Health and School Outcomes During Children's Transition Into Adolescence

Abstract

Purpose Normative biopsychosocial stressors that occur during entry into adolescence can affect school performance. As a set of resources for adapting to life’s challenges, health may buffer a child from these potentially harmful stressors. This study examined the associations between health (measured as well-being, functioning, symptoms, and chronic conditions) and school outcomes among children aged 9 to 13 years in 4th to 8th grades. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study of 1,479 children from 34 schools followed from 2006 to 2008. Survey data were obtained from children and their parents, and school records were abstracted. Measures of child self-reported health were dichotomized to indicate presence of a health asset. Outcomes included attendance, grade point average, state achievement test scores, and child-reported school engagement and teacher connectedness. Results Both the transition into middle school and puberty had independent, negative influences on school outcomes. Chronic health conditions that affected children’s functional status were associated with poorer academic achievement. The number of health assets that a child possessed was positively associated with school outcomes. Low levels of negative stress experiences and high physical comfort had positive effects on teacher connectedness, school engagement, and academic achievement, whereas bullying and bully victimization negatively affected these outcomes. Children with high life satisfaction were more connected with teachers, more engaged in schoolwork, and earned higher grades than those who were less satisfied. Conclusions Good health may buffer children from the potentially negative effects of school and pubertal transitions on academic success as children enter adolescence.

Salud percibida y rendimiento académico en adolescentes de escuelas públicas de la ciudad de Córdoba

“…El principal motivo de no participación fue la falta de consentimiento firmado por los padres (233 casos), seguido de inasistencia (43), falta de consentimiento de los padres (23) o de asentimiento propio (11). En 27 casos, no se obtuvo el rendimiento académico promedio anual porque, en el transcurso del ciclo lectivo, abandonaron la escuela o se trasladaron a otra institución.…”

“…La adolescencia representa un período del desarrollo de gran vulnerabilidad, en el que las evidencias disponibles indican que hay un empeoramiento de la salud autopercibida 20,21 y del desempeño escolar. 11 De este modo, se trata de un período crítico que debe atenderse desde distintas disciplinas, incluida la pediatría, ya que la salud y los logros educativos de esta etapa producen profundos efectos sobre la salud y la vida productiva adulta. 5 Los resultados muestran que el bajo RA se asoció a malestar en dimensiones de la salud, tales como la autonomía, las relaciones con amigos, los sentimientos en el entorno familiar y las percepciones sobre el entorno escolar.…”

“…Se podría postular la hipótesis de que una buena salud es requisito para el aprendizaje y un rendimiento académico óptimos, pero también se sugiere una relación bidireccional. 11,12 Si bien aún existen escasas evidencias acerca del impacto del rendimiento académico sobre la salud percibida de los más jóvenes, algunos estudios 27,28 sugieren que los adolescentes que reportan mejores calificaciones son más propensos a informar una mejor salud percibida, por lo que el estudio longitudinal de estas variables permitiría dilucidar el tipo de relación y la dinámica que existe entre ellas.…”

Perceived health and academic performance among adolescents from public schools in the city of Córdoba

“…The main reason for not participating was lack of consent signed by the parents (233 cases), followed by absenteeism (43), lack of consent from parents (23) or lack of assent from adolescents (11). Annual average academic performance was not retrieved in 27 cases because they had dropped out of school or had been transferred to another school during the school year.…”

“…8 A t p r e s e n t , i t i s p o s s i b l e t o study adolescents' health by means of multidimensional theoretical models and considering their own perspectives, 9,10 and to analyze the relation between health and school performance in our setting. The bibliography includes few investigations that establish a relation between school performance and health indicators, such as wellbeing, satisfaction with life, 11 and emotional health. 12 A study conducted in Chile indicated that students who failed at school had stated that they…”