Teen Health Resiliency Intervention for Violence Exposure (THRIVE)

University of New Mexico: Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

Topics:
Mental Health | School Health | Violence Prevention

Project collaborators developed THRIVE to test the effectiveness of school- and community-based interventions for identifying and reducing psychological distress among American Indian youth who witness or experience violence (such as child abuse or domestic violence). Psychological distress has been associated with heart disease (the leading cause of death among American Indian adults) and suicide—American Indian and Alaska Native youth (aged 15–24 years) have the highest rate of suicide in the United States.

The in-school intervention is an intensive mental health program for 6th to 12th grade students based on the 10-week CBITS program (Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools) initially created in California for urban youth in Los Angeles. Center researchers, the community advisory committee, and other project collaborators adapted the CBITS program for American Indian youth in two Pueblo and one Navajo community. About 30 students who reported symptoms of violence-related trauma on the center’s mental health screening questionnaire were referred to an early- or delayed-CBITS group; students reporting other mental health issues were referred to individual counselors at their schools’ teen health centers. Students participating in the CBITS intervention meet in small groups to share experiences, express feelings, receive group support, and build coping skills. Their parents and teachers are trained to support them at home and in the classroom. Students also meet individually with a mental health counselor as needed. Evaluators will determine whether the program increases students’ coping skills; reduces their symptoms of violence-related trauma such as depression, anxiety, shame, and isolation; and whether positive effects persist 6-months later.

The community intervention, given the Navajo name Nihii’iina (Life is Ours), aims to improve youths’ quality of life and reduce the traumatic effects of their exposure to violence. The intervention’s focus is on addressing the negative effects of historical trauma experienced by American Indians. Parents, teachers, and community members are being trained to recognize the signs of trauma among youth and get them help. About 20 parents and their children will participate in a 6-month intervention designed to heal historical trauma, improve family relationships, teach positive parenting skills, and reconnect parents and youth with traditional culture—all of which help increase youth resilience to stress, and may reduce alcoholism, child abuse, and domestic violence. Tribal elders are teaching participants about their cultural heritage and history, and reconnecting them to their traditions through group discussions and communal healing practices. If effective, researchers will develop a program manual and tool kit to disseminate throughout the United States and conduct large-scale effectiveness studies.

 

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