Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2008 Aug;43(2):180-7.
doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2008.01.023. Epub 2008 Apr 11.

Adolescent school failure predicts later depression among girls

Carolyn A McCarty  1 , W Alex Mason, Rick Kosterman, J David Hawkins, Liliana J Lengua, Elizabeth McCauley
Affiliations

Adolescent school failure predicts later depression among girls

Carolyn A McCarty et al. J Adolesc Health. 2008 Aug.

Abstract

Purpose: Past research has found that social, academic, and behavioral problems are linked with depression during childhood and adolescence. The present study tests a longitudinal cascade model of adolescent problems predicting depression into adulthood, while additionally testing for gender differences.

Methods: Using prospective longitudinal analysis with a sample of 808 youth followed from age 10 to 21, we tested whether social problems, school failure, and delinquency in adolescence increased risk for a major depressive episode in emerging adulthood. Structural equation modeling was used to test for gender differences.

Results: Both early conduct problems and adolescent school failures predisposed girls to depression in young adulthood. Among the boys, none of the problems conferred risk for depression.

Conclusions: This study highlights the mutual interplay between school failure and psychological functioning. It is suggested that school adaptation in adolescence be considered a mental health issue.

Keywords: adolescence; depression; female adolescents; psychological adaptation; student dropouts.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Model results for girls.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Model results for boys.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Masten AS, Roisman GI, Long JD, et al. Developmental cascades: linking academic achievement and externalizing and internalizing symptoms over 20 years. Dev Psychol. 2005;41:733–46. - PubMed
    1. Eley TC, Stevenson J. Specific life events and chronic experiences differentially associated with depression and anxiety in young twins. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2000;28:383–94. - PubMed
    1. Seroczynski AD, Cole DA, Maxwell SE. Cumulative and compensatory effects of competence and incompetence on depressive symptoms in children. J Abnorm Psychol. 1997;106:586–97. - PubMed
    1. Panak WF, Garber J. Role of aggression, rejection, and attributions in the prediction of depression in children. Dev Psychopathol. 1992;4:145–65.
    1. Rudolph KD. Gender differences in emotional responses to interpersonal stress during adolescence. J Adol Health. 2002;30:3–13. - PubMed

Publication types