Trauma-Informed Care in the Classroom: Our Experience with a Content Warning in a Medical School Course

Stout, Julianne; Martin, Angelika I

doi:10.1007/s40670-022-01559-0

Cited by 6 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 58 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…15,23 For some, warnings convey an important organisational signal regarding the value of self-care and learner wellbeing. 1,4,7,8,15,17,26,47 Wider pedagogical benefits include enhancing awareness of trauma and empathy development among those not directly affected by trauma-related issues. 17,50 We argue that the value of warnings may lie in their use as tools to support safe engagement within the learning environment, both at the level of the individual learner, and in enhancing observed organisational culture.…”

Section: Wider Roles Of Warningsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Warnings convey an important organisational signal regarding value of self-care and learner wellbeing. 1,4,7,15,17,47 Support in transformative learning is characterised as 'validation' of learners' feelings and empathy towards others. 70 Trigger warnings can indicate respect and empathy for students and can serve as educator's 'confirmation' of students' feelings.…”

Section: Supporting Transformative Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Warnings convey an important organisational signal regarding value of self‐care and learner wellbeing 1,4,7,15,17,47 …”

Section: Theories Of Adult Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…46 In this context and in recognition of learners' holistic developmental needs, including skills for professional self-care, warnings have been proposed as teaching tools for enhancing awareness and understanding of trauma. 15,23,47 As discussed, a significant reservation regarding the role of trigger warnings relates to that of learners 'acting in bad faith' 48 and exploiting trigger warnings to selectively avoid challenging content. 1,10,49 When examined, this hypothesis does not appear to be supported.…”

Section: The Context Of Healthcare Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To support preparedness for prevalent, pervasive trauma‐related issues in professional practice, trauma‐informed competencies for medical education have been defined 46 . In this context and in recognition of learners' holistic developmental needs, including skills for professional self‐care, warnings have been proposed as teaching tools for enhancing awareness and understanding of trauma 15,23,47 …”

Section: Looking At the Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Trigger warnings as tools for learning—theorising an evolving cultural concept

Nolan,

Roberts

2023

Medical Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundWhile definitions of trigger warnings vary, it is generally accepted that they caution about potential reactions arising from exposure to distressing material. Controversy surrounds use of warnings in education, with concerns noted regarding impacts on academic freedom, “coddling”, thereby undermining resilience, reinforcement of traumatised identity and enablement of avoidance. Proponents of warnings position them as accommodations for those affected by trauma, enhancing inclusion, and suggest warnings empower choice and enable informed engagement in learning. A recent meta‐analysis of warnings' efficacy demonstrated no effect on affective responses or comprehension. Findings regarding avoidance suggested warnings may increase engagement with material. Synthesis of heterogeneous results relating to context of warning application necessitates cautious interpretation of findings. Furthermore, controlled experimental designs do not reflect complex ecologies of social learning environments.MethodsEvidence relating to warnings in healthcare professions education remains limited. We undertake a narrative review and synthesis of evidence regarding the role and functions of trigger warnings from a range of disciplines, to inform healthcare education practice. We apply this evidence in considering how warnings may act within a range of theoretical frameworks for healthcare professionals educations including andragogy, self‐directed learning and, ultimately, transformative learning. Tensions between exposure to emotionally stimulating learning episodes and the necessity of emotion for learning while simultaneously attending to learners' needs and fulfilling educators' responsibilities are explored. We probe gaps and contentions in existing theoretical frameworks for learning, and consider implications of recognised limitations with reference to warnings. We summarise by proposing a conceptual model for the role of warnings that considers wider salient factors for fostering effective learning.Discussion and conclusionsDifficulties associated with deriving contextually‐relevant evidence and conclusions relating to warnings as an evolving cultural concept are highlighted. We propose warnings as tools to enable critical reflection and emotional literacy, to curate effective learning environments and support humanistic healthcare professional identity formation, within wider trauma‐informed pedagogies and educator practice.

show abstract

Section: Wider Roles Of Warningsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Supporting Transformative Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Warnings convey an important organisational signal regarding value of self‐care and learner wellbeing 1,4,7,15,17,47 …”

Section: Theories Of Adult Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Context Of Healthcare Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Looking At the Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Trigger warnings as tools for learning—theorising an evolving cultural concept

Nolan,

Roberts

2023

Medical Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Twelve tips for implementing trigger or content warnings in healthcare professions education

Nolan,

Roberts

2023

Medical Teacher

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Trauma‐Informed Pedagogy: Instructional Strategies to Support Student Success

Arbour

Walker

Houston

2023

J Midwife Womens Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Over the past several years, the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has contributed to challenging working and life conditions. As a result, the midwifery and health care workforce has faced significant shortages due to burnout. Increased societal awareness of historical trauma and systemic racism embedded within US culture has also led to increased anxiety and signs of trauma among midwifery and health profession students. Now more than ever, innovative teaching strategies are needed to support students, reduce the risks of burnout, and increase diversity in the workforce. One strategy is to adopt a trauma‐informed pedagogy within midwifery education. Trauma‐informed pedagogy is founded on core assumptions of trauma‐informed care and thus supports student success by recognizing that the student cannot be separated from their own life experiences. Faculty and preceptors can develop empathetic, flexible supports that communicate care and concern regarding students’ personal and social situations, and emotions. Empathetic behavior from teachers also increases student learning motivation, making it easier for students to actively engage in learning thereby reducing their distress. The purpose of this State of the Science review, therefore, was to describe the literature surrounding trauma‐informed pedagogy and to offer concrete educational strategies that faculty members and educational programs can employ to increase the success of a diverse student body. This can be accomplished through flexibility in curriculum design and outcome measurement to ensure attainment of end of program learning outcomes. Institutional and administrative support are essential to develop a faculty who realize the benefit and value of trauma‐informed pedagogy underpinning student success.

show abstract

Trauma-Informed Care in the Classroom: Our Experience with a Content Warning in a Medical School Course

Cited by 6 publications

References 58 publications

Trigger warnings as tools for learning—theorising an evolving cultural concept

Trigger warnings as tools for learning—theorising an evolving cultural concept

Twelve tips for implementing trigger or content warnings in healthcare professions education

Trauma‐Informed Pedagogy: Instructional Strategies to Support Student Success

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About