How are Educators Coping with Student Trauma in the New School Year?

By Aaron Leo, Jessie Tobin & Kristen C. Wilcox

Youths’ Mental Health and Trauma during the Pandemic

As documented in previous NYKids blogs, students’ mental health and social-emotional wellbeing has become a top priority for educators across the country. While schools have largely removed or reduced COVID-related restrictions due to lowered numbers of cases, the deep effects of the pandemic on youth is still being uncovered. The negative impacts on students’ mental health may manifest itself in emotional outbursts, difficulties to interact with peers and adults, as well as more severe anti-social behaviors.

Research reports have already noted that, in addition to the academic losses incurred by youth during the shift to virtual learning, students are suffering from increased levels of trauma, stress, and anxiety. For instance, a recent survey conducted by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California reports that “over 63% of students reported experiencing an emotional meltdown and 45% of students reported feeling depressed.” The Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that that emergency department visits for suspected suicide attempts among adolescents increased by nearly one-third in 2020 compared with the previous year. The PEW Charitable Trusts reports that a staggering 140,000 children lost a primary or secondary caregiver to the virus.

Particular demographics of youth have been more severely affected by the pandemic. For youth living in poverty, the stress of the pandemic was exacerbated among families struggling with economic stability, unemployment, and food security. Among students of color, struggles for racial justice compounded the stress and anxiety wrought by the pandemic. And in Appalachia, researchers found that youth already suffering from the trauma caused by the opioid epidemic have been acutely impacted by the havoc caused by the pandemic.

Challenges to Meeting the Needs of Students

As discussed above, the pandemic and its effects on students’ mental wellbeing poses tremendous challenges for educators.

One particular barrier encountered in school districts is to provide an adequate number of staff members trained to handle trauma. Reports show that the number of students per each mental health professional in most schools is far higher than recommended. For instance, California’s average ratio between students and counselors was 601 to 1 in the 2020 school year, which is more than twice the ratio recommended by the American School Counselor Association.

Despite these barriers, the growing attention to youth mental health has prompted policymakers to reallocate additional funds to address this crisis. The American Rescue Plan Act and the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund sets aside billions of dollars for education and health grants which can be spent on addressing youths’ mental health needs. Likewise, school districts across the country are prioritizing students’ mental health through particular programs aimed at training staff to handle trauma and develop students’ social-emotional learning.

Trauma-Informed School Practices

As schools across the country fully reopen, mental health professionals have recommended that trauma-informed practices can help ensure that the negative impacts on students’ mental health are addressed. While there is not an exact consensus on what such frameworks entail, several themes are common across trauma-informed approaches:

• Firstly, educators must acknowledge the trauma that students have faced rather than go about “business as usual”.
• Programs at both the classroom and school level that facilitate positive relationships among peers and between students and adults are crucial in building social supports for youth.
• Particular curricular lessons can help teach students social-emotional skills to help them cope with trauma and assist others.
• Stable routines and clearly communicated classroom and schoolwide norms reinforce a sense of safety and security in students.
• Creating opportunities to give students voice can ensure that students’ concerns are acknowledged and heard by adults.
• Professional development programs can provide staff members with training in trauma-informed approaches to support all students. As we have demonstrated through our ongoing study, such programs must also recognize the stress and trauma that educators have endured during the pandemic.
• Educators must also work with parents and caregivers to ensure that students are supported in various ways both at home and in school.

Conclusion

Thankfully the numbers of COVID cases has declined, however, the effects of the pandemic on youth across the country are yet to be fully realized. Although educators face an uphill battle as they seek to address students’ mental health and social-emotional wellbeing, the growing awareness of this crisis and the frameworks and programs in place to support students offer a hopeful way forward.

With such challenges in mind, the NYKids research team has provided additional insights into the stress incurred by educators across New York State. Through a research partnership with members of the School of Public Health at the University at Albany, our team has also begun a project investigating the impact of Adverse Childhood Effects (ACEs) on youth in the Capital Region. Stay tuned for continued results from these ongoing research efforts!

As always, we thank you for your interest in NYKids and encourage you to reach out to us with questions and feedback. You can contact us at nykids@albany.edu and keep up with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For tools to support the mental health and social-emotional needs of youth, check out NYKids’ resources page.