Faculty Mentor
Dr. Jillene Seiver
Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
Summer 9-19-2020
Department
Psychology
Abstract
Because most college students have experienced one or more traumatic experiences before reaching college, they may be at increased risk of experiencing a mental health disorder, such as depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The current study examined the relationship between a history of traumatic events and mental health disorders among college students. There were direct correlations between traumatic experiences and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD. In addition, after dividing respondents into “low,” “middle,” and “high” levels of trauma, the high group scored significantly higher on symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Women reported more symptoms of anxiety and depression and more physical/sexual trauma than men did. Some of these effects were moderated by ethnicity. These results support the findings of previous research, and suggest that there is a need for more research to determine the kinds of support and treatment needed for college students who may have experienced trauma.
Recommended Citation
Sanchez, Samantha, "Traumatic Experiences and Mental Health in College Students" (2020). 2020 McNair Scholar Collection. 1.
https://dc.ewu.edu/mcnair_2020/1
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
