A Trauma-Informed Intervention for Positive Youth Development and Teacher Wellness in Rural Montana
A Trauma-Informed Intervention for Positive Youth Development and Teacher Wellness in Rural Montana
"A Trauma-Informed Intervention for Positive Youth Development and Teacher Wellness in Rural Montana" is intended to help mitigate stressors that may contribute to poor behavioral and mental health in rural Montana teachers. The immediate goals of this study is to promote student health by supporting teacher wellbeing through a remotely-delivered trauma-informed yoga intervention.
Project Summary: "A Trauma-Informed Intervention for Positive Youth Development and Teacher Wellness in Rural Montana" is intended to help mitigate stressors that may contribute to poor behavioral and mental health in rural Montana teachers. The immediate goal of this study is to promote student health by supporting teacher wellbeing through a remotely-delivered trauma-informed yoga intervention.
Specific Aim: Expansion of previous pilot study to teachers in the southwestern Montana school district.
Methods: To explore scalability to rural communities without access to yoga instructors, we will implement a limited feasibility study of online yoga delivery to classroom teachers. This study will enroll a minimum 30 Livingston teachers (taught trauma-informed yoga via Zoom), twice weekly for 45-minute trauma-informed yoga sessions during the 6-week intervention period. No participants were assigned to the "No Intervention" arm. To measure physical health outcomes, pre, mid-, and post-intervention cortisol testing will be utilized to evaluate any changes in teacher stress levels before and after the program. Heart rate variability will also be assessed for teachers pre, mid-, and post-intervention using the HeartMath Inner Balance PPG sensor and Em Wave Pro Plus software. To assess behavioral health, pre- and post-survey instruments will collect targeted wellness/mental health data from teachers. An Adverse Childhood Experience Self-Reporting Screener will also be given to participants to establish a baseline of exposure to childhood trauma, which is closely correlated with health outcomes. Teachers will also complete the Teachers' Sense of Self Efficacy Survey and the Professional Quality of Life Index, which are linked to teacher mental health, retention, and career satisfaction.
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria: