College Students' Psychological Well-Being & Resource Use in Response to the Las Vegas Shooting

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to examine the psychological impact that the October 1, 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas had on students attending the University of Nevada, Reno. Levels of psychological distress before and after the shooting were collected using the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (Weiss, 2007). Awareness and use of on-campus resources after the shooting, and perceptions about the most beneficial services were collected as well by use of a survey. Participants who had a relationship to the festival at which the shooting occurred and/or Las Vegas experienced more psychological distress on average in comparison to those who had no connection to the festival and Las Vegas. Many respondents were aware of all resources offered, yet utilization rates were low. The most utilized resources by participants were those that unified the community, such as the candlelight vigil. Continued research on responses and supports provided by universities and colleges across the United States after a traumatic event impacted their community can assist in the development of a plan for administrators, faculty, and staff to utilize to ensure their students’ needs are appropriately and adequately being met.