ERIC Number: EJ989189
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Jul
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-0167
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Prevalence and Effects of Life Event Exposure among Undergraduate and Community College Students
Anders, Samantha L.; Frazier, Patricia A.; Shallcross, Sandra L.
Journal of Counseling Psychology, v59 n3 p449-457 Jul 2012
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. (Contains 3 tables.)
Descriptors: Grade Point Average, Physical Health, Mental Disorders, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Community Colleges, Undergraduate Students, Life Satisfaction, Mental Health, Measures (Individuals), Diseases, Correlation
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org/publications
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A