P3.143: Assessment of a Multidisciplinary Program for Pediatric Patients Affected By Violent Injury

Background: Violent injury is a leading cause of youth morbidity and mortality. Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs (HVIPs) address physical and psychosocial needs of patients impacted by violence. Mentorship programs embedded within HVIPs may offer unique opportunities to support youth following violent injury. The objective of this study was to illuminate youths’ and mentors’ experiences of the Empowering Teens to Thrive combined HVIP and mentorship program, a HVIP embedded within an adolescent medicine practice employing a unique one-on-one community mentor model, at addressing the needs of youth affected by violent injuries.

Methods: We recruited youth ages 12-24 who were impacted by violent injury and were enrolled in the Empowering Teens to Thrive (ET3) HVIP in Pittsburgh between 2022-2024 and ET3 community mentors. Surveys assessed participant characteristics, experiences of violence, mental health symptoms, social connections, coping and resilience, and program satisfaction. Semi-structured interviews focused on barriers and facilitators. We used thematic content analysis of interview transcripts to identity key themes.

Results: Sixteen youth completed surveys, with mean age 17 years. When asked about recent experiences of violence, most youth (71%) reported exposure to community violence. About 82% endorsed mental health symptoms, including symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Regarding social connections, over half (53%) identified at least one social support available to them most or all of the time who they can rely on for social-emotional support. When asked about coping, 76% reported they were likely or very likely to employ a positive coping strategy when faced with a stressor. Most youth (88%) reported they “strongly agree” that participating in the ET3 program has been a rewarding experience, with 82% responding “strongly agree” when asked if their mentor has helped them develop new coping skills and 76% responding thus when asked if their mentor has helped them develop new skills to manage conflicts. Among mentor surveys (n=17), 94% responded “strongly agree” when asked if their mentees were benefitting from being part of the program. Three quarters (70%) felt confident in providing psychological support to mentees, and 88% felt confident in their ability to link mentees to community-based services. Lasty, 88% responded “strongly agree” when asked about their confidence in their ability to help mentees increase their conflict resolution and coping skills. Semi-structured interviews with mentors and mentees elaborated on the positive impact of the mentee-mentor relationship on coping, mental health, and pursuing goals.

Conclusion: Overall, data obtained through both surveys and interviews demonstrated that the ET3 program has a positive impact on stated goals of helping patients recover and cope with the physical and psychosocial symptoms resulting from violent injuries by employing a unique one-on-one community mentorship model in addition to the standard HVIP model.