Cuidados sensíveis ao trauma nas escolas

: a perspetiva dos agentes educativos

Abstract

The consequences that potentially traumatic experiences, namely physical or sexual abuse and bullying, can have on the lives of children and young people is a pertinent topic. The school context plays a central role in students' development and must be prepared to recognise and deal with signs and symptoms resulting from trauma. Thus, it is important that educational agents have the necessary knowledge to support students, as well as the capacity for emotional self-regulation. This study aimed at characterising Portuguese schools regarding trauma-informed care through the perspective of educational agents. Data collected from 105 educational agents through a questionnaire were processed and analysed using a mixed methodology, for a better understanding of the professionals' perspectives. The results showed that the strongest area was the "Physical Space" dimension, and the weakest area was the "Training" dimension, which shows that there is still a lack of knowledge regarding trauma and, consequently, some inability of schools to respond effectively to students. In order to bridge this gap, the usefulness of implementing a Trauma Sensitive Care approach in the education system is discussed.

Date of Award	12 Jul 2023
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Mariana Negrão (Supervisor) & Elisa Veiga (Co-Supervisor)