Prospective associations between internalising symptoms and educational achievement in youth: A monozygotic twin differences study

TY - JOUR

T1 - Prospective associations between internalising symptoms and educational achievement in youth

T2 - A monozygotic twin differences study

AU - Leigh, Eleanor

AU - Rimfeld, Kaili

AU - Bowes, Lucy

AU - Clark, David M.

AU - Eley, Thalia C.

AU - Krebs, Georgina

N1 - Funding Information: Eleanor Leigh is funded by the Wellcome Trust clinical research training fellowship ( 102176/Z/13/Z ). Funding Information: Georgina Krebs is funded by an MRC Clinical Research Training Fellowship ( MR/N001400/1 ). Funding Information: David M. Clark is funded by the Wellcome Trust (WT069777) and National Institute for Health Research ( NF-SI-0512-10132 ). Funding Information: Eleanor Leigh is funded by the Wellcome Trust clinical research training fellowship (102176/Z/13/Z).Kaili Rimfeld is funded by the Sir Henry Wellcome postdoctoral fellowship.David M. Clark is funded by the Wellcome Trust (WT069777) and National Institute for Health Research (NF-SI-0512-10132).Georgina Krebs is funded by an MRC Clinical Research Training Fellowship (MR/N001400/1).The TEDS Study has been funded by 6 consecutive programme grants from the MRC, the most recent of which is MR/V012878/1 to Thalia Eley (previously MR/M021475/1, G0901245, G0500079, and G9424799). Funding Information: Kaili Rimfeld is funded by the Sir Henry Wellcome postdoctoral fellowship. Publisher Copyright: © 2022

PY - 2022/6/15

Y1 - 2022/6/15

N2 - Background: Educational achievement is an independent predictor of many life outcomes and so it is important to understand its causes and correlates. Internalising symptoms, encompassing anxiety and depression symptoms, are one candidate influence. Methods: Using a prospective and genetically-informative design, the present study investigated the associations between internalising symptoms and educational achievement, controlling for IQ at age 7 years and socioeconomic status, among participants of the Twin and Early Development Study (up to N = 10,791). Internalising symptoms were measured by the parent-rated Anxiety Related Behaviours Questionnaire (ages 7, 9, 16 years), and educational attainment were indexed by UK-wide standardized examination results at ages 16 and 18 years, and self-reported transition to university education. Results: Negative affect was the only internalising symptom subtype that was uniquely associated with academic underachievement at all timepoints, from mid-adolescence to early adulthood. The association between negative affect and achievement became non-significant when using MZ twin difference scores, suggesting that the majority of the relationship is accounted for by genetic and shared environmental effects. Limitations: Limitations include the reliance on parent-reported internalising symptoms. Conclusions: Negative affect in youth may be an important marker of later academic underachievement. Findings suggest that academic underachievement is not simply a consequence of the disruption caused by negative affect symptoms and therefore educational interventions may be required to optimise outcomes.

AB - Background: Educational achievement is an independent predictor of many life outcomes and so it is important to understand its causes and correlates. Internalising symptoms, encompassing anxiety and depression symptoms, are one candidate influence. Methods: Using a prospective and genetically-informative design, the present study investigated the associations between internalising symptoms and educational achievement, controlling for IQ at age 7 years and socioeconomic status, among participants of the Twin and Early Development Study (up to N = 10,791). Internalising symptoms were measured by the parent-rated Anxiety Related Behaviours Questionnaire (ages 7, 9, 16 years), and educational attainment were indexed by UK-wide standardized examination results at ages 16 and 18 years, and self-reported transition to university education. Results: Negative affect was the only internalising symptom subtype that was uniquely associated with academic underachievement at all timepoints, from mid-adolescence to early adulthood. The association between negative affect and achievement became non-significant when using MZ twin difference scores, suggesting that the majority of the relationship is accounted for by genetic and shared environmental effects. Limitations: Limitations include the reliance on parent-reported internalising symptoms. Conclusions: Negative affect in youth may be an important marker of later academic underachievement. Findings suggest that academic underachievement is not simply a consequence of the disruption caused by negative affect symptoms and therefore educational interventions may be required to optimise outcomes.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85127684883&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.jad.2022.03.073

DO - 10.1016/j.jad.2022.03.073

M3 - Article

SN - 0165-0327

VL - 307

SP - 199

EP - 205

JO - Journal of affective disorders

JF - Journal of affective disorders

ER -