The impact of psychopathology on academic performance in school-age children and adolescents

Anxiety; Depression; Psychiatric disordersAnsiedad; Depresión; Desórdenes psiquiátricosAnsietat; Depressió; Trastorns psiquiàtricsPsychiatric symptoms have consistently been associated with negative educational outcomes. However, possible confounding variables, such as comorbid mental and environmental conditions, have not been well addressed. This study examined whether mental health problems were significantly linked to academic performance in a Spanish school-based sample, after adjustment for co-occurring psychiatric symptoms and multiple contextual factors. Parents completed a questionnaire regarding child’s sociodemographic characteristics (i.e., gender, age, type of school, socioeconomic status, ethnicity), stressful events (i.e., adoption, parental divorce/separation, grade retention) and lifestyle (i.e., diet, sleep, screen time), along with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Academic performance was obtained from school records. The sample comprised 7036 students aged 5–17 with full data on the CBCL. Mixed-effects ordinal logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate the association between psychopathology and academic achievement, controlling for potential confounders. When examined separately, higher scores on the CBCL scales were related to lower grades, regardless of sociodemographic factors. However, after controlling for the presence of other psychiatric symptoms, we found that students who reported more anxious/depressed and thought problems were less likely to perform poorly, while those with increased levels of attention problems and delinquent behavior had higher risk for academic underachievement. These associations remained mainly the same once stressful events and lifestyle were taken into account. This investigation demonstrates that anxious/depressed symptoms, thought problems, attention problems, and delinquent behavior are independently associated with academic performance, which emphasize the need for preventive and treatment interventions targeted at students’ mental health to improve their psychological well-being and functioning at school.This work was funded by “la Caixa” Banking Foundation, Diputació de Barcelona, Diputació de Lleida, and Ministry of Health of Generalitat de Catalunya

Influencia de la inteligencia emocional percibida en el afrontamiento del estrés cotidiano

Introducción y objetivos: El presente estudio investiga la influencia de cada una de las dimensiones de la inteligencia emocional percibida (IEP) sobre las estrategias de afrontamiento ante situaciones de estrés cotidiano. Material y métodos: La muestra estuvo formada por 50 personas entre 18 y 25 años. La inteligencia emocional se evaluó a través de la escala TMMS-24 que contiene 3 dimensiones: atención emocional, claridad emocional y reparación emocional. Se realizó una evaluación ecológica momentánea durante 4 días en la que se registraron los estresores diarios con el DISE, el estado afectivo con el PANAS y el afrontamiento del estrés cotidiano mediante la escala MoCope. Se evaluaron 4 tipos de afrontamiento: afrontamiento centrado en el problema, búsqueda de apoyo social, aceptación de las emociones y rechazo. El diseño fue cuasiexperimental con medidas repetidas y los datos se analizaron mediante regresiones múltiples. Resultados: Los resultados mostraron que: a) las personas con alta claridad emocional usaron más el afrontamiento centrado en el problema, la aceptación de las emociones y menos el rechazo, b) las personas con alta reparación emocional usaron más el afrontamiento centrado en el problema, la búsqueda de apoyo social y menos el rechazo; y c) las personas con alta atención emocional usaron más la aceptación de emociones y la búsqueda de apoyo social. Conclusiones: Estos resultados apoyan la hipótesis de que la inteligencia emocional favorece el bienestar emocional al promover el afrontamiento adaptativo frente al estrés cotidianoBackground and aims: The purpose of the present study is to investigate the influence of each perceived emotional intelligence dimension on coping strategies in the face of daily stress. Material and methods: The sample was comprised of 50 people aged 18 to 25 years. PEI was assessed through the TMMS-24 that evaluates three dimensions: emotional attention, emotional clarity and emotional repair. A momentary ecological assessment was carried out in which the daily stressors were recorded with the DISE; the affective state with the PANAS; and the coping with the daily stress using the MoCope scale. The assessment lasted four days. Four types of coping were evaluated: Problem-focused coping, seeking social support, acceptance of emotions, and rejection. The design was quasi-experimental with repeated measures. The data were analysed by multiple regressions. Results: The results showed that: a) People with high emotional attention used more acceptance of emotions and seeking social support; b) people with high emotional clarity used more problem-focused coping and acceptance of emotions but less rejection; and c) people with high emotional repair used more problem-focused coping and seeking social support but less rejection. Conclusions: These results support the hypothesis that PEI strengthens emotional well-being because it promotes adaptive coping ability of daily stres

The impact of psychopathology on academic performance in school-age children and adolescents

Psychiatric symptoms have consistently been associated with negative educational outcomes. However, possible confounding variables, such as comorbid mental and environmental conditions, have not been well addressed. This study examined whether mental health problems were significantly linked to academic performance in a Spanish school-based sample, after adjustment for co-occurring psychiatric symptoms and multiple contextual factors. Parents completed a questionnaire regarding child's sociodemographic characteristics (i.e., gender, age, type of school, socioeconomic status, ethnicity), stressful events (i.e., adoption, parental divorce/separation, grade retention) and lifestyle (i.e., diet, sleep, screen time), along with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Academic performance was obtained from school records. The sample comprised 7036 students aged 5-17 with full data on the CBCL. Mixed-effects ordinal logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate the association between psychopathology and academic achievement, controlling for potential confounders. When examined separately, higher scores on the CBCL scales were related to lower grades, regardless of sociodemographic factors. However, after controlling for the presence of other psychiatric symptoms, we found that students who reported more anxious/depressed and thought problems were less likely to perform poorly, while those with increased levels of attention problems and delinquent behavior had higher risk for academic underachievement. These associations remained mainly the same once stressful events and lifestyle were taken into account. This investigation demonstrates that anxious/depressed symptoms, thought problems, attention problems, and delinquent behavior are independently associated with academic performance, which emphasize the need for preventive and treatment interventions targeted at students' mental health to improve their psychological well-being and functioning at schoo