Resilience in college students following childhood maltreatment

Abstract

Objective: I examined the relations between childhood maltreatment and domains of functioning (i.e., relational functioning, educational functioning, autonomy, drinking consequences, psychological functioning) and the moderators of these relations among college students. I hypothesized that most students with a history of childhood maltreatment would display resilience in the domains of functioning, both cross-sectionally and across time, though more students without a history of childhood maltreatment would be categorized as resilient. I also hypothesized that current stressors would moderate the relation between childhood maltreatment and functioning as a risk factor, whereas emotion regulation, meaning-making, and social support would buffer the relations between childhood maltreatment and functioning.Participants and Methods: Data were collected at two time points from undergraduate students at the beginning (N = 312) and end (N = 241) of the semester. Results: The majority of students with low and moderate-to-severe childhood maltreatment were resilient in most domains at both time points and across time. For relational functioning and psychological functioning, the proportion of students with histories of maltreatment who were resilient was significantly different than those without at Time 1. Recent stressors, emotion regulation, meaning-making, and social support did not moderate the relation between maltreatment and any outcome. Conclusions: Research on maltreatment in undergraduate college students needs to acknowledge resilience, as many students with histories of maltreatment display resilient functioning. Further research on potential moderators is needed.