Reducing Mass Incarceration Through Trauma-Informed Pedagogy

This chapter outlines strategies and practices that align with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's trauma-informed approach applied to school pedagogy in the United States to minimize or prevent trauma, especially for students referred to the school-to-prison pipeline, consequently reducing mass incarceration. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the United States' health crisis exposed a vulnerability for people of color, poorer communities, and those incarcerated, stressing a need to respond expediently to address trauma in marginalized communities. The Adverse Childhood Experiences Connection referred to childhood trauma as “America's hidden health crisis.” Focusing on trauma for school-aged youth offers a path to preventing or minimizing trauma. Research suggests that more robust, multidisciplinary research, with an intentional purpose to transform teacher practices and responses to disciplinary conduct, is needed.

When solidarity hurts: (Intra)cultural trust, cultural betrayal sexual trauma, and PTSD in culturally diverse minoritized youth transitioning to adulthood

Sexual trauma is associated with PTSD, with perpetrators putting women and girls more at risk than men and boys. Young adulthood is a time where risk of victimization and susceptibility to mental health problems increase. Certain contributors of costly trauma outcomes may be affected by the larger context of societal inequality. Cultural betrayal trauma theory (CBTT) highlights cultural betrayal in within-group trauma in minoritized populations as a dimension of harm that affects outcomes. In CBTT, within-group trauma violates the (intra)cultural trust—solidarity, love, loyalty, connection, responsibility—that is developed between group members to buffer against societal inequality. This violation, termed a cultural betrayal, can contribute to poorer mental health. The purpose of the current study is to address a gap in the CBTT literature by examining the role of (intra)cultural trust on the association between cultural betrayal sexual trauma and symptoms of PTSD among diverse minoritized youth transitioning to adulthood. Participants ( N = 173) were diverse minoritized college students, who completed a 30-min online questionnaire at a location of their own choosing. Participants received course credit and could decline to answer any question without penalty. The results reveal that the interaction between cultural betrayal sexual trauma and (intra)cultural trust predicted clinically significant symptoms of PTSD. These findings have implications for increased cultural and contextual specificity in trauma research in minoritized populations, which can aid in the development and implementation of culturally competent interventions for diverse minoritized youth survivors of sexual trauma.

THE CONSTRUCT OF MORAL TRAUMA AND ITS CONCEPTUAL CONTENT

Purpose is to explore the concept of moral trauma, as well as to carry out a comparative analysis with relevant concepts of collective trauma, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and traumatic stress.Methods. The study applies theoretical analysis of the literature and systematization of recent studies aligned with the concept of moral trauma, including of methods of analysis, synthesis, and generalization.Results. A review of the literature identifies key approaches to the interpretation of moral trauma concept in the context of military trauma research and research in the terms of morality and moral experiences.Conclusions. The main concept definitions, key characteristics, common and distinct conceptual features of the moral trauma, traumatic stress, PTSD and collective trauma concepts have been analyzed. The study reveals that moral trauma is often aligned with individual and collective context, while PTSD is always connected with individual trauma. Collective trauma often relates to historic trauma, trauma of identity and cultural trauma. The key difference of moral trauma in comparison with PTSD, collective trauma md and continuous traumatic stress is aligned with negative moral emotions, particularly feelings of guilt, shame, disgust, fear and anxiety. The traumatic stress concept covers physiological and psychological reactions of the body arising from security breaches and threats feelings, while moral trauma refers to damage of moral conscience and human values caused by subjective perception and experience in the individual backgrounds of the situation as traumatic.The results of theoretical analysis also indicate that moral trauma should be studied in the wider context of morality, namely moral standards, moral judgements, moral behaviour and moral emotions. Prospects for further research are the construct of moral trauma study in the context of the Psychology of Genocide as a collective and historical trauma, developing methodological basis for empirical research of moral trauma as a consequence of genocide.Key words: morality, moral trauma, PTSD, traumatic stress, collective trauma. Мета – дослідити поняття моральної травми, а також провести порівняльний аналіз із відповідними поняттями колективної травми, посттравматичного стресового розладу (ПТСР) та травматичного стресу.Методи. У дослідженні застосовується теоретичний аналіз літератури та систематизація досліджень останніх років, узгоджених із концепцією моральної травми, включно з методами аналізу, синтезу та узагальнення.Результати. Огляд літератури визначає ключові підходи до трактування концепції моральної травми в контексті досліджень військової травми з точки зору моралі та морального досвіду.Висновки. Проаналізовано визначення основних понять, ключові характеристики, загальні та чіткі концептуальні ознаки моральної травми, травматичного стресу, посттравматичного стресового розладу та концепції колективної травми. Дослідження показує, що моральна травма часто узгоджується з індивідуальним та колективним контекстом, тоді як посттравматичний стресовий розлад завжди пов’язаний з індивідуальною травмою. Колективна травма часто пов’язана з історичною травмою, травмою ідентичності та культурною травмою. Ключова відмінність моральної травми порівняно з посттравматичним стресовим розладом, колективною травмою та постійним травматичним стресом узгоджується з негативними моральними емоціями, зокрема почуттям провини, сорому, огиди, страху та тривоги.Поняття травматичного стресу охоплює фізіологічні та психологічні реакції організму, що виникають через відчуття порушення безпеки та загрози, тоді як моральна травма стосується ушкоджень моральної совісті та цінностей людини, спричинених суб’єктивним сприйняттям та переживанням в індивідуальному досвіді ситуації як травматичної.Результати теоретичного аналізу також указують на те, що моральну травму слід вивчати у ширшому контексті моралі, а саме через моральні стандарти, моральні судження, моральну поведінку та моральні емоції. Перспективами подальших досліджень є вивчення конструкту моральної травми в контексті психології геноциду як колективної та історичної травми, що становить методологічну основу емпіричного дослідження моральної травми як наслідку геноциду.Ключові слова: мораль, моральна травма, ПТСР, травматичний стрес, колективна травма.

