Running head: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

How the Symptoms Affect Students
Vicente Salazar
The University of Texas at El Paso
RWS 1302
Paul Vierra
10/18/15

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Abstract
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a psychological disorder that affects the individuals
brain. They develop a number of symptoms such as nightmares, flashback, depression, anxiety,
and many more. It makes life very difficult for the individual making every day tasks more
challenging than they use to be. Students that are diagnosed with PTSD are at high risk while
attending college. The added stresses of the symptoms can lea students to alcohol abuse and also
substance use. All these factors combined can hinder the students academic performance
resulting in a lower achieved grade point average. This can break the students confidence in them
to perform to the level needed in college and become an early drop out.

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Introduction
A disorder is described as some form of abnormality or disturbance in a person's life. A
serious disorder that to this day affects many people is known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Even though it is most common in military personnel due to combat action, a person who isn't in
the military can also develop PTSD. Some of the ways a person can develop PTSD according to
Guida D. Kume (2006) is experiencing a traumatic or near death event, a serious accident, abuse,
and rape (p. # vii). A traumatic event described by Terence M. Keane (2004) is the existence of
stressors that have differential effects on organismic functioning. This type of event causes the
person to react with the sense of fear, horror, denial, and helplessness (p. # 8). For instance a
child that has been abused over a period of time can show signs of PTSD as they age. Many
symptoms come along with this disorder; some are visible while others are battled within the
person. These symptoms include nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety, and depression (Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder, 2007, 1:12-1:25).
These symptoms not only make the person personal life difficult but makes every day
activities feel like an impossible task. Enjoying a simple parade during Fourth of July and
hearing fireworks go off can trigger a flashback and cause the person to feel fear and drop to the
floor. A person with PTSD can always be checking their surrounding and looking behind them
constantly in fear that someone is following them. Not being able to sleep due to having
nightmares of the traumatic event that they witness but a strain on their mind and body. PostTraumatic Stress Disorder comes with the added stress, fear, anxiety, and depression all its own.
All the symptoms that accompany it can ultimately overwhelm a person to the point of attempted
suicide or suicide. Now add the stress that a normal college student goes through while attending
a university. Meeting project deadlines, late night study sessions for exams, fear of failing

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classes, not understand the material, crowded campuses, and everything else that comes along
financially with college. All these stress factors on one person makes life very difficult and their
performance in school is quite poor.
Research question paragraph

What support system does UTEP have for students with PTSD?

Do students/patients self medicate (drugs and alcohol) to cope with PTSD?

Why do PTSD patients turn to drugs and alcohol?

How does PTSD affect students academic performance?

This literature review will examine how the symptoms of PTSD affect students and patients.
What Support System Does UTEP have for Students with PTSD?
In order to answer the question above an interview with an employee of the Military
Student Success Center at UTEP was to be conducted. While obtaining information on who is in
charge of the support system to help students with PTSD, it was found that UTEP has no support
system in place. Instead they direct any PTSD related issues to the Veterans Affairs Office in El
Paso, specifically to the Mental Health Department of the VA. With that given information, this
was an interesting find to the research question. Since UTEP had no support system, finding out
the support system the VA had was the next best option. An interview with the Chief of Mental
Health, Brian Oldell, was a great source to gather information. Oldell obtained his Masters in
Public Health at the University of Oklahoma and also a Masters in Social Work at Our Lady of
the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas. He has been employed at the Veterans Affairs in El
Paso for two months but has twenty-five years of experience when it comes to the subjects of
mental health and PTSD.

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Oldell explained that there is a process or assessment that must take place before a person
can be diagnosed with PTSD. There are two versions, a short version that is given to every
patient that claims to have PTSD and a longer version that is conducted after the short one to
those who possibly do have PTSD. It takes take a couple of these sessions or assessments to be
completed first before one is diagnosed as a PTSD patient. Once one is diagnosed he/she has the
option to partake in group therapy, where they are able to tell what they experienced to other
patients. Oldell suggested that group therapy is more common for older patients. There are three
evidence-based treatments that Oldell touched on briefly in the interview. To gather more
information on these treatments more research was required from varies sources.
The first method Oldell mentioned was Cognitive Process Therapy (CPT). Christopher B.
Frueh goes more in depth on this type of treatment. Frueh (2012) defines CPT as a manualized
cognitive therapy for PTSD with the most empirical support related to other treatments in the
category. CPT also includes some type of exposure with written narratives and can also fall
under the classification as an exposure-based intervention. CPT is based on what is called the
information processing theory, which puts sole concentration on a person stores and recalls
information (p. # 233). The second Oldell mentioned was Eye Movement Desensitization and
Reprocessing (EMDR). Edna B. Foa (2009) lists that there are 8 steps to the EDMR technique.
These steps being patient history and treatment planning, preparation, assessment,
desensitization and reprocessing, installation of positive cognition, body scan, closure, and
reevaluation (p. # 280-281). The third method Oldell mentioned is Prolonged Exposure where
the patient goes over the event multiple times in the sessions. The Institute of Medicine (2008)
explains what Exposure Therapy consists of. It includes psychoeducation, breathing retraining,
and relaxation, in addition to exposure. Exposure therapy does sometime assign homework to

