A Serial Mediation Analysis of Cumulative Trauma Risk, Mental Wellbeing, Resilience, and Academic Success in Community College Students

Objective/Research Question: This study explores how trauma exposure impacts academic performance among community college students, specifically examining whether mental health wellbeing and resilience mediate this relationship. The study was guided by the following research question: How do mental health wellbeing and resilience mediate the relationship between trauma and academic outcomes? Methods: Using a cross-sectional survey design, we collected data from 674 students across four community colleges. The survey measured Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), College Trauma Exposure (CTE), mental health wellbeing, resilience, and self-reported GPA. Two serial mediation models were tested using hierarchical regression and Sobel tests. Results: Both ACEs and CTEs predicted lower GPA through indirect pathways. In the ACE model, the relationship with GPA was fully mediated by mental health and resilience. In contrast, the CTE model showed both direct and indirect effects on GPA. Additionally, ACEs significantly predicted CTEs, supporting a developmental cascade. Across models, mental health was a strong predictor of resilience, emphasizing that resilience is not a static trait but a developmental process influenced by psychological wellbeing. Conclusions/Contributions: Findings underscore the need for trauma-informed practices in community colleges, shifting to institutional responsibility for supporting mental health and fostering resilience. This study contributes a novel mediation model to the literature and calls for systemic strategies that recognize resilience as an outcome of supportive, psychologically safe educational environments. Future research should use longitudinal methods and explore moderating effects of identity and institutional context.