Self-Reported Depression, Anxiety, and Adverse Educational Experiences in Youth Ages 7-18

Abstract

Psychiatric symptoms of depression and anxiety can have profound and lasting effects on a growing child. Children spend much of their time in school, where significant anxiety and depressive disorders may impair children’s ability to learn, socialize, and thrive. It is already known that depression and anxiety can compromise memory and other cognitive functions.1 The Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) and the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), self-report measures of depression and anxiety in youth, were used to assess symptoms of depression and anxiety in an outpatient clinical sample. Scores on these instruments were correlated with parent report of children’s significant educational events (e.g., evaluation for eligibility for special education services, enrollment in special education services, and repeating a grade). The goal of the study was to investigate the relationship between self-reported depression and anxiety and adverse educational experiences. The hypothesis was that children with higher depression and anxiety scores would have greater occurrence of adverse educational events compared to those with lower scores. Results of multiple logistic regression analyses were mixed. Future studies using larger sample sizes may have the potential to identify youth at risk of adverse educational experiences due to anxiety and depressive symptoms.