How we got STARTed
Young people of color in the United States are exposed to violence and trauma at higher rates than youth in general. Likewise, research has shown a disparity in access to health care, appropriate diagnosis, and accessible treatment. To address these issues and better serve the health needs of young people of color, Youth ALIVE! endeavored to develop an SBIRT-type tool for screening and intervention related to trauma. From August 2013 through April 2014, our researchers designed and conducted a series of four focus groups with African-American and Latino males in Oakland aged 18-30 with known histories of firearm assault injuries, and then 69 structured interviews with a similar population but without violent injury as inclusion criteria. Results from this initial research indicated that this tool could have momentous impact. This research laid the groundwork for the development of START.
Since March 2015, Youth Alive! has piloted START at various local schools and youth-advocacy organizations (we offer it for free). The results have shown, after a month, decreased trauma-related problems, like poor sleep or trouble concentrating. For more information regarding these results, click here.