Impact of common mental disorders during childhood and adolescence on secondary school completion.
There are few data from South Africa and other low- and middle-income countries on how mental disorders in childhood and adolescence may influence different aspects of socio-economic position, including educational attainment. We examined the association between early-onset disorders and subsequent educational achievement in a nationally representative sample of 4 351 South African adults. After adjusting for participant demographic characteristics and traumatic life events, post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder and substance-related disorders were each associated with increased odds of failing to complete secondary education (odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals 2.3, 1.0-5.1; 1.7, 1.2-2.5, and 1.7, 1.2-2.5, respectively). These data point to the role that early-life mental disorders may play in educational achievement and subsequent socio-economic position over the life course.
Myer
Landon
L
School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town. landon.myer@uct.ac.za
Stein
Dan J
DJ
Jackson
Pamela B
PB
Herman
Allen A
AA
Seedat
Soraya
S
Williams
David R
DR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D002648:Child; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology