Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32467725›Full record

ArticleChild and adolescent psychiatry and mental health2020

Impact of child emotional and behavioural difficulties on educational outcomes of primary school children in Ethiopia: a population-based cohort study.

Habtamu Mekonnen, Girmay Medhin, Mark Tomlinson, Atalay Alem, Martin Prince, Charlotte Hanlon

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
3.5field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Observational
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Habtamu Mekonnen1Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.ORCID 0000-0002-0774-1413
Girmay Medhin3Aklilu-Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Mark Tomlinson4Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Atalay Alem1Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Martin Prince5Health Service and Population Research Department, Centre for Global Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Charlotte Hanlon1Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Addis Ababa University · ETKing's College London · GBJimma University · ETStellenbosch University · ZA

Funding

Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe relationship between child emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) and educational outcomes has not been investigated in prospective, community studies from low-income countries.

methodsThe association between child EBD symptoms and educational outcomes was examined in an ongoing cohort of 2090 mother-child dyads. Child EBD was measured when the mean age of children was 6.5 years, SD 0.04 (T0) and 8.4, SD 0.5 years (T1) using the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Educational outcomes were obtained from maternal report (drop-out) at T1 and from school records at when the mean age of the children was 9.3 (SD 0.5) years (T2).

resultAfter adjusting for potential confounders, child EBD symptoms at T1 were associated significantly with school absenteeism at T2: SDQ total score: Risk Ratio (RR) 1.01; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01, 1.02; SDQ high score (≥ 14) RR 1.36; 95% CI 1.24, 1.48; emotional subscale RR 1.03; 95% CI 1.01, 1.04; hyperactivity subscale RR 1.03; 95% CI 1.02, 1.04 and peer problems subscale (RR 1.02; 95% CI 1.00, 1.04). High SDQ (β = - 2.89; 95% CI - 5.73, - 0.06) and the conduct problems sub-scale (β = - 0.57; 95% CI - 1.02, - 0.12) had a significant negative association with academic achievement. There was no significant association between child EBD and school drop-out.

conclusionProspective associations were found between child EBD symptoms and increased school absenteeism and lower academic achievement, suggesting the need for child mental health to be considered in interventions targeting improvement of school attendance and academic achievement in low-income countries.

Indexed as

AbsenteeismChild educationChild emotional and behavioral difficultyChild mental healthCohort studySub-saharan Africa

Identifiers

PMID32467725
PMCPMC7231403
OpenAlexW3024541468

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.