Sunday, 16 January 2005 - 8:45 AM

This presentation is part of: Violent Behavior in Adolescents

Urban Youth: Trauma and Service Use

Purpose. Traumatic events are not uncommon occurrences among youth who reside in urban areas. Yet, there are numerous structural, personal, and financial barriers that may hinder youth from receiving the care required following exposure to a traumatic event. Youth who can readily identify a service provider are more likely to receive care when they need it than are those youth who are unaware of the availability of a service provider. The present analyses examine the use of services and barriers to the use of services among urban youth who have access to a service provider to determine what factors, beyond identification of a provider, influence help-seeking following a traumatic event.

Method. Data were collected on 675 urban youth involved in an assessment of public sector service use. Trauma exposure was assessed with a modified version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS). Logistic regression analyses examined the likelihood of utilizing various service outlets based on type of exposure and symptoms consequent to exposure.

Results. Lifetime traumatic events were frequent among the youth. While the most frequent experience was the death of a loved one (78%), other events such as seeing a person killed (56%) and being physically assaulted or beaten (24%) were also substantial. Service use was differentially influenced by type of exposure and displayed symptoms. Those youth who saw a doctor regarding a traumatic event were more likely to have experienced a sexual assault or rape (OR=4.78) and felt ashamed of still being alive (OR=2.31). The youth who spoke to another professional about their trauma were more likely to experience a sexual assault or rape (OR=2.59) and to be physically attacked or beaten (OR=2.23). These youth were also more likely to be concerned with what others would think (OR=1.73) in terms of barriers to service use.

Implications. The findings indicate that certain types of traumas are more likely to elicit service use among youth. Youth, however, have experienced a number of traumas that interfere with their lives that should also be addressed with a service provider. Implications for enhancing service use among youth exposed to traumatic events will be discussed.

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