Reducing Re-Traumatization in Civil Commitment Court

Implementing Trauma-Informed Principles in Inpatient Psychiatric Settings

Bibliographic Data

ID22420986
AuthorsJennifer Romei (0009-0004-5564-0555, Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital, corresponding author), Carol Noueihed (0009-0007-0308-7497, Fairleigh Dickinson University), Camilla Brulinski (0009-0009-0300-8714, Fairleigh Dickinson University), Rylie Yager (0009-0004-9480-4516, Fairleigh Dickinson University), Arlington King (Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital), Laura Painter (Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital), Rebecca Tennis (Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital)
Year2026
Pages1-22
Publication date2026-03-17
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1092-6771 • E-ISSN: 1545-083X
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10926771.2026.2646523
OpenAlexW7138458477
LanguageEN
References cited38

The destructive impact of trauma on one’s functioning is well documented and widespread, prompting many sectors to implement trauma informed care (TIC) guidelines to improve workplace health and safety outcomes. Inpatient psychiatric hospitals have received considerable attention in this regard. TIC approaches are crucial for inpatient settings since the experience of trauma increases violence risk and interferes with formation of a therapeutic alliance, thwarting treatment efforts. One area of inpatient psychiatric treatment that has remained untouched by TIC guideline implementation is civil commitment court (CCC). This is surprising since the focus of CCC relies upon testimony about the worst days of a patient’s life which is inherently traumatizing. To explore this gap, a brief survey assessing awareness of TIC guidelines and current and future implementation to CCC was conducted with staff (n = 44) at an inpatient state psychiatric hospital. Most participants (59.1%) reported familiarity with TIC principles, though familiarity varied markedly by role. Across all TIC principles, participants rated potential future implementation significantly higher than current implementation, yielding small-to-medium effect sizes, and indicating substantial potential for improvement. Clinical staff showed significant perceived gaps across all principles, while non-clinical staff showed significant gaps for most principles except Safety and Peer Support. Most participants (72.7%) were also in favor of TIC implementation into CCC. Findings highlight a critical opportunity to expand TIC into CCC to mitigate retraumatization, strengthen therapeutic engagement, and improve procedural experiences for individuals with serious mental illness. Policy and practice recommendations for trauma-informed adaptation of CCC are discussed.

Involuntary commitment · MEDLINE · Mental health · Public health · Child Abuse and Trauma · Healthcare Decision-Making and Restraints · Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending

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