ERIC Number: EJ986845
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Dec
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-1465
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Adolescent Mental Health, Behavior Problems, and Academic Achievement
McLeod, Jane D.; Uemura, Ryotaro; Rohrman, Shawna
Journal of Health and Social Behavior, v53 n4 p482-497 Dec 2012
Prior research on the association of mental health and behavior problems with academic achievement is limited because it does not consider multiple problems simultaneously, take co-occurring problems into account, and control for academic aptitude. We addressed these limitations using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N = 6,315). We estimated the associations of depression, attention problems, delinquency, and substance use with two indicators of academic achievement (high school GPA and highest degree received) with controls for academic aptitude. Attention problems, delinquency, and substance use were significantly associated with diminished achievement, but depression was not. Combinations of problems involving substance use were especially consequential. Our results demonstrate that the social consequences of mental health problems are not the inevitable result of diminished functional ability but, rather, reflect negative social responses. These results also encourage a broader perspective on mental health by demonstrating that behavior problems heighten the negative consequences of more traditional forms of distress. (Contains 2 tables and 11 notes.)
Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Academic Aptitude, Grade Point Average, Behavior Problems, Mental Health, Adolescents, Depression (Psychology), Delinquency, Correlation, Attention Deficit Disorders, Substance Abuse, High Schools, Educational Attainment
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A