IMPACT OF UNDIAGNOSED TRAUMA ON ACADEMIC ADJUSTMENT OF UNDERGRADUATES IN NASARAWA STATE UNIVERSITY KEFFI, NIGERIA: IMPLICATIONS FOR TRAUMA-INFORMED EDUCATION

Abstract

In recent years, Nigerians have been exposed to experiences that can best be described as traumatic. Many survivors of traumatic experiences are students at different levels of education, who may never have been diagnosed nor treated for trauma. This article investigated the impact of undiagnosed trauma on academic adjustments of undergraduates in Nasarawa State University Keffi, Nigeria. Survey research design was adopted. The population of the study comprised all 100 level and 200 level undergraduates in the Department of Guidance and Counselling, Nasarawa State University Keffi (NSUK). The study had two objectives, and research questions. A questionnaire designed by the researchers title; Questionnaire on Traumatic Experiences (QOTE) was used for data
collection. The questionnaire was validated by experts in the Faculty of Education NSUK. The validity index obtained was .757. It was further pilot-tested among 25 undergraduates of Guidance and Counselling Department who were not allowed to participate during the administration of the instrument. A test re-test method of reliability was used and a 0.82 reliability index was obtained. The statistics used were frequencies, percentages, as well as mean and standard deviation. The findings revealed that quite a number of respondents had traumatic experiences as a result, are negatively adjusted academically. It was concluded that so long as survivors of traumatic experiences are not diagnosed and treated for trauma, it is hard for them to adjust positively to academic activities. The need for trauma-informed education is, therefore, recommended in schools.