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Common practice elements of school-based trauma interventions for children and adolescents exhibiting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder: a systematic review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2020

Georgina du Mello Kenyon  and
Jim Schirmer
Georgina du Mello Kenyon*
Affiliation:
School of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Work, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Jim Schirmer
Affiliation:
School of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Work, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
*
*Corresponding author: Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in children and adolescents requires school psychologists and counsellors to be informed of evidence-based elements of interventions through which they can tailor their treatment to the individual in a school context. This meta-analysis identified common practice elements within evidence-based trauma interventions for schools. A small to medium effect size was identified in the 10 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) included in this meta-analysis. Within these RCTs, 31 common practice elements were identified, with social skills training, coping skills training, relaxation techniques, psychoeducation, mind-body techniques, group work and creative-expressive techniques correlating with the most effective outcomes. The findings suggest that common practice elements exist across multiple school-based trauma interventions of varying modalities.

Keywords

trauma interventionsschoolpost-traumatic stress disorderchildrenadolescentscommon elements
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools , Volume 30 , Issue 2 , December 2020 , pp. 112 - 128
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Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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