Mothers of children with autism have a higher rate of stress than mothers of neurotypical children and mothers of children with other disabilities. This impacts their family quality of life. This study aimed to show that by teaching mothers trauma-informed mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques they were able to switch their perspectives and feel that they had increased the relationships with their child with autism and increased the rating they give their family quality of life. The participants were recruited using word of mouth and through distribution of posters to autism communities following approval of the experiment through the institutional review board (IRB). The participants selected were mothers of children with autism. They interacted with the researcher through Zoom. They completed multiple measures to assess their levels of stress, well-being, mindfulness, and family quality of life. Measures included daily stress self-report, Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory-14 (FMI-14), Beach Center Family Quality of Life (FQOL), and a semi-structured interview. This was a multiple baseline study. Data analysis included visual analysis and changepoint analysis. Mothers of children with autism who utilized mindfulness, defusion, and trauma-informed problem-solving resulted in consistently decreasing levels of stress throughout the intervention. Family quality of life increased, especially in the areas of financial well-being and parenting. The mothers reported the most benefit in the practice of defusion and the least benefit from trauma-informed problem-solving. The research done in this experiment merits further study, especially in the areas of mindfulness and defusion. A larger sample size should be used to identify the benefits more closely from each phase and to identify the impact of a less homogeneous group of people. It can then be generalized to other parents of children with special needs.

The prevalence of distressing content on social media raises concerns about users' mental well-being, prompting the use of trigger warnings (TW) and content warnings (CW). However, varying practices across platforms indicate a lack of clarity among users regarding these warnings. To gain insight into how users experience and use these warnings, we conducted interviews with 15 regular social media users. Our findings show that users generally have a positive view of warnings, but there are differences in how they understand and use them. Challenges related to using TW/CW on social media emerged, making it a complex decision when dealing with such content. These challenges include determining which topics require warnings, navigating logistical complexities related to usage norms, and considering the impact of warnings on social media engagement. We also found that external factors, such as how the warning and content are presented, and internal factors, such as the viewer's mindset, tolerance, and level of interest, play a significant role in the user's decision-making process when interacting with content that has TW/CW. Participants emphasized the need for better education on warnings and triggers in social media and offered suggestions for improving warning systems. They also recommended post-trigger support measures. The implications and future directions include promoting author accountability, introducing nudges and interventions, and improving post-trigger support to create a more trauma-informed social media environment. / Master of Science / In today's world of social media, you often come across distressing content that can affect your mental well-being. To address this concern, platforms and content authors use something called trigger warnings (TW) and content warnings (CW) to alert users about potentially upsetting content. However, different platforms have different ways of using these warnings, which can be confusing for users. To better understand how people like you experience and use these warnings, we conducted interviews with 15 regular social media users. What we found is that, in general, users have a positive view of these warnings, but there are variations in how they understand and use them. Using TW/CW on social media can be challenging because it involves deciding which topics should have warnings, dealing with the different rules on each platform, and thinking about how warnings affect people's engagement with content. We also discovered that various factors influence how people decide whether to engage with warned content. These factors include how the warning and content are presented and the person's own mindset, tolerance for certain topics, and level of interest. Our study participants highlighted the need for better education about warnings and triggers on social media. They also had suggestions for improving how these warnings are used and recommended providing support to users after they encounter distressing content. Looking ahead, our findings suggest the importance of holding content creators accountable, introducing helpful tools and strategies, and providing better support to make social media a more empathetic and supportive place for all users.

BACKGROUND: For years, the trauma of acute inpatient psychiatric treatment has been studied. Trauma-informed models have been created to reduce the trauma of receiving care. These models primarily focus on patient-provider relationships and not the interpersonal dynamics between patients on acute psychiatric units. METHODS: A literature review via Temple University Library and Google Scholar databases as well as interviews with mental health professionals were conducted on the current trauma prevention initiatives in mental healthcare and on strategies to strengthen interpersonal relationships between patients in acute psych units and to quell patients’ perceived risk of harm from one another. RESULTS: A set of five principles is proposed for fostering community and safety in acute adult inpatient psychiatric units as it pertains to the interpersonal relationships between patients. These principles include: 1) Fostering a sense of community within the patient population 2) Rethinking the physical space to reduce patient stress and therefore reduce patient aggression 3) Providing a mentorship program led by peer mentors from the community 4) Providing better mental health education and awareness within society 5) Bridging the gap between the community and inpatient psychiatry. CONCLUSION: The five principles of this thesis can aid in positively transforming patients’ experiences in acute psychiatric units. This transformation requires a significant amount of activism and collaboration in order to stop repeating the cycles of trauma seen within the psychiatric field. / Urban Bioethics

In this dissertation, I sought to understand foster parents’ perceptions of giftedness, how foster children’s strengths, gifts, and talents affect their experiences and those of their foster parents, and what resources and information foster parents have for supporting their foster children’s education and gifts. To understand these beliefs, I analyzed quantitative and qualitative survey data from 53 foster parents throughout the United States and analyzed interviews from 14 of those foster parents. Most foster parents surveyed perceived their foster children as a little or very different academically and in other ways than their peers not in foster care, and perceived they had different educational experiences than their peers, largely attributed to their lived experiences prior to entering and during foster care. Most participants felt their foster children’s abilities, strengths, and talents affected foster parents a little or very much. Interviewed and surveyed foster parents defined giftedness as including the following attributes: academic achievement, natural ability or innate talent, intelligence, domain-specific capabilities, performance or skills above average for their age or above their peers, unique approaches to learning, and motivation for learning. Interviewees also addressed non-academic forms of giftedness, socioemotional characteristics of children with gifts and talents, and noted that these students may have some difficulties in school. Foster parents explained the adaptations they have made to their parenting because of their foster children’s strengths, talents, and abilities, and highlighted the unique life experiences of foster children, which were not only hinderances but also could help them succeed academically and in life. Participants also expressed why they think foster children are not identified for gifted education programming. Foster parents had many needs related to their foster children’s education and strengths, talents, and abilities. They made recommendations to those who train new foster parents and provide ongoing training to current foster parents; to schools and teachers of foster children; and to new foster parents about how to best meet the needs of foster children and encourage their gifts and talents.

