Healing Horizons: Weekly News & Research - May 23, 2024
Welcome to our weekly news show, Healing Horizons, hosted by experts Bri Twombly and Alison Cebulla. Dive into the most recent updates on trauma-informed care practices, positive and adverse childhood experiences, and the critical concept of psychological safety. Each episode is designed to keep you informed on the latest research, trends, and best practices in these essential areas. Whether you're a healthcare professional, educator, or simply passionate about mental health, our show provides valuable insights and practical advice. Stay tuned for in-depth discussions and expert interviews that will enhance your understanding and application of trauma-informed care and psychological safety.
Our latest episode featured an array of impactful stories and research. We explored an Indigenous-led care program in Canada that offers a holistic approach to mental health, spearheaded by Dr. Elisa Lacerda-Vandenborn. This program seeks to bridge the gap between Euro-centric mental health services and Indigenous perspectives. In Utah, The Refuge crisis center is training volunteers in trauma-informed care to support survivors of sexual abuse and domestic violence. A new bill in New York aims to reduce mandatory school drills, which have been linked to increased stress and anxiety in children. Cardiff City FC launched a Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategy to promote trauma-informed relationships within their community, and the Australian Human Rights Commission is conducting a historic study on racism in universities to address systemic racial issues.
Other notable stories include an inquiry in the UK highlighting poor maternity care, and an alarming Australian study revealing that childhood abuse accounts for up to 40% of mental health conditions. Additionally, new research links early puberty onset to chronic stress, and highlights the need for trauma support for parent carers. Further studies emphasized the detrimental effects of adverse childhood experiences on attentional regulation in preschoolers, and the cardiovascular impacts of maternal childhood emotional abuse. A significant meta-analysis revealed altered brain activity patterns in children with trauma histories. Finally, we covered the Rhode Island Senate's passage of the Workplace Psychological Safety Act, aimed at protecting employees from psychological harm in the workplace.
Here are the news stories and research we featured:
Indigenous-led care program offers holistic approach to mental health
https://ucalgary.ca/news/indigenous-led-care-program-offers-holistic-approach-mental-health
A new program aims to address the disparity between Euro-centric mental health services and Indigenous Peoples’ holistic outlook on well-being. Dr. Elisa Lacerda-Vandenborn, PhD, an assistant professor at the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary, is undertaking a research project that uses an Indigenous-led model of mental health and wellness, the Trauma Informed Care and Practices Program (TICPP), and is adapting it to children and youth in Indigenous communities.
The Refuge Utah rape crisis center accepts volunteers
https://universe.byu.edu/2024/05/17/the-refuge-utah-rape-crisis-center-accepts-volunteers/
The Refuge Utah — a crisis center for survivors of sexual abuse, domestic violence, rape or stalking. Complete 40-hour victims advocate training and go on-call for 24 hours at a time, waiting to be summoned to the hospital where they can aid survivors in the immediate aftermath of their assaults. Advocate training teaches volunteers trauma-informed care, as directed by BYU associate professor of learning Julie Valentine. Trauma-informed care focuses on four main tenants, dubbed “the four Rs”: realizing the possibility of trauma, recognizing the signs of trauma, responding to it and resisting re-traumatization.
New York bill aims to reduce mandatory school drills, citing child trauma and stress
A new bill would cut the number of mandated annual drills from four, down to one. The bill argues the current number is excessive, and can be traumatic for kids. The lawmakers cite a study showing the drills cause spikes in depression, stress and anxiety. The bill's supporters also say many teachers don't have formal training on how to conduct the drills, and that New York's mandate of 4 per year is the highest in the nation.
Cardiff City FC launches Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategy
https://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/news/cardiff-city-fc-launches-mental-health-wellbeing-strategy
The objectives of Trauma-Informed Relationships and Practice are to provide the Cardiff City FC community with the basic principles of trauma-informed relationships.
Commission to lead historic anti-racism study into universities
https://humanrights.gov.au/about/news/commission-lead-historic-anti-racism-study-universities
The Australian Human Rights Commission will lead a groundbreaking independent study to better understand and address the dangerous prevalence of racism at universities, after receiving $2.5 million in Commonwealth funding. The study will be “comprehensive”, with university students and staff sharing their experiences of racism, and additional research undertaken to assess structural racial barriers. It will address all forms of racism, including the antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism currently being seen on campuses, and systemic racist practices against First Nations students and staff.
