Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33592428›Full record

ArticleJournal of affective disorders2021

Depressive symptoms and academic achievement in UK adolescents: a cross-lagged analysis with genetic covariates.

José A López-López, Alex S F Kwong, Liz Washbrook, Kate Tilling, Mina S Fazel, Rebecca M Pearson

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of affective disorders, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
20citing papers in PubMed
4.6field-weighted citation impact, top 5% 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

20 citing papers in PubMed, 45 citations in OpenAlex.

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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 3 institutions in 2 countries.

José A López-LópezDepartment of Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol (UK); Centre for Academic Mental Health, University of Bristol (UK); Department of Basic Psychology & Methodology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Murcia (Spain). Electronic address: josealopezlopez@um.es.
Alex S F KwongDepartment of Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol (UK); Centre for Academic Mental Health, University of Bristol (UK); MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol (UK).
Liz WashbrookSchool of Education, University of Bristol (UK); Centre for Multilevel Modelling, University of Bristol (UK).
Kate TillingDepartment of Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol (UK); MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol (UK); Centre for Multilevel Modelling, University of Bristol (UK).
Mina S FazelDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Oxford (UK).
Rebecca M PearsonDepartment of Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol (UK); Centre for Academic Mental Health, University of Bristol (UK); MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol (UK).
Centre for Mental Health · GBUniversity of Bristol · GBUniversity of Oxford · GB

Funding

Medical Research Council G9815508Medical Research Council MC_PC_15018Medical Research Council MC_PC_19009Wellcome Trust WT088806
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe relationship between adolescent depressive symptoms and academic achievement remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to help clarify the nature and directionality of this association.

methodsWe used a sample of 13,599 British adolescents (main sample of N=3,809 participants). We fitted cross-lagged panel models using four repeated measures of self-reported depressive symptoms and four measures of academic achievement based on British national records between 11-18 years, separately for male and female adolescents and considering polygenic risk scores (PRS) for educational attainment and depression, alongside other child and parental covariates.

resultsWe found evidence of an overall negative association that was stronger in boys (R=-0.21, 95% CI -0.31 to -0.11) than in girls (-0.13, -0.31 to 0.05). Higher depressive symptoms were associated with lower academic achievement at a later stage up to the end of compulsory education (16 years), when the direction of the association reversed, although girls with lower achievement also appeared vulnerable to depressive symptoms at previous stages. The genetic variables derived for this study showed stronger associations for academic achievement, but the PRS for depression also showed a negative association with academic achievement in girls. Child intelligence quotient and peer victimization also showed relevant associations. LIMITATIONS: Observational design, variation around measurement times, missing data.

conclusionsDepressive symptoms and academic achievement should be considered jointly when designing school-based programmes for children and adolescents, alongside gender, child ability and school experience. Including genetic information in research can help to disentangle average from time-varying effects.

Indexed as

Academic SuccessAchievementAdolescentChildDepressionEducational StatusFemaleHumansMaleUnited Kingdomacademic achievementadolescenceALSPACcross-laggeddepressionpolygenic risk scores

Identifiers

PMID33592428
PMCPMC8105173
OpenAlexW3128642392

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.