•The TIE Knowledge Survey is a general measure of educators’ knowledge of TIE.•This non-program specific survey can be used to compare TIE training programs.•It demonstrates adequate validity and ...reliability enabling its use in future studies.
Trauma-informed education is an approach used by school staff to support students affected by trauma. A number of training programs have been developed to promote the use of trauma-informed practices in schools. A key outcome of these training programs is increased knowledge about trauma and trauma-informed practices, however a standardized measure of this knowledge has yet to be established. The Trauma-Informed Education Knowledge Survey is among the first scales designed to provide a standardized measure of educators' knowledge about trauma in students. The present study aimed to assess evidence of validity for this survey. Using responses from 170 American educators, the Trauma-Informed Education Knowledge Survey demonstrated good evidence of validity when compared with the commonly-used Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care scale, which purports to measure attitudes towards trauma-informed approaches. It maintained moderate internal consistency for the scale as a whole, as well as for the two hypothesized subscales, and appears to be best used in its original form, consisting of a single factor. The Trauma-Informed Education Knowledge Survey is currently the only non-program specific measure available of educators’ knowledge of trauma-informed approaches. It demonstrates adequate validity and reliability enabling its use in future studies and program evaluations of trauma-informed education training.
Introduction
The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of voluntary reunification from the perspectives of adult alienated children and targeted parents
Methods
Nine adult alienated ...children and 12 targeted parents participated in semi-structured interviews which were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically
Results
Six themes emerged in the data from the adult alienated children including catalysts for reunification, factors influencing reunification, adult alienated child relationships, the role of communication in reunification, adult alienated child understandings of alienation post reunification, and the role of therapy in reunification. Three themes emerged from the targeted parents including what is reunification, factors impacting reunification, and life after reunification.
Discussion
Findings from the present study offer novel insights into the experience of voluntary reunification from the perspectives of both adult alienated children and targeted parents. They illustrate that voluntary reunification is a process that takes time. This process can span decades and can include periods of connection and rejection.
Manifestations of teacher burnout have been negatively associated with students' academic achievement, school satisfaction, and perceived teacher support. The 2020-2021 school year presented unique ...challenges for teachers, who had to find new ways to support their students, their families, and themselves. This study examined teachers' experiences with secondary trauma, burnout, and self-care during COVID-19 at one K-5 trauma-informed school, the Wellington (pseudonym). We chose a mixed-methods convergent design utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data to support the findings. Using three measures, the Professional Quality of Life Scale, Mindful Self-Care Scale, and Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale, in fall 2020 and spring 2021, we examined 19 faculty and educational staff members' perceptions of and experiences with secondary trauma, burnout, and self-care. In spring 2021 we interviewed 13 of these teachers. Teachers noted how COVID-19 brought increased responsibilities at home and school, as well as disrupted self-care routines. However, data indicate stable compassion satisfaction, low secondary trauma, and average range burnout. Notably, faculty reported self-care in the form of supportive relationships and sense of purpose. These findings suggest that a trauma-informed approach may foster a supportive work environment, mitigating burnout.
This paper explores how trauma informed training and consultation for non-specialist staff at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in England and Wales enabled them to work with survivors ...of non-recent child sexual abuse in the Truth Project and other areas of the Inquiry. The paper draws on data gathered from 32 semi-structured interviews with a range of Inquiry staff, including civil servants, legal professionals, senior operational managers, and researchers. The interview questions mapped on to the trauma informed principles embedded in the Inquiry and considered the efficacy and implementation of this training for engaging with survivors' voices, working with challenging testimonies and materials, and contributing to epistemic change. Findings included all staff having an awareness of what it meant to be trauma informed in an Inquiry context, talking about the principles in terms of value-based positions. Staff described an awareness of needing to attend to the idiosyncratic experiences of the individual survivor, and there was recognition that previous damage to survivor trust, through institutional failure, meant that demonstrating trustworthiness was a central task. Staff talked about the impacts of participation on some survivors, and the impacts it had on them to be exposed to trauma-related materials. There was acknowledgment of the limitations of the trauma informed approach but also recognition of the wider applications of this learning for other areas of their personal and professional lives. There is some support for the therapeutic culture developed at the Inquiry leading to what Fricker refers to as a testimonial sensibility, a quality of listening necessary for the establishment of epistemic justice. The discussion focuses on how this way of working can be applied to other public service settings and how epistemic justice concepts can be included in more traditional trauma informed care models to encourage an ethic of listening that has political and social, in addition to therapeutic, outcomes.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) refer to the abuse, neglect, and traumatic experiences in childhood that directly affect long-term adolescent and adult health. Understanding the ACE Pyramid and ...the physiological stress response has guided research toward a better understanding of the long-term mental and physical health consequences from psychological impacts early in life. Trauma-informed care becomes critical for pediatric clinicians to operationalize in practice. The four R's approach—realize, recognize, respond, and resist re-traumatization—can be used by pediatric providers as guidance. The trauma-informed care approach includes the realization of how ACEs affect health, the recognition of pediatric clinical symptom presentation and screening protocols for ACEs, and the health care provider's ability to respond and not re-traumatize patients when delivering evidence-based care. As recent events have triggered worldwide mental and emotional trauma in youth, clinicians must start operationalizing trauma-informed care into practice, as future presentations of trauma are expected.
