and schools who sponsored the three-day trauma workshop. The sponsors had no role in the design and conduct of the study, in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data, or in the preparation of the manuscript, review, or approval of the manuscript. Kara Patin developed and delivered the three-day trauma informed workshop and was financially compensated for their work by the community leaders. Tasha Seneca Keyes drafted the manuscript and had full access to all the data in this study and takes full responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. All authors were engaged in critical revisions of the manuscript. Statistical analysis was completed by Tasha Seneca Keyes with statistical support and editing byJeremiah W. Jaggers.

Funding

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,5 T32 GM12453-03 Type 5,Kara Patin

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Social Work, University of Utah, Salt Lake, UT, USA

    Kara Patin & Jeremiah W. Jaggers

  2. Department of Social Work, ELB 632, California State University, San Marcos 333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Rd, San Marcos, CA, 92096, USA

    Tasha Seneca Keyes

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  1. Tasha Seneca Keyes
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  2. Kara Patin
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  3. Jeremiah W. Jaggers
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Correspondence to Tasha Seneca Keyes.

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Kara Patin, created and delivered the trauma-informed workshop and was financially compensated for her work by the sponsors of the trauma informed workshop. Also, Ms. Patin is a fellow with the Interdisciplinary Minority Fellowship Program (IMFP) which is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 5 T32 GM12453-03 Type 5; Activity Code: T32; ID Serial Number GM12453-03.

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Keyes, T.S., Patin, K. & Jaggers, J.W. A Trauma-Informed Workshop Targeting the Attitudes of Mental Health Providers in a Rural, Racially Diverse Community Bordering Tribal lands. Journ Child Adol Trauma (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-023-00584-4

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