Citation

Fraynt R, Ross L, Baker BL, Rystad I, Lee J, Briggs EC. J. Trauma. Stress 2014; 27(1): 66-73.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/jts.21889

PMID

24478236

Abstract

Keeping traditionally underrepresented children and their families engaged in treatment until completion is a major challenge for many community-based mental health clinics. The current study used data collected as part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network Core Data Set to examine whether racial/ethnic disparities exist in treatment duration and completion in children seeking treatment for trauma exposure. We then explored whether disparities persist after accounting for other variables associated with children's social contexts and the treatment setting. The sample included 562 ethnically diverse children receiving services from a child abuse prevention and treatment agency in Southern California. The results indicated that African American children had significantly shorter trauma-informed treatment duration and higher rates of premature termination than Spanish-speaking Latino children. These disparities persisted even with other variables associated with treatment duration and completion (e.g., child's age, level of functional impairment, and receipt of group and field services) in the model. Implications and future directions for research and practice are discussed.

Language: en