[pt] Estudos sobre as primeiras interações das crianças com seu ambiente apontam para possíveis efeitos do estresse tóxico na infância, como facilitador de comportamentos de risco na adolescência, além de prejuízos para o desenvolvimento de habilidades cognitivas e socio emocionais (Van der Kolk, 2003). Pela necessidade de as escolas estarem preparadas para atenderem crianças que experimentam altas e frequentes taxas de estresse no início de suas vidas e precisam lidar com seus efeitos, a escola como um todo precisa ser um espaço de segurança e resiliência para que as crianças possam experimentar um processo de aprendizagem. A partir de uma perspectiva ecológica da Psicologia do desenvolvimento, o objetivo do presente trabalho foi realizar uma revisão narrativa de literatura para identificar práticas e modelos da educação sensível ao trauma, voltados para proteção contra os efeitos do estresse tóxico sobre o desenvolvimento cognitivo na educação infantil e primeiros anos do ensino fundamental. Foram selecionados 50 artigos sobre diferentes modelos de educação sensível ao trauma nos primeiros anos de escolarização e com abordagens voltadas para a escola como um todo. A partir da análise desses artigos, foram identificados nove aspectos principais dentre os diferentes modelos apresentados: autorregulação emocional, treinamento dos(as) profissionais de educação, engajamento comunitário, preparação de ambientes psicologicamente seguros, apoio emocional para os(as) educadores(as), rotinas e rituais na prática pedagógica, vínculo seguro, atendimento individual ou em grupo e contato regular com as famílias. Acredita-se que esses elementos podem orientar intervenções voltadas para primeira infância em contextos de vulnerabilidade, no âmbito da educação. / [en] Studies on children s first interactions with their environment point to possible effects of toxic stress in childhood, as a facilitator of risky behavior in adolescence, in addition to impairments for the development of cognitive and socioemotional skills (Van der Kolk, 2003). Due to the need for schools to be prepared to serve children who experience high and frequent stress rates early in their lives and need to deal with its effects, the school as a whole needs to be a space of safety and resilience so that children can experience a learning process. From an ecological perspective of developmental psychology, the objective of the present study was to carry out an integrative literature review to identify practices and models of trauma informed education, aimed at protecting against the effects of toxic stress on cognitive development in preschool and early years of elementary school. Fifty articles were selected on different models of trauma informed education in the first years of schooling and with approaches aimed at the school as a whole. From the analysis of these articles, nine main aspects were identified among the different models presented: self-regulation, professional training of trauma and toxic stress, community engagement, psychologically safe environments, emotional support for teachers, routines and rituals in pedagogical practice, secure attachment, individual or group therapy and regular contact with families. It is believed that these elements can guide interventions aimed at early childhood, in the context of education.

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The purpose of this study was to address gaps in the trauma treatment literature related to the expense and inaccessibility of evidence-based interventions for children with disabilities who have experienced trauma. Another aim of this study was to provide additional support for a newly piloted intervention for children with disabilities who have experienced trauma. This intervention is known as Smart Start: Parenting Tools for Children with Developmental Delay, Social-Emotional Concerns, and Trauma. A non-concurrent multiple baseline method was used to determine whether there was a functional relationship between the intervention and children’s challenging behaviors for five caregiver-child dyads. In addition, three of five caregiver-child dyads were assessed for improvements in child PTSD symptomatology, positive parenting practices, parenting stress, and treatment acceptability. Results from visual analysis, masked visual analysis, and hierarchical linear modeling were mixed, but generally supported a statistically and clinically significant relationship between participation in Smart Start and improved caregiver ratings of children’s challenging behaviors. Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test did not show statistically significant changes in interventionists’ ratings of challenging behavior, but descriptively, four of five children were rated as improved. Reliable change index scores revealed statistically significant changes in trauma symptoms and parenting stress for two participants. Positive parenting practices improved significantly for all participants according to the reliable change index. The intervention was implemented with good fidelity. All caregivers found Smart Start highly acceptable. Future research with larger samples is warranted based on the extremely promising results of the present study.

This cross-disciplinary essay explores the use of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars (2012) and its pedagogical implications for learners in middle school. It demonstrates that the novel expresses preparatory grief by implementing internal focalisation through the main character Hazel Grace. The essay also argues that the pedagogical implications related to the novel can yield fruitful results in the EFL classroom. The analysis is conducted by, firstly, exploring the novel’s depiction of preparatory grief and, secondly, examining the pedagogical implications from a trauma-informed teaching perspective. The main findings are that preparatory grief is present throughout the novel and that a trauma-informed teaching approach is apt for the inclusion of the novel in the EFL classroom, which ultimately can improve learners’ awareness of a young adult’s perspective on the process of dying.

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