Coping Strategies Used by School Staff After a Crisis: A Research Note

J Loss Trauma. 2013 Sep;18(5):472-481. doi: 10.1080/15325024.2012.719335. Epub 2013 Mar 18.

Abstract

There is much literature on crisis support in schools but little on how school staff are affected. This research had two aims: to begin to explore the coping strategies used by school staff after a crisis event, and to investigate measures that might prove valuable for future research. Seven cases are presented using three measures: the WHO (Five) Wellbeing Index, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, and the Ways of Coping-Revised. Results from this initial study show great variation in the range of responses reported by teachers.

Keywords: PTSD; coping strategies; crisis; crisis support; critical incident; schools; teacher coping; teaching well being.