First Semester Academic Functioning of College Students: The Role of Stressful and Traumatic Life Events

Authors

Ashlee Warnecke, University of LouisvilleFollow
Richard Lewine, University of LouisvilleFollow

Abstract

The present study sought to better understand the role of stress and trauma history and resiliency among students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and their college academic outcomes. Self-reported history of stressful and traumatic life events, resilience, and demographic factors were collected at orientation for 54 “poor” students as determined by Federal standards. Academic record information was collected at the end of the first semester. The study sample was similar to other students in terms of event exposure, self-reported mental health symptoms, and resilience. Event exposure significantly correlated with course withdrawals, low grades (Fs and Ds), and mean grade point average.. This research has implications for educators, mental health professionals, and college administrators.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Warnecke, Ashlee and Lewine, Richard (2019) "First Semester Academic Functioning of College Students: The Role of Stressful and Traumatic Life Events," International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Vol. 13: No. 2, Article 8.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2019.130208