Abstract:

The number of children experiencing trauma continues to increase exponentially which often leads to challenging behavioral issues in classrooms. Often, these issues are addressed with antiquated behavior management strategies that no longer work and retrigger a child’s trauma. Many schools are attempting to implement trauma-informed care programs to address the continued escalation of children experiencing trauma who are at-risk for developing severe emotional disturbances (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2020). Teachers, however, are not adequately prepared to work with children who have experienced trauma. Teachers working with traumatized children are susceptible to experiencing secondary traumatic stress (STS) which can lead to challenges in their personal and professional lives. Understanding educators’ self-reported levels of STS is important for teacher well-being, children’s healthy growth and development, and the successful implementation of trauma-informed care programs.

A purposive sample of teachers and teacher aides currently working in Pre-Kindergarten through sixth grades from two Head Start programs and six Texas public school districts (N = 132) participated in this quantitative study. Flyers were distributed through administrators within the education programs and school districts. Participants accessed a secure online survey that included consent, demographic questions, and the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS; Bride et al., 2004) which measured self-reported levels of secondary traumatic stress. Secondary traumatic stress is the emotional and behavioral consequences of having the knowledge of a traumatizing event experienced by helping or having the desire to help a suffering person (Bride et al., 2004). Findings from this study determined that moderate to severe levels of secondary traumatic stress were reported by 42% of the respondents. Significant differences were found when comparing STS by grade level taught, teachers’ age, and number of years of teaching experience.

Recommendations for professional practice suggest the urgent need for modifications to teaching pedagogy, teacher professional development, and support for teacher well-being. The teacher-child relationship is one of the most critical factors that influences a child’s social, emotional, and academic development. Teacher professional development and teaching pedagogy should include knowledge and direct practice on how to develop positive relationships with all children, recognize and appropriately address trauma in the classroom, understand how to self-regulate when working with children, and how to better support children in the classroom. Professional development for administrators should focus on positive leadership skills and strategies to better support teacher well-being. Advocating for teachers and building collaboration among all staff are vital for mitigating the damaging effects of trauma on children and their teachers.

Keywords:

Secondary traumatic stress, teacher-child relationship, teacher wellbeing.