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the patient, typically a tape that exposes them to the trauma repeatedly or other record of the
trauma.
Do Students/Patients Self Medicate (Drugs and Alcohol) to Cope with PTSD?
With the stress of PTSD symptoms and the on going stress of being a college students, it
has become a growing problem that students and patients with PTSD turn to drugs and alcohol.
According to Bachrach (2012) and her findings, a large amount of students attending universities
already participate in heavy drinking therefore having it negatively affect them. The link between
PTSD and problem drinking has been well known over the years and especially in adults. A selfmedication model proved that people with PTSD not only consumed alcohol but use it as a way
to deal with or reduce the painful affect that PTSD has. There have been studies that show PTSD
does increase the likelihood of that individual becoming dependent on alcohol, which supports
that fact, that people self-medicate (p. # 845). Just as Bachrach made the connection to PTSD
and alcohol abuse, Brian Borsari made the same connection but with Substance Use Disorder
(SUD). Borsari (2008) acknowledges that many students in college may have a history of trauma
or experience a traumatic event while in college. This can lead to the development of PTSD in
the student (p. # 63). In an article by OMalley (2002) he states they found according to 68
surveys based on the drinking performed by college students, it revealed that there was an
increase of drinking since World War II and it continued to the present day (p. # 1). It is known
that SUD and PTSD are related in adults. There has been research that has found and proven that
there is relationship between trauma and the usage of substances in college students. Brabant
(1997) found that there is a correlation between substance abuse and childhood sexual abuse. A
study of mainly older women college students above the age of thirty, fifteen disclosed a
troubling past with one or both alcohol and substances (Abstract). Also students who have

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experienced child abuse or violence show signs of developing more problems with alcohol than
those who dont have that abusive past. Students with a history of trauma not only use drugs and
alcohol but also participate in other risky behaviors such as self-injury and unprotected sex.
When an individual is experiencing the symptoms of PTSD in may lead them to turn to
substance usage, which puts the individual in risk of experiencing more traumatic events. Some
of which are sexual assault, partner violence, physical abuse, and could increase the severity of
the symptoms. A study in 2002 that was conducted to explore the relationship between traumatic
sexual experiences and alcohol use, specifically in undergraduate females, showed as sexual
assault increased so did the consumption of alcohol. Thus indicating that female college students
who are sexual assaulted use alcohol to cope with the psychological distress. In another study
students that are diagnosed with PTSD had reported drinking alcohol to point of higher levels of
intoxication than those without PTSD (McDevitt, 2007, p. # 180-185).
Why do PTSD Patients Turn to Drugs and Alcohol?
Many patients that are diagnosed with PTSD do not seek out the proper help they need,
instead they feel that drugs and alcohol are a better solution to the problem. Web MD (2014)
defines self-medication as taking alcohol or drugs to deal with stressful emotions. This act will
make the individual feel well but will ultimately do more harm. The usage of alcohol may even
worsen the symptoms of PTSD. It can also lead to substance abuse which can cause serious
problem with family friends, and life in general. The individual may also become dependent on
alcohol or drugs (p. # 1). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the abuse of alcohol have often
been found hand in hand. Individuals that are dealing with PTSD are more likely to develop a
drinking problem than those with the same background. They tend to have problems with alcohol
before and after getting PTSD. PTSD does however increase the chances of that individual

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developing alcohol problems. Women who have been through some type of trauma are at more
of a risk to have drinking problems. Those who have survived an abusive or violent event, three
quarters reported a drinking problem (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2015.) According to
Integrated Treatment of Substance Abuse & Mental Illness (2015) individuals that are dealing
with PTSD tend to turn to the usage of drugs and alcohol in order to feel like they have gained
some type of control over their life and also to numb or temporarily forget about the pain they
are in. They turn to drugs and alcohol mainly due to the fact they do not know how to cope with
PTSD and view drugs and alcohol and some form of escape. This thought process has led to high
percentage of PTSD patients to become dependent on alcohol (50%) and drug dependent (30%).
The withdrawal of endorphin contributes to the use of drugs and alcohol in attempt to control
PTSD. When an individual experiences or is put through a traumatic event, the brain naturally
produces endorphins that reduce the pain. Many patients dealing with PTSD will turn to alcohol
to try and replace that feeling of well being by the endorphin the brain produces (p. #1).
Brady (2012) connects the dependence on alcohol to early childhood trauma. Numerous
studies have found that victims of child abuse and mistreatment are prone to develop emotional
difficulties and psychiatric disorders. A finding of these reports that has been most occurring is
the fact that childhood abuse or mistreatment is connected with the increase risk of the individual
developing alcohol and drug use disorders. People that contain a history of child hood abuse and
mistreatment are highly susceptive to using alcohol in order to cope with stressful situations.
This type of behavior can lead to excessive alcohol use and can well continue into the
individuals middle adulthood. Research has also shown that a person with alcohol-dependent
tendencies who is also a sexual abuse victim is more likely to relapse to alcohol use and relapse
more quickly in their first year of treatment. In a study of both men and women that were

