# Addressing Community Violence-related Traumatic Stress Symptoms in Children

> **NIH NIH R01** · CHILDREN'S HOSP OF PHILADELPHIA · 2021 · $572,327

## Abstract

Project Summary
Young victims of community violence whose injuries are severe enough to warrant an Emergency Department
(ED) visit are at high risk for developing posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and other psychiatric,
functional and behavioral issues. They are also at high risk for retaliatory behaviors, re-injury and death and
according to an AHRQ sponsored meta-analysis there is no evidence of effective treatment to prevent PTSS in
violently injured youth. The proposed research is designed to test a novel approach to support and expedite
the recovery of assaulted youth and their families. We propose to conduct a Randomized Clinical Trial
evaluating the effectiveness of the Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI) in reducing PTSS
in youth 10-18 years old who are also receiving Case Management (CM) after an assault injury.
CFTSI is a 4-6 session manualized intervention focused on improving communication between the caregiver
and their child about their PTSS in order to enhance a key protective factor: caregiver emotional support. It is
the first intervention demonstrating effectiveness in preventing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and
decreasing PTSS in youth traumatized by a range of trauma types (a small subset of the sample were assault
injured youth) when delivered within 45 days of a traumatic event, but has not been fully studied in youth who
have been assault-injured or in conjunction with a hospital-initiated Case Management (CM) program. Post-
discharge CM is an emerging standard of care throughout large medical center EDs and trauma units, whereby
assault-injured youth receive a comprehensive psychosocial assessment, navigation to a range of medical,
housing, behavioral health, recreational, vocational and other services. The aims and hypotheses propose that
CFTSI will significantly reduce PTSS in assault-injured youth and a participating parent, measured 4 months
and 10 months after enrollment into the study. In addition, we will evaluate the mechanisms of communication
and parental support and investigate mediators and moderators of the effect of CFTSI on PTSS. The study will
also explore how CFTSI influences retaliatory attitudes, re-injury and general health after being victimized, and
will elucidate the mechanisms involved in child and family-level recovery in the months after an assault.
The research literature supports that individuals with PTSS have a range of poor psychosocial outcomes.
Reducing significant PTSS (primary aim) after assault injury provides an important way by which to reduce the
risk of further adverse outcomes. The proposed study advances the aims of the NICHD Pediatric Trauma and
Critical Illness Branch to perform “research on prevention, treatment, management, and outcomes of physical
and psychological trauma and the surgical, medical, psychosocial, and systems interventions needed to
improve outcomes for critically ill and injured children across the developmental trajectory.”

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10166612
- **Project number:** 5R01HD087406-05
- **Recipient organization:** CHILDREN'S HOSP OF PHILADELPHIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Joel Fein
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $572,327
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-11 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10166612

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10166612, Addressing Community Violence-related Traumatic Stress Symptoms in Children (5R01HD087406-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10166612. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*