Trauma-Informed Methods to Enhance School-Based Bullying Prevention Initiatives: An Emerging Model

Abstract

This article describes an emerging model of trauma-informed supports for school climate and bullying prevention developed through a social research design and development approach. Student survey data were used to inform program design. The study was conducted as part of baseline data collection for a federal Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant awarded to a cooperative group of 10 school districts in upstate New York. A local university partnered with the cooperative to design an innovative program model to enhance bullying prevention and provide social-emotional and mental health supports for students. In addition to descriptive data, findings from multinomial logistic regression analyses are provided to understand the relative influence of the independent variables on the students’ report of bully–aggressor behavior and victim–bystander experiences.

KEYWORDS:

• bullying
• Safe Schools/Healthy Students
• sanctuary model
• school climate
• toxic stress
• trauma-informed
• victim/bystander