Mental health and academic performance in secondary school students: DADOS study

Abstract

The balance between optimal mental health and adequate academic performance during secondary school period is considered an important challenge from a psychological and educational point of view, due to the derived long-term effects on future health and wealth. The overall aim of the present doctoral thesis was to investigate the relationship between mental health and academic performance during secondary school period. The study sample was composed by a total of 274 adolescents, participants of DADOS (Deporte, ADOlescencia y Salud) study, aged 13.9±0.3 years old at baseline. Mental health was measured through the Spanish version of the Behavior Assessment System for Children and Adolescents. Academic performance was measured through academic grades and the Test of Educational Abilities. The main findings of the current dissertation suggest that mental health is positively associated with academic performance during secondary school period. Specifically, findings show that (i) sex does not influence this association, (ii) weight status mediates the inverse relationship between risk of depression and academic performance, and (iii) risk of depression mediates the positive relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and academic performance. Additionally, longitudinal findings suggest that academic performance is associated with mental health 2 years later, but not vice versa, as this association is not bidirectional.