Avoidance Coping and Academic Locus of Control As Mediators of the Relationship Between Posttraumatic Stress and Academic Achievement Among First-year College Students

Posttraumatic stress (PTS) has been found to be associated with poor academic performance among college students. However, our understanding of the mechanisms underlying this relationship is limited to the results of a few recent studies. The present study is aimed at expanding the literature in this area by examining whether avoidance coping and external academic locus of control (LOC) mediate the relationship between PTS and academic achievement among first-year college students. A correlational study design was used. Students completed a quantitative survey in their first semester of college. After they completed their first academic year, we obtained their grade point averages (GPAs) through the university. Participants included 280 first-year college students with a history of potentially traumatic events. Data obtained from these participants were analyzed using path analysis. Two indirect paths from PTS to first-year GPA were significant, suggesting that external academic LOC mediated the effects of both PTS and avoidance coping on first-year GPA. Our findings suggest that the interventions that target external academic LOC may help reduce the detrimental effects of PTS on academic achievement among trauma-exposed college students.