Epidemiology, Clinical Characteristics, and Risk Factors for Running-Related Injuries among South African Trail Runners

Trail running involves running on varying natural terrains, often including large elevation gains/losses. Trail running has a high risk of injury, and runners often participate in remote regions where medical support is challenging. The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiology, clinical characteristic, and associated injury risk factors among trail runners. A modified Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Questionnaire for Health Problems (OSTRC-H) was used biweekly to collect running-related injury (RRI) and training history data prospectively, among 152 participants (males n = 120, females n = 32) over 30 weeks. We report an overall injury rate of 19.6 RRIs per 1000 h and an RRI mean prevalence of 12.3%. The leading anatomical site of RRIs was the lower limb (82.9%), affecting the knee (29.8%), shin/lower leg (18.0%), and the foot/toes (13.7%). A history of previous RRI in the past 12 months (p = 0.0032) and having a chronic disease (p = 0.0188) are independent risk factors for RRIs among trail runners. Two in three trail runners sustain an RRI mainly affecting the knee, shin/lower leg, and foot/toes. A history of previous RRI in the past 12 months and a having chronic disease is independently associated with RRI among trail runners. These results could be used to develop future RRI prevention strategies, combined with clinical knowledge and experience.

Methodological implications of adapting and applying a web-based questionnaire on health problems to adolescent football players

Background The Oslo Sport Trauma Research Centre Questionnaire on Health Problems (OSTRC-H) has become a popular tool to monitor health status in athletes. Originally developed for adult athletes, the tool is today also being used in adolescent athletes. However, little is known on the suitability of the questionnaire for the adolescent age group and the methodological implications of applying the tool to prospectively monitor illness and injury. To address this gap in methodological knowledge, the aim of this study is to outline and discuss the adaption and application process of the OSTRC-H to adolescent football players. Method The adaption process included a slightly modified back-translation method to translate the questionnaire. The application process included a web-based version of the Swedish OSTRC-H sent out once a week over 23 weeks to 115 adolescent football players aged 10-19 attending two football schools in Sweden. The response rate and prevalence of health problems over 23 weeks were calculated as feasibility indicators. Additionally, comprehensibility questions were added to the questionnaire in the end of the study. Result No major disagreement was found between the original and translated versions of the questionnaire. However, significant changes to the wording of the questions and answer categories were necessary to adapt it to adolescents. A visual body figure was also added. The average weekly response rate was 38% (SD 13.5). To increase this rate, questionnaire data was gathered retrospectively through telephone and email contact with the participants and their parents, elevating the response rate to 53% (SD 15.5). The adolescents experienced the questionnaire as easy to understand and to cover all relevant health problems. Conclusion Our study demonstrates the importance of adapting the questionnaire to the adolescent target group through translation, pre-tests, adjustments of wording and the facilitation of answering the questionnaire using a visual body figure. The study further shows the importance of keeping close and personal contact with the participants, their parents, teachers, and coaches throughout data collection. Future studies should take into account the age group and study context when adapting and applying the OSTRC-H to adolescents.

Cardiopulmonary Loading and COVID-19: Training Impact during Lockdown among Athletes of Tertiary Learning Institutions in Masvingo, Zimbabwe

Physiological, psycho-social and emotional parameters are critical skill and technical performance motifs in sports endeavors. Despite their noteworthy basis for high-quality athletic efficiencies, training and psycho-social deficiencies are inevitable challenges for athletes in competitive locales. This prospective cohort study adopted the quantitative approach. Its population was 200 participants with a sample of 25 coaches and 50 players drawn from selected tertiary institution teams in Masvingo Province. Study participants were drawn using stratified random sampling. Its thrust was to establish the impact of COVID-19 for return-to-sport athletes during lockdown restrictions. Further, it explored cardiological implications of cardiopulmonary loading parameters among athletes with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-oriented pulmonary ailments and non-diseased group. An adapted updated version of the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre questionnaire was used for data collection. Emerging findings revealed substantial disruption of training normalcy from lockdown restrictions. Players risked injury sustenance from solitude unsupervised workouts. Further, high cardiopulmonary loading intensities compromised health conditions of athletes with COPD-related ailments than the non-diseased group. Moreover, athletes reported major physiological and psycho-social retardation trends upon return-to-sport fora from COVID-19 lay-off restrictions. Creating online digital coaching bionetwork websites could substantially enhance ‘Work from Home’ training environments. Digital health support synergies through virtual tele-health conferences and video/zoom forums could further provide practical resolutions for athletes’ physiological and psycho-social parameters. Moderate to high intensity aerobic indoor training regimes could serve to attenuate retardation of quality skeletal tenacity and capacitate cardio-pulmonary activities from the effects of COVID-19 restrictions. SARS-oriented athletes require appropriately designed training regimes that are within their motoric aptitudes to avoid compromising their cardiopulmonary-related ailments. This allows for gradual alterations of physiological body processes from the onset of training workouts.