College - Author 1
College of Liberal Arts
Department - Author 1
Psychology and Child Development Department
Degree Name - Author 1
BS in Psychology
College - Author 2
College of Liberal Arts
Department - Author 2
Psychology and Child Development Department
Degree - Author 2
BS in Psychology
College - Author 3
College of Liberal Arts
Department - Author 3
Psychology and Child Development Department
Degree - Author 3
BS in Psychology
College - Author 4
College of Liberal Arts
Department - Author 4
Psychology and Child Development Department
Degree - Author 4
BS in Psychology
Date
12-2023
Primary Advisor
Jay Bettergarcia, College of Liberal Arts, Psychology and Child Development Department
Additional Advisors
Taylor Smith, College of Liberal Arts, Psychology and Child Development Department
Abstract/Summary
It is evident that adverse childhood experiences (ACE) are a large challenge to tackle in the U.S., with 61% of adults reporting that they’ve experienced one ACE and 16% reporting four or more ACEs by age 18 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). ACE score items include, but are not limited to experiencing verbal, physical, sexual abuse, physical and/or emotional neglect, having a mentally ill family member, witnessing violence in the home towards a parent, and/or having a family member in prison. Such experiences serve as a public health threat that, without early intervention, bring about long-term effects biologically, psychologically, and socially; with this, an adequate comprehension of the lasting implications of trauma can enhance and serve as foundational knowledge in establishing potential interventions (Watters & Martin, 2021; van der Kolk, 2014). Fortunately, the effects of ACEs can be disrupted, and research shows that schools could be a primary resource for children to get the support they need. According to the National Center for Education, on average, children in the United States spend 6.64 hours daily in school, with 180 days (about 6 months) out of the year being school days (Xianglei et al., 2019). More than half of a child’s life is spent within the school setting, making elementary school settings a crucial candidate for preventing and treating mental health issues and disorders from a young age. Unfortunately, schools often lack the capacity to provide adequate trauma informed care, especially schools located in areas of low socioeconomic status. Research shows that current education systems can be revised to support traumatized youth and improve emotional, physical, and academic well-being. More studies point to the association between holistic healing practices, a form of trauma-informed care that can be accessible to all communities, and effective biopsychosocial regulation (Bazzano, et al., 2018; Cozzolino et al., 2022; Eads, 2022; Mayer, 2019; Sarkissian Leadership, 2018). Hence, in order to disrupt the effects of trauma on a child’s body, mind, overall wellbeing, and enhance success in school, elementary schools should implement strategic trauma informed protocols in order to holistically support their students. The purpose of this paper is to offer a review of the literature that studied accessible holistic health practices for low SES elementary school settings to support healthy development of children who have experienced and are experiencing adversity.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/psycdsp/58
Included in
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