Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42416619›Full record

ArticleJCPP advances2026

Children's psychological traits and educational performance: How schools and residential areas moderate how individual traits translate into academic outcomes.

Qi Qin, Rosa Cheesman, Espen Moen Eilertsen, Eivind Ystrom

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JCPP advances, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Qi QinDepartment of Psychology PROMENTA Research Center University of Oslo Oslo Norway.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0001-4241-0724
Rosa CheesmanDepartment of Psychology PROMENTA Research Center University of Oslo Oslo Norway.
Espen Moen EilertsenDepartment of Psychology PROMENTA Research Center University of Oslo Oslo Norway.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3444-4251
Eivind YstromDepartment of Psychology PROMENTA Research Center University of Oslo Oslo Norway.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4390-6171

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The extent to which children's psychological traits influence their educational performance is thought to depend on the fit between the individual and their developmental context. However, this assumption has yet to be empirically tested on a population scale. This study examines how neurodevelopmental, mental health, and personality traits interact with latent environmental contexts to enhance, maintain, or mitigate their educational performance. Methods: Using the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), we estimated the association between 16 developmental traits and grade point average (GPA) in 26,875 children across environmental contexts in 2131 primary schools, 1075 middle schools, ~14,000 neighborhoods, 1471 districts, and 347 municipalities. Results: Across the developmental traits, the effect on GPA ranged from -0.286 to 0.220. However, these effects varied substantially across environmental contexts (SD 0.022 to 0.090). Trait-by-context interactions were detected in primary schools (2 traits), middle schools (6 traits), neigbourhoods (0 traits), districts (3 traits), and municipalities (1 trait), respectively. Moderation magnitudes were largest for neurodevelopmental traits in primary schools. On average, the effects of ADHD and communication difficulties were -0.252 and -0.193. However, these effects differed substantially across primary schools with SD 0.090 and 0.070, implying Conclusion: Schools and residential areas function as educational catalysts, enhancing or mitigating the influence of developmental traits. High-performing environments compensate for psychological challenges, whereas lower-performing contexts exacerbate difficulties. Because the study integrated multiple traits and contextual levels, the analyses were exploratory and data-driven, and the findings should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating. These results suggest a need for both context-sensitive and individually tailored educational interventions.

Indexed as

educational performanceenvironmental moderationmultilevel modelingpsychological traits

Identifiers

PMID42416619
PMCPMC13338995

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