Prevalence and effects of life event exposure among undergraduate and community college students.

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to assess lifetime and recent exposure to various life events among undergraduate and community college students and to assess the relation between event exposure and a broad range of outcomes (i.e., mental and physical health, life satisfaction, grade point average). Undergraduate students from a midwestern university (N = 842) and a community college (N = 242) completed online measures of lifetime event exposure and outcomes at Time 1 and recent event exposure at Time 2 two months later. Life events assessed included events that did and did not meet the definition of a traumatic event (i.e., posttraumatic stress disorder Criterion A1) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association, 2000) as well as directly (e.g., own life-threatening illness) and indirectly (e.g., others' illness) experienced events. Students reported experiencing many lifetime and recent Criterion A1 and non-A1 events, and community college students reported more events than did university students. Generally, individuals who reported more lifetime events also reported poorer outcomes (e.g., poorer health). The number of non-Criterion A1 and directly experienced events tended to be more strongly correlated with negative outcomes than were the number of Criterion A1 and indirectly experienced events reported. These findings suggest that non-A1 events are important to assess and can be significantly related to outcomes for students.

Stress, Coping, and Internet Use of College Students

“…These findings are consistent with past research indicating that college women report greater levels of stress than their male peers, 31 and that the number of ALEs experienced is positively associated with poor outcomes. 1 In addition, time since a stressful ALE has also been found to be negatively associated with anxiety 33 and grief 8 for college students.…”

Potentially Perilous Pedagogies: Teaching Trauma Is Not the Same as Trauma-Informed Teaching

“…In addition, up to 79% of college students may be exposed to at least one experience of psychological abuse, 31% to at least one incident of physical abuse, and 36% to at least one incident of sexual abuse in an intimate relationship (Avant, Swopes, Davis, & Elhai, 2011). Higher levels of cumulative trauma are associated with greater rates of negative personal/emotional adjustment in college students (Banyard & Cantor, 2004); trauma and other negative event exposures put undergraduate students at greater risk of developing posttraumatic stress, depression, substance use disorders, and other psychological problems (Anders et al, 2012;Read et al, 2011;Turner & Butler, 2003).…”

“…According to Frazier and colleagues' (2009) study, lifetime exposures to sexual assault, unwanted sexual attention, and family violence are associated with the highest levels of distress among undergraduates. Non-Criterion A1 traumas, such as unsupportive or hurtful interpersonal events, have also been related to negative student outcomes, including increased PTSD symptoms, other distress, and poorer physical health (Anders, Frazier, & Shallcross, 2012).…”

“…In addition, negative adjustment can result in poor school performance and may be related to attrition (DeBerard, Spielmans, & Julka, 2004). The development of PTSD during freshman year is related to lower grade point averages (Bachrach & Read, 2012), as is having a higher rate of past negative life events (Anders et al, 2012).…”

Negative life events and school adjustment among Chinese nursing students: The mediating role of psychological capital

“…Negative life events are events that "can lead to maladjustment and disturbances that most likely to result in readjustment-requiring changes in one's daily life" (Holmes and Rahe, 1967). Anders et al (2012) investigated 1084 undergraduate and community college students and found that students who experienced more life events reported poorer outcomes in a range areas of school adjustment, including lower grade point average, more distress and lower life satisfaction. A survey conducted by Reyes-Rodríguez et al (2013) found that negative life events increased the prevalence of depression symptoms and its severity among freshmen college students, which were regarded as one of important emotional maladjustment during school life.…”