Barriers to college success among students that experienced adverse childhood events

Abstract

Objective: This study examines the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and academic barriers to college success. Participants: College students (n = 525) were surveyed about exposure to ACEs and academic barriers on a large university campus in the Southeast. Methods: Multivariate regression was used to model the academic barriers among college students for students with different levels of ACEs exposure controlling for depression, health and family barriers, and sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Students with ACEs reported more family difficulties and health problems compared with those without ACEs. Depressive symptomology, poorer health ratings, and other health and family issues significantly predicted higher counts of academic barriers. Conclusions: Students with ACEs face greater difficulty with relation to health and family barriers which in turn impacts academic barriers.

Keywords:

• Academic success
• adverse childhood experiences
• college students
• college success
• mental health

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the University of Central Florida Institutional Review Board.