Mental Health Profiles and Academic Achievement in South Australian Students
Tracks
Conference Centre Room 2
| Monday, March 28, 2022 |
| 4:14 PM - 4:34 PM |
Overview
Dr Tess Gregory & Ms Neida Sechague Monroy, Telethon Kids Institute
Speaker
Dr Tess Gregory
Senior Research Fellow
Telethon Kids Institute
Mental Health Profiles and Academic Achievement in South Australian Students
Abstract
Mental Health Profiles and Academic Achievement in South Australian Students
Proponents of strength-based approaches advocate for moving beyond a mental illness model to focus on building psychological wellbeing and resilience. Consistent with this approach, the dual-factor model posits that individuals can experience high/low mental illness and high/low wellbeing simultaneously. The current study used a latent class analysis (LCA) approach to identify different mental health classes in children and adolescents, using indicators of positive wellbeing (optimism, life satisfaction, happiness) and psychological distress (sadness and worries). Participants were 69,444 school students aged 8 to 18 years who completed the South Australian Wellbeing and Engagement Collection in 2019. Of these, 23,603 children (40.0%) completed the NAPLAN assessment in 2019 and this sub-sample were used in regression analyses exploring the association between mental health classes and academic achievement. Four mental health classes were identified (1) Complete mental health (70.6%: low distress, high wellbeing) (2) Vulnerable (8.3%: low distress, low wellbeing, (3) Symptomatic but content (13.0%: high distress, high wellbeing), and (4) Troubled (8.0%: high distress, low wellbeing), providing evidence to support the dual-factor model of mental health. Children in the Complete mental health class were least likely to have poor reading skills with 15.7% scoring at or below the National Minimum Standard, followed by children in the Troubled class (19.5%), the Vulnerable class (21.5%), and the Symptomatic but content class (22.9%). Regression analyses showed that children in the Vulnerable, Troubled and Symptomatic but content classes had a significantly higher risk of poor reading and numeracy skills compared to children in the Complete mental health class, after adjustment for a range of child and family level cofounders. Implications for schools and education systems are discussed, including the need to accompany clinical-based, individual level responses to mental illness with population-level preventative health approaches to build wellbeing.
3 x Key Learnings:
1. Four mental health classes can be identified in children and adolescents based on a combination of high/low psychological distress and high/low wellbeing
2. Most children and adolescents are in the complete mental health class (low distress, high wellbeing) but many are in one of the other three classes (29%)
3. Mental health classes predict reading and numeracy skills in school assessments, after adjustment for child and family level confounders
Proponents of strength-based approaches advocate for moving beyond a mental illness model to focus on building psychological wellbeing and resilience. Consistent with this approach, the dual-factor model posits that individuals can experience high/low mental illness and high/low wellbeing simultaneously. The current study used a latent class analysis (LCA) approach to identify different mental health classes in children and adolescents, using indicators of positive wellbeing (optimism, life satisfaction, happiness) and psychological distress (sadness and worries). Participants were 69,444 school students aged 8 to 18 years who completed the South Australian Wellbeing and Engagement Collection in 2019. Of these, 23,603 children (40.0%) completed the NAPLAN assessment in 2019 and this sub-sample were used in regression analyses exploring the association between mental health classes and academic achievement. Four mental health classes were identified (1) Complete mental health (70.6%: low distress, high wellbeing) (2) Vulnerable (8.3%: low distress, low wellbeing, (3) Symptomatic but content (13.0%: high distress, high wellbeing), and (4) Troubled (8.0%: high distress, low wellbeing), providing evidence to support the dual-factor model of mental health. Children in the Complete mental health class were least likely to have poor reading skills with 15.7% scoring at or below the National Minimum Standard, followed by children in the Troubled class (19.5%), the Vulnerable class (21.5%), and the Symptomatic but content class (22.9%). Regression analyses showed that children in the Vulnerable, Troubled and Symptomatic but content classes had a significantly higher risk of poor reading and numeracy skills compared to children in the Complete mental health class, after adjustment for a range of child and family level cofounders. Implications for schools and education systems are discussed, including the need to accompany clinical-based, individual level responses to mental illness with population-level preventative health approaches to build wellbeing.
3 x Key Learnings:
1. Four mental health classes can be identified in children and adolescents based on a combination of high/low psychological distress and high/low wellbeing
2. Most children and adolescents are in the complete mental health class (low distress, high wellbeing) but many are in one of the other three classes (29%)
3. Mental health classes predict reading and numeracy skills in school assessments, after adjustment for child and family level confounders
Biography
Tess Gregory is a Senior Research Fellow in the Telethon Kids Institute who works closely with policy makers in state and federal governments. Tess’s research focuses on the development, wellbeing, mental health, and achievement of children and adolescents. Tess has a PhD in Psychology and over 100 publications including articles, government reports, and translational materials such as research snapshots, guides, and fact sheets.
Neida Sechague Monroy is a Research Assistant in the Telethon Kids Institute with a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan-Flint. Neida has a strong interest in improving the health and wellbeing of young people.
Ms Neida Sechague Monroy
Research Assistant
Telethon Kids Institute
Mental Health Profiles and Academic Achievement in South Australian Students
Abstract
Mental Health Profiles and Academic Achievement in South Australian Students
Biography
Neida Sechague Monroy is a Research Assistant at the Telethon Kids Institute. Neida holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan. In her role as a research assistant, Neida provides support on quantitative research that uses large population-level datasets such as the South Australian Wellbeing and Engagement Collection. She also works on a range of projects that focus on the social and emotional wellbeing of children and adolescents.
