Journal article
Prospective associations between internalising symptoms in youth and educational achievement: A monozygotic twin differences study
- Abstract:
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Background: Educational achievement is an independent predictor of many life outcomes and so it is important to understand its causes and correlates. Internalising symptoms, encompassing anxiety and depression symptoms, are one candidate influence.
Methods: Using a prospective and genetically-informative design, the present study investigated the associations between internalising symptoms and educational achievement, controlling for IQ at age 7 years and socioeconomic status, among participants of the Twin and Early Development Study (up to N = 10,791). Internalising symptoms were measured by the parent-rated Anxiety Related Behaviours Questionnaire (ages 7, 9, 16 years), and educational attainment were indexed by UK-wide standardized examination results at ages 16 and 18 years, and self-reported transition to university education.
Results: Negative affect was the only internalising symptom subtype that was uniquely associated with academic underachievement at all timepoints, from mid-adolescence to early adulthood. The association between negative affect and achievement became non-significant when using MZ twin difference scores, suggesting that the majority of the relationship is accounted for by genetic and shared environmental effects.
Limitations: Limitations include the reliance on parent-reported internalising symptoms.
Conclusions: Negative affect in youth may be an important marker of later academic underachievement. Findings suggest that academic underachievement is not simply a consequence of the disruption caused by negative affect symptoms and therefore educational interventions may be required to optimise outcomes.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
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Access Document
- Files:
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(Preview, Accepted manuscript, pdf, 393.9KB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.1016/j.jad.2022.03.073
Authors
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Journal:
- Journal of Affective Disorders More from this journal
- Volume:
- 307
- Pages:
- 199-205
- Publication date:
- 2022-04-04
- Acceptance date:
- 2022-03-31
- DOI:
- ISSN:
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0165-0327
- Language:
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English
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
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1248983
- Local pid:
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pubs:1248983
- Deposit date:
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2022-03-31
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Elsevier B.V.
- Copyright date:
- 2022
- Rights statement:
- © 2022 Published by Elsevier B.V.
- Notes:
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This is the accepted manuscript version of the article. The final version is available from Elsevier at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.03.073
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