Problematic substance use is a pressing global health problem, and dissemination and implementation of accurate health information regarding prevention, treatment, and recovery are vital. In many ...nations, especially the US, many people are involved in religious groups or faith communities, and this offers a potential route to positively affect health through health information dissemination in communities that may have limited health resources. Health information related to addiction will be used as the backdrop issue for this discussion, but many health arenas could be substituted. This article evaluates the utility of commonly used health communication theories for communicating health information about addiction in religious settings and identifies their shortcomings. A lack of trusting, equally contributing, bidirectional collaboration among representatives of the clinical/scientific community and religious/faith communities in the development and dissemination of health information is identified as a potential impediment to effectiveness. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) tenets of trauma-informed practice, although developed for one-on-one use with those who have experienced trauma or adversity, are presented as a much more broadly applicable framework to improve communication between groups such as organizations or communities. As an example, we focus on health communication within, with, and through religious groups and particularly within churches.
The last 30 years has seen an exponential increase in Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiries. One feature of these has been to place adult survivor voices at the center of Inquiry work, meaning ...that child abuse victims and survivors are engaging with Inquiries, sharing their experiences, with this participation often presented as empowering and healing. This initiative challenges long held beliefs that child sexual abuse survivors are unreliable witnesses, which has led to epistemic injustice and a hermeneutical lacunae in survivor testimony. However to date there has been limited research on what survivors say about their experiences of participation. The Truth Project was one area of work of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in England and Wales. It invited survivors of Child Sexual Abuse to share their experiences including the impacts of abuse and their recommendations for change. The Truth Project concluded in 2021 and heard from more than 6,000 victims of child sexual abuse. The evaluation of the Trauma Informed Approach designed to support survivors through their engagement with the project was a mixed methods, two phase methodology. A total of 66 survey responses were received. Follow-up interviews were conducted with seven survey respondents. The Trauma Informed Approach was found to be predominantly helpful in attending to victim needs and minimizing harm. However, a small number of participants reported harmful effects post-session. The positive impacts reported about taking part in the Truth Project as a one-off engagement challenges beliefs that survivors of child sexual abuse cannot safely talk about their experiences. It also provides evidence of the central role survivors should have in designing services for trauma victims. This study contributes to the epistemic justice literature which emphasizes the central role of relational ethics in the politics of knowing, and the importance of developing a testimonial sensibility when listening to marginalized groups.
This paper presents the results of a three-year study of the impacts of teaching about the experiences of trauma on students studying to become teachers. The project's overarching objective is to ...develop an effective trauma-informed pedagogy that can support students who learn about the experiences of the 'Stolen Generations', the Holocaust, wars, and genocide. Following a presentation from a member of the Stolen Generations, students reported strong emotional impacts, indicating heightened arousal and defensive dissociation. Results indicated that effective teaching about the experiences of trauma must be accompanied by management processes that will mitigate the potential detrimental emotional impacts on such learning. We conclude that the reflexive power of narrative can implicate the student in her or his own life, as well as in the lives of others. Of critical importance is a recognition that both Indigenous and non-Indigenous lives are bound to one another in contemporary Australia.
Growing evidence establishing the prevalence and educational consequences of childhood trauma has led to a national focus on equipping schools to support the specific needs of students who have ...experienced trauma. Despite clear evidence of disproportionate trauma exposure among students of color, most models of trauma‐informed schools do not explicitly address the intersection of race and trauma within their system‐level efforts to help staff realize the prevalence and impact of trauma, recognize the signs of trauma exposure, or respond in ways to avoid retraumatization. This manuscript will review existing efforts to integrate a social justice focus within our ongoing work as part of the Safe Schools NOLA project. We present our conceptual framework and describe how principles relevant to social justice are intentionally integrated into strategies that support the adoption and implementation of trauma‐informed approaches in schools. We also discuss limitations in our current approach and offer suggestions to support the development of trauma‐informed schools that can advance a social justice agenda.
HIGHLIGHTS
Recognizes the role of discriminatory and oppressive historical and societal factors in creating safe and equitable school environments.
Provides a conceptual framework for integrating social justice and trauma‐informed approaches in schools.
Identifies existing and developing practical resources that may be used to advance a social justice agenda within trauma‐informed schools frameworks.
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