Research shows that “collective efficacy” helps prevent community and youth violence and improve community mental health. By building collective efficacy (defined as trust among residents and willingness to intervene to address neighborhood problems) among youth and adult residents in two Pittsburgh neighborhoods, Dr. Mary Ohmer hopes to help prevent violence and lessen the impact of exposure to violence on mental health. Her project, Preventing Violence and Improving Community Mental Health in Fineview & Perry Hilltop (Intergenerational Community-based Intervention focused on building collective efficacy and social connections for the prevention of youth and community violence and the promotion of community mental health), is funded by CITECH, the University of Pittsburgh Center for Interventions to Enhance Community Health.
Ohmer’s project is designed to build collective efficacy among youth and adult residents in Pittsburgh’s Perry Hilltop and Fineview neighborhoods by engaging them in a community-based training program and a project to address a community-identified issue after the training.
Ohmer recently completed a community survey of 100 residents during Phase I to evaluate the effects of the intervention on neighborhood collective efficacy, community and youth violence and community mental health. This phase also accessed administrative community and youth violence data that will be used to examine impact of the intervention on community outcomes.
Next steps include evaluating the effects of the intervention on youth and adult participants before and after the training program (Phase II) and the community project (Phase III). Ohmer’s team will use survey methods to assess the effects of intervention on participants’ social cohesion/trust, informal social control, psychological empowerment, and anxiety, stress, and depression.
The study explores whether participants will develop stronger and more trusting relationships with one another and other residents; improve their norms and values around preventing youth and community violence and promoting community mental health; increase their ability and likelihood to restoratively and safely intervene; and improve their own mental health related to violence exposure.
“This study translates research on the power of collective efficacy into action by engaging and building capacity among community partners and youth and adult residents to prevent violence and improve community mental health,” said Ohmer.