Trauma Research

The Trauma Section is currently involved in several research initiatives. Each research area is designed to influence practice and service delivery within mental health and law enforcement systems, as well as to improve direct clinical service for children affected by violence.

Domestic Violence Home Visit Intervention Program Evaluation

Our domestic violence research focuses on evaluation of the Domestic Violence Home Visit Intervention (DVHVI), an innovative outreach program in which a woman’s advocate and patrol officer conduct follow up home-visits to improve physical and psychological security in the aftermath of children's exposure to violence. A longitudinal study was recently completed to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention at six and 12 months post-violent incident. Results indicate that women who received the police-advocacy intervention felt more respected by the police and that officers are more helpful following a domestic dispute than women who did not receive the intervention. Additionally, they were more likely to call the police for non-physical disputes (e.g. breach of peace, violation of protective order) and to engage in treatment services for their children. The model is currently being disseminated to three communities with the aim of cross-site data collection and analysis.

Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention

The Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI) is a 4-session secondary prevention approach to children and families exposed to violence and other traumatic events. The study of our brief secondary prevention model for intervening with children and families exposed to violence and trauma is being piloted with referrals from the New Haven Department of Police Services, Yale New Haven Hospital Child Sexual Abuse Program and from the Yale-New Haven Hospital Children's Emergency Department. The intervention is currently being evaluated to determine its effectiveness in reducing posttraumatic stress disorder and symptoms. Initial results have been promising.

Child Development Community Policing Program Evaluation

An intensive CD-CP Program evaluation in New Haven, Connecticut and Charlotte, North Carolina is currently in progress. The evaluation is designed to assess program outcomes in terms of changes in law enforcement practice and child and family functioning.