Gulf Education and Social Policy Review

Published date: Sep 04 2025

Journal Title: Gulf Education and Social Policy Review

Issue title: Gulf Education and Social Policy Review (GESPR): Volume 6, Issue 2

Pages: 227 - 255

DOI: 10.18502/gespr.v6i2.18601

Mustafa MohamedIndependent researcher, Nicosia

Isra Elaminisra.elamin61@gmail.comIndependent researcher, Nicosia

Universities are considered leaders in sustainability, but the psychological burdens of experience activate students. They can exist within a state of trauma themselves, at the same time, considering the emerging evidence and understanding of how expansive trauma can be in contributing to the well-being and development of students’ learning, universities worldwide are becoming increasingly supportive and sensitive to traumainformed care (TIC) approaches. Throughout the educational literature, TIC is also being specifically acknowledged and promoted as one of the principal supports for student well-being, participation, sustainable teaching, and better outcomes for academic success beyond widening participation. But how TIC is considered and delivered in practice is largely unexplored in relation to IPE, particularly in connection with sustainable learning environments and institutions of higher education. This research aims to investigate how TIC is delivered and contributes to student wellbeing in universities, specifically in the context of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, while exploring their connection to interprofessional education (IPE) and sustainable development objectives. This paper is grounded in broad and recent scholarship and situated in several theoretical models, including care ethics, cultural humility, and the cumulative risk model as frameworks, and argues for mutuality in TIC, IPE, and inclusive education to create resilient and equitable institutions. Based on qualitative integration, this paper explores barriers and opportunities within ICTinspired education from a GCC countries’ perspective, focusing on mental health challenges experienced by migrants and women; policy gaps, faculty preparedness, and lack of cultural capacity were also connected. It accentuates the intersection where individual notions of collective ecological responsibility intersect, emphasizing the following steps through curriculum-inclusive practices, building communities, and advocacy. This study addresses this gap in research by looking at how trauma-informed supports in IPE contexts support students, especially in fostering collaboration, independence, and applied academic sustainability in IPE contexts. The study finds a split yet interesting and promising space where collaborative interdisciplinary care, technology innovation, and policy could create a sustainable TIC-responsive learning space. The unique contribution of this research is bringing together trauma-informed principles with sustainability perspectives in IPE and making actionable recommendations to develop sustainable, resilient educational systems at the university. This study has concluded with a call for practical recommendations for higher education stakeholders to apply TIC values across their curriculum and institutional systems while promoting equity, empathy, and students’ long-term success.

Keywords: Trauma-informed, Sustainable education, Higher education, Interprofessional education, GCC region, Qualitative analysis

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