Failure in School leads to Depression in Girls

An interesting new study has shown that adolescent girls who have had one or more instances of serious school failure like being expelled, suspended or dropping out, are significantly more likely to suffer from depression by age 21.

The Journal of Adolescent Health just published this research, which includes data showing that girls in elementary school with severe conduct problems are also far more likely to suffer from depression by the same age. Carolyn McCarty, a University of Washington research associate professor of pediatrics and lead author of the study says that the same effects are not noticed in boys with similar school issues.

Specifics: The study showed that girls who were expelled from school were more than twice as likely to suffer depression -- 44 percent compared to 20 percent of girls who were not expelled. Thirty-three percent of the girls who dropped out of school later became depressed compared to 19 percent who were not dropouts. Twenty-eight percent of the girls who were suspended later suffered depression versus 19 percent of girls who weren't suspended.

"This gender paradox shows that while school failure is more atypical for girls it appears to have more severe consequences when it does occur," said McCarty. "One reason may be that school failure stigmatizes girls more strongly or is harder for them to overcome. We do know that girls with conduct problems, such as school failure, tend to have long-term problems with cascading effects."

Data for the study was drawn from the UW's ongoing Seattle Social Development Research Project that was launched in 1985 and has been tracking 808 people since they were in the fifth grade. Students were drawn from 18 Seattle schools in high-crime neighborhoods to study the development of positive and antisocial behaviors. Participants were almost equally divided by gender and identified themselves as white (46 percent), black (24 percent), Asian-American (21 percent), Native American (6 percent) and other groups (3 percent).

Ok, so this seems as if school failure causes depression...or does it? Not mentioned in the paper, and most significant to the problem at hand, was whether or not the kids HAD DEPRESSION IN THE FIRST PLACE. It is entirely possible that depression can cause the antisocial behaviors that cause the kid to get into trouble. Therefore, the issue isn't saving kids by aiding them in school, it is in TREATING THEIR DEPRESSION.

Sorry, don't mean to yell, but "science" like this just drives me up the wall. This type of study leads good people to think that saving the kids from failure in school has everything to do with their educational environment, rather than their underlying health issues which can only be dealt with in a good secure home environment.

God, I wish educators could actually do good research with proper scientific controls.