SynthesisBMC psychiatry2014
The downward spiral of mental disorders and educational attainment: a systematic review on early school leaving.
Synthesis in BMC psychiatry, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 130 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
130 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The association between mental health problems in childhood and adolescence and educational and labor market outcomes in adulthood: a systematic review and meta-analysis of register data studies.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2026Pooled it
- Umbrella systematic review finds limited evidence that school absence explains the association between chronic health conditions and lower academic attainment.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Informal Employment and Poor Mental Health in a Sample of 180,260 Workers from 13 Iberoamerican Countries.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- The mental health of young people who are not in education, employment, or training: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2022Pooled it
- National or population level interventions addressing the social determinants of mental health - an umbrella review.BMC public health · 2021Pooled it
- Comparison of Black and White participants with severe mental illness in response to cognitive remediation as an augmentation of vocational rehabilitation.Schizophrenia research · 2023Trial
- An Economic Evaluation of Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) Services for First-Episode Psychosis in the U.S. Public Sector.The journal of mental health policy and economics · 2018Trial
- Mental disorders in childhood or adolescence and subsequent comprehensive school achievement.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2026Article
- The economic case for increased investment in the treatment of adolescents with common mental disorders in Colombia and South Africa.Health policy and planning · 2026Article
- Academic achievement and socio-demographic differences in ADHD diagnosis: a population-based study of Swedish compulsory school pupils.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2026Article
- Neighborhood Adversity and Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in a Low-Income Migrant Community on the U.S.-Mexico Border.Hispanic health care international : the official journal of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses · 2026Article
- Trends in psychological distress among adolescents in Ireland: survey data from 2018 to 2023 & lived experience perspective.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026Article
- Mental Fatigue in High School Students Through Spanish Physical Education Teachers' Perceptions of Causes, Consequences, and Reduction Strategies: A Survey Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Secondary School Teachers' Disorder-Specific Mental Health Literacy About Depression, Anxiety, Early Psychosis and Suicide Risk: A Scoping Review.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Diagnostic Accuracy of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale for Youth (DASS-Y) Indonesian Version for Screening Internalizing Disorders Among Adolescents.Psychology research and behavior management · 2026Article
- Socio-psychological predictors of school dropout intention among Italian adolescents: evidence from a large-scale study.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Additive impulsivity and emotion dysregulation in adolescents with comorbid bipolar and substance use disorder: a cross-sectional factorial study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Surveying Adolescents During a Pandemic: Comparison of Adolescents Recruited via Social Media vs. Schools.Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research · 2026Article
- Changes in vocational college students' mental health over two academic years: associations with family factors and co-curricular activities.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Mental illness after bereavement before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden: A matched cohort study.PLOS mental health · 2026Article
70 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMost psychiatric disorders present symptom patterns that cause severe impairment on the emotional, cognitive and social level. Thus, adolescents who suffer from a mental disorder risk finding themselves in a downward spiral caused by the reciprocal association of psychological symptoms and negative school experiences that may culminate in early school leaving. In addition to previous collective work that mainly focused on school refusing behaviour among children and was presented as an expert's opinion, the following systematic review fills the knowledge gap by providing a structured overview of the bidirectional association between mental health and secondary school dropout based on a sound methodology and with a particular focus on mediating factors.
methodsFour electronic databases were searched from January 1990 until June 2014. Selected references were assessed for study details, main results, mediating factors and methodological limitations. Standardized risk of bias assessment was conducted.
resultsMood and anxiety disorders seemed to have a less consequential direct effect on early school leaving than substance use and disruptive behaviour disorders. The association between externalizing disorders and educational attainment was even stronger when the disorder occurred early in life. On the other hand, internalizing disorders were reported to develop as a consequence of school dropout. Only few studies had addressed gender differences, with discrepant results. Socio-economic background, academic achievement and family support were identified as significant mediating factors of the association between mental disorders and subsequent educational attainment.
conclusionsFindings suggested a strong association between mental health and education, in both directions. However, most studies focused on mediating factors that could not be targeted by intervention programs.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.