Date of Award

2026-05-01

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Interdisciplinary Health Sciences

Advisor(s)

Jeannie B. Concha

Abstract

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are associated with long-term psychological, physical, and behavioral outcomes; however, limited research has examined their relationship with multidimensional college adjustment among student veterans with disabilities, particularly those attending Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Guided by the Resilience Portfolio Model, this study examined associations among ACEs, perceived resilience, and multidimensional college adjustment within an understudied population of student veterans with disabilities enrolled at an HSI. Using a cross-sectional secondary analysis of survey data, the analytic sample consisted of 129 student veterans. ACEs were measured using the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire, perceived resilience was measured using the Brief Resilience Scale, and adjustment outcomes were assessed using the Inventory of Common Problems. Analyses included descriptive statistics, correlations, and hierarchical multiple regression models controlling for demographic and military-related characteristics. Results indicated that participants reported elevated levels of childhood adversity, with nearly 60% reporting four or more ACEs. Perceived resilience was consistently associated with lower levels of academic, psychological, interpersonal, physical health, and behavioral difficulties. ACEs were positively associated with depression, anxiety, physical health, interpersonal relationship, and substance use problems but were not significantly associated with academic problems. Notably, ACEs and perceived resilience were not significantly related, suggesting that adversity exposure and self-reported capacity to recover from stress may represent distinct constructs within this population. Age and gender were significant covariates in select models. These findings contribute to the limited literature on student veterans with disabilities attending Minority-Serving Institutions and provide one of the first descriptive profiles of ACEs, perceived resilience, and multidimensional college adjustment within this population. Findings support the importance of resilience-related assets in student veteran adjustment and may inform targeted interventions designed to improve academic functioning and well-being among student veterans attending HSIs and other Minority-Serving Institutions.

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

120 p.

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Donyeill Mozer

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