Presenter: Naomi Wright
Mentors: Jennifer Freyd and Carly Smith, Psychology
Oral Presentation
Major: PsychologyÂ
While the number of U.S. undergraduates studying abroad during college continues to increase, emerging research suggests these students are at risk for experiencing trauma (Kimble, Flack, & Burbridge, 2013). The current study is the first to expand the investigation of study abroad risks to include a range of possible traumas, and to examine the unique effects of institutional betrayal (i.e., an institution’s failure to effectively prevent trauma or adequately support victims) in the study abroad setting. Many respondents (45.44%, n = 79) reported personally experiencing or witnessing at least one potentially traumatic experience (e.g., transportation accident, sexual assault, etc.) while studying abroad. Of these students, more than a third (35.44%, n = 28) also reported experiencing at least one form of institutional betrayal. As hypothesized, when controlling for previous trauma history, the experience of institutional betrayal uniquely predicted posttraumatic outcomes for witnessing and experiencing several types of study abroad trauma. This study revealed that students are experiencing a broader range of traumatic events during study abroad than previous research has indicated. It also illuminates possible patterns of trauma based on characteristics of study abroad experiences. Additionally, this study extends prior research by underscoring the importance of understanding institutional impact before, during, and after a student studies abroad.