Effect of trauma-informed care on hair cortisol concentration in youth welfare staff and client physical aggression towards staff: results of a longitudinal study

Abstract Background Professional caregivers working in child and youth welfare institutions are frequently faced with the complex mental health issues, emotional needs and challenging coping strategies of clients with cumulated traumatic experiences, leaving them prone to developing high levels of stress, burn-out and compassion fatigue. Trauma-informed care (TIC) is a milieu-therapeutic approach that aims to promote the self-efficacy and self-care of youth welfare staff by guiding them to a better understanding of their own and their clients’ stress symptoms and countertransference. Despite increasing efforts to implement TIC practices, and more widespread recognition of their value in youth welfare systems, there is a lack of studies evaluating the effectiveness of this approach. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of TIC practices in youth welfare institutions on both the physiological stress of staff members and clients’ physical aggression towards their caregivers. . Methods Data was obtained from a longitudinal study investigating the effectiveness of TIC in 14 residential youth welfare institutions. Our sample consisted of 47 youth welfare employees (66.0% female) aged from 23 to 60 years (M = 37.4, SD = 10.4 years). Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) and occurrences of client physical aggression were assessed at four annual measurement time points (T1 to T4). Results Participants in five institutions employing TIC practices (intervention group) showed significantly lower HCC at T4 than staff members from institutions who did not receive training in TIC (control group), indicating reduced physiological stress levels. At T4, the intervention group reported significantly less physical aggression than the control group. Conclusions TIC might be a promising approach for reducing the emotional burden of employees and institutions should invest in training their staff in TIC practices. More research is necessary, to investigate the benefits and efficacy of TIC, both to youths and staff members, and to foster a better understanding of which specific factors may contribute to stress reduction.

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An Evaluation of Whole-School Trauma-Informed Training Intervention Among Post-Primary School Personnel: A Mixed Methods Study

Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma ◽

10.1007/s40653-021-00432-3 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Justin MacLochlainn ◽

Karen Kirby ◽

Paula McFadden ◽

John Mallett

Keyword(s):

Professional Development ◽

Compassion Fatigue ◽

Intervention Group ◽

School Personnel ◽

Control Group ◽

Whole School ◽

Trauma Informed Care ◽

Quality Of Life Scale ◽

Professional Development Training ◽

Trauma Informed

AbstractStudents’ ability to reach their potential in school—both behaviourally and academically – is linked to their educator’s knowledge of child and adolescent development, childhood adversity and trauma, and how these impact learning and behaviour. However, teacher pre-service training programmes often offer inadequate instruction to meet the needs of trauma-impacted students. The purpose of the study was to investigate the benefits of professional development training in trauma-informed approaches on school personnel attitudes and compassion fatigue. There is a paucity of research on whole-school trauma-informed approaches and most have methodological limitations via the absence of a control group. In addressing this gap, the study is one of the first to utilise a control group in the research design to ensure findings are robust. The study utilised a quasi-experimental wait-list control pre-post intervention design to evaluate the efficacy of trauma-informed professional development training. We compared attitudes and compassion fatigue among 216 school personnel (n = 98 intervention, n = 118 comparison) utilising the Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care (ARTIC) scale and the Professional Quality of Life scale (Pro-QoL). Quantitative data was supplemented by qualitative focus group data. Findings demonstrated that school-personnel within the intervention group reported significant improvements in attitudes related to trauma-informed care, and a significant decrease in burnout at 6-month follow-up. Our findings demonstrate that with minimum training on the dynamics of trauma, personnel attached to a school can become more trauma-informed and have more favourable attitudes towards trauma-impacted students and consequently be less likely to experience burnout.

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Sustainable implementation of person-centred care in residential care facilities: hindering and supporting factors when improving incontinence care

Nursing and Residential Care ◽

10.12968/nrec.2021.23.1.5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Eirini Alexiou ◽

Irma Lindström Kjellberg ◽

Helle Wijk

Keyword(s):

Residential Care ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Control Group ◽

Residential Care Facilities ◽

Implementation Phase ◽

Staff Members ◽

Ward Atmosphere ◽

Care Assessment ◽

Care Facilities ◽

The Impact

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to focus on the impact of the implementation of a person-centred approach on staff perception of the likelihood of being able to provide person-centred care and strain in the workplace. Design: The study was a controlled prospective cohort study performed at three residential care facilities in western Sweden involving all nursing staff members active from 2013 through 2015 at baseline and at three follow-ups during and after the implementation period. Two of the residential care facilities were assigned to the intervention group and one was assigned to the control group. Method: The study was designed to test the sustainability of a person-centred approach based on three aspects: partnership, narrative and documentation. A cross-section of 20 coworkers were purposively sampled from a total of 100 persons working at the two Intervention nursing homes to participate in the intervention group. The process outcome was measured as: perceived ward atmosphere, using the staff version of the validated Person-Centred Climate Questionnaire; person-centred care, measured using the validated Person-centred Care Assessment Tool; and experience of strain in work, using the Strain in Nursing Care Assessment Scale. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all variables using the SPSS Statistics software package. Findings: The results show that, at the control site, there were lower staff perceptions of the care atmosphere, higher level of strain experienced in their work and a lower likelihood of providing a person-centred care approach, whereas these factors remained rather stable over time at the intervention residential care facilities. Two contrasting results were observed—namely, that the higher the staff's perception of the likelihood of being able to provide individualised care and of a more person-centred ward atmosphere, the higher their stress levels experienced at work. In addition, older ages and long durations of work experience significantly negatively affected the staff's assessment of their ability to create an atmosphere of everydayness and to adopt a person-centred approach in care. Conclusions: The findings show that sustainability of a person-centred ward atmosphere is possible in the care of older people, despite staffing problems and other organisational challenges, according to the staff's assessment, after implementation of a person-centred programme. The more experienced staff members assessed their likelihood of being able to provide a person-centred care as lower after the implementation phase, indicating that despite the ambition of supporting person-centredness and quality of care, staffing and management difficulties that are present at the outset of the programme's implementation can later lead to stress and frustration relating to roles and routines.

