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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03303482

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Trauma-awareness Training for Early Childhood Educators

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.

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Key information

Conditions

Burnout, Professional Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Burnout, Psychological Occupational Diseases Occupational Stress Stress, Psychological

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Temple University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 01940, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

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.

Treatment and study plan

Enhancing Trauma Awareness (Diane Wagenhals, MEd-Lakeside Global Institute)

Behavioral

The trauma awareness professional development course is delivered in a small group (up to 16 participants; 2.5 hours every other week over 12 weeks). The course provides an environment for professionals to explore in depth the complex nature of trauma, while also recognizing and emphasizing the highly sensitive nature of trauma that is essential to becoming trauma-informed. The course facilitates a heightened awareness and appreciation for trauma-related behaviors and consequences that influence relationships and systems and that persist across generations.

Primary outcomes

  1. 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

  1. Change in mindfulness (Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale-Revised) at 3 months

    Time frame: 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).

  2. Change in empathy (Interpersonal Reactivity Index) at 3 months

    Time frame: 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).

  3. Change in emotion regulation (Emotion Regulation Questionnaire) at 3 months

    Time frame: 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).

  4. Change in compassion satisfaction (Professional Quality of Life Scale) at 3 months

    Time frame: 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).

  5. Change in job satisfaction (adapted from Gallup Well-Being Work Index) at 3 months

    Time frame: 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).

  6. Change in attitudes about trauma-informed care (Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care Scale) at 3 months

    Time frame: 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).

  7. Change in burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory General) at 3 months

    Time frame: 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).

  8. Change in trust in relationships with parents, supervisors, and other staff members (adapted from Trust in Schools Instruments) at 3 months

    Time frame: 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).

  9. Change in mentally and physically unhealthy days (CDC Health-Related Quality of Life Healthy Days Core Module) at 3 months

    Time frame: 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).

  10. Change in quality and duration of nighttime sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) at 3 months

    Time frame: 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).

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Temple University

Other

Collaborators

  • Lakeside Global Institute
  • The School District of Philadelphia
  • United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (UWGPSNJ)

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2017
Primary completion
2018
Study completion
2018
First posted
Oct 6, 2017
Registry last updated
Nov 20, 2018

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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