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Experiential Avoidance, Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms, and Academic Impairment
Benjamin Laman-Maharg1, David P Valentiner1, Sebastian Szöllös1
1Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA.
Psychological Reports
|January 8, 2024
Summary
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms negatively impact academic performance. Experiential avoidance worsens this effect, suggesting interventions targeting both may improve student GPA.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Academic Psychology
Background:
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptom impact on functioning, particularly academic performance, requires further understanding.
- Experiential avoidance is a common maladaptive coping strategy.
- The moderating role of experiential avoidance in PTSD and academic achievement is under-explored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate experiential avoidance as a moderator between posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and academic achievement.
- To examine the prospective association of PTSS with current and subsequent semester GPAs.
- To determine if experiential avoidance influences the PTSS-GPA relationship.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study design with 326 undergraduate students reporting Criterion A traumatic events.
- Analysis of the interaction between PTSS and experiential avoidance on current and subsequent semester GPAs.
- Inclusion of control variables: high school performance, standardized test scores, and general negative affect.
Main Results:
- A significant interaction was found between PTSS and experiential avoidance in predicting both current and subsequent semester GPAs.
- Higher levels of experiential avoidance were associated with a stronger negative relationship between PTSS and GPA.
- These findings persisted after controlling for academic and demographic variables.
Conclusions:
- Experiential avoidance significantly moderates the negative impact of PTSS on academic performance.
- Interventions targeting PTSS and/or experiential avoidance may enhance academic achievement (GPA).
- Further research is needed to explore these relationships and develop targeted interventions.
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