Understanding and Addressing the Needs of Students in Special Education Through a Trauma-Informed Resilience Curriculum.
Kristin GrayLauren MarlotteHilary AralisJoshua KaufmanSheryl KataokaAngela Venegas-MurilloPatricia LesterPia EscuderoRoya Ijadi-MaghsoodiPublished in: Social work in public health (2024)
This school program evaluation aims to highlight the mental health needs of students in special education with behavioral and emotional challenges and describe the implementation of a resilience curriculum with this population. We evaluated district mental health data from a convenience sample of 814 students in grades 5-12 special education to identify risk for mental health symptoms, violence exposure, and substance use. School social workers provided feedback on the implementation of the resilience curriculum to inform program evaluation. Students reported significant risk for traumatic stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, and high rates of violence exposure and substance use. School social workers described adaptations to the resilience curriculum and gave recommendations for future implementation. Students receiving special education services for behavioral and emotional challenges had high mental health need, including high rates of violence exposure, and may benefit from a trauma-informed school-based resilience curriculum adapted for their needs.
Keyphrases
- mental health
- quality improvement
- high school
- social support
- climate change
- depressive symptoms
- mental illness
- healthcare
- primary care
- spinal cord injury
- physical activity
- medical education
- electronic health record
- clinical practice
- machine learning
- trauma patients
- high intensity
- breast cancer risk
- data analysis
- intimate partner violence
- clinical evaluation