 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Ann Vander Stoep, PhD and Elizabeth McCauley, PhD. Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Washington, 146 N Canal Street, Suite 215, Seattle, WA 98103, 206-543-1538, annv@u.washington.edu
Adolescents with psychiatric disorders are a group highly vulnerable to academic problems. Longitudinal studies have established that nearly 50% of the failure to complete secondary school in the U.S. is attributable to adolescent mental illness. Understanding the relationship between mental health and school success early in the developmental course is key to designing effective intervention strategies. This poster uses data from the University of Washington Developmental Pathways Project to address the questions: What proportion of children evidence clinical levels of depression and/or disruptive behavior problems during their early middle school years? How do the proportions vary by gender and ethnicity? What is the association between mental health status and school performance during the early middle school years?
Results of universal classroom screening of 6th graders in 4 Seattle middle schools revealed that 10% scored at or above clinical cutoffs for depression, and 7.3% scored at or above clinical cutoffs for disruptive behavior problems. Of those with high depression scores,1/3 had co-occurring disruptive behavior problems, while 62.5% of students with high disruptive behavior scores had co-occurring high depression scores.
Regression analyses revealed that high depression scores, but not disruptive behavior scores, were significantly associated with low grade point average. Gender had a main effect on grade point average, with the effect of depression on school performance being significantly more deleterious in girls.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Depression, Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.