Longitudinal pathways between mental health difficulties and academic performance during middle childhood and early adolescence

Abstract

There is a growing appreciation that child functioning in different domains, levels, or systems are interrelated over time. Here, we investigate links between internalizing symptoms, externalizing problems, and academic attainment during middle childhood and early adolescence, drawing on two large data sets (child: mean age 8.7 at enrolment, n = 5,878; adolescent: mean age 11.7, n = 6,388). Using a 2-year cross-lag design, we test three hypotheses -adjustment erosion, academic incompetence, and shared risk -while also examining the moderating influence of gender. Multilevel structural equation models provided consistent evidence of the deleterious effect of externalizing problems on later academic achievement in both cohorts, supporting the adjustment-erosion hypothesis. Evidence supporting the academic-incompetence hypothesis was restricted to the middle childhood cohort, revealing links between early academic failure and later internalizing symptoms. In both cohorts, inclusion of shared-risk variables improved model fit and rendered some previously established cross-lag pathways non-significant. Implications of these findings are discussed, and study strengths and limitations noted. Statement of contributionWhat is already known on this subject?Longitudinal research and in particular developmental cascades literature make the case for weaker associations between internalizing symptoms and academic performance than between externalizing problems and academic performance. Findings vary in terms of the magnitude and inferred direction of effects. Inconsistencies may be explained by different age ranges, prevalence of small-to-modest sample sizes, and large time lags between measurement points. Gender differences remain underexamined.

Development and predictors of mental ill-health and wellbeing from childhood to adolescence

“…Wellbeing between ages 11 and 14 was far less stable compared to parent-reported mental illhealth. The moderate stability in psychopathology is in line with other research in this field [29,30], whereas findings on sex differences in stability of psychopathology are inconsistent in the literature. The poor stability in wellbeing is a novel finding of this study as little has been published regarding the stability of wellbeing across childhood and adolescence, whereas in comparison wellbeing in adulthood has been found to be more stable [31].…”

Are weight status and weight perception associated with academic performance among youth?

“…However, obesity BMI classi cations produced marginally larger effect sizes than weight perceptions of overweight, although all effects were small to moderate. Overweight perceptions have been linked to poor mental health, psychosocial distress, and low self-esteem in adolescents [29,[37][38][39], factors that have also been associated with lower academic achievement [36]. In fact, researchers have reported perceiving oneself as overweight to be a stronger predictor of behavioural issues and mental distress than actual weight status [13,27,39].…”

“…Mental health may confound the relationship between weight status or perception and academic achievement. Several studies have linked poor mental health with lower grades [36], and a recent intervention promoting positive mental health and wellbeing signi cantly improved academic grades in participating schools [49]. Future studies, using longitudinal designs, standardized test grades, and including mental health, self-concept, and stigma measures should be considered.…”

The educational aspirations and psychological well-being of adopted young people in the UK

“…internalising symptoms appear to have a shorter term effect on early academic achievement, but may be exacerbated by early academic failure (Deighton et al, 2018).…”