TRANSFORMing Racial Stress and Trauma: Preliminary Findings from a School-Based Group Intervention Pilot Study

• In Event: Insisting on Critical Hope: Interrogating School-Based Trauma and Reimagining Liberatory Possibilities

Abstract

Background
Racism has deleterious effects on adjustment and coping outcomes for youth of color (Huynh & Fuligni, 2010; Williams et al., 2018). Although school is an incubator for development, identity and adjustment it is also a salient context where youth experience and process RST (Jernigan & Daniel, 2011). Youth’s experiences with direct, vicarious, and systemic race-related stressors in and out of school are often misunderstood, overlooked and mislabeled within the education context (Carter, 2007; Howard, 2010). School-based trauma interventions are not explicit in addressing RST for youth of color. Ongoing RST, coupled with the backlash against and misrepresentation about Critical Race Theory in schools heightens the urgent need for interventions that utilize a culturally responsive “whole child and school” approach to disrupt RST and foster skills to respond to racism so schools and individuals can be transformed to execute their healing potential (Author, Year).

Methods and Context
This paper examines initial feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effectiveness from a mixed methods intervention pilot study designed to address RST among adolescents who identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). Trauma and Racism Addressed by Navigating Systemic Forms of Oppression using Resistance Methods (TRANSFORM) is an 11 session group intervention created for child serving settings. The intervention is designed to be implemented by both clinicians and non-clinicians as a way to deconstruct power hierarchies in practice and co-construct healing. Fifteen youth (Mage = 15.3, 53% boys) comprised of three student groups across three schools from the same region participated in the study.

Findings and Significance
Preliminary effectiveness was promising, as youth reported a significant increase in racial-ethnic pride and self-efficacy / skill to respond to racism (ethnic-racial socialization competency) from pre- to post-intervention. Racial-ethnic pride reported by youth increased from moderately high before the intervention (Mpre = 4.67, SDpre = 1.22) to high after the intervention (Mpost = 5.45, SDpost = .58). This increase was statistically significant (Mdifference = .79, SDdifference = 1.42) with a medium effect size (d = .55). Youth reported moderately high levels of self-efficacy / skill to respond to racism (Mpre = 3.83, SDpre = .43) during pre-intervention assessment, which increased to high levels after the intervention (Mpost = 4.18, SDpost = .51). This increase was also statistically significant (Mdifference = .30, SDdifference = .47) with a medium-to-high effect size (d = .64). Surprisingly, youth reported some elevated psychological adjustment symptoms from pre- to post-intervention assessments, which may be due to increased awareness of racism and socioemotional reflection. Additionally, students participated in focus groups and reported several benefits of participation via thematic qualitative analysis. These reports contextualize the quantitative findings and acceptability, for which the majority of youth reported that the program was useful (86%) and would recommend it to a friend (87%). Feasibility was established based on student attendance and fidelity ratings of adult facilitator implementation. Findings support initial feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of TRANSFORM. Implications and future directions for applying radical healing approaches and responding to the dearth of interventions focused on RST across the school ecology will be discussed.

Authors

• Farzana Tabitha Saleem Adjah, Stanford University

• Won-Fong Lau Johnson, UCLA-Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress

• Audra Langley, University of California - Los Angeles