Refining and Evaluating Academic Stress Among American College Students: Do Adverse Childhood Experiences Lead to More Stress in College?

Abstract

American college students face a myriad of stressors that can negatively impact their health and academic performance. However, limited work in the United States has attempted to measure academic stress and to see how it is associated with other stressors, like adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). To address this gap, this study: 1) adapted the Perceptions of Academic Stress Scale (PAS) and evaluated the psychometric properties of the PAS; 2) Examined the associations between the PAS and ACEs. An online questionnaire was administered to university undergrads (N=433) who were 18-24 years of age. Analyses examined the internal consistency and validity of the scale; and used linear regression to examine the association between ACEs and PAS scores, while accounting for confounders. Findings showed good internal consistency for the PAS scale. However, the factor structure of the PAS in this sample did not match prior published work, suggesting that subscales of the PAS may not be particularly useful. ACEs were positively associated with PAS, suggesting that early life stressors may lead to additional stressors in early adulthood. These findings highlight potentially vulnerable groups in college populations that may need additional supports in order to deal with past trauma.