Depressive and anxious symptoms and the risk of secondary school non-completion

Abstract

Evidence regarding the association between adolescent internalising symptoms and school non-completion has been limited and inconclusive.To examine whether depressive and anxious symptoms at secondary school entry predict school non-completion beyond confounders and whether associations differ by baseline academic functioning.We used logistic regression to examine associations between depressive and anxious symptoms in grade 7 (age 12-14) and school non-completion (age 18-20) in 4962 adolescents.Depressive symptoms did not predict school non-completion after adjustment, but moderation analyses revealed an association in students with elevated academic functioning. A curvilinear association was found for anxiety: both low and high anxious symptoms predicted school non-completion, although only low anxiety remained predictive after adjustment.Associations between internalising symptoms and school non-completion are modest. Common school-based interventions targeting internalising symptoms are unlikely to have a major impact on school non-completion, but may prevent non-completion in selected students.

Common health conditions in childhood and adolescence, school absence, and educational attainment: Mendelian randomization study

“…Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) predicts lower educational attainment, as measured by test scores and grade repetition [9][10][11] , including where sibling-fixed effects are used to control for family-level confounding 10 . Evidence is more mixed for depressive symptoms 6,[12][13][14][15][16] , which in some studies show a negative association with years of schooling but in others do not. For autism spectum disorder (ASD), evidence suggests substantial heterogeneity in educational outcomes, even after considering variability in IQ 17,18 .…”

School dropout: The role of childhood conduct problems and depressive symptoms

“…These results are in line with previous investigations of childhood‐onset conduct problems (Darney et al, 2013; Jimerson et al, 2002; Vitaro et al, 2001). However, as depressive symptoms did not significantly predict the risk of dropout, it may be that only depressive symptoms in later years affect dropout, as studies that have found this link have only tested youth in sixth grade or higher (Brière et al, 2017; Fergusson & Woodward, 2002; Fletcher, 2010; Fortin et al, 2013; Quiroga et al, 2013). By examining the effect of depressive symptoms in younger children, our study furthered existing knowledge of the prediction of dropout and is in line with studies that suggest that the timing of depression matters (e.g., Dupéré et al, 2018).…”

“…Investigations by researchers in the United States and Canada have linked depressive symptoms in sixth and seventh grade (ages 11–13) to a higher risk of dropout by the end of high school (Fletcher, 2010; Fortin et al, 2013; Orpinas et al, 2015; Quiroga et al, 2013). Other studies have only found a link between depressive symptoms and dropout for subgroups of students (Brière et al, 2017; Dupéré et al, 2018), while others have found no significant association (Gubbels et al, 2019). Brière et al (2017) only found a link between depressive symptoms in ages 12–14 and school dropout by adulthood for students who had higher academic achievement than the average at the start of their secondary studies.…”

“…Other studies have only found a link between depressive symptoms and dropout for subgroups of students (Brière et al, 2017; Dupéré et al, 2018), while others have found no significant association (Gubbels et al, 2019). Brière et al (2017) only found a link between depressive symptoms in ages 12–14 and school dropout by adulthood for students who had higher academic achievement than the average at the start of their secondary studies. In a retrospective cross‐sectional study, adolescents who had dropped out of school and those who had not were interviewed about their mental health in the past year (Dupéré et al, 2018).…”

“…Also, the majority of studies on the link between depressive symptoms and dropout did not test for sex differences in this effect (Breslau et al, 2011; Dupéré et al, 2018; Fletcher, 2010; Gubbels et al, 2019; Orpinas et al, 2015; Quiroga et al, 2013). Those who did examine sex differences found that the relationship between depressive symptoms and dropout was similar for boys and girls (Brière et al, 2017; Fergusson & Woodward, 2002; Fortin et al, 2013), although girls were found to have higher levels of depressive symptoms (Brière et al, 2017; Quiroga et al, 2013). Overall, it seems that the relationship between depressive symptoms in adolescence and later school dropout does not vary by sex.…”