Science Publications

Sign Up
Sign In
Submit
Current Research in Public Health
Cite This Article Share Download PDF XML
  1. Home
  2. Journals
  3. Current Research in Public Health
  4. Archive
  5. Volume 5, Issue 1, 2025
  6. Article
Article Open Access February 14, 2025

Trauma Erodes Financial Returns of Educational Attainment

Shervin Assari 1, 2, 3,* and Alexandra Donovan 1
1
Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, 1731 E. 120th St., Los Angeles, CA, 90059, USA
2
Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, 1731 E. 120th St., Los Angeles, CA, 90059, USA
3
Department of Public Health, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, 1731 E. 120th St., Los Angeles, CA, 90059, USA
Publihed in: Current Research in Public Health (Volume 5, Issue 1, 2025)
Page(s): 40-53
DOI: 10.31586/ojer.2025.1199
Received
December 01, 2024
Revised
January 22, 2025
Accepted
February 10, 2025
Published
February 14, 2025
Keywords
Minorities' Diminished Returns; MDRs; Education; Income-to-Needs Ratio; Stress; Trauma; Socioeconomic Disparities; Economic Inequality; Racial Disparities; Structural Inequities; National Survey of American Life; Chronic Stress; Marginalized Populations; Lifetime Trauma
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright: Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Scientific Publications
Article metrics
Views
404
Downloads
46

Cite This Article

APA Style
Assari, S. , & Donovan, A. (2025). Trauma Erodes Financial Returns of Educational Attainment. Current Research in Public Health, 5(1), 40-53. https://doi.org/10.31586/ojer.2025.1199
ACS Style
Assari, S. ; Donovan, A. Trauma Erodes Financial Returns of Educational Attainment. Current Research in Public Health 2025 5(1), 40-53. https://doi.org/10.31586/ojer.2025.1199
Chicago/Turabian Style
Assari, Shervin, and Alexandra Donovan. 2025. "Trauma Erodes Financial Returns of Educational Attainment". Current Research in Public Health 5, no. 1: 40-53. https://doi.org/10.31586/ojer.2025.1199
AMA Style
Assari S, Donovan A. Trauma Erodes Financial Returns of Educational Attainment. Current Research in Public Health. 2025; 5(1):40-53. https://doi.org/10.31586/ojer.2025.1199 
@Article{crph1199,
AUTHOR = {Assari, Shervin and Donovan, Alexandra},
TITLE = {Trauma Erodes Financial Returns of Educational Attainment},
JOURNAL = {Current Research in Public Health},
VOLUME = {5},
YEAR = {2025},
NUMBER = {1},
PAGES = {40-53},
URL = {https://www.scipublications.com/journal/index.php/OJER/article/view/1199},
ISSN = {2831-5162},
DOI = {10.31586/ojer.2025.1199},
ABSTRACT = {Background: Educational attainment is often regarded as a pathway to economic stability and social mobility. However, the Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDRs) framework has demonstrated that the effects of educational attainment on various economic, behavioral, and health outcomes are weaker for marginalized populations, including racial/ethnic minorities, immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those living in disadvantaged areas. While MDRs have been documented for various marginalized demographic groups, the role of trauma in moderating socioeconomic outcomes remains underexplored. Objective: This study examines whether lifetime trauma exposure diminishes the positive association between educational attainment and poverty-to-income ratio (PIR), a key indicator of economic well-being. Methods: Using data from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL), we analyzed a nationally representative sample of 6,008 adults, including Black, White, Latino, and Other racial/ethnic groups. We employed linear regression models to evaluate the association between the independent variable educational attainment and the outcome PIR. We then tested lifetime trauma as a moderator of this association. Models controlled for age, gender, employment, and race/ethnicity. Results: Educational attainment was positively associated with PIR across all groups, but the strength of this association was significantly attenuated for individuals with a history of lifetime trauma. These effects were independent of covariates. Conclusions: These findings extend the MDRs framework by highlighting trauma as a potential contributor to diminished returns of education on socioeconomic wellbeing. Structural inequities that increase trauma exposure in minoritized populations may also limit the economic benefits of education, particularly for groups with multiple trauma exposures. Policies aimed at addressing economic inequality must integrate social policies that reduce trauma and stress.},
}
%0 Journal Article
%A Assari, Shervin
%A Donovan, Alexandra
%D 2025
%J Current Research in Public Health

%@ 2831-5162
%V 5
%N 1
%P 40-53

%T Trauma Erodes Financial Returns of Educational Attainment
%M doi:10.31586/ojer.2025.1199
%U https://www.scipublications.com/journal/index.php/OJER/article/view/1199

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Assari, Shervin
AU  - Donovan, Alexandra
TI  - Trauma Erodes Financial Returns of Educational Attainment
T2  - Current Research in Public Health
PY  - 2025
VL  - 5
IS  - 1
SN  - 2831-5162
SP  - 40
EP  - 53
UR  - https://www.scipublications.com/journal/index.php/OJER/article/view/1199
AB  - Background: Educational attainment is often regarded as a pathway to economic stability and social mobility. However, the Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDRs) framework has demonstrated that the effects of educational attainment on various economic, behavioral, and health outcomes are weaker for marginalized populations, including racial/ethnic minorities, immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those living in disadvantaged areas. While MDRs have been documented for various marginalized demographic groups, the role of trauma in moderating socioeconomic outcomes remains underexplored. Objective: This study examines whether lifetime trauma exposure diminishes the positive association between educational attainment and poverty-to-income ratio (PIR), a key indicator of economic well-being. Methods: Using data from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL), we analyzed a nationally representative sample of 6,008 adults, including Black, White, Latino, and Other racial/ethnic groups. We employed linear regression models to evaluate the association between the independent variable educational attainment and the outcome PIR. We then tested lifetime trauma as a moderator of this association. Models controlled for age, gender, employment, and race/ethnicity. Results: Educational attainment was positively associated with PIR across all groups, but the strength of this association was significantly attenuated for individuals with a history of lifetime trauma. These effects were independent of covariates. Conclusions: These findings extend the MDRs framework by highlighting trauma as a potential contributor to diminished returns of education on socioeconomic wellbeing. Structural inequities that increase trauma exposure in minoritized populations may also limit the economic benefits of education, particularly for groups with multiple trauma exposures. Policies aimed at addressing economic inequality must integrate social policies that reduce trauma and stress.
DO  - Trauma Erodes Financial Returns of Educational Attainment
TI  - 10.31586/ojer.2025.1199
ER  -