The influence of mental health on educational attainment in adolescence
Lead Research Organisation:
NatCen Social Research
Department Name: Research Department
Abstract
Growing evidence of the prevalence of poor mental health among children and young people in the UK has led to this issue becoming a key policy priority. Recent Government reports and policy programmes have particularly emphasised the role of schools and colleges, as universal services, in supporting children and young people's mental health and improving early identification of and intervention for pupils with particular mental health needs.
While such reports have presented an economic case for investment in early prevention of mental ill health, emphasising the costs of long term treatment for persistent poor mental health in adult life, this economic argument neglects the impact that early life mental health potentially has on other early life outcomes fundamental in determining life chances, such as educational attainment.
There are a number of mechanisms through which poor mental health could lead to poorer educational outcomes, including through school absence and dropout, through behavioural and attentional difficulties and through lowered aspirations and school connectedness. Alternatively, the association between mental health and educational outcomes might not be direct and causal, but incorporate the influence of other social, biological and/or demographic confounding factors. Existing evidence suggests that poor mental health in childhood and early adolescence is associated with poorer educational and employment outcomes in later life. However, a robust, longitudinal, up-to-date and nationally representative study is needed to unequivocally establish whether a causal relationships exists. Robust evidence of a causal relationship between poor mental health and lower academic attainment could be hugely influential in further encouraging education policymakers and schools to invest in mental health.
This research will investigate the influence of mental health and well-being throughout early adolescence on educational attainment at Key Stage 4, using longitudinal data from the Youth Panel of Understanding Society, the UK Household Panel Study (UKHLS), which has been linked to the National Pupil Database. It will consider how far parental characteristics, the home learning environment, individual demographics, in-school behaviours and prior attainment mediate the association between attainment and mental health and well-being.
The questions to be answered are as follows:
i. To what extent are family socioeconomic and demographic circumstances associated with educational attainment throughout adolescence?
ii. To what extent is the home learning environment associated with educational attainment throughout adolescence?
iii. How far does psychological mental health and well-being explain educational attainment?
iv. What factors mediate the association between mental health and educational attainment?
v. Are these associations consistent across different socioeconomic and demographic groups, geographical areas, or school types?
While such reports have presented an economic case for investment in early prevention of mental ill health, emphasising the costs of long term treatment for persistent poor mental health in adult life, this economic argument neglects the impact that early life mental health potentially has on other early life outcomes fundamental in determining life chances, such as educational attainment.
There are a number of mechanisms through which poor mental health could lead to poorer educational outcomes, including through school absence and dropout, through behavioural and attentional difficulties and through lowered aspirations and school connectedness. Alternatively, the association between mental health and educational outcomes might not be direct and causal, but incorporate the influence of other social, biological and/or demographic confounding factors. Existing evidence suggests that poor mental health in childhood and early adolescence is associated with poorer educational and employment outcomes in later life. However, a robust, longitudinal, up-to-date and nationally representative study is needed to unequivocally establish whether a causal relationships exists. Robust evidence of a causal relationship between poor mental health and lower academic attainment could be hugely influential in further encouraging education policymakers and schools to invest in mental health.
This research will investigate the influence of mental health and well-being throughout early adolescence on educational attainment at Key Stage 4, using longitudinal data from the Youth Panel of Understanding Society, the UK Household Panel Study (UKHLS), which has been linked to the National Pupil Database. It will consider how far parental characteristics, the home learning environment, individual demographics, in-school behaviours and prior attainment mediate the association between attainment and mental health and well-being.
The questions to be answered are as follows:
i. To what extent are family socioeconomic and demographic circumstances associated with educational attainment throughout adolescence?
ii. To what extent is the home learning environment associated with educational attainment throughout adolescence?
iii. How far does psychological mental health and well-being explain educational attainment?
iv. What factors mediate the association between mental health and educational attainment?
v. Are these associations consistent across different socioeconomic and demographic groups, geographical areas, or school types?
Planned Impact
Who will benefit from this research?
As discussed elsewhere in this proposal, academics and policy makers interested in the social determinants of (mental) health and educational attainment will benefit greatly from the unique new knowledge to be produced by this research. This would include:
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Sociologists
- Educationalists
- Life course epidemiologists
- Policy makers
In addition, this research has potential to greatly benefit children and young people across the country, and the schools and other services who seek to provide for them.
How will they benefit from this research?
