Relationships between problem behaviors and academic achievement in adolescents: The unique role of attention problems

ASUBSTANTIAL BODY OF RESEARCHhas documented associations be-tween problem behaviors and aca-demic achievement. This topic has rele-vance from an educational perspective that views problem behaviors as serious im-pediments to optimal education. From a psychopathology perspective, low aca-demic achievement represents a signifi-cant risk factor for poor behavioral out-comes. A systemic viewpoint posits that behavioral and academic problems exert reciprocal influences on one another, which, over time, can negatively affect the development of individuals and their en-vironments. Regardless of perspective, a clear understanding of the relationship be