The Southwest Florida region experienced COVID-19 and a major hurricane between 2020 and 2022. The increase in major emergencies, which are often unpredictable, can be highly distressing for those affected. This phenomenological study describes the lived experiences of academics through these two significant traumatic events and explores the…

Background/Context: Our study takes an asset-based approach to examine the experiences of Puerto Rican undergraduates and the consequences of cascading disasters (e.g., hurricanes, earthquakes, COVID-19). Puerto Rican undergraduates were prone to vulnerability during cascading disasters because they lacked emergency supplies (e.g., flashlights),…

Crises such as natural disasters or pandemics negatively impact the mental health of the affected community, increasing rates of depression, anxiety, or stress. It has been proposed that this stems in part from crisis-related stimuli triggering negative reactions that interrupt daily life. Given the frequency and prominence of crisis events, it is…

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand and describe the lived experiences of school counselors in South Carolina regarding natural disaster trauma and their perceptions regarding their ability to work effectively with students during and after disasters. The experiences of school counselors regarding their…

The Journey of Hope (JoH) is an evidence-based behavioral health prevention intervention model designed for disaster-affected children and youth. While the in-person JoH model has been extensively delivered and studied, the virtual implementation of this intervention, specifically tailored for the unique needs of children and youth during the…

In the spring of 2020, the emerging COVID-19 pandemic prompted states across the country to mandate that most early childhood education programs close, leaving families with young children scrambling to adapt to full-time caregiving and leaving educators uncertain of their economic and professional future. For many communities, this hardship was…

More than 260 presidentially-declared major disasters have occurred since 2017, affecting every state and several U.S. territories, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Many of these natural disasters have had devastating effects, including rendering K-12 school facilities unusable for extended periods of time. These…

We explored the factors associated with the stress signs among children during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. Although children showed increased stress signs, they also showed increased development of good behavioral traits during this period. Parenting styles were significantly correlated with the psychological and physical stresses experienced…

The impacts of childhood trauma and adverse childhood experiences can have devastating consequences on students' learning and wellbeing. Pairing this alongside the negative and vicarious impacts of secondary traumatic stress on teachers and school leaders, efforts towards whole school change are complex endeavours. The extant literature from…

The Tennessee First Five Training Institute (TFFTI) is a workforce development project to build infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) capacity across Tennessee's community mental health agencies. TFFTI focused on foundational trainings in IECMH concepts, training in child-parent psychotherapy, dyadic, trauma treatment for children birth…

Children are powerful agents of change when given the chance to succeed. However, due to protracted crises and natural disasters, an estimated 33 million children have been forcibly displaced worldwide and denied their childhoods and an opportunity to reach their full potential. Psychosocial support is key to bridging the learning gap that…

This brief is one in a series aimed at providing K-12 education decision makers and advocates with an evidence base to ground discussions about how to best serve students during and following the novel coronavirus pandemic. It addresses one central question: What policies, procedures, and practices coupled with professional development can prepare…