Self-harm, or self-mutilation, is generally viewed in academic literature as a pathological act, usually born out of trauma and/or a psychological and personality defect. Individuals who engage in self-harm are usually seen as damaged, destructive, and pathological. While self-harm is not a desirable act, this paper argues through the narratives…

The core of this special issue of "Arts and Humanities in Higher Education" emerged from the "Broken Narratives and the Lived Body" conference held in 2016. The "Broken Narrative" essays included in this issue open up a critical space for understanding and theorising illness narratives that defy a conventional…

Tension and anxiety is the common phenomena among the students of modern generation. These students go through stress due to personal, psychosocial, familial, and academic matters. Some of the common ones which substantially impact their lives like family disputes, academic challenges, parental conflicts, financial concerns, social isolation and…

Objective: The College Warrior Athlete Initiative (CWAI) determined if a key element of military occupational culture, referred to as the "battle-buddy" concept of pairing college athletes with veterans, could be applied to Student Service Members/Veterans (SSM/V) health promotion. Participants: Fifty veterans of fifty-seven enrolled…

This paper argues that educational communities of faith and learning (e.g. Catholic colleges and universities) are especially primed to face into the pain and reality of the sex abuse crisis in honest and constructive ways. Citing the need for strategic collaboration between mental health professionals and religious educators, it calls for…

This study explored whether the Interpersonal Theory of suicide informs our understanding of high rates of suicidality in autistic adults. Autistic and non-autistic adults (n = 695, mean age 41.7 years, 58% female) completed an online survey of self-reported thwarted belonging, perceived burden, autistic traits, suicidal capability, trauma, and…

Professionals who are working to support infants, young children, and families are called upon to build others up, and doing so requires a strong foundation. Yet, in these challenging times of a global pandemic, all are standing on unfamiliar ground. The pandemic has required that professionals across disciplines adapt to changing circumstances…

As a picture of childhood composed from the point of view of a young boy named Freddie, who suffers the effects of repeated and ongoing trauma, the experience of reading "The Freddie Stories" presents a number of interpretive challenges: its main character is often split and in various states of disassociation, the difference between…

This article explores a narrative approach adopted by three Taiwanese children's books that feature old trees as storytellers and memory-keepers to address aspects of emotional and psychological adaptation when facing drastic life changes. Although these stories are told from the perspective of old trees, the nostalgic tone serves a specific…

Food insecurity is a nationwide, systemic epidemic that effects millions of students on a daily basis. Without intervention, food insecure youth are left to contend with physical, cognitive, social-emotional, and academic losses. This article reviews the impacts of food insecurity on student development and the ethical obligations of the field to…

The current review sought to describe the published literature relative to addressing trauma in schools. Through a systematic review of peer-reviewed publications as well as gray literature, we identified a total of 91 publications that were coded for study rigor as well as a number of intervention characteristics. Publications included in the…

Social/emotional learning (SEL) programs and practices have gained momentum across the state of Indiana in recent years in response to the changing needs of students and families. Many school communities have adopted SEL due to the heightened challenges posed by students impacted by trauma or chronic stress. As schools began to adopt SEL programs…

This paper examines student exposure to school shootings in the United States since the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School. We analyze shootings that occurred during school hours on a school day and resulted in a death. These shootings are likely to be uniformly reported and have a greater potential to cause harm -- either directly or…

Considerable research has shown that education programs in prison help to reduce recidivism rates by helping individuals develop skills they can use to secure jobs upon reentry to society. While recidivism rates provide one quantitative measure of the benefits of such programs to society as a whole, and though their measurement comprises an…

There are approximately 1.5 million K-12 students and an additional 1.4 million children under the age of six experiencing homelessness across the United States. While many of these students attend traditional public schools, a growing number, at least 60,000, are enrolled in charter schools. Charter schools are independently-operated public…