A systematic review of school‐based interventions and their outcomes for youth exposed to traumatic events

Abstract Youth exposed to traumatic events are at higher risk for negative developmental outcomes, including low academic performance, poor social skills, and mental health concerns. To best address these risks, school‐based intervention services, and trauma‐informed practices can be provided. The goal of this study was to systematically review the intervention research conducted on school‐based trauma interventions, with specific attention to examine intervention effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability across studies. It was found that feasibility and acceptability are not frequently examined, though the data available showed that Enhancing Resiliency Amongst Students Experiencing‐Stress (ERASE‐Stress) and school‐based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) had high rates of fidelity; and school‐based CBT had high levels of acceptability. The review also examined demographic variables and found that U. S.‐based research reported racially/ethnically diverse samples, and most samples were from low‐income populations. Most studies examined youth exposed to war‐ and terror‐related traumas or natural disaster‐related traumas. Additionally, this review provides future directions for research and reveals the need for further research on intervention feasibility and acceptability. A brief description of practice recommendations based on prior research has also been included. It also exposes the need for studies that examine various student demographic variables that are currently not examined and consistency in rating scale use in school‐based trauma intervention research.