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Review
. 2023 Jul;24(3):1743-1762.
doi: 10.1177/15248380221078892. Epub 2022 Apr 28.

School-Based Interventions for Child and Adolescent Victims of Interpersonal Violence

Michelle L-Y Wichmann  1 , Silke Pawils  2 , Julia Richters  1 , Franka Metzner  1   2
Affiliations
Review

School-Based Interventions for Child and Adolescent Victims of Interpersonal Violence

Michelle L-Y Wichmann et al. Trauma Violence Abuse. 2023 Jul.

Abstract

Background: Interpersonal violence against children and adolescents can affect their mental health and functioning in the long term. To reduce mental health problems in children and adolescents, school-based mental health interventions have been shown to be beneficial. A review of school-based interventions designed to mitigate posttraumatic symptoms after interpersonal violence is lacking to date.

Methods: We searched for original studies published in English or German until November 2019 in 6 electronic databases. Supplementary search strategies to reduce publication bias were implemented. Peer-reviewed original studies assessing school-based interventions for children and adolescents under the age of 21 after interpersonal violence were included. Relevant data was extracted, synthesised and assessed qualitatively. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed.

Results: Of 5,021 unduplicated publications, 15 studies met eligibility criteria. The included studies were almost exclusively conducted in the USA; over half utilised a randomised-controlled design. Studies mainly focussed on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or depression. In all studies, implemented interventions partially or fully mitigated posttraumatic symptoms. Nine school-based interventions, five of which were based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), were identified. School staff were often involved in intervention implementation besides mental health professionals.

Conclusions: School-based interventions can be beneficial to reduce mental health problems in children and adolescents after interpersonal violence. Trained school staff aided by mental health professionals can implement trauma-informed practices at school. While school-based interventions may be a feasible way to provide children and adolescents with accessible mental health care, further research on school-based trauma interventions outside the USA is necessary.

Keywords: child abuse; mental health and violence; treatment/intervention; violence exposure; war.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
PRISMA-flow-diagram for the presentation of study selection process (Moher et al., 2009).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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