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Opoku MP, Elhoweris H, Moustafa A, Miezah D, Shah H, Oppong A. Perceived Competence of Teachers in the Implementation of Trauma-informed Practices for Students with Disabilities in Classrooms in the United Arab Emirates. JOURNAL OF CHILD & ADOLESCENT TRAUMA 2024; 17:611-625. [PMID: 38938937 PMCID: PMC11199469 DOI: 10.1007/s40653-023-00591-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
Trauma refers to an overwhelming experience that can leave lingering and negative memories in individuals. Although it is a precursor to challenging behaviours among students with disabilities, the ability of teachers to manage and support them in overcoming their post-trauma experiences is rarely discussed in the literature. This study aims to understand the perceived competence of teachers in adopting trauma-informed practices (TIP) for students with disabilities in regular classrooms in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The trauma model of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) guided the development of the Teacher Trauma Management Scale (TTMS) as well as the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR-16), which was used for data collection. A total of 244 in-service teachers were recruited from 22 schools in one of the seven Emirates in the UAE. The data were subjected to a t-test, an analysis of variance, Pearson moment-production correlation, hierarchical regression and moderation analyses. The results show an interrelationship between most of the domains of the SAMHSA model, the ambivalence of participants towards the implementation of TIP, a small influence of social desirability and the effect of background variables on TIP in the UAE. The study findings showed neutrality of participants on trauma management and thus, highlighting the need for TIP policy formulation, curriculum reform and other implications, which are discussed in detail in the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxwell Peprah Opoku
- Special Education Department, College of Education, United Arab Emirates University, P. O. Box P.O. Box No. 15551, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Hala Elhoweris
- Special Education Department, College of Education, United Arab Emirates University, P. O. Box P.O. Box No. 15551, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ashraf Moustafa
- Special Education Department, College of Education, United Arab Emirates University, P. O. Box P.O. Box No. 15551, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Daniel Miezah
- Department of Education and Psychology, Faculty of Educational Foundations, College of Education Studies, University of Cape Coast, Cape-Coast, Ghana
| | - Haseena Shah
- Special Education Department, College of Education, United Arab Emirates University, P. O. Box P.O. Box No. 15551, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Angelina Oppong
- The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Accra, Ghana
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Bendall S, Eastwood O, Spelman T, McGorry P, Hickie I, Yung AR, Amminger P, Wood SJ, Pantelis C, Purcell R, Phillips L. Childhood trauma is prevalent and associated with co-occurring depression, anxiety, mania and psychosis in young people attending Australian youth mental health services. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2023; 57:1518-1526. [PMID: 37243364 DOI: 10.1177/00048674231177223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Childhood trauma is common and associated with mental ill health. While high rates of trauma are observed across individual disorders, there is evidence that trauma is associated with an admixture of affective, anxiety and psychotic symptoms in adults. Given that early onset of mental disorder and trauma exposure herald poor outcomes, it is important to examine trauma prevalence rates in youth mental health services and to determine whether this trauma-related clustering is present in help-seeking young people. METHODS We used data from the Transitions Study, a longitudinal investigation of young people attending headspace youth mental health services in Australia between January 2011 and August 2012. Participants were 775 young people aged 12-25. Childhood trauma was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Multinomial regression was used to assess whether reported childhood trauma was more strongly associated with the co-occurrence of depression, anxiety, mania and psychosis symptoms than with any one in isolation. RESULTS Approximately 84% of participants reported some form of abuse (emotional: 68%; physical: 32%; sexual: 22%) or neglect (emotional: 65%; physical: 46%). Exposure to multiple trauma types was common. Childhood trauma was significantly associated with each symptom domain. More severe childhood trauma was more strongly associated with the co-occurrence of symptoms than with any one symptom domain in isolation, such that more severely trauma-exposed young people were more likely to experience increased symptom clustering. CONCLUSIONS Childhood trauma is pervasive in youth mental health services and associated with a symptom profile that cuts across traditional diagnostic boundaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Bendall
- Orygen, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Oliver Eastwood
- Orygen, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Tim Spelman
- Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Patrick McGorry
- Orygen, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Ian Hickie
- Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Alison R Yung
- Orygen, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT), Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Paul Amminger
- Orygen, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Stephen J Wood
- Orygen, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Christos Pantelis
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Western Sunshine Hospital, NorthWestern Mental Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Rosemary Purcell
- Orygen, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Lisa Phillips
- Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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Compton AB, Panlilio CC, Humphreys KL. What's the matter with ACEs? Recommendations for considering early adversity in educational contexts. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2023; 142:106073. [PMID: 36774310 PMCID: PMC10293056 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Currently, some trauma-informed education practices use "ACE scores," a number that represents the sum of endorsed items from a survey derived from the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study in 1998. We caution that the survey provides limited information within education, and such scores have limited utility for designing and delivering individualized intervention to support students who have experienced adversity. OBJECTIVE We sought to illustrate why ACEs are not well-suited for use in trauma-informed education, provide definitions for adversity-related terms from which a broader and common understanding of adversity can stem, and provide recommendations for integration of adversity-informed approaches to the educational context. METHODS We compiled definitions of adversity-related constructs and made recommendations based on review of relevant research from the fields of psychology and education. RESULTS Rather than tailoring educational practices to specific children based on the "traumatic" events they experience, we recommend educators focus their efforts on building supportive classrooms geared toward supporting students with best practices drawn from the Science of Learning, and with the understanding that early adversity can influence heterogeneous trajectories in student development and behavior. In addition, further research on educational practices, including the use of a shared language for describing and defining adversity-related experiences, are the concrete steps needed to better support a goal of adversity-informed education.
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Panlilio CC, Dube SR, Corr C. A framework for promoting learning and development in the context of adversity: An introduction to the special issue. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2023; 142:106176. [PMID: 37059648 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Carlomagno C Panlilio
- Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education, Child Maltreatment Solutions Network, Social Science Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
| | - Shanta R Dube
- Department of Public Health, Levine College of Health Sciences, Wingate University, Wingate, NC, USA
| | - Catherine Corr
- Department of Special Education, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
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Opoku MP, Elhoweris H, Moustafa A, Miezah D, Shah H, Al Murshidi G. Developing and validating a scale to measure trauma-informed practices used by teachers in inclusive schools in Ghana and the United Arab Emirates. J Child Adolesc Ment Health 2023; 35:55-75. [PMID: 38720662 DOI: 10.2989/17280583.2024.2307971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
Research on trauma-informed practices is common in Western countries, but non-Western countries have made minimal contributions in this regard. This study aimed to develop an instrument which could be used to measure perceived competence of teachers in the implementation of trauma-informed practices for students with disabilities in Ghana and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Teacher Trauma Management Scale (TTMS), developed using the trauma framework by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration was used to collect data from 514 teachers in Ghana (n 270) and the UAE (n = 244). Data were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis) and a two-way factorial analysis of variance was conducted. While one hypothesis was supported by the study findings, the other was only partially supported. The findings provided theoretical and structural support for the newly developed TTMS in a non-Western context. This study highlights the need to develop contextual trauma management training models or a curriculum for training teachers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxwell Peprah Opoku
- College of Education, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Hala Elhoweris
- College of Education, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ashraf Moustafa
- College of Education, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Daniel Miezah
- Department of Education and Psychology, College of Education Studies, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
| | - Haseena Shah
- College of Education, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ghadah Al Murshidi
- College of Education, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
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