A Trauma-Informed Intervention for Positive Youth Development and Teacher Wellness in Rural Montana
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Sponsor
- Montana State University
- Enrollment
- 20
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
Study Overview
Brief Summary
"A Trauma-Informed Intervention for Positive Youth Development and Teacher Wellness in Rural Montana" is intended to help mitigate stressors that may contribute to poor behavioral and mental health in rural Montana teachers. The immediate goals of this study is to promote student health by supporting teacher wellbeing through a remotely-delivered trauma-informed yoga intervention.
Detailed Description
Project Summary: "A Trauma-Informed Intervention for Positive Youth Development and Teacher Wellness in Rural Montana" is intended to help mitigate stressors that may contribute to poor behavioral and mental health in rural Montana teachers. The immediate goal of this study is to promote student health by supporting teacher wellbeing through a remotely-delivered trauma-informed yoga intervention.
Specific Aim: Expansion of previous pilot study to teachers in the southwestern Montana school district.
Methods: To explore scalability to rural communities without access to yoga instructors, we will implement a limited feasibility study of online yoga delivery to classroom teachers. This study will enroll a minimum 30 Livingston teachers (taught trauma-informed yoga via Zoom), twice weekly for 45-minute trauma-informed yoga sessions during the 6-week intervention period. No participants were assigned to the "No Intervention" arm. To measure physical health outcomes, pre, mid-, and post-intervention cortisol testing will be utilized to evaluate any changes in teacher stress levels before and after the program. Heart rate variability will also be assessed for teachers pre, mid-, and post-intervention using the HeartMath Inner Balance PPG sensor and Em Wave Pro Plus software. To assess behavioral health, pre- and post-survey instruments will collect targeted wellness/mental health data from teachers. An Adverse Childhood Experience Self-Reporting Screener will also be given to participants to establish a baseline of exposure to childhood trauma, which is closely correlated with health outcomes. Teachers will also complete the Teachers' Sense of Self Efficacy Survey and the Professional Quality of Life Index, which are linked to teacher mental health, retention, and career satisfaction.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Non Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Single Group
- Primary Purpose
- Treatment
- Masking
- None
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 21 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •Any teacher currently employed by the Livingston school district who wishes to participate in the intervention (up to 35 participants)
Exclusion Criteria
- •Only teachers will be considered for this study (i.e., no school staff, administrators, etc.)
Arms & Interventions
Experimental Group Yoga
35 rural teachers in a southwestern Montana school district participating in a trauma-informed yoga intervention
Intervention: Trauma-Informed Yoga (Behavioral)
No Intervention
No participants were assigned to the No Intervention Arm
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
Time Frame: Pre-Intervention (Baseline), Post-Intervention (Week 6)
This 9 item questionnaire is designed to evaluate severity of depressive symptoms in participants. It is scored on a Likert scale from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day) on items linked to depression indicators. The minimum score is a 0 and the maximum score is a 27, and a reduction in score from pre- to post-assessment indicates an improvement in symptomology. Lower scores indicate a better outcome.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Anxiety Scale (GAD-7)
Time Frame: Pre-Intervention (Baseline), Post-Intervention (Week 6)
This 7 item questionnaire is based on a likert scale of 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day) for items related to anxiety disorders. The lowest score is a zero and the maximum score is a 21. A reduction in score from pre- to post-assessment indicates an improvement in symptomology. Lower scores indicate a better outcome.
Change in Salivary Cortisol Levels
Time Frame: Pre-Intervention (Baseline), Post-Intervention (Week 6)
Participants will provide a saliva sample in which cortisol levels will be analyzed through salivary assay kits (through Salimetrics.com). Samples will be collected on the first day of the intervention, halfway through the intervention, and on the last day of the intervention to determine if the intervention has improved stress levels (as indicated by a reduction in cortisol levels). A biostatistician will provide analysis and conclusion of these samples at the conclusion of the study
Heart Rate Variability
Time Frame: Pre-Intervention (Baseline), Post-Intervention (Week 6)
Participants enrolled will have their heart rate data measured by the HeartMath Institute Inner Balance Bluetooth Sensor and accompanying software for Android or IOS smartphones (Inner Balance) or Inner Balance USB Sensor and accompanying computer software (EmWave Pro Plus (28, 29) The small plastic sensors will clip to the participant's earlobe and send photoplethysmography-derived (PPG) pulse signals via a non-invasive light source and photodetector.
Secondary Outcomes
- Teachers' Sense of Self-Efficacy (Short Form) (TSSE)(Pre-Intervention (Baseline), Post-Intervention (Week 6))
- Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC)(Pre-Intervention (Baseline), Post-Intervention (Week 6))
- Professional Quality of Life Index (Pro-QOL)(Pre-Intervention (Baseline), Post-Intervention (Week 6))
- PROMIS Sleep Disturbance Scales (PROMIS)(Pre-Intervention (Baseline), Post-Intervention (Week 6))
- PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)(Pre-Intervention (Baseline), Post-Intervention (Week 6))
Investigators
Lauren Davis
Assistant Professor of Curriculum & Instruction
Montana State University