Children in the juvenile justice system have greater chances of experiencing various and multiple forms of childhood trauma, and oftentimes experiences increase their risks for criminal involvement (Dierkhising et al., 2013). 90% of youth in the juvenile justice system have had exposure to traumatic events (Dierkhising et al., 2013). Children of color are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system and are more likely to be detained and committed than their non-Hispanic white counterparts (youth.gov, 2021). Regardless of their race and backgrounds, the youth in the Alachua County community face their fair share of adversity and sometimes these experiences result in them being placed in the justice system. There are a disproportionate number of marginalized groups, who are impoverished with unaddressed mental health needs and little to no family connections to assist in keeping them out of the system (youth.gov, 2021).
Resilience Building with Furry Friend is a multi-level public health intervention for individuals that utilizes the human-animal bond to encourage at-risk youth to build connections and health relationships with the people around them. The target population are youth in the juvenile justice system and students at at-risk schools in Alachua County who have experience adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). This intervention aims to utilize the human-animal bond for therapy to create a welcoming, non-judgmental environment with minimal stress for youth to focus on post-traumatic growth. These sessions are to promote building healthy relationships and coping methods to allow youth to create positive behaviors they can use to build resiliency in their everyday lives (Tesechi & Jenkins, 2019).
This intervention method utilized the CDC Social Ecological Model to address the various levels of intervention strategies. For the individual level, we’re focusing on giving youth the knowledge and resources needed to implement self-efficacy, resilience, and mental health promotion. These methods will teach them how to cope with their toxic stress and adversity, which they can use daily to have positive reflection on traumatic events. On the interpersonal/relationship level, this intervention provides counseling to give a hands-on experience on how to build social connection and positive relationships with people they see on a day-to-day basis. On the community level, prevention strategies help to build social connections that build a foundation to help youth immerse themselves in their communities and not feel as isolated due to their past ACEs. On the societal level, this intervention method promotes health, education, and social policies and addresses the social inequities in society. This method also improves educational and employment opportunities to help improve the structural determinants of health in the community as a whole.
Dierkhising, C. B., Ko, S. J., Woods-Jaeger, B., Briggs, E. C., Lee, R., & Pynoos, R. S. (2013). Trauma histories among justice-involved youth: Findings from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v4i0.20274
Teseschi, P. Jenkins, M.A.. (2019). "Transforming Trauma: Resilience and Healing Through Our Connections With Animals." Purdue University Press Book Previews. 31.
youth.gov. (2021). Youth involved with the Juvenile Justice System. Youth Involved with the Juvenile Justice System | Youth.gov. https://youth.gov/youth-topics...anic%20White%20youth.
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