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The Effects of the Medical Pause on Physiological Stress Markers among Health Care Providers: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Western Journal of Nursing Research ◽

10.1177/01939459211027657 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 019394592110276

Author(s):

Ebru Cayir ◽

Tim Cunningham ◽

Ryne Ackard ◽

Julie Haizlip ◽

Jeongok Logan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Health Care ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Heart Rate Variability ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Physiological Stress ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Control Group ◽

Care Providers ◽

The Impact

Contemplative practices promote well-being, work engagement and resilience among health care providers. We examined the impact of The Pause, a brief contemplative intervention, on health care providers’ physiological stress response. Participants were randomly assigned to either The Pause or the control group. They participated in a high-fidelity, stressful medical simulation. Following the simulation, intervention group practiced The Pause. Outcome measures were heart rate variability, heart rate, and blood pressure. We adjusted for baseline physiological variables, sociodemographic variables, self-care practices, and perceived stress. Participants in the intervention group had a standard deviation of the normal-to-normal RR intervals (heart rate variability indicator) that was 13.8 (95% CI 4.0, 23.5; p < .01) points higher than those in the control group. There were no significant effects of The Pause on heart rate or blood pressure. The Pause may reduce stress reactivity, increase heart rate variability, and enhance resilience in health care providers.

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A Pilot Study on the Efficacy of Volunteer Mentorship for Young Adults With Self-Harm Behaviors Using a Quasi-Experimental Design

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000393 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 37 (6) ◽

pp. 415-426 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Yik-Wa Law ◽

Paul S. F. Yip ◽

Carmen C. S. Lai ◽

Chi Leung Kwok ◽

Paul W. C. Wong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Experimental Design ◽

Suicide Ideation ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Well Being ◽

Control Group ◽

Treatment As Usual ◽

Prevention Services ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Self Harm ◽

Volunteer Support

Abstract. Background: Studies have shown that postdischarge care for self-harm patients is effective in reducing repeated suicidal behaviors. Little is known about whether volunteer support can help reduce self-harm repetition and improve psychosocial well-being. Aim: This study investigated the efficacy of volunteer support in preventing repetition of self-harm. Method: This study used a quasi-experimental design by assigning self-harm patients admitted to the emergency departments to an intervention group with volunteer support and treatment as usual (TAU) for 9 months and to a control group of TAU. Outcome measures include repetition of self-harm, suicidal ideation, hopelessness, and level of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Results: A total of 74 cases were recruited (38 participants; 36 controls). There were no significant differences in age, gender, and clinical condition between the two groups at the baseline. The intervention group showed significant improvements in hopelessness and depressive symptoms. However, the number of cases of suicide ideation and of repetition of self-harm episodes was similar for both groups at the postintervention period. Conclusion: Postdischarge care provided by volunteers showed significant improvement in hopelessness and depression. Volunteers have been commonly involved in suicide prevention services. Further research using rigorous methods is recommended for improving service quality in the long term.

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Promoting the Community's Ability to Detect and Respond to Suicide Risk Through an Online Bystander Intervention Model-Informed Tool

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000708 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Karien Hill ◽

Shawn Somerset ◽

Ralf Schwarzer ◽

Carina Chan

Keyword(s):

Suicide Prevention ◽

Suicide Risk ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Bystander Intervention ◽

Self Report ◽

Innovative Technology ◽

Control Group ◽

Intervention Model ◽

Standard Material

Abstract. Background: The public health sector has advocated for more innovative, technology-based, suicide prevention education for the community, to improve their ability to detect and respond to suicide risk. Emerging evidence suggests addressing the bystander effect through the Bystander Intervention Model (BIM) in education material may have potential for suicide prevention. Aims: The current study aimed to assess whether BIM-informed tools can lead to improved readiness, confidence and intent in the community to detect and respond to suicide risk in others. Method: A sample of 281 adults recruited from the community participated in a randomized controlled trial comprising a factsheet designed according to the BIM (intervention group) and a standard factsheet about suicide and mental health (control group). Participants' self-reported detecting and responding to suicide risk readiness, confidence, and intent when presented with a suicidal peer was tested pre- and postintervention and compared across time and between groups. Results: The intervention group had significantly higher levels of detecting and responding to suicide risk readiness, confidence, and intent than the control group at postintervention (all p < .001) with moderate-to-large effect sizes. Limitations: The study was limited by a homogenous sample, too low numbers at follow-up to report, and self-report data only. Conclusion: This study demonstrates BIM-informed suicide prevention training may enhance the community's intervention readiness, confidence, and intent better than current standard material. Further testing in this area is recommended. While results were statistically significant, clinical significance requires further exploration.

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