Examining the effectiveness of Trauma Smart® training: Staff satisfaction, knowledge, and attitudes

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) negatively impact physical, social, and psychological well-being, particularly for children in poverty.
• Accumulating ACEs increase the risk of poor long-term outcomes.
• Schools are critical settings for preventing and intervening in traumatic stress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Trauma Smart organizational change intervention.
• To assess staff satisfaction, knowledge, and attitudes following trauma-informed care training.
• To determine the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention in real-world school settings.

Main Methods:

• A 1-year longitudinal, pre-post design study.
• Involved 2,418 staff across 42 preschools and elementary schools during intervention scale-up.
• Evaluated satisfaction, post-training knowledge, and pre-to-post attitude changes.

Main Results:

• Staff reported high satisfaction with the Trauma Smart training (92% satisfied).
• Staff demonstrated strong knowledge of trauma-informed care concepts (90% correct quiz scores).
• Training led to significant, medium-to-large effect size improvements in attitudes toward trauma-informed care.

Conclusions:

• Trauma Smart staff training is feasible and acceptable for preschool and elementary school staff.
• The intervention shows potential to enhance knowledge and attitudes related to trauma-informed approaches.
• This training is particularly relevant for staff serving vulnerable children experiencing poverty.