Examining the Effectiveness of Family Mobility Resources Using a Trauma-Informed Framework

Title
Examining the Effectiveness of Family Mobility Resources Using a Trauma-Informed Framework
Publication Date
2026-02-02
Author(s)
Rogers, Marg
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8407-7256
Email: mbaber@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:mbaber
Sims, Margaret
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4686-4245
Email: msims7@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:msims7
Usher, Kim
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9686-5003
Email: kusher@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:kusher
Gossner, Michelle
Thorsteinsson, Einar B
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2065-1989
Email: ethorste@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:ethorste
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
MDPI AG
Place of publication
Switzerland
DOI
10.3390/socsci15020087
UNE publication id
une:1959.11/72175
Abstract

Co-created research outputs are considered the gold standard in research translation projects. It is often a requirement for gaining funding to work with affected community members and partners when working to provide resources or support communities with a lived experience of trauma. However, there is limited literature on combining a co-creation framework and trauma-informed approaches. This paper adds to these studies by describing our project, which combined co-creation with trauma-informed principles to work with potentially vulnerable communities, specifically service families who experience high family mobility (e.g., military and first responder families). The approach taken prioritised safety, trust, transparency, peer support, collaboration, empowerment, and voices of those with lived and living experiences, while also emphasising participant choice to ensure safe engagement and maintain research partner commitment. After many rounds of feedback from those with lived and living experience (over 35 initial co-creation participants), we tested the suitability of the resources on other affected community and research partners. Twelve (additional) participants provided rich feedback that was analysed using inductive thematic analysis. This included the appropriateness of the resources for the age group, the use of children’s narrative story techniques and engagement, increasing caregiver capacity and knowledge, and integration into family, educational and professional settings. We examine here potential strategies to better support this type of research and propose an improved research framework that combines co-creation and a trauma-informed approach. Although complex and time-consuming, this combined approach offers an effective means of developing targeted supports. Further testing, research and refinement with potentially vulnerable populations are needed, and successful implementation may require institutional research systems to adapt to support this approach in the future.

Link
Citation
Social Sciences, 15(2), p. 1-19
ISSN
2076-0760
Start page
1
End page
19
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International

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