As increasing numbers of learning disabled (LD) students attend postsecondary institutions (McGuire, Norlander, & Shaw, 1990; Saracoglu, Minden, & Wilchesky, 1989), researchers and clinicians contend that these college students display a disproportionate amount of psychological distress as compared to their non-LD peers (Faigel, 1985; Kronick, 1976; Patton & Polloway, 1982). The LD college student's propensity to experience emotional distress has been attributed to the stressful nature of the college environment, the demands of coursework, and unresolved psychological and psychosocial conflicts from childhood and adolescence. This paper explored the contention that LD college students are at risk for developing emotional problems which may affect their chances of experiencing success both in academia and in their personal lives.This study included a sample of 40 learning disabled college freshmen and 46 non-learning disabled college freshmen from four state universities in Indiana. Due to the nature of the research questions, only multivariate statistics were included. Multivariate analysis of variance results from the MMPI-2 validity and clinical, supplementary, and content scales indicated that there were no general differences in adjustment between the LD and non-LD samples. However, cluster analyses which were based on MMPI-2 clinical and validity scale T-scores, supported the notion that there were varying levels of emotional adjustment among the college learningdisabled students.One cluster of learning disabled students, (LD cluster 2), exhibited a propensity to experience psychological difficulties, and they appeared to be undergoing distress at the time of testing. Students from this at-risk LD cluster also reported many more personal, familial, and academic problems in their past. In comparison to students from the well-functioning LD cluster, those in the at-risk group indicated being diagnosed with their learning disability much later in their schooling; consequently, they also reported receiving fewer opportunities to receive help for their difficulties.The author suggests that, although these findings are preliminary, it appears that some learning disabled college students may be at-risk for experiencing personal distress and, perhaps, academic failure. It is recommended that the MMPI2, along with other psychologically-based instruments be used with this population as a possible way of identifying college students who may be in need of receiving psychological support. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/176405 |
| Date | January 1992 |
| Creators | Gleckman, Ari Dean |
| Contributors | Hutchinson, Roger L. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | xii, 204 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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