Trauma can affect students of any age in negative ways.

Students who experience trauma might

show signs by having disruptive behaviors. At the elementary level students might show signs of
distraction in class or over-defiant behaviors. At the middle and high school level children might
show conduct disorders, engage in risky behaviors, or drop out of school. Teachers in schools
may have a difficult time dealing with children who have trauma. One reason is that teachers
dont have the knowledge to deal with students who are affected by trauma. It is difficult for
teachers to find a balance between being a teacher and being a support system for that student. It
is important to educate teachers and other school professionals on how to better prepare
themselves when dealing with students with trauma. Trauma also has a big cultural piece as a lot
of ELL students are affected by trauma in a different way than other students. A lot of ELL
students are usually immigrants and have to deal with things such as possible deportation, parent
deportation, or PTSD symptoms from traveling to the United States. It is important to be
culturally sensitive when dealing with ELL students and also finding interventions that are
culturally sensitive as well. One possible way to avoid culture incompetence is implementing a
research-based intervention that takes cultural adjustment into account. Research-based
interventions that take into account cultural adjustment not only helps the student reduce PTSD
symptoms but it also helps strengthen the relationship between the student and school personnel.
When dealing with trauma is also important to look at it through a public-system framework. A
high number of children who experience trauma are part of the juvenile justice system. It is
important that public systems work together to diminish these disproportionalities. When helping
children who are experiencing trauma it is important to take the family system into account.
Parent awareness is key in not only helpful for the recovery of the child but also helping for the
recovery of the family as a whole as sometimes they all might be experiencing trauma.

Annotated Bibliography
Alisic, E., Bus, M., Dulack, W., Pennings, L., & Splinter, J. (2012). Teachers' experiences
supporting children after traumatic exposure. Journal Of Traumatic Stress, 25(1), 98-101.
A random national sample in the Netherlands of teachers (N=756) that teach in the last four
grades of the elementary schools chosen from a contact list of 2,000 schools. The study was done
to understand how teachers felt about their role and what they did to assist children after they
have been exposed to traumatic stressors. Teachers completed a questioner that included 9 items
that covered various ways on how to assist a child after trauma. Findings concluded that teachers
found it difficult to not get too emotionally involved; to find the balance between being a teacher
and being a mental health provider; to know the best ways to support children after trauma; to
know when children may need mental health care; and to know where they can find information
in regards to traumatic stress. Implications for future research indicate that more studies need to
be done on what influences direct approach and difficulties in trauma-informed practices in
elementary schools. This is a helpful source for understanding the teacher and student dynamic
after a student has been exposed to trauma.

Beehler, S., Birman, D., & Campbell, R. (2012). The effectiveness of cultural adjustment and
trauma services (cats): Generating practice-based evidence on a comprehensive, school-based
mental health intervention for immigrant youth. American Journal Of Community Psychology,
50(1-2), 155-168.
A collaborative study done to understand the effectiveness of the Cultural Adjustment and
Trauma Services (CATS) program across two school districts. CATS is based off 3 different
components: (1) relationship-building; (2) outreach services; (3) comprehensive clinical and case

management services. CATS foundation was built upon building relationships between school
staff and immigrant youth. Students were given clinical services such as cognitive behavioral
therapy (CBT) to help students understand relaxation techniques. In addition to CBT students
were also given an evidence-based intervention called, trauma-focused behavioral therapy, which
focused on treating PTSD. Children were discontinued from the intervention when they are no
longer able to focus on a particular traumatic event. Results findings indicated that CATS was
successful in improving functioning and decreasing PTSD symptoms in youth. This source is
important for anyone in the field of mental health as it helps give a clear view on the positive
effects of research-based trauma interventions for youth.

Langley, A., DeCarlo Santiago, C., Rodrguez, A., & Zelaya, J. (2013). Improving
implementation of mental health services for trauma in multicultural elementary schools:
Stakeholder perspectives on parent and educator engagement. The Journal Of Behavioral Health
Services & Research, 40(3), 247-262.
A community partner study conducted with school staff and parents on understanding the
underlying issues of community engagement and cost of mental health interventions for
elementary school students exposed to trauma. Participants included four educator focus groups,
which included 23 participants, 2 Parent focus groups, which included nine Spanish-speaking
parent participants, and seven English-speaking parent participants. Findings suggest that parents
and school personnel thought that parent and staff engagement was a big piece in implementation
of mental health interventions before and during implementation. School staff also noted that
parent awareness was a big importance. Parents who did not speak English also noted the
importance of accurate translation. This source is a big importance to school personnel as it

highlights how important it is to understand the issues between community engagement and
mental health services among youth affected by trauma.

