Depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and grade point average among student servicemembers and veterans

Abstract

Abstract-The current study examined relationships among self-reported depression severity, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity, and grade point average (GPA) among student servicemembers and veterans. We asked 422 student servicemembers and veterans (72% male, 86% Caucasian, mean age = 36.29 yr) to complete an anonymous online survey that assessed self-reported GPA, depression severity, PTSD severity, and frequency of academic problems (late assignments, low grades, failed exams, and skipped classes). Female respondents reported a slightly higher GPA than males (3.56 vs 3.41, respectively, p = 0.01). Depression symptoms (beta weight = 0.174, p = 0.03), male sex (beta weight = 0.160, p = 0.01), and younger age (beta weight = 0.155, p = 0.01) were associated with lower GPA but not PTSD symptoms (beta weight = 0.040, p = 0.62), although the interaction of depression and PTSD symptoms showed a nonsignificant inverse relationship with GPA (beta weight = 0.378, p = 0.08). More severe depression was associated with turning in assignments late (beta weight = 0.171, p = 0.03), failed exams (beta weight = 0.188, p = 0.02), and skipped classes (beta weight = 0.254, p = 0.01). The relationship of depression with self-reported GPA was mediated by frequency of failed exams. Results suggest that student servicemembers and veterans with greater emotional distress also report worse academic performance.

Student Veterans’ Academic Performance Before and After the Post–9/11 GI Bill

“…We are unable to distinguish what source of GI Bill funding is being accessed or if the individual using the educational benefits was the service member, himself or herself or a spouse or child. Prior work suggests that only a small percentage of students receiving services through campus veterans centers are not, themselves, veterans (Bryan, Bryan, Hinkson, Bichrest, & Ahern, 2014), but we cannot confirm whether the same obtains for our sample.…”

A Systematic Review of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL)

“…Indeed, two articles did not even report the number of items or specific items used, making replication and interpretation impossible. Still, those short forms reported adequate alphas of .93 for a sample of 335 veterans and 422 college students (Bryan, Bryan, Hinkson, Bichrest, & Ahern, 2014). Steele et al (2014) reported an alpha of .72 (95% CI [.62, .82]) using a four-item short-form version on a community sample of 421 adults, yielding a mean of 4.92 (SD = 1.77) and a correlation with the full PCL score of r = .87 (95% CI [.77, .97]).…”

Academic Success Is Not Just About Learning, It's About Life: What Does This Mean for Assessment?

“…For some of this population, academic learning may seem trivial compared to the life experiences they have endured. Student veterans dealing with increased emotional distress reported decreases in academic performance (Bryan et al 2014). Behavioral health .…”