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Depressive Symptoms and the Link with Academic Performance among Rural Taiwanese Children

Author

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  • Yujuan Gao

    (Rural Education Action Program, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA)

  • Derek Hu

    (Rural Education Action Program, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA
    Groton School, Groton, MA 01450, USA)

  • Evan Peng

    (Rural Education Action Program, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA)

  • Cody Abbey

    (Rural Education Action Program, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA)

  • Yue Ma

    (Rural Education Action Program, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA)

  • Chyi-In Wu

    (Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan)

  • Chia-Yuan Chang

    (Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan)

  • Wei-Ting Hung

    (Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan)

  • Scott Rozelle

    (Rural Education Action Program, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA)

Abstract

Previous studies reflect a high prevalence of depressive symptoms among Taiwanese adolescents (ages 13–18), but there is an absence of literature related to the risk of depression of children in Taiwan (ages 6–12), particularly among potentially vulnerable subgroups. To provide insight into the distribution of depressive symptoms among children in rural Taiwan and measure the correlation between academic performance, we conducted a survey of 1655 randomly selected fourth and fifth-grade students at 92 sample schools in four relatively low-income counties or municipalities. Using the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) we assessed the prevalence of depressive symptoms in this sample, in addition to collecting other data, such as performance on a standardized math test as well as information on a number of individual and household characteristics. We demonstrate that the share of children with clinically significant symptoms is high: 38% of the students were at risk of general depression (depression score ≥ 16) and 8% of the students were at risk of major depression (depression score > 28). The results of the multivariate regression and heterogeneous analysis suggest that poor academic performance is closely associated with a high prevalence of depressive symptoms. Among low-performing students, certain groups were disproportionately affected, including girls and students whose parents have migrated away for work. Results also suggest that, overall, students who had a parent who was an immigrant from another country were at greater risk of depression. These findings highlight the need for greater resource allocation toward mental health services for elementary school students in rural Taiwan, particularly for at-risk groups.

Suggested Citation

  • Yujuan Gao & Derek Hu & Evan Peng & Cody Abbey & Yue Ma & Chyi-In Wu & Chia-Yuan Chang & Wei-Ting Hung & Scott Rozelle, 2020. "Depressive Symptoms and the Link with Academic Performance among Rural Taiwanese Children," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-15, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:8:p:2778-:d:346888
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Huan Wang & Cody Abbey & Xinshu She & Scott Rozelle & Xiaochen Ma, 2021. "Association of Child Mental Health with Child and Family Characteristics in Rural China: A Cross-Sectional Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-16, May.
    3. Tong Zhou & Gang Cheng & Xihong Wu & Rui Li & Chao Li & Gang Tian & Simin He & Yan Yan, 2021. "The Associations between Sleep Duration, Academic Pressure, and Depressive Symptoms among Chinese Adolescents: Results from China Family Panel Studies," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-16, June.
    4. Tianli Feng & Xiyuan Jia & Lucy Pappas & Xiaojun Zheng & Teresa Shao & Letao Sun & Charlie Weisberg & Madeline Lu Li & Scott Rozelle & Yue Ma, 2022. "Academic Performance and the Link with Depressive Symptoms among Rural Han and Minority Chinese Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-20, May.

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