Session: New Frontiers in Adversity and Trauma Research: Translating Evidence into Action (Society for Social Work and Research 22nd Annual Conference - Achieving Equal Opportunity, Equity, and Justice)

Over the past generation, empirical research has given rise to rapid advances in our understanding of adversity and trauma. The adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) literature, for example, has helped to unify the study of interrelated risks and understand the origins of morbidity and mortality. Meanwhile, a related body of theory and research on psychological trauma has culminated in the advent of trauma-informed care (TIC) principles that have advanced social work and other helping professions. Despite this progress, there is an unmet need for research that translates knowledge of adversity and trauma into effective prevention and intervention approaches. Toward that end, this symposium explores new frontiers in research on screening and assessment practices, engagement and referral processes, and trauma-focused treatment services. The first paper describes new tools to assess child and adult adversity, and it examines whether ACEs increase the risk of adult adversity and mental health problems in a sample of low-income women receiving home visiting services. Paper two presents findings from a mixed-methods study that examined prenatal and pediatric care professionals' knowledge of ACEs as well as their perceived readiness and capacity to integrate ACE-informed approaches into routine practice. Paper three presents data from a feasibility study of a novel trauma screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (T-SBIRT) protocol that aims to detect trauma exposure and symptoms in primary care settings and, when indicated, refer individuals to trauma-focused mental health treatment services. Paper four describes the Trauma Affect Regulation: Guide for Education and Therapy (TARGET) intervention, reviews clinical and field trial research on the model, and provides case examples of its application within a brief intervention and treatment framework like T-SBIRT. Results from the first study showed that there was a dose-response relationship between the number of ACEs reported and the risk of adult adversities and mental health symptoms. Results also suggested that adult adversity partly mediated the ACE-mental health connection. Findings from study two indicated that, despite the recognized importance of screening for familial factors in pediatric care, providers serving children and families often lack the knowledge, comfort and capacity to ask about ACEs. Study three confirmed that trauma exposure and symptoms were prevalent in primary care settings, and that the T-SBIRT protocol achieved high levels of client acceptability as well as both client and provider adherence. Study four demonstrated how an evidence-based therapeutic model for co-occurring traumatic stress and substance use disorders, TARGET, can provide a unifying approach brief intervention and treatment. The TARGET model is an innovative, efficacious, and deceptively simple therapeutic approach to treating posttraumatic stress and anxiety symptoms. Increasing the availability, accessibility, and timely provision of this and other evidence-based, trauma-focused treatments remains a pressing challenge. This symposium points to strategies that may facilitate the identification and amelioration of mental health needs by implementing effective screening, assessment, and referral practices in various human service settings.