Poor maternity tolerated as normal, inquiry says
An inquiry into traumatic childbirths has called for an overhaul of the UK's maternity and postnatal care after finding poor care is "all-too-frequently tolerated as normal". The Birth Trauma Inquiry heard harrowing evidence from more than 1,300 women some said they were left in blood-soaked sheets while others said their children had suffered life-changing injuries due to medical negligence.
Alarming Findings: New Study Reveals Childhood Abuse Drives 40% of Mental Health Conditions
A study in Australia has revealed the severe impact of childhood maltreatment on mental health, attributing up to 40% of major mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and suicide attempts to such experiences. The research, which used extensive national data and robust analytical methods, indicates that addressing childhood maltreatment through comprehensive public health policies and preventive measures could significantly reduce the mental health burden in the country. This would not only prevent millions of mental health cases but also substantially decrease years of life lost to death and disability.
A biological trigger of early puberty is uncovered by Northeastern scientists
https://news.northeastern.edu/2024/05/17/early-puberty-trauma-anxiety/
The early start of puberty, which is associated with many health risks, can be triggered by chronic stress in children.
Trauma and parent carers
https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/trauma-and-parent-carers
Given the link between trauma and poorer mental health, parent carers must receive support for trauma in a timely and appropriate manner. This is a group who report more symptoms of mental health problems (Rydzewska et al., 2021), are at increased risk of stress, anxiety, distress and depression (Singer, 2006), and report other difficult emotions such as guilt, helplessness and hopelessness, a sense of loss, envy of other families and exhaustion (Griffin, 2021). Parents may experience 'affiliate stigma' – prejudice or discrimination through their association with their disabled child. 'Psychological weathering' (cumulative burden of stressors often experienced by minority groups) may have relevance to this group and the ongoing impact over time.
Early adverse childhood experiences and preschoolers' attentional regulation: A latent class analysis
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0145213424000863
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) profoundly disrupt preschoolers' attentional regulation development. Different patterns of ACEs may be associated with different attentional regulation outcomes. Drawing from developmental systems theory and attachment theory, this study aimed to identify distinct patterns of early ACEs at age three and examined the associations of these patterns with preschoolers' attentional regulation at age five.
Maternal childhood emotional abuse increases cardiovascular responses to children’s emotional facial expressions
The present study aimed to determine if viewing facial expressions of emotions in children induces cardiovascular changes in mothers (hypo- or hyper-arousal) and whether these differ as a function of childhood maltreatment. A total of 104 mothers took part in this study. Their experiences of childhood maltreatment were measured using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Participants’ electrocardiogram signals were recorded during a task in which they viewed a landscape video (baseline) and images of children’s faces expressing different intensities of emotion.
A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Meta-Analysis of Childhood Trauma
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451902224000223?via%3Dihub
Traumatic experiences during childhood significantly impact the developing brain and contribute to the development of numerous physical and mental health problems. Combining data from 14 studies that met study criteria (285 children with trauma histories, 297 healthy control children). Altered brain activity was revealed within 2 clusters in children with trauma histories compared to control children: the default mode/affective network/posterior insula and the central executive network. Our identified clusters were associated with tasks pertaining to cognitive processing, emotional/social stress, self-referential thought, memory, unexpected stimuli, and avoidance behaviors in youths who have experienced childhood trauma.
Precision Health Program grad motivated by opportunity to elevate patient voice
https://ucalgary.ca/news/precision-health-program-grad-motivated-opportunity-elevate-patient-voice
As part of her master's project, Ong leads a patient safety initiative being developed at the Alberta Children’s Hospital (ACH) and the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital. Called Partnering with Families to Improve Pediatric Patient Safety, her project aims to unite and elevate the voices of patients, families and health-care providers in pediatric hospital settings. It supports the Safest Together program, a patient safety initiative based at ACH and Edmonton’s Stollery Children’s Hospital. In interviews with parents of patients admitted to hospital, families shared that staff behaviours and attitudes, collaboration and prioritization of family experience was what mattered most in making them feel safe.
Rhode Island Senate Passes Workplace Psychological Safety Act
The Rhode Island Senate has passed the Workplace Psychological Safety Act, marking a significant step in promoting safer and healthier work environments throughout the state. This new legislation aims to shield employees from psychological risks in the workplace, such as bullying and excessive stress, which can adversely affect an employee’s physical, mental, and emotional health. Crafted with insights from individuals who have experienced workplace abuse, as well as input from healthcare professionals and legal experts, the act focuses on preventing psychological harm. It emphasizes the elimination of workplace bullying, ensuring that psychological safety is prioritized alongside physical safety in all work settings.
