Citation

Ford JD, Cruise KR, Grasso DJ, Holloway E. J. Interpers. Violence 2018; 33(5): 810-831.

Affiliation

Fordham University, Bronx, NY, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0886260517744844

PMID

29295007

Abstract

Poly-victimization during formative developmental periods represents an important focus for screening and assessment in settings and populations in which interpersonal violence is pervasive. This article describes the multistage evolution of a research project designed to empirically test a poly-victimization enhancement of a widely used and validated behavioral health screening tool for youth using retrospective and prospective archival juvenile justice system outcome data. Several operational and methodological revisions to the project's design and procedures were necessitated by barriers that arose as a result of unforeseen shifts in the host juvenile justice system's policies and personnel. The present report describes real-world challenges that face investigators working in public sector systems, and highlights the key role of establishing long-term collaborative professional relationships with personnel at all levels in those systems based on providing services and evaluation data that meet the system's core goals, responsibilities, and mission. Also highlighted are the methodological and logistical adaptations needed to successfully accomplish a project's internal objectives while striking a balance between flexibility in operational and methodological tactics on one hand, and adherence to ethical, conceptual/clinical, and methodological principles on the other hand.

Language: en

Keywords

PTSD; implementation science; juvenile justice; poly-victimization; screening