Prevalence and mental health correlates of worst traumatic events among Hispanic American college students

This study examined the prevalence and psychological correlates of the worst traumatic events reported by Hispanic college students (N = 688) in the U.S. The worst traumatic events reported by most students included non-violent death of a loved one, accident or natural disaster, sexual assault/abuse, physical/psychological abuse, and negative immigration-related events. Hispanic college women who reported physical/psychological abuse, sexual abuse/assault, or negative immigration experience as their worst event reported the highest levels of depression symptoms. In contrast, there were no statistically significant differences in depression or anxiety symptoms between Hispanic college men who reported different types of worst events. Consistent with previous research, there were no differences in depression and anxiety symptoms between students who reported worst events that met or did not meet the definition of a traumatic event in the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Diagnostic Statistical Manual 5 (DSM-5) criterion A. The findings underscored the importance of exploring and addressing in outreach and clinical interventions for Hispanic college students potentially traumatic immigration events, experiences that typically are not captured in trauma screening questionnaires.