Traumatic Stress Responses In North Carolina K-12 Educators During The COVID-19 Pandemic

As K-12 educators were called to transition schools online amidst the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic, they were expected not only to support students in significantly different contexts, but also to manage their own personal reactions in an environment of fear and potential threat to health and safety. While emerging research has sought to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the K-12 landscape, most studies focus on issues impacting academic performance and well-being of students. In this paper, the author sought to explore the extent to which educators in North Carolina self-reported trauma exposure responses as well as the impact their roles had on the degree to which they experienced these responses. Results indicated concerning levels of trauma responses among educators, as well as a significantly higher rate of trauma response for teachers and staff as compared to administrators. Implications for further research, policy, and practice are discussed.