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Constructing a community trauma index: measuring adverse community experiences in Philadelphia, PA
Dissertation

Constructing a community trauma index: measuring adverse community experiences in Philadelphia, PA

Samantha Rivera Joseph
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
Jun 2022
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00001111
pdf
Joseph_Samantha_20221.89 MB
PDF Embargoed Access, Embargo ends: 31 Jul 2026

Abstract

Racism Psychic trauma
Structural drivers such as concentrated poverty, limited opportunity, and community violence contribute to a collective and chronic experience of community trauma. The Prevention Institute, a leading violence prevention organization, has developed the Adverse Community Experience and Resilience (ACE|R) framework that conceptualizes community-level contributors to community trauma. This dissertation first synthesized existing evidence on measures of trauma and community-level covariates of violence by conducting a scoping review of relevant literature. Next, a qualitative inquiry was completed to capture the perspectives of service providers on contributors to community trauma in the communities their organizations serve. The results of the literature review and qualitative study informed the development of a tract-level multivariate community trauma index for Philadelphia, PA. The resulting community trauma index includes four distinct components: 1. structural disadvantage, 2. interpersonal and state-inflicted violence, 3. disinvested built environment and deprivation, and 4. residential segregation. ArcGIS mapping visualizes notable patterning and spatial variation in community trauma across Philadelphia census tracts consistent with areas of the city that have been historically disenfranchised. The results of this study create the potential for better tailoring of primary prevention interventions and advance equity-centered approaches to inform solutions to address structural and political determinants for urban health. Future research should focus on validating the community trauma index for other urban areas.

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