Giving Trauma Survivors a Voice: Initial Steps of Validating a Trauma-Informed Care Patient-Perception Instrument

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Research
• Psychology
• Sociology

Background:

• Trauma-informed care (TIC) is crucial for healing trauma survivors and preventing retraumatization.
• Existing instruments to measure patient perceptions of TIC are limited in validity and reliability.
• Culturally and linguistically competent TIC is essential for diverse patient populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To refine the TIC Patient-Perception Instrument in both English and Spanish.
• To initiate the validation process for a rigorous scale measuring patient perceptions of TIC.
• To create a tool for assessing TIC with Hispanic trauma survivors on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Main Methods:

• A methodological research design focused on establishing content validity.
• TIC experts reviewed and revised the instrument based on the six core values of TIC.
• Hispanic trauma survivors evaluated the instrument's clarity, relevance, and alignment with TIC core values.

Main Results:

• Trauma survivors (N=6 Spanish, N=9 English) provided feedback on the instrument's items.
• Item ratings for clarity, relevance, and representation of TIC core values ranged from 3.71 to 4.00.
• The feedback indicated moderate to very clear ratings, supporting the instrument's initial validity.

Conclusions:

• The refined TIC Patient-Perception Instrument supports culturally and linguistically competent TIC delivery.
• This tool enables healthcare providers to tailor TIC for diverse populations, enhancing survivor recovery.
• The instrument empowers providers to maximize TIC effectiveness for survivors of interpersonal violence.