ABSTRACT
Dating back to the early 1980s, systematic investigations into the prevalence and consequences of experiencing trauma have shed light onto how millions of youth are impacted by these events (Costello, Erkanli, Fairbank, & Angold, 2002). The term “trauma” refers to a myriad of negative contexts that may be experienced during childhood and adolescence, including domestic violence, medical trauma, natural disasters, community violence, school violence, neglect, physical abuse, refugee and war zone trauma, sexual abuse, terrorism, and traumatic grief. Although rates of most childhood traumatic events (CTEs) in the United States are declining (Finkelhor, Turner, Hamby, & Ormrod, 2014), CTEs are still a part of life for the majority of American youth (Saunders & Adams, 2014). Thus, greater awareness of CTE and its effects in school settings is essential (Slade & Wissow, 2007).