Robust evidence of a causal relationship between poor mental health and lower academic attainment could further encourage education policymakers and schools to invest in mental health for a number of reasons:
- Although schools appreciate the importance of supporting pupils' health and wellbeing, a proven link to academic outcomes can help boost the profile and resourcing levels currently attributed to mental health.
- Evidence of a causal relationship with education would encourage investment in researching "what works" in supporting CYP's mental health.
- In addition, evidence of a relationship between mental health and educational outcomes might point towards a fresh new approach to addressing social mobility.
How will the impact of this research be maximised?
NatCen's mission is to deliver social research for the benefit of society. The process of knowledge exchange is therefore embedded in our research process, from design to delivery to dissemination, to enable our research to be used widely by civil and public society as well as academics and policy makers.
This project will exploit existing stakeholder links generated as a consequence of a large event to publicise our Department of Education study on mental health provision in schools (September 2017). The team is actively engaging with a number of organisations who will attend who will also be important stakeholders for this proposal including various teaching organisations, Child and Adolescence Mental Health Services, Place2Be and the Anna Freud Centre.
Supported by the NatCen Marketing and Communications team, we will use these relationships to publicise the findings of this research through further events and workshops, collaborative opportunities, a targeted mailing list, blogs, a dedicated project website, the current NatCen website which receives around 45,000 hits per month and the well-established NatCen Twitter account that provides ready-links to potential policy and impact makers.
Dr Hagell of the Association for Young People's Health will lead on identifying key stakeholders, target audiences, core messages and impactful modalities and platforms for engagement and influence. The AYPH will communicate the project through media (press), the production of communication assets (such as podcasts, blogs and infographics), policy documents (briefings and reports), presence at others' events (seminars, conferences) and organisation of project dissemination events (policy roundtables). Given the current high profile of mental health in young people, we anticipate involvement in public affairs work including Parliamentary Questions, engagement with key Committees and All Party Parliamentary Groups. The team has also partnered with the Mental Health Foundation (MHF), who will publicise the project and disseminate the findings.
Importantly, we have also proposed youth validation activities. By opening a dialogue with the young people who are at the core of this study, we will better understand what aspects of our research have most relevance to young peoples' lived experiences. These messages will be translated into appropriate policy recommendations that serve the interests of young people today. A policy workshop is planned at the end of the project to present these ideas to stakeholders.
As discussed elsewhere in this proposal, academics and policy makers interested in the social determinants of (mental) health and educational attainment will benefit greatly from the unique new knowledge to be produced by this research. This would include:
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Sociologists
- Educationalists
- Life course epidemiologists
- Policy makers
In addition, this research has potential to greatly benefit children and young people across the country, and the schools and other services who seek to provide for them.
How will they benefit from this research?
Robust evidence of a causal relationship between poor mental health and lower academic attainment could further encourage education policymakers and schools to invest in mental health for a number of reasons:
- Although schools appreciate the importance of supporting pupils' health and wellbeing, a proven link to academic outcomes can help boost the profile and resourcing levels currently attributed to mental health.
- Evidence of a causal relationship with education would encourage investment in researching "what works" in supporting CYP's mental health.
- In addition, evidence of a relationship between mental health and educational outcomes might point towards a fresh new approach to addressing social mobility.
How will the impact of this research be maximised?
NatCen's mission is to deliver social research for the benefit of society. The process of knowledge exchange is therefore embedded in our research process, from design to delivery to dissemination, to enable our research to be used widely by civil and public society as well as academics and policy makers.
This project will exploit existing stakeholder links generated as a consequence of a large event to publicise our Department of Education study on mental health provision in schools (September 2017). The team is actively engaging with a number of organisations who will attend who will also be important stakeholders for this proposal including various teaching organisations, Child and Adolescence Mental Health Services, Place2Be and the Anna Freud Centre.
Supported by the NatCen Marketing and Communications team, we will use these relationships to publicise the findings of this research through further events and workshops, collaborative opportunities, a targeted mailing list, blogs, a dedicated project website, the current NatCen website which receives around 45,000 hits per month and the well-established NatCen Twitter account that provides ready-links to potential policy and impact makers.
