Juvenile justice youth understanding of trauma: Perceptions of mental health treatment providers

Youth in juvenile justice systems have significant mental health needs and often profound trauma histories. They are significantly more in need of mental health treatment than the general population. Juvenile justice systems therefore have a duty to not only provide mental health services, but to provide them in a way that is sensitive to the histories of the youth they serve. In discussions around key aspects of trauma informed care (TIC) in juvenile justice, much emphasis is given to the necessity of trauma education for staff and practitioners who work with juvenile justice youth. However, much less is known or discussed about juvenile justice youths’ own understanding and conceptualization of trauma, as well as the potential impacts of this understanding on their functioning. Mental health treatment providers work closely with juvenile justice youth in the provision of TIC and are instrumental in the trauma treatment process. This study aimed to explore the extent that juvenile justice youth understand trauma, based on the perceptions of the mental health providers who work with them. In addition, this study aimed to examine the extent that youth understanding of trauma, as perceived by mental health providers, plays a role in youth treatment engagement, outcomes, and overall adjustment. Margaret Spencer’s (1995) Phenomenological Variant of the Ecological Systems Theory (PVEST) illustrates that the way individuals make meaning of their experiences plays a role in how they respond to their experiences. Thus, this study also sought to examine the degree that psychoeducation plays a role in the meaning making processes of juvenile justice youth by exploring mental health providers’ perspectives of youth meaning making. Nine mental health treatment providers were interviewed to gain an understanding of their perceptions of youth meaning making and understanding of trauma, as well as their perspectives on the role psychoeducation and TIC play in treatment and life outcomes. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results of the study suggest that juvenile justice youth have limited use and/or awareness of the word “trauma” and thus are unlikely to use the word to describe their experiences. Due to high exposure to adverse life events in youths’ everyday lives, many do not appear to conceptualize their experiences as trauma. Psychoeducation and aspects of TIC are described as supportive of treatment engagement and new meaning making. Cultural variables such as race and gender are described as influential in youths’ treatment engagement and outcomes. Additionally, aspects of the correctional environment are noted as barriers to youth treatment engagement and outcomes.