Can assault affect academics?

By Nancy Gahles

I was galvanized by the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford, PhD, as was the nation, watching her recount the details of the sexual assault she alleged happened to her at the hand of Brett Kavanaugh while at a high school house party.

From my perspective as a professional who specializes in post-traumatic stress, it was abundantly clear that Ford was experiencing the flash backs and emotional trauma of the incident as she recalled it. One of her comments struck me as extremely important. When asked by a Senator how this alleged sexual assault impacted her, she responded that it affected her academics. She told that she had difficulty concentrating in school. It affected her grades. Amongst all the journalists, reporters, and newspaper columnists accounts, nowhere did I see this mentioned as telling of abuse victims. 

This glaring omission was highlighted by an onslaught of comments from news notables such as Chris Wallace who said that the testimony of Ford caused both of his daughters to tell of similar incidents that happened to them in college. He had no knowledge that this had happened to his daughters. Girls don’t tell.  Kirsten Powers, an American author, columnist, and political analyst, was so moved by the atmosphere of DoTell initiated by Ford that she recounted her own sexual assault while drunk at a college party. A rape, in fact. And she didn’t tell then, either.

How would we know that our children had been so violated? What signs can we look for?

Heading into the first quarter of the academic year, high schoolers and college “kids” have been primed to start off strong, do their best, keep their proverbial noses clean, and stay out of trouble. No drinking, no drugging, no illicit sex may be taglines that concerned parents use to head off incidents like date rape.

As first quarter report cards come in, if there is a less than stellar performance, it is usually forgiven as the acceptable result of acclimating to a new year, a new set of friends, a new school, a new environment. In my practice, the ubiquitous lamentation goes something like this: “I just can’t concentrate. I can’t focus.”

The instantaneous response from parents and teachers alike, in my experience, is to suggest that the student has the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). If there is impulsivity or behavioral issues associated with the lack of concentration, then the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may be applied. If there is apathy, indifference or sleep issues, the diagnosis of depression may be made.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), in 2016, 3.3 million children between the ages of 12-17 were diagnosed with ADHD. In their 2012 article, “What Do We Really Know About ADHD in College Students,” authors Adrian Green, PhD, and David Rabiner, PhD, report that at least 25 percent of college students seeking assistance with studying difficulties are diagnosed with ADHD. This group also experienced more social difficulties. Social difficulties generally expressed as isolation can be a result of traumatization, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and resultant depression and suicide in both high school and college people.

Lack of concentration, the number one symptom that Ford submitted had the biggest consequence for her was the result of sexual violence. My question is, does the question of etiology arise in a population which is so vulnerable to violence?  Do you, as a practitioner, inquire about the origin of the symptom, events that might have been traumatic? Either in the present or in the past. We do know that childhood traumas increase likelihood of susceptibility to PTSD from incident traumas of all nature in present circumstances.

Brain fog, mind confusion, inability to recall names, dates, or specific details and inability to focus or concentrate are all common signs of PTSD. Sexual assault is not the only type of assault that can cause these symptoms. Any bodily harm or threat of bodily harm, pushing, or shoving can be categorized as assault. Verbal assault, insults, undue criticism, character assassination, and bullying are forms of violent assaults.

Marshall Rosenberg, PhD, founder of the Center for Nonviolent Communication was instrumental in bringing attention to the damage done by violent communication. I bring this point up because I have seen, in many cases, students who have shut down academically after being harshly criticized by teachers. One child, I recall, was unable to sit for examinations because she trembled and “blanked out.” She was brought to me, by her parents, suffering from anxiety, lack of ability to concentrate, focus, and remember important facts for the test.

After a thorough consultation, I asked how she liked her teacher. Her face turned bright red and she began to tremble. She said her teacher was “strict.” I inquired further as to what that meant. She told me that the teacher, on several occasions, held her homework up to the class to demonstrate how not to do it. She belittled her work in front of her classmates, embarrassed and humiliated her often enough for the child to be traumatized to a point where she couldn’t focus or concentrate, and her academics suffered.  Indeed, at the parent- teacher meeting, the teacher had recommended that she be medicated for ADD.

The parents chose a consultation with me to investigate alternative solutions.

The very public recitation of sexual offenses as well as bullying currently in our society demands that we ask those questions. Women are now empowered and encouraged to speak up and to speak out. Men are as well. The extremely pervasive sexual abuse uncovered in the Catholic Church has undoubtedly wreaked havoc on the academic lives of those students who were victimized. I do have several cases where this is true. Concomitant co-morbidities that developed because of suppression included inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), cardiomyopathy, breast, lung, and colon cancers.

Indeed, assault—real or perceived, threatened or accomplished, and verbal, emotional, or physical—can and does affect academic performance. Should lack of focus or attention deficit be related as a symptom, even one secondary or tertiary to IBD, chronic fatigue, headaches, Epstein-Barr, musculoskeletal, or other organic symptoms, it may be a possible warning of abuse. You can begin by providing a safe place of compassionate listening to allow the person to relate incidents that are terrifying, humiliating or shameful. Develop networks of integrative practitioners who specialize in this field. Assure your patient that confidentiality will be protected. If possible, develop a relationship with the local school guidance counselors to create ongoing vigilance, dialogue, and, ideally, educational programs with student engagement.

These times are telling us that it must be safe to speak out. Inherent in the speaking of one’s truth and the ownership of personal integrity is the emergence of a network of change that becomes the new culture. This is my vision for compassionate, peaceful healthy living.