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admitted for treatment, sixty-two percent reported being victims of either childhood or sexual
abuse. In the majority of the cases when it pertains to a person seeking treatment for addiction,
the development of PTSD comes before the development of substance abuse. Tripp (2015) stated
that PTSD and the misuse of substances are disorders that are commonly connected. An
epidemiological study had showed that nearly one-third to one-half of people that suffered from
PTSD also deals with alcohol or substance dependency. This is especially common in Operation
Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn veterans with PTSD and
alcohol use disorder, ranging from 15.9% to 24.9%. Soldiers who were deployed are also prone
to show an increase in heavy drinking (p. # 55).

How Does PTSD Affect Students Academic Performance?

Students in college already have many stress factors and different events that come in to
play when it comes to their grade point average (GPA), and with the symptoms of PTSD plus the
other disorders it comes with puts a real strain on the academic performance of the student.
Bryan (2014) states that nearly seventy-five of the service member and veterans who become
students have PTSD or some sort of depression (p. #2). De Meues (1985) examined the effect
that trauma or a life-changing event has a student academic performance. It was discovered that
an individual could experience a very highly stressful life change but it had no affect on their
performance in class. Where as an individual who experienced a minor life-changing event could
have been affected in a greater manor (p. # 3).
Duncan (2000) created a study that followed 210 freshmen throughput their 4-year stay in
college. It was found that within the students second semester attending college those who
reported one on more events of childhood abuse and sexual assault were less likely to be in

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rolled in college than those students who were not victims. The symptoms of PTSD at the second
week of school freshmen year were directly related to attendance in the fourth year. PTSD and
any type of abuse played a major factor in whether the student remained enrolled or eventually
dropped out of college (p. # 1).

Figure 1: The graph shows the enrollment rates of students from freshmen to senior year
comparing victims of child abuse to non-victims. The percentage of students that have
experienced child abuse drops significantly more than those students with no such history.
Since nearly two-thirds of student service members have been in combat, emotional
distress is high. During their first year in college students with PTSD are more prone to earning a
lower GPA. Another factor that can hinder academic performance is depression. With the given
facts that PTSD and depression correspond to a lower GPA and early dropouts, this puts students
service members at a high risk of academic difficulties.

Conclusion
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has the ability to changes ones life if they do not act upon
it. It is most common to affect military personal that go to combat or see events that are tragic

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and horrifying during their time in the service. Someone who has never served in the armed
forces also has the ability to develop PTSD. A life threatening event, being in a serious accident,
a history of child abuse, being sexual assaulted, or going through the passing of a loved one can
cause a person to develop the symptoms of PTSD. The symptoms that come with the disorder
make the simplest of lifes tasks an absolute challenge to the individual. Things that they once
loved become something that they now dread due the fear of a flashback occurring. Sleeping
itself becomes a battle from within due to the on going nightmares and night terrors that the
traumatic event instilled in the person memory. PTSD not only affects the life of the person that
is diagnosed with it, but it also puts a toll on the loved ones and friends of the individual. They
have to learn how to live with a person that has sudden outburst, anger issues, depression, and
ultimately might not seem like the person they once knew.
A certain group of people that PTSD can affect is students, whether it students in middle
school, high school, or college. Being a student in college in a stressful time on its own with
taking multiple classes, finding time to study for every exam, not understanding material at
times, and everything else. A student with PTSD has all the same stress factor a normal student
has but also has the added stress of PTSD symptoms. This can lead to poor academic
performance in the students stay in college. Can cause the student not to attend class due to
anxiety or depression. Leading to poor grades on homework assignment and low grades in test
and exams. Students are also known to develop drinking problems and partake in substance
usage in order to cope with PTSD. All these factor combined adds up to poor academic
performance and a low GPA. Students dealing with PTSD have a higher tendency to become
early dropouts and not finish their schooling all together.

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However is there is help when it comes to dealing with PTSD. There are centers that
specialize in helping patients deal with the symptoms of PTSD and retake control of their life.
Whether its within group therapy with or people that have PTSD or going to see a counselor on
their own. There are also medications that help suppress the symptoms of PTSD making every
day life feel a bit more doable for the individual.

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