Degree Date
7-2026
Document Type
Dissertation - Public Access
Degree Name
Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy
Academic Discipline
Counselor Education and Supervision
First Advisor
Dr. Martin Wesley
Second Advisor
Dr. Robert Lima
Third Advisor
Dr. Laura Schmuldt
Abstract
School safety practices can influence students' perceptions of safety, emotional well-being, and engagement in the educational environment; however, limited research has examined whether trauma-informed safety drill practices are associated with measurable educational outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental, correlational study was to examine the relationship between trauma-informed safety drill practices and school-level chronic absenteeism in Maine middle and high schools. Guided by trauma-informed care, adolescent neurodevelopment, and Protection Motivation Theory, the study investigated whether higher levels of trauma-informed implementation of safety drills, as measured by the Trauma-Informed Safety Drill Practices Index (TISDPI), were associated with lower rates of chronic absenteeism and significantly predicted school-level absenteeism. Data were collected from 85 Maine middle and high schools using the Trauma-Informed Safety Drill Practices Index (TISDPI) and publicly available chronic absenteeism data from the Maine Department of Education. Descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, and simple linear regression analyses were conducted. Results indicated a statistically significant negative relationship between TISDPI scores and chronic absenteeism rates, r(83) = −.616, p < .001. Regression analyses demonstrated that trauma-informed safety drill practices significantly predicted chronic absenteeism, accounting for approximately 38% of the variance in absenteeism rates. Findings provide preliminary evidence that greater implementation of trauma-informed safety drill practices may be associated with lower rates of chronic absenteeism, suggesting a potential link between trauma-informed school safety practices and student engagement. Implications for school counselors, school safety teams, educational leaders, and policymakers are discussed, along with recommendations for future research examining trauma-informed approaches to school safety.
Recommended Citation
Nightingale, Tina, "Examining the Relationship Between Trauma-Informed Safety Drill Practices and School-Level Chronic Absenteeism in Maine Secondary Schools" (2026). Dissertations. 1015.
https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/1015
Included in
Child Psychology Commons, Counseling Psychology Commons, Counselor Education Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, Educational Psychology Commons, School Psychology Commons, Student Counseling and Personnel Services Commons