Abstract
Children from disadvantaged backgrounds often experience high levels of traumatic stress, however, little is known about their experiences and the responses of their teachers following disasters. The aim of this study was to examine, from the perspective of teachers, the impact of a critical community-wide traumatic event on student and staff wellbeing, and student learning and teaching practices at a specialist school for disadvantaged and displaced youth in Australia. Eight school staff were interviewed, including administrative, teaching, and support personnel, with their responses interpreted using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results focused largely on the impact of the event and the resultant relocation of the school on staff and student health, reduced opportunities for learning, changes to teaching and student engagement, and the strengths and limitations of the trauma-informed approach of the school. Implications for teacher education and school trauma-informed models are discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alisic, E. (2012). Teachers’ perspectives on providing support to children after trauma: A qualitative study. School Psychology Quarterly, 27(1), 51–59. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028590.
Alisic, E., Bus, M., Dulack, W., Pennings, L., & Splinter, J. (2012). Teachers’ experiences supporting children after traumatic exposure. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 25, 98–101. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.20709.
Anda, R. F., Felitti, V. J., Bremner, J. D., Walker, J. D., Whitfield, C., Perry, B. D., & Giles, W. H. (2006). The enduring effects of abuse and related adverse experiences in childhood. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 256(3), 174–186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-005-0624-4
Bride, B. E. (2007). Prevalence of secondary traumatic stress among social workers. Social Work, 52(1), 63–70. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/52.1.63.
Costa, R., Hanse, T. C., Moore, M., Many, M., Osofsky, J., & Osofsky, H. (2015). Teachers and school personnel as first responders following disasters: Survivors and supporters. Journal of Traumatic Stress Disorders & Treatment, 4(4), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.4172/2324-8947.1000146.
Costello, E. J., Erkanli, A., Fairbank, J. A., & Angold, A. (2002). The prevalence of potentially traumatic events in childhood and adolescence. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 15(2), 99–112. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014851823163.
Dyregrov, K. (2009). The important role of the school following suicide in Norway. What support do young people with that school could provide? Omega (Westerport), 59(2), 147–161.
Dyregrov, A., Wikander Bie, A. M., & Vigerust, S. (1999). Sudden death of a classmate and friend: Adolescents’ perception of support from their school. School Psychology International, 20(20), 191–208. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034399202003.
Emmerson, K., Reisen, F., Luhar, A., Williamson, G., & Cope, M. (2016). Air quality modelling of smoke exposure from the Hazelwood mine fire. CSIRO, Australia. Retreived from: http://hazelwoodhealthstudy.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Hazelwood_AirQualityModelling_December2016_Final.pdf
Frederick, J., & Goddard, C. (2007). Exploring the relationship between poverty, childhood adversity and child abuse from the perspective of adulthood. Child Abuse Review, 16(5), 323–341. https://doi.org/10.1002/car.971.
Guest, G., Bunce, A., & Johnson, L. (2006). How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods, 18(1), 59–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X05279903.
Hubbard, B. (2014). Victorian Government response: Report to the Victorian Government of the 2009 bushfire-affected communities – five year consultation. Retrieved from: https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/1165161/Hubbard-Report-2014-Victorian-Government-Response.PDF
Kenny, M. C. (2001). Child abuse reporting: Teachers’ perceived deterrents. Child Abuse & Neglect, 25, 81–92.
Kenny, M. C. (2004). Teachers’ attitudes toward and knowledge of child maltreatment. Child Abuse & Neglect, 28, 1311–1319.
Ko, S. J., Ford, J. D., Kassam-Adams, N., Berkowitz, S. J., Wilson, C., Wong, M., ... Layne, C. M. (2008). Creating trauma-informed systems: Child welfare, education, first responders, health care, juvenile justice. Professional Psychology-Research and Practice, 39(4), 396–404. doi:https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.39.4.396.
McFarlane, A. C. (1987). Family functioning and overprotection following a natural disaster: The longitudinal effects of post-traumatic morbidity. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 21(2), 210–218. https://doi.org/10.3109/00048678709160914.
McFarlane, A. C., & Van Hooff, M. (2009). Impact of childhood exposure to a natural disorder on adult mental health: 20-year longitudinal follow-up study. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 195(2), 142–148. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.108.054270.
O’Toole, V. M., & Friesen, M. D. (2016). Teachers as first responders in tragedy: The role of emotion in teacher adjustment eighteen months post-earthquake. Teaching and Teacher Education, 59, 57–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.05.012.
Oehlberg, B. (2008). Why schools need to be trauma informed. Trauma and Loss- Research and Interventions, 8(2), 1–4.
Papadatou, D., Metallinou, O., Hatzichristou, C., & Pavlidi, L. (2002). Supporting the bereaved child: Teacher’s perceptions and experiences in Greece. Mortality, 7(3), 324–339. https://doi.org/10.1080/1357627021000025478.
Peek, L., & Stough, L. M. (2010). Children with disabilities in the context of disasters: A social vulnerability perspective. Society for Research in Child Development, 81(4), 1260–1270.
Perfect, M. M., Turley, M. R., Carlson, J. S., Yohanna, J., & Saint Gilles, M. P. (2016). School-related outcomes of traumatic event exposure and traumatic stress symptoms in students: A systematic review of research from 1990 to 2015. School Mental Health, 8, 7–43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-016-9175-2.
Rolfsnes, E. S., & Idsoe, T. (2011). School-based intervention programs for PTSD symptoms: A review and meta-analysis. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 24(2), 155–165. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.20622.
Salazar, A. M., Keller, T. E., Gowen, K. L., & Courtney, M. E. (2013). Trauma exposure and PTSD among older adolescents in foster care. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 48(4), 545–551. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0563-0.
Smith Hatcher, S., Bride, B. E., Oh, H., Moultrie King, D., & Catrett, J. F. (2011). An assessment of secondary traumatic stress in juvenile justice education workers. Journal of Correctional Health Care, 17(3), 208–217. https://doi.org/10.1177/1078345811401509.
Smith, J. A., Flower, P., & Larkin, M. (2009). Interpretive phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 6(4), 346–347. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780880903340091.
Stokes, H., & Turnbull, M. (2016). Evaluation of the Berry Street Education Model: Trauma informed positive education enacted in mainstream schools. Melbourne: University of Melbourne, Youth Research Centre Retrieved from: http://education.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/1962718/User_croftsj_Stokes_26_Turnbull_Final_Web_18-5-16.pdf.
Teague, B., Catford, J., & Petering, S. (2014). Hazelwood mine fire inquiry report. Retrived from: http://report.hazelwoodinquiry.vic.gov.au/introduction.html.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (2017). Terminology. Retrieved from: https://www.unisdr.org/we/inform/terminology#letter-d
Victorian Council of Social Service. (2014). Disaster and disadvantage: Social vulnerability in emergency management. Retrieved from: http://vcoss.org.au/documents/2014/06/VCOSS_Disadvantage-and-disaster_2014.pdf
Acknowledgments
This study was funded by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services. The paper presents the views of the authors and does not represent the views of the Department. The authors would like to acknowledge the contribution of research students Rebecca Lindsay, Chloe Perry and Grace Slatter who, along with Dylan Harrison, conducted the interviews with school staff.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest
On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.
Research involving Human Participants and/or Animals
Details of the Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee approval and approval number are provided in the body of the article.
Informed Consent
We confirm that the ethical standard of informed consent was followed in all matters.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Berger, E., Carroll, M., Maybery, D. et al. Disaster Impacts on Students and Staff from a Specialist, Trauma-Informed Australian School. Journ Child Adol Trauma 11, 521–530 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-018-0228-6
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-018-0228-6