A Trauma-Informed Approach for Positive Youth Development for Montana Students

Overview

Given the prevalence of suicide and mental health issues in rural Montana, this project is intended to help mitigate stressors that may contribute to poor behavioral and mental health in high school-aged children. The immediate goal is to measure physical and mental health outcomes in adolescents resulting from a trauma-informed yoga intervention designed to foster positive youth development and student success. It builds on feasibility study for year one in which 19 experimental condition participants engaged in an 8-week yoga program.

mental and physical health issues (17). Stressors deriving from low socioeconomic status and/or traumatic childhood experiences such as abuse or neglect are exacerbated by today's educational culture, where mandated practices such as standardized testing and post-graduation plans are cited as primary causes for stress in adolescents' lives (4). In Montana, the childhood abuse/neglect rate was 8.3 per 1000 children in 2015, which indicates a 56.8% increase from 2014 (16); nationally, in the same year the abuse/neglect rate was 9 per 1000 children (15). Childhood trauma tends to cluster in areas of high poverty; in Livingston Public Schools in rural southwestern Montana, for instance, 52% of students were eligible for free and reduced-price lunch in 2016, which is the same as the national rate (4; 40). In Livingston, 13.2% of residents are listed as living in poverty, which is slightly above the 12.3% national rate (53). These unfortunate but common childhood stressors can result in significant public health issues including poor mental health, suicidality, substance abuse, juvenile offenses, and autoimmune disease (8). Despite Livingston being on par with national childhood poverty and abuse trends, the suicide rates in Livingston are triple the national average (42). Substance abuse among minors in Montana, which is often comorbid with mental health issues and suicidality, is prevalent; according to a 2015 report by the office of adolescent health, 38% of Montana high schoolers reported having used marijuana at least once, 20% self-reported using alcohol before age 13, and 30% reported using e-cigarettes (36). Given the prevalence of suicide and mental health issues in rural Montana, this project is intended to cultivate positive coping skills to buffer the negative effects of stressors among school-aged children. Because of the geographic isolation and resulting lack of resources for many schools in Montana, there is a need for innovative and novel school- and community-centered interventions in order to address the varied health needs of rural adolescents. According to research, yoga and mindfulness can have a positive impact on youth development (6; 7; 13; 14). The second year of this pilot study prepares the way for a robust intervention by examining efficacy of this intervention modality compared to a control group in a collaborative school setting, basing the framework of the study on the tenets of community-based participatory research (16). Existing validated measures of efficacy using physical and mental health measures will be used to generate student, teacher, and parent reports of perceived strengths and difficulties, along with measures of anxiety and depressive symptomology. Secondary outcomes of school performance also will be assessed. Efficacy of the intervention will be ascertained through observational and qualitative data obtained utilizing participant, school, and community partner interviews; quantitative feedback will also be gathered from community and school stakeholders to evaluate program outcomes. From this data analysis, decisions regarding any necessary modifications to experimental design and program implementation will be made for third year of the study, which will lead to an expansion to middle level students within the same school district. Aim 1: Pilot test a trauma-informed yoga intervention for 15-18 year-old male and female high school students. H1: Students who participate in the pilot intervention will demonstrate improved mental health as measured by a decrease in depressive and anxiety symptomology at the conclusion of the study (week 8) as compared to participants in the control group. H2: Students who participate in the pilot intervention will demonstrate improved physical health as measured by a decreased resting heart rate, improved sleep patterns, and reduced cortisol levels at the conclusion of the study (week 8) as compared to participants in the control group. Aim 2: Evaluate the study's school-community-academic partnership at the conclusion of the program using a mixed methods survey. The CAB will meet monthly to determine program adjustments. Survey administration and data analysis will occur in summer 2021. The PI will share results with the CAB to determine areas for program refinement and assess need for study continuation or expansion into multiple schools for year 3. H3: Findings from the partnership evaluation will be used to refine the community engagement component of the study in Year 3. This data will be used to determine intervention and program efficacy in order to indicate areas for revision and refinement in year 3 of this study; the data will also inform future implementation plans for program expansion to the middle school level within the same school district.