Developing practices for hospital-based violence intervention programs to address anti-Black racism and historical trauma.

Abstract

To promote health equity among Black youth exposed to community violence, it is critical that psychologists partner with other health care professionals and communities with lived experience to explicitly address anti-Black racism and historical trauma as fundamental contributors to violence-related health inequities. This article describes our community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to develop practices for hospital-based violence intervention programs that mitigate violence-related health inequities among Black youth. Current conceptualizations of trauma-related symptoms among Black youth exposed to community violence often fail to consider the role of anti-Black racism and historical trauma in creating and maintaining traumatic stress. Our CBPR formative studies highlight the importance of and priorities to address community violence within the context of anti-Black racism and historical trauma. In describing our process and developed tools and practices, we aim to highlight the important contributions psychologists can make through interdisciplinary and community partnerships to advance health equity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).