Revisiting the link between depression symptoms and high school dropout : timing of exposure matters


Article
Version acceptée / Accepted Manuscript

Date de publication

Identifiant ORCID de l’auteur

Contributrices et contributeurs

Direction de recherche

Publié dans

Journal of adolescent health

Date de la Conférence

Lieu de la Conférence

Éditeur

Elsevier

Cycle d'études

Programme

Mots-clés

  • Depression symptoms
  • High school dropout
  • Late adolescence

Organisme subventionnaire

Résumé

Résumé

Purpose Recent reviews concluded that past depression symptoms are not independently associated with high school dropout, a conclusion that could induce schools with high dropout rates and limited resources to consider depression screening, prevention, and treatment as low-priority. Even if past symptoms are not associated with dropout, however, it is possible that recent symptoms are. The goal of this study was to examine this hypothesis. Methods In 12 disadvantaged high schools in Montreal (Canada), all students at least 14 years of age were first screened between 2012 and 2015 (Nscreened = 6,773). Students who dropped out of school afterward (according to school records) were then invited for interviews about their mental health in the past year. Also interviewed were matched controls with similar risk profiles but who remained in school, along with average not at-risk schoolmates (Ninterviewed = 545). Interviews were conducted by trained graduate students. Results Almost one dropout out of four had clinically significant depressive symptoms in the 3 months before leaving school. Adolescents with recent symptoms had an odd of dropping out more than twice as high as their peers without such symptoms (adjusted odds ratio = 2.17; 95% confidence interval = 1.14–4.12). In line with previous findings, adolescents who had recovered from earlier symptoms were not particularly at risk. Conclusions These findings suggest that to improve disadvantaged youths' educational outcomes, investments in comprehensive mental health services are needed in schools struggling with high dropout rates, the very places where adolescents with unmet mental health needs tend to concentrate.

Table des matières

Notes

Notes

Autre version linguistique

Ensemble de données lié

Licence

Attribution - Pas d'Utilisation Commerciale - Pas de Modification 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Approbation

Évaluation

Complété par

Référencé par

Ce document diffusé sur Papyrus est la propriété exclusive des titulaires des droits d'auteur et est protégé par la Loi sur le droit d'auteur (L.R.C. (1985), ch. C-42). Sauf si le document est diffusé sous une licence Creative Commons, il ne peut être utilisé que dans le cadre d'une utilisation équitable et non commerciale comme le prévoit la Loi (i.e. à des fins d'étude privée ou de recherche, de critique ou de compte-rendu). Pour toute autre utilisation, une autorisation écrite des titulaires des droits d'auteur sera nécessaire.