BIO

Hannah Woyome is an undergraduate student majoring in Cell and Molecular Neuroscience with a minor in Chemistry. She plans to become a surgeon and has interest in psychological research pertaining to trauma.

The Effect of ACE Scores on African American Female's College Experience/Performance

Abstract

The rates of African American females attending college has been increasing significantly. In fact, between the years of 1994 and 2012, the rate of African American female’s enrollment in college has increased from 48% to 69% , see figure 1 (Lopez & Gonzalez-Barrera, 2014). However, despite this information and research that correlates higher ACE scores with negative college performance/experience there is a large lack of research done on the demographic of African American females. Several articles have shown that higher ACE scores are associated with lower GPAs earned in African American females (Watt et al., 2021). In addition, research has reported a correlation between African American females and an increased amount potentially fatal reports of intimate partner violence (IPV) compared to other demographics, which greatly affects college experience of African American females, have been found (Hattery, 2009). This is significant because people with higher ACE scores are less likely to seek help. It is important the colleges are aware of these correlations that ACE scores pose on African American females and implement the proper care needed to further encourage their success in college. Therefore, we are recommending that colleges implement more “trauma-informed” practices with college students (Kataoka et al., 2018). This has many applications such as making sure professors are properly informed about the implications of traumatic experiences on college performance/experience and making sure that adequate resources are provided to students. Also, it is important to identify trauma-informed practices that are catered towards the demographic of African American females.

Keywords: Trauma, Therapy, African American females, Performance