This study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of a school-based intervention for diverse children who had been exposed to a range of traumatic events, with a focus on the intervention’s effectiveness in improving symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety.
Participants were 74 school children (grades 1-5) and their primary caregivers. All participating students were determined to have clinically significant posttraumatic stress symptoms. School clinicians were trained to deliver “Bounce Back,” a 10-session cognitive-behavioral group intervention. Children were randomized to Immediate or Delayed (3-month waitlist) Intervention. Parent reports and child reports of posttraumatic stress and depression, as well as child reports of anxiety symptoms were assessed at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. The evaluation concluded that Bounce Back was implemented with clinician fidelity. Compared to children in the delayed condition, children who first received Bounce Back immediately demonstrated significantly greater improvements in parent-reported and child-reported posttraumatic stress and child-reported anxiety symptoms over the 3-month intervention. Upon receipt of the intervention, the delayed-intervention group demonstrated significant improvements in parent-reported and child-reported posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety symptoms. The Immediate-treatment group maintained or showed continued gains in all symptom domains over the 3-month follow-up period. Despite identified limitations, these findings support the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of the Bounce Back intervention as delivered by school-based clinicians for children with traumatic stress. Implications are discussed. 67 references