Effectiveness of trauma-informed, school-based interventions for children with a history of trauma or adverse experiences: an umbrella review protocol

The objective of this review is to synthesize evidence regarding the effectiveness of trauma-informed, school-based interventions for children with a history of trauma or adverse experiences as they pertain to academic performance and health outcomes, including behavior, mental health, and socio-emotional functioning.

Children and adolescents who face prolonged adverse experiences or trauma have a predisposition toward emotional, behavioral, mental, and physical health problems. Few children or adolescents who endure the repercussions of constant stress and hardships, or survivors of one or more types of trauma, receive the appropriate screening and diagnosis; therefore, they do not receive tailored care or interventions.

This review will include research syntheses pertaining to school-based, trauma-informed interventions for children and adolescents between the ages of 4 and 18 years with a history of adverse experiences or trauma. Comparisons will be made across all known school-based, trauma-informed interventions. This review will consider systematic reviews that include the following outcomes: mental health, behavior, academic performance, and/or socio-emotional functioning.

The search strategy will aim to locate both published and unpublished systematic reviews. An initial limited search of MEDLINE (PubMed) and CINAHL (EBSCO) will identify articles on the topic. The search strategy will be adapted for each included information source. Articles published in English will be considered for inclusion and no date limits will apply. Two independent reviewers will critically appraise eligible studies. Extracted data will be tabulated and presented along with a narrative summary.