Homophily Effect in Trauma-Informed Classroom Training for School Personnel

Abstract

A national shortage of youth mental health professionals necessitates training others (e.g., school staff) to help youth with behavioral and mental health issues. Professional training in trauma-informed classroom (TIC) practices could increase school staff’s awareness of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The purpose was to determine the effect of homophily on participants’ perceptions or knowledge of TIC training. Mental Health America of Greater Houston (MHAGH) offered TIC training from 2019 to 2020 to Texas educators (N ≈ 29,900) from nine school districts that experienced significant natural and human-made traumatic events. Proportional stratified random samples were selected based on trainer type (experts vs. peer trainers). Perception was measured with close-ended items on five-point scales. Knowledge was measured with content-specific questions. Independent t-tests and two-way ANOVA revealed no significant interaction effects (i.e., trainer and test type) and no differences existed in perception or knowledge by trainer type. TIC training can be equally effective when delivered by homophilous peers (i.e., school staff) and heterophilous experts (i.e., mental health experts). COVID-19 worsened the effects of ACEs and youth mental health issues. High-quality training will increase school staff’s use of TIC practices. MHAGH’s train-the-trainer model helps educators supporting youth affected by ACEs and other life stressors.

Digital and Hybrid Pediatric and Youth Mental Health Program Implementation Challenges During the Pandemic: Literature Review With a Knowledge Translation and Theoretical Lens Analysis

“…Several articles described that they were undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic in both the abstract and title as well as in the main text [ 48 - 74 ]. A few were undertaken before the pandemic but continued throughout the pandemic and had to adjust their implementation strategies, including transitioning from face-to-face programs to adapting to digital health or COVID-19–specific needs [ 43 , 45 - 47 ].…”

“…A couple of studies examined the challenges with implementing mental health programs in face-to-face settings such as in schools and clinics. A large study in the United States with 29,000 stakeholders that analyzed data from 400 participants who undertook training in trauma-informed practices found that trauma-informed classroom practices could be successfully implemented through joint efforts between school-based professionals and mental health care providers [ 47 ]. The mixed methods qualitative interview study with 12 gatekeepers (with longitudinal data from 216 teenagers) by Podar et al [ 38 ] in Germany found that there is a need for an integrated mental health care system in schools and that inequities in accessibility exist among young refugees who experience stigma.…”

Selected Texan K-12 Educators’ Perceptions of Youth Suicide Prevention Training

“…This preliminary study was conducted as a part of MHAGH's Center for School Behavioral Health EBP, which included similar materials and methods reported in [29]'s study. All pertinent YSP methods and materials are reported in following.…”

Digital and Hybrid Pediatric and Youth Mental Health Program Implementation Challenges During the Pandemic: Literature Review With a Knowledge Translation and Theoretical Lens Analysis (Preprint)

“…Several articles described that they were undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic in both the abstract and title as well as in the main text . A few were undertaken before the pandemic but continued throughout the pandemic and had to adjust their implementation strategies, including transitioning from face-to-face programs to adapting to digital health or COVID-19-specific needs [43,[45][46][47].…”