A Randomized Controlled Trial of Trauma-awareness Training for Early Childhood Educators
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Sponsor
- Temple University
- Enrollment
- 96
- Locations
- 2
- Primary Endpoint
- Change in teacher-children relationship quality (specifically, levels of perceived conflict) at 3 months
Study Overview
Brief Summary
Background. To increase school readiness, Pre-K programs for low-income children must be responsive to the role of trauma in the lives of children, families, and staff. In 2017-2018, the School District of Philadelphia's (SDP) Office of Early Childhood Education will help Pre-K teachers support children's social-emotional and behavioral health, which is essential for early learning, by offering teachers a professional development course called Enhancing Trauma Awareness (ETA).
Purpose. To determine whether teachers who take ETA will have: 1) better work functioning; 2) more trusting work relationships; and 3) better health.
Population. Pre-K classroom teachers (n=128) working in centers under SDP auspice that serve exclusively low-income (≤300 % of poverty) children.
Intervention. A 12-week professional development course-Enhancing Trauma Awareness-will delivered by Lakeside Global Institute in 6 group sessions, with 16 teachers per group and each session lasting 2.5 hours.
Design. Consenting teachers will be randomly assigned by classroom (lead teacher and/or assistant teacher) to receive the ETA course in either fall 2017 (intervention groups) or spring 2018 (wait-list control groups).
Data collection and analysis. An external evaluation team (Temple University) will administer a confidential, online survey to all 128 teachers in fall 2017 (before fall course), winter 2017 (after fall course), and spring 2018 (after spring course). Teacher-children relationship quality will be the a priori primary outcome, and secondary outcomes will be assessed across the domains of work functioning, trust, and health.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Other
- Masking
- Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •Preschool classroom teacher who works in a center that is under the auspice of the School District of Philadelphia and serves exclusively low-income (≤300 % of poverty) children.
Exclusion Criteria
- Not provided
Arms & Interventions
Intervention Group
Intervention: Enhancing Trauma Awareness (Diane Wagenhals, MEd-Lakeside Global Institute) (Behavioral)
Waitlist Control Group
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Change in teacher-children relationship quality (specifically, levels of perceived conflict) at 3 months
Time Frame: The teacher-children relationship quality measurement will be assessed for all 128 teachers through online surveys at baseline (before the fall course) and at 3 months (after the fall course).
A modified version of the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) conflict subscale will be used to allow each teacher to provide one global or aggregated assessment of her/his relationships with all the children in the classroom. The conflict subscale includes eight items to assess negative, insecure, and hostile aspects of relationships.
Secondary Outcomes
- Change in mindfulness (Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale-Revised) at 3 months(The measure will be assessed for all 128 teachers through online surveys at baseline (before the fall course) and at 3 months (after the fall course).)
- Change in empathy (Interpersonal Reactivity Index) at 3 months(The measure will be assessed for all 128 teachers through online surveys at baseline (before the fall course) and at 3 months (after the fall course).)
- Change in emotion regulation (Emotion Regulation Questionnaire) at 3 months(The measure will be assessed for all 128 teachers through online surveys at baseline (before the fall course) and at 3 months (after the fall course).)
- Change in compassion satisfaction (Professional Quality of Life Scale) at 3 months(The measure will be assessed for all 128 teachers through online surveys at baseline (before the fall course) and at 3 months (after the fall course).)
- Change in attitudes about trauma-informed care (Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care Scale) at 3 months(The measure will be assessed for all 128 teachers through online surveys at baseline (before the fall course) and at 3 months (after the fall course).)
- Change in trust in relationships with parents, supervisors, and other staff members (adapted from Trust in Schools Instruments) at 3 months(The measure will be assessed for all 128 teachers through online surveys at baseline (before the fall course) and at 3 months (after the fall course).)
- Change in mentally and physically unhealthy days (CDC Health-Related Quality of Life Healthy Days Core Module) at 3 months(The measure will be assessed for all 128 teachers through online surveys at baseline (before the fall course) and at 3 months (after the fall course).)
- Change in job satisfaction (adapted from Gallup Well-Being Work Index) at 3 months(The measure will be assessed for all 128 teachers through online surveys at baseline (before the fall course) and at 3 months (after the fall course).)
- Change in burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory General) at 3 months(The measure will be assessed for all 128 teachers through online surveys at baseline (before the fall course) and at 3 months (after the fall course).)
- Change in quality and duration of nighttime sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) at 3 months(The measure will be assessed for all 128 teachers through online surveys at baseline (before the fall course) and at 3 months (after the fall course).)
Investigators
Robert Whitaker
Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Pediatrics
Temple University