A School-Based Post-Katrina Therapeutic Intervention

Abstract

The current study presents the implementation of a set of school based interventions in a greater New Orleans school district one year following Hurricane Katrina. The interventions included adaptation and implementation of evidence based treatments in a crisis situation with at-risk youth which involved training and clinical challenges. 386 students found to have significant depressive and/or disruptive disorder symptoms received treatment from the School Therapeutic Enhancement Program (STEP). Further, a district-wide mental health needs assessment of middle and high school students (N = 11,861) screened for behavioral and emotional difficulties at the beginning and end of the school year provided a benchmark for community youth's emotional and behavioral distress. High-need intervention students demonstrated clinically significant lower levels of emotional and behavioral problems, depression and inattention in comparison to pre-treatment levels as indicated by multiple informants (i.e., self, parent, teacher). Self-reported distress levels were also lower than screening group students at post-test. These findings support the efficacy of a school-based intervention for youth struggling with the aftereffects of a highly disruptive natural disaster. Implications for utilizing a flexible adaptation of an evidence-based training model involving coaching and consultation are discussed.

Study Design and Results of a Population-Based Study on Perceived Stress Following Hurricane Sandy

“…Given these results, our study suggests that stress-reduction interventions among hurricane-affected community members may be particularly useful if implemented at venues such as job fairs and forums on post-hurricane construction, in addition to more typical settings for post-disaster interventions such as mobile clinics in the immediate aftermath, as well as community mental health centers, faith-based organizations, and school settings. [40][41][42] The geographic distribution of the participants shown in Table 1 seems to support the fact that the present study covered a wide geographic area of Long Island, Queens, and Staten Island and involved area known to have had a wide variation in exposures to Sandy. The finding regarding younger age being significantly associated with greater perceived stress confirms previous literature suggesting that younger disaster victims suffer greater impairment than do older adults.…”

School-Based Interventions Aimed at the Prevention and Treatment of Adolescents Affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake: A Three-Year Longitudinal Study

“…In the current study, we introduced a more concise, school-based post-disaster intervention system that integrated local personnel involved in high school education and mental health care prior to the earthquake. Goldman et al (2015) reported similar results, showing that depressive symptoms improved after intervention. These authors did not assess anxiety or PTSR; thus, we cannot further compare our intervention effects with those of the previous study.…”

“…Chemtob et al (2002) found reductions in reports of trauma-related symptoms in children following treatment, suggesting that interventions provided by therapists are effective. A previous report demonstrated the efficiency of a school-based postdisaster intervention system for youths called STEP (Goldman et al 2015). However, the STEP intervention requires considerable numbers of staff members and specialists as well as significant financial resources.…”

“…By contrast, intervention strategies for the population-based management of children in post-disaster settings have rarely been investigated. Recently, the implementation of a specific school-based intervention called the School Therapeutic Enhancement Program (STEP) was introduced in a school district affected by Hurricane Katrina (Goldman et al 2015). Berkowitz et al (2011) reported the effectiveness of a four-session, caregiver-child and caregiver-youth intervention to prevent the development of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder.…”

Improving adjustment and resilience in children following a disaster: Addressing research challenges.

“…As an alternative to propensity scores, matching can be made with existing predisaster behavioral screening scores available in school systems. For example, Goldman and colleagues (2015) studied the effects of school-based interventions for at-risk youth in a greater New Orleans school district 1 year following Hurricane Katrina. Students who had significant depressive and/or disruptive disorder symptoms received treatment using evidence-based interventions.…”