DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF THE TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTICE SCALES

Spurred by research demonstrating the pervasiveness and impact of trauma, domestic violence programs are increasingly adopting a trauma-informed approach. In the absence of measurement tools, however, they are unable to determine whether indeed clients experience their practices as trauma-informed. The aim of this study was to create and validate a set of scales that measure the degree to which DV programs are using trauma informed practices (TIP) from survivors' perspectives. We generated measure items based on a literature review, interviews with experts, and focus groups with survivors and advocates; administered the draft measure in the context of a survey of 370 survivors from 15 DV programs; and evaluated its factor structure, reliability, and validity. Results supported the validity and reliability of the TIP Scales, which assess six domains: Environment of Agency and Mutual Respect, Access to Information on Trauma, Opportunities for Connection, Emphasis on Strengths, Cultural Responsiveness/Inclusivity, and Support for Parenting.