Exploring Psychosocial Mechanisms and Interactions: Links Between Adolescent Emotional Distress, School Connectedness, and Educational Achievement

Abstract

Internalizing mental health issues are a significant developmental and clinical concern during adolescence, but rarely identified as a problem among school staff. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, this study examined the associations between adolescent emotional distress, school connectedness, and educational achievement by exploring potential mechanistic and interactive roles of perceived school connectedness on the emotion–education association. Emotional distress was negatively associated with adolescents’ perceptions of belonging to school, which, in turn, may negatively influence educational achievement. School connectedness also had both additive and multiplicative interaction effects on the emotion–education relationship. Results support previous evidence of school connectedness as a protective factor for adolescents with internalizing mental health concerns, although much of the work to date has focused on externalizing problems. This study informs our understanding of how, why, and for whom emotional problems influence educational outcomes in light of social support in the school context.

Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: The Association Between Child and Adolescent Depression and Later Educational Attainment

“…30 Finally, 3 of the included studies investigated possible mediators on the pathway between depression and attainment. These provided some evidence that the association may be partly mediated by peer victimization, 42 school connectedness, 47 social competence, and social support. 49 Taken together, these findings are suggestive that higher levels of depression symptoms may be associated with lower levels of social support (as measured in a variety of ways), which in turn may lead to lower attainment.…”

“…53 There was also some evidence that school connectedness and ethnicity moderated the association between depression and attainment; but, as with gender, the modifying effect of ethnic variation was inconsistent. 47,41,50 One study also investigated school year as an effect modifier, but did not find a significant effect. 30 Finally, 3 of the included studies investigated possible mediators on the pathway between depression and attainment.…”

“…Sample sizes ranged from n ¼ 129 to n ¼ 7,276. 47,54 For those that reported age ranges, age at depression assessment ranged from 6 to 17 years. 35,37,45,54 Gender was reasonably balanced, except in 1 study in which only 22% were male participants.…”

Adolescent Proactive Bystanding Versus Passive Bystanding Responses to School Bullying: the Role of Peer and Moral Predictors

“…Being connected or feeling a strong sense of belonging to school has many benefits for students including an association with high grades (Pate et al 2017), less depression (Wilson et al 2018) and less risky use of substances (Han et al 2015;Weatherson et al 2018). Students who feel they matter to their peers and teachers are more tolerant of difference and respectful to others (Ahmed 2008).…”

Ergenlerde Okul Aidiyeti, Okul İşlevleri ve Psikolojik Uyum Arasındaki İlişkinin İncelenmesi

“…Benzer şekilde kabul ve kararlılık terapisi de aidiyetin kuramsal bir yere sahip olduğunu göstermiştir (Hayes ve diğerleri, 2012;Tanhan, 2019). Bireyin okul ortamında kabul görmesi ve değerli olduğunu hissetmesi veya bireye saygı duyulması, olumlu yaşantıları arttırırken okuldan dışlanması, reddedilmesi veya kendini değersiz olarak görmesi birçok gelişimsel probleme neden olabilmektedir (Joyce ve Early, 2014;Osterman, 2000;Pate, Maras, Whitney ve Bradshaw, 2017). Örneğin, okul ortamında dışlanmışlık yaşayan ergenlerin daha fazla duygusal ve davranışsal problemler yaşadıkları ve daha düşük iyi oluş düzeyine sahip oldukları belirtilmektedir (Arslan, 2018a).…”