Dr Hagell of the Association for Young People's Health will lead on identifying key stakeholders, target audiences, core messages and impactful modalities and platforms for engagement and influence. The AYPH will communicate the project through media (press), the production of communication assets (such as podcasts, blogs and infographics), policy documents (briefings and reports), presence at others' events (seminars, conferences) and organisation of project dissemination events (policy roundtables). Given the current high profile of mental health in young people, we anticipate involvement in public affairs work including Parliamentary Questions, engagement with key Committees and All Party Parliamentary Groups. The team has also partnered with the Mental Health Foundation (MHF), who will publicise the project and disseminate the findings.
Importantly, we have also proposed youth validation activities. By opening a dialogue with the young people who are at the core of this study, we will better understand what aspects of our research have most relevance to young peoples' lived experiences. These messages will be translated into appropriate policy recommendations that serve the interests of young people today. A policy workshop is planned at the end of the project to present these ideas to stakeholders.
Publications
| Description | We have established an independent association between young people's social and emotional development at ages 11 to 14 and their performance at GCSE at age 16. This link is not explained by a range of household or social of demographic factors. This suggests that schools ought to consider the mental health of their students as an important component of school-life which will determine young people's academic achievements, rather than considering mental health and simply a public health issue affecting quality of life. |
| Exploitation Route | Policy makers tasked with improving social mobility have already shown engagement with the findings, as our project demonstrates that it not just the home learning environment and parent attributes that determines young people's success at school. Our findings also provide schools with evidence of additional pathways to promote academic achievement. |
| Sectors | Education |
| URL | http://natcen.ac.uk/our-research/research/the-influence-of-mental-health-on-educational-attainment-in-adolescence/ |
| Description | These findings have been used by local education trusts to lobby local authorities for more resources to provide mental health provision for young people on the basis we have demonstrated a tangible link between mental health in young people and their educational attainment. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2019 |
| Sector | Education |
| Impact Types | Societal,Policy & public services |
| Description | Department for Education Mental Health Policy Seminar |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Association of Young People's Health |
| Organisation | Association for Young People's Health (AYPH) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We have ensured that our analytic plan and intended research outputs and findings for the SDAI award aligns with the current policy objectives and advocacy work of the AYPH, to assist them with campaigning for young people's health in the next five years, and beyond. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Head of Research at the AYPH has offered advisory services on the early stages of project development, specifically guiding the research questions which will have the greatest policy and practice impact. AYPH staff are more politically aware than the analytic research team and provide expertise in channelling key messages to the correct policymakers. |
| Impact | The Head of Research, Ann Hagell has produced a briefing paper to publicise our key findings - this was launched at an ESRC Festival of Social Science event in November 2019. Dr Hagell at AYPH also facilitated the partnership with a youth focus group who we met to validate our findings from the research. These findings were included in the briefing paper |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Conference: Oral Presentation British Educational Research Association |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Dissemination of results highlighting the link between mental health and educational attainment. Raised awareness among teachers and senior leaders of the impact that mental health directly has on attainment and how this might affect whole school achievement. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.bera.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Online-programme-04.09.19-2.pdf |
| Description | Conference: Oral Presentation Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Dissemination of results resulting in creased awareness among child mental health practitioners of the link between school environments/ associated stressors and educational attainmemnt |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://bmjpaedsopen.bmj.com/content/3/Suppl_1/A2.1.info |
| Description | Conference: Oral Presentation Understanding Society User Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation informed data users of the Understanding Society dataset on the use of linked data, resulting in follow-up from other researchers who are now keen to build on my findings and explore methods for overcoming the barriers faced on this project |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Conference: Westminster Education Forum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | One day conference disseminating results linking mental health and attainment to practitioners and charities working in mental health provision in schools |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Department for Education: Invited speaker to policymaker and researcher panel |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | A morning session was devoted to showcasing the findings of this project, directly presenting to key policymakers in Government, highlighting the identified links between mental health and educational attainment. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | ESRC Festival of Social Science |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | A large stakeholder focussed one day event was hosted by NatCen to showcase the results of this project, as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science, 2019. Other participants included a range of senior level Government officials associated with mental health policy, practitioners, teachers and mental health workers who were key stakeholders tothe findings presented. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | http://scotcen.org.uk/events/upcoming-events/2019/october/shaping-futures-mental-health-and-educatio... |
| Description | Youth Validation Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | A youth focus group was arranged to discuss the findings of our research with them, given our research was based on secondary analysis of the same age group. The event showed that findings were relatable to study participants and hence valid, but also generated further ideas and hypotheses which have been subsequently tested using the data as part of this project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |