Research Article | | Peer-Reviewed

Effect of Self-Regulation on Academic Success Among College Students with Traumatic Life Events

Received: 29 October 2023     Accepted: 15 November 2023     Published: 29 November 2023
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Abstract

Most college students have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lives. However, not all students are affected equally by trauma—some persevere, whereas others do not. While many studies have assessed the physical and mental effects of traumatic life events on college students, academic performance, and retention rates, the role of self-regulation in moderating the negative effects of trauma in college students is poorly understood. The present study aimed to fill this knowledge gap by exploring the relationship between traumatic life events, academic performance, and self-regulation. We collected survey responses from 59 college students, asking them to self-report their general self-regulation, academic self-regulation, and traumatic life events. Academic performance was operationalized by their GPA. We found no significant correlation between traumatic life events and GPA. Students that rated themselves higher in self-regulation had marginally higher GPAs, but there was no support for the hypothesis that self-regulation moderates the relationship between traumatic life events and GPA. These findings advance our understanding of the critical variables that affect mental health, academic performance, and ultimately retention in college students. They demonstrate that traumatic life events may not necessarily hinder the academic performance of college students, although more research is necessary into what fosters resilience.

Published in American Journal of Applied Psychology (Volume 12, Issue 6)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajap.20231206.12
Page(s) 144-150
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

College Students, Traumatic Life Events, Self-Regulation, Academic Persistence

References
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Karagiorgakis, A., Long-Mitchell, S. (2023). Effect of Self-Regulation on Academic Success Among College Students with Traumatic Life Events. American Journal of Applied Psychology, 12(6), 144-150. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajap.20231206.12

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    ACS Style

    Karagiorgakis, A.; Long-Mitchell, S. Effect of Self-Regulation on Academic Success Among College Students with Traumatic Life Events. Am. J. Appl. Psychol. 2023, 12(6), 144-150. doi: 10.11648/j.ajap.20231206.12

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    AMA Style

    Karagiorgakis A, Long-Mitchell S. Effect of Self-Regulation on Academic Success Among College Students with Traumatic Life Events. Am J Appl Psychol. 2023;12(6):144-150. doi: 10.11648/j.ajap.20231206.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajap.20231206.12,
      author = {Aris Karagiorgakis and Samantha Long-Mitchell},
      title = {Effect of Self-Regulation on Academic Success Among College Students with Traumatic Life Events},
      journal = {American Journal of Applied Psychology},
      volume = {12},
      number = {6},
      pages = {144-150},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajap.20231206.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajap.20231206.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajap.20231206.12},
      abstract = {Most college students have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lives. However, not all students are affected equally by trauma—some persevere, whereas others do not. While many studies have assessed the physical and mental effects of traumatic life events on college students, academic performance, and retention rates, the role of self-regulation in moderating the negative effects of trauma in college students is poorly understood. The present study aimed to fill this knowledge gap by exploring the relationship between traumatic life events, academic performance, and self-regulation. We collected survey responses from 59 college students, asking them to self-report their general self-regulation, academic self-regulation, and traumatic life events. Academic performance was operationalized by their GPA. We found no significant correlation between traumatic life events and GPA. Students that rated themselves higher in self-regulation had marginally higher GPAs, but there was no support for the hypothesis that self-regulation moderates the relationship between traumatic life events and GPA. These findings advance our understanding of the critical variables that affect mental health, academic performance, and ultimately retention in college students. They demonstrate that traumatic life events may not necessarily hinder the academic performance of college students, although more research is necessary into what fosters resilience.
    },
     year = {2023}
    }
    

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    AU  - Aris Karagiorgakis
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    Y1  - 2023/11/29
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajap.20231206.12
    T2  - American Journal of Applied Psychology
    JF  - American Journal of Applied Psychology
    JO  - American Journal of Applied Psychology
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    AB  - Most college students have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lives. However, not all students are affected equally by trauma—some persevere, whereas others do not. While many studies have assessed the physical and mental effects of traumatic life events on college students, academic performance, and retention rates, the role of self-regulation in moderating the negative effects of trauma in college students is poorly understood. The present study aimed to fill this knowledge gap by exploring the relationship between traumatic life events, academic performance, and self-regulation. We collected survey responses from 59 college students, asking them to self-report their general self-regulation, academic self-regulation, and traumatic life events. Academic performance was operationalized by their GPA. We found no significant correlation between traumatic life events and GPA. Students that rated themselves higher in self-regulation had marginally higher GPAs, but there was no support for the hypothesis that self-regulation moderates the relationship between traumatic life events and GPA. These findings advance our understanding of the critical variables that affect mental health, academic performance, and ultimately retention in college students. They demonstrate that traumatic life events may not necessarily hinder the academic performance of college students, although more research is necessary into what fosters resilience.
    
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Author Information
  • Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, Lemont Furnace, USA

  • Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, Lemont Furnace, USA

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