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Article Title: Acute Stress Disorder Syndrome Among Nigerian Students: Implications For Counselling
by Onolemhemhen Patricia Eria Ph.D and Azelama Beauty Avoedoya

Abstract:
Nigerian student are confronted with challenges, among which is the rampant violence and mishaps that keep giving them emotional maladjustment. This paper therefore looked at acute disorder syndrome among Nigerian students, its causes, effects, prevalence andimplicationsfor counsellors. The paper uncovered that the biological processes, personalities, childhood experiences, social support systems, and cultural backgrounds are all causative factors that can predispose individuals to acute stress disorder. The review showed that acute stress disorder (ASD) was highly prevalent among learners and share the same causes and symptoms as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD). However, the difference between ASD and PTSD is the duration. In fact ASD leads to PTSD when treatment or recovery fails within a month of the disorder. Therefore when PTSD is mentioned ASD is often implied. ASD adversely affects attention, memory, and executive functioning of learners which are key elements of learning and thereby dampens students� capacity to acquire new skills and abilities. This paper is mainly confirmatory in significance as it aims at creating more awareness on the causes, effects and prevalence of ASD among learners. The implications and recommendations were discussed as counsellors are seemingly needed to teach students to take preventive measures like avoiding as much as possible, areas that are prone to traumatic events. Similarly, counsellors have a role in teaching students how to employ emotional adjustment strategies in case of any accidental traumatic event. This is necessary because traumatic events cannot be totally predicted or avoided.

Keywords: Learning, Acute Stress Disorder, Syndrome, Students, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

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