School Performance in Childhood and Adolescence as a Predictor of Depressive Symptoms in Adulthood

ABSTRACT The current study examined whether school performance in childhood and adolescence predicts depressive symptoms in adult-hood over 12 to 21 years. Questionnaires measuring grade point average (GPA), having remedial education or incurring penalties during the current school term were obtained from parents when the participants were aged 9, 12 and 15. Depressive symptoms were self-rated by the participants 12 (n = 971), 17 (n = 990) and 21 (n = 955) years later at ages 21 to 36. The results yielded no systematic associa-tions between indices of school performance and later depressive symptoms across the age cohorts, genders and follow-ups. A lower GPA predicted depressive symptoms in the 12- and 15-year-old girls 12 and/or 17 years later; remedial education predicted depressive symp-toms 21 years later in the 9-year-old girls, and 12 and 17 years later in the 9-year-old boys. The results suggest that the association between school performance and depression may not be straightforward and potentially involves other psychological mechanisms. KEY WORDS: depression; prospective; school performanc