Resources matter: Resources types, trauma types, and treatment needs for youth receiving services in a public behavioral health system

Using Conservation of Resources Theory (COR), the current study examines the effects of resources on the behavioral health treatment needs of youth who have experienced trauma. The sample includes 173 clients, aged 5-22 years, who had received six months of treatment-as-usual in a large, urban, diverse public behavioral health system, and who had experienced at least one type of traumatic event. Ninety-nine percent of youth entered treatment with at least one type of resource. At entry to the system, youth averaged experiencing three types of traumas and seven types of resources. Consistent with COR, at Initial Assessment, resources predicted behavioral health needs above and beyond the contribution of trauma experiences. This association also held at the six-month reassessment. Preliminary data also suggest that the development of resources during treatment results in more rapid clinical improvement, though the effect appears to be small (t=3.226, pvalue<.001).Though clinicians and policy makers often focus on risks and pathology, these data suggest that both trauma and resources are normative for youth in a public behavioral health system. Even youth who have experienced several types of traumatic events come to treatment with a remarkably high number of identified resources that could be leveraged to support healing and recovery. This study highlights the need for more resource and wellness-based research on youth receiving treatment in a public behavioral health system so that appropriate interventions may be initiated.