COVID-19 Exacerbates Barriers to Health, Education, and Work for Adult Education Students

Abstract

Systemic barriers contribute to attrition from K-12 education contexts and later involvement in adult education centers, especially among students from minoritized backgrounds. To assess the impact of stress-related risk factors, including trauma exposure and COVID-19-related stress, on ABE students and their barriers to academic and vocational success. Survey methods were used for data collection, and analysis of variance and structural equation modeling were used to test hypotheses. Results showed that past traumatic experiences were more common among ABE students who reported greater social or economic marginalization, especially those identifying as lesbian, gay, or bisexual or with a history of being unhoused. We observed that more traumatic experiences predicted higher COVID-19-related stress and alcohol misuse. Higher COVID-19-related stress, in turn, predicted lower job confidence. ABE students experiencing marginalization face compounded barriers to educational and vocational goals with trauma exposure and COVID-19-related stress. Based on findings, practice recommendations for ABE centers include targeted psychoeducational resources to offset systemic stressors and bolster academic and vocational attainment, such as on-site service delivery and using ABE centers as service system access points.