From Childhood to Campus: Trauma, Mental Health, and Academic Success

Previous research suggests that emerging adults with histories of childhood adversity exhibit heterogeneous patterns of psychosocial risk and resilience during the transition to college, suggesting the need for person-centered approaches that can identify distinct constellations of strengths and vulnerabilities. Latent profile analysis identified four profiles of college freshmen ( N = 316) based on patterns of psychosocial and behavioral functioning: Normative, Struggling, Stressed Substance Users, and Thriving/Resilient. Students in the Struggling and Stressed Substance Use profiles reported higher childhood adversity exposure and worse mental health. Significant indirect associations between ACEs history and anxiety and depressive symptomatology emerged through profile membership, although significant direct associations remained. Stressed Substance Users had a higher rate of course failure, and students in the two highest-risk profiles were more likely to drop out by their sophomore year. Both ACEs and current psychosocial functioning contribute to poor mental health and academic outcomes, suggesting that interventions should integrate skill-based supports with trauma-informed approaches.