Child Sexual Abuse, Academic Functioning and Educational Outcomes in Emerging Adulthood

ABSTRACT

In many parts of the world, emerging adults, aged 18 to 25 years old, require education beyond high school to transition to a stable, secure adulthood. Child abuse, trauma, victimization, and adversity have been shown to negatively affect academic functioning and educational attainment during childhood and adolescence. Despite this, many emerging adults who have experienced these adverse events also show remarkable resilience. Understanding both maladaptation and resilience among emerging adults will inform efforts to increase academic success and post-secondary educational attainment. In the current review, we synthesize literature on associations between child sexual abuse and academic functioning and educational outcomes in emerging adults and college students, including possible social, emotional, and cognitive mediators. We find initial evidence that academic functioning and educational outcomes are separable, with more research needed on reasons for leaving college other than low grades, more research on community colleges, trade schools, on-the-job training, military training, and other sites of post-secondary learning, and as well as the antecedents and consequences of academic experiences in emerging adulthood. Overall, we have a limited understanding of the social and emotional functioning important to educational success in college and other post-secondary educational settings.

KEYWORDS:

• Child sexual abuse
• academics
• education
• emerging adulthood

Disclosure of interest

Authors declare that they have no conflicts to report.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jazlyn M. Mitchell

Jazlyn Mitchell, B.S. is a graduate of the School of Psychological Science, and plans to pursue graduate education in psychology.

Kathryn A. Becker-Blease

Kathryn Becker-Blease, Ph.D. is Associate Professor and Director of the School of Psychological Science at Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR.

Raechel N. Soicher

Raechel Soicher, M.S. recently defended her dissertation and will join the Oregon State University faculty as an Instructor in January 2021.