Subsequent higher education after adolescent depression: a 15-year follow-up register study.
BACKGROUND
Adolescent depression has been shown to have a range of adverse outcomes. We used longitudinal data to investigate subsequent higher education in former depressed adolescents.


METHODS
A Swedish population-based investigation of depression in 16-17-year-olds was followed up in national registers 15 years later. Adolescents with depression (n=361, 78% females) were compared to a group of non-depressed peers of the same age (n=248, 77% females). The main outcome was graduation from higher education by age 30.


RESULTS
The adolescent with depression were less likely than their non-depressed peers to have graduated from higher education by age 30, both regarding females (27.7% vs. 36.4%, p<.05) and males (12.7% vs. 28.6%, p<.05). After adjustment for early school performance, socioeconomic status and maternal education, the decreased likelihood of subsequent graduation from higher education remained for depressed males (OR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.08-0.93) but not for depressed females (OR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.58-1.49).


CONCLUSIONS
Contrary to what previous research has suggested, adolescent depression and its consequences might be particularly destructive to subsequent higher education in males.
Jonsson
U
U
Department of Neuroscience, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. ulf.jonsson@neuro.uu.se
Bohman
H
H
Hjern
A
A
von Knorring
L
L
Olsson
G
G
von Knorring
A-L
AL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression; D003866:Depressive Disorder; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012042:Registries; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D013548:Sweden; D014495:Universities