Overstreet, S., & Mathews, T. (2011). Challenges associated with exposure to chronic trauma:
Using a public health framework to foster resilient outcomes among youth. Psychology In The
Schools, 48(7), 738-754.
This article is a review of the effects trauma exposure has on the social aspect and academic
functioning of child development. This article also discusses the need for a public health
framework to help youth build resilience to trauma. Research has shown that multiple
victimizations can increase and intensify negative mental health symptoms. Therefore, school
systems must have a framework that can provide multiple levels of care so students trauma is
reduce as well as the negative behaviors that come from exposure. This model also addresses the
specific needs of students exposed to trauma. This article is an importance to anyone working in
the social justice field as it highlights how a public health framework can help children become
resilient to trauma.

Porche, M. V., Fortuna, L. R., Lin, J., & Alegria, M. (2011). Childhood trauma and psychiatric
disorders as correlates of school dropout in a national sample of young adults. Child
Development, 82(3), 982-998.
A study done on the effects trauma, psychiatric diagnoses, and mental health services has on high
school dropouts among US-born and immigrant youth. Data was examined using the
Collaborative Epidemiology Surveys. There participants in the study consisted of AfroCaribbean, African-Americans, Latinos, and non-Latinos Whites. There was a full sample and
subsample of adults ages 18-29. The full sample ages 18-29 participated in a face-to-face

structured interview. The subsample included 2,532 cases of young adults ages 21-29. Results
indicated that students who had experienced child physical abuse, witnessed domestic violence,
experienced rape, were beaten, and experienced a natural disaster had a higher chance of
dropping out. This article is a big importance to anyone working with youth as it helps
understand the impact trauma has on high school dropouts.

Santiago, C. D., Fuller, A. K., Lennon, J. M., & Kataoka, S. H. (2015). Parent Perspectives From
Participating in a Family Component for CBITS: Acceptability of a Culturally Informed SchoolBased Program. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, And Policy.
This study was done to explore the family involvement as an addition to the Cognitive
Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS). The family piece was developed to
improve family engagement and CBITS and also improve parenting skills. The study was done
with 15 low-income Latino parents and each participant was given a qualitative interview.
Results showed that parents had a high level of satisfaction with the family component and
indicated that it was beneficial and culturally relevant. Parents also expressed the importance of
CBITS, especially given the trauma they and their children have faced. The only theme across all
parents was the availability of having resources in different formats such as a DVD. This article
is of importance to anyone working in a school or in the mental health field as it stresses the
importance of the parent role in effective research-based trauma interventions.

Smithgall, C., Cusick, G., & Griffin, G. (2013). Responding to students affected by trauma:
Collaboration across public systems. Family Court Review, 51(3), 401-408.
This article is based off of three components in which publics systems attempt to define trauma
to meet both the behavioral health and academic needs of students. The first initiative is a
trauma-informed, comprehensive assessment program that help public systems determine the
best services for children who have experienced trauma. The other two initiatives such as using a
RTI framework were implemented in schools to give students behavioral and mental health
services. In relation, research has shown that there is a link between trauma and cognitive
functioning such as sustained attention, memory, executive functioning, and verbal abilities, and
academic failure. Research has shown that a strong relationship between caring adults and youth
may reduce the effects of trauma exposure and also reduce the chances of a child engaging in
high-risk behaviors. Therefore, it is important for schools to provide children with stable, caring
adult relationships and also give them the opportunity to experience success in both academic
and social relationships. This article is a great resource as it makes it known how valuable it is to
collaborate across public systems to offer students affected by trauma the best support.

Walkley, M., & Cox, T. L. (2013). Building trauma-informed schools and communities. Children
& Schools, 35(2), 123-126.
This article discusses the impact trauma has on the development of children and the need for
trauma-informed schools. It highlights how trauma-informed schools may be a key success in
improving the emotional and physical safety of students, while also improving academic and
behavioral needs. This article also emphasize that demographics is not a big factor in how the
needs of children are met in schools. It is more important to be able to implement programs that

are effective in order to minimize the trauma of youth stemming from witnessing substance
abuse, violence, forced separation through foster care, and other traumatic experiences. This
article is a valuable resource as it highlights the need and value for trauma-informed schools and
how overall it helps aid the development of children affected by trauma.