Bridging the gap between research and practice by strengthening academic-community partnerships for violence research.

Abstract

Objectives:This commentary seeks to highlight the benefits of community-based participatory research (CBPR) and promote its use in the violence field. Community perspectives remain underrepresented in the CBPR literature despite the emphasis on equitable partnerships and shared ownership in the research process. Method: Informal interviews were conducted with 10 community partners to understand their perspectives on using and participating in research. Results: Several recommendations for strengthening academic-community research partnerships emerged from the community partners' responses. They were: (a) conduct research that is useful to communities, with a focus on evidence-based practices and cost-benefit analyses; (b) involve community partners early in the development of research questions to ensure that local needs are addressed; (c) engage in frequent and open communication and maintain transparency about research goals and roles and responsibilities of each partner; (d) provide benefits to communities during the research process to promote professional development and build capacity; and (e) disseminate findings quickly, using outlets accessible to communities, and translate into strategies for practice. Conclusion: Although the recommendations require significant investments of time and resources by all partners, use of CBPR can contribute to increased development of innovative and sustainable violence prevention programs, services, and policies that are uniquely informed by scientific evidence and community expertise. By emphasizing partnerships with communities, CBPR helps to reduce the gap between research and practice and facilitates the inclusion of community strengths and resilience as valuable components of violence prevention and intervention.

‘Come Back at Us’: Reflections on Researcher-Community Partnerships during a Post-Oil Spill Gulf Coast Resilience Study

“…There is a vast continuum of community engagement in research, from involving community members in all aspects of a project including conception, development, and data collection, to community playing merely an advisory role, to using broader public venues for dissemination of research results (Lesen 2015;Yuan et al 2016). The extent and methods of community engagement or public participation should ideally be designed to respond to the goals for a project (Cumberbatch 2015).…”

“…The intertwined social and environmental challenges facing communities across the globe create a pressing need for place-based, use-inspired, policy-relevant research about disasters and environmental change (Wall et al 2017). In striving to meet this need, scholars must critically scrutinize their research practices to incorporate collaborative problem-solving, co-production of knowledge, democratic public participation, and ethical, equitable researcher-community partnerships into their methodologies (Chilvers and Kearnes 2015; Yuan et al 2016).…”

“…These realities-and international attention to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and Hurricane Katrina-have made the region an instructive and popular site for socio-environmental research about disasters, environmental change, resilience, and adaptation. In any area, such as the Gulf South, where minority populations grapple with persistent socioeconomic disadvantage amidst current realities and past legacies of both institutionalized racism and environmental justice, concerns about researcher-community relationships are extremely pressing (Kerstetter 2012;Minkler 2005;Yuan et al 2016). The high volume of social science and public health research performed in and about Gulf Coast communities over the past two decades raises ethical questions about how researchers work with people who have undergone traumatic experiences and remain vulnerable to future disasters and displacement (Bacon 2002;Ferreira et al 2015;Israel et al 1998;Picou 2011).…”

Utilizing Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as a Framework for Addressing Cultural Trauma in African American Children and Adolescents: A Proposal

“…CBPR's benefits are well documented across disciplines (e.g., Collins et al, 2018;Green, 2007;Lightfoot et al, 2014;Lindamer et al, 2008;O'Brien et al, 2018;Yuan et al, 2016). These benefits include researchers' ability to utilize research outcomes to advocate for clients (Gray & Price, 2014;Horowitz et al, 2009;McElfish et al, 2015), advance health disciplines (O'Fallon & Dearry, 2002;Israel et al, 2013), increase participant contributions (Case et al, 2014;Wagstaff, Graham, Farrell, Larkin, & Tatham, 2018), address multifaceted client issues (Corrigan, Pickett, Kraus, Burks, & Schmidt, 2015), improve mental health services (Case et al, 2014), and foster interprofessional relationships (Hergenrather, Geishecker, Clark, & Rhodes, 2013).…”

Understanding the delivery of a Canadian-based after-school STEM program: a case study

“…Research has shown that program evaluation provides opportunities for reflection on past and future programming, helps programmers to better understand and improve service delivery, and showcases effectiveness of a program to key stakeholders and the community (Fitzpatrick, Sanders, & Worthen, 2004). Further, when community organizations partner with research partners, there is the benefit of not only bridging the gap between research and practice (Ferguson, 2005;Yuan et al, 2016), but also allowing for a collaborative learning environment that capitalizes on both partners' expertise (MacPherson & Hall, 2011).…”