Concurrent and prospective relationships between symptoms of depression, anxiety, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and conduct disorder (CD) and academic achievement were examined in a large sample of Canadian children. Students in Grade 5 (N = 715) completed the depression and anxiety subscales of the Behaviour Assessment System for Children – Second Edition. Parents reported on their child’s symptoms of ADHD and CD using the Brief Child and Family Phone Interview. Academic achievement was measured using teacher-rated learning skills and students’ grade point average (GPA) from their Ontario Student Record (OSR) in fifth grade and again in sixth grade (N = 627). Symptoms of depression, anxiety, ADHD, and CD were significantly negatively correlated with academic achievement at Time 1 and Time 2. After controlling for child’s sex, household income, maternal education, and days absent, children’s mental health problems accounted for an additional 12% and 11% of the variability in their Time 1 mean ratings of learning skills and GPA, respectively. Only symptoms of ADHD predicted Time 2 GPA (1% of the variance) after controlling for Time 1 GPA and other sociodemographic variables. Findings highlight the unique contribution of mental health problems in predicting academic achievement and point to the need to promote children’s mental health in schools.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uottawa.ca/oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/20045 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Tsar, Vasilinka |
| Contributors | Vaillancourt, Tracy |
| Publisher | Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa |
| Source Sets | Université d’Ottawa |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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