Educational level, attention problems, and externalizing behaviour in adolescence and early adulthood: the role of social causation and health-related selection—the TRAILS study

Heiko Schmengler; Margot Peeters; Gonneke Stevens; Anton E Kunst; Catharina A Hartman; Albertine J. Oldehinkel; Wilma Vollebergh

doi:10.1007/s00787-021-01913-4

Educational level, attention problems, and externalizing behaviour in adolescence and early adulthood: the role of social causation and health-related selection—the TRAILS study

Heiko Schmengler^*, Margot Peeters, Gonneke Stevens, Anton E Kunst, Catharina A Hartman, Albertine J. Oldehinkel, Wilma Vollebergh

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Social causation and health-related selection may contribute to educational differences in adolescents’ attention problems and externalizing behaviour. The social causation hypothesis posits that the social environment influences adolescents’ mental health. Conversely, the health-related selection hypothesis proposes that poor mental health predicts lower educational attainment. From past studies it is unclear which of these mechanisms predominates, as attention problems and externalizing behaviour have the potential to interfere with educational attainment, but may also be affected by differences in the educational context. Furthermore, educational gradients in mental health may reflect the impact of ‘third variables’ already present in childhood, such as parental socioeconomic status (SES), and IQ. We investigated both hypotheses in relation to educational differences in externalizing behaviour and attention problems throughout adolescence and young adulthood. We used data from a Dutch cohort (TRAILS Study; n = 2229), including five measurements of educational level, externalizing behaviour, and attention problems from around age 14–26 years. First, we evaluated the directionality in longitudinal associations between education, externalizing behaviour, and attention problems with and without adjusting for individual differences using fixed effects. Second, we assessed the role of IQ and parental SES in relation to attention problems, externalizing behaviour, and educational level. Attention problems predicted decreases in education throughout all of adolescence and young adulthood. Differences in parental SES contributed to increases in externalizing behaviour amongst the lower educational tracks in mid-adolescence. Childhood IQ and parental SES strongly predicted education around age 14. Parental SES, but not IQ, also predicted early adolescent attention problems and externalizing behaviour. Our results provide support for the health-related selection hypothesis in relation to attention problems and educational attainment. Further, our results highlight the role of social causation from parental SES in determining adolescent educational level, attention problems, and externalizing behaviour.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	809–824
Number of pages	16
Journal	European child & adolescent psychiatry
Volume	32
Issue number	5
Early online date	19 Nov 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-021-01913-4
Publication status	Published - May 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This study is made possible by the Consortium on Individual Development (CID). CID is funded through the Gravitation program of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) (grant no. 024.001.003). This research is part of the TRacking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS). Organizations participating in TRAILS include various departments of the University Medical Center and University of Groningen, the Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, Utrecht University, the Radboud Medical Center Nijmegen, and the Parnassia Bavo group, all in the Netherlands. TRAILS has been financially supported by various grants from NWO, ZonMW, GB-MaGW, the Dutch Ministry of Justice, the European Science Foundation, BBMRI-NL, and the participating universities. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The authors would like to thank the participants of the TRAILS Study and all staff involved in the management and execution of this project.

Funding Information:
This study is made possible by the Consortium on Individual Development (CID). CID is funded through the Gravitation program of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) (grant no. 024.001.003). This research is part of the TRacking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS). Organizations participating in TRAILS include various departments of the University Medical Center and University of Groningen, the Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, Utrecht University, the Radboud Medical Center Nijmegen, and the Parnassia Bavo group, all in the Netherlands. TRAILS has been financially supported by various grants from NWO, ZonMW, GB-MaGW, the Dutch Ministry of Justice, the European Science Foundation, BBMRI-NL, and the participating universities. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The authors would like to thank the participants of the TRAILS Study and all staff involved in the management and execution of this project.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).

Keywords

Attention problems
Education
Externalizing behaviour
Health-related selection
Social causation

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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Schmengler, H., Peeters, M., Stevens, G., Kunst, A. E., Hartman, C. A., Oldehinkel, A. J., & Vollebergh, W. (2023). Educational level, attention problems, and externalizing behaviour in adolescence and early adulthood: the role of social causation and health-related selection—the TRAILS study. European child & adolescent psychiatry, 32(5), 809–824. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-021-01913-4

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title = "Educational level, attention problems, and externalizing behaviour in adolescence and early adulthood: the role of social causation and health-related selection—the TRAILS study",

abstract = "Social causation and health-related selection may contribute to educational differences in adolescents{\textquoteright} attention problems and externalizing behaviour. The social causation hypothesis posits that the social environment influences adolescents{\textquoteright} mental health. Conversely, the health-related selection hypothesis proposes that poor mental health predicts lower educational attainment. From past studies it is unclear which of these mechanisms predominates, as attention problems and externalizing behaviour have the potential to interfere with educational attainment, but may also be affected by differences in the educational context. Furthermore, educational gradients in mental health may reflect the impact of {\textquoteleft}third variables{\textquoteright} already present in childhood, such as parental socioeconomic status (SES), and IQ. We investigated both hypotheses in relation to educational differences in externalizing behaviour and attention problems throughout adolescence and young adulthood. We used data from a Dutch cohort (TRAILS Study; n = 2229), including five measurements of educational level, externalizing behaviour, and attention problems from around age 14–26 years. First, we evaluated the directionality in longitudinal associations between education, externalizing behaviour, and attention problems with and without adjusting for individual differences using fixed effects. Second, we assessed the role of IQ and parental SES in relation to attention problems, externalizing behaviour, and educational level. Attention problems predicted decreases in education throughout all of adolescence and young adulthood. Differences in parental SES contributed to increases in externalizing behaviour amongst the lower educational tracks in mid-adolescence. Childhood IQ and parental SES strongly predicted education around age 14. Parental SES, but not IQ, also predicted early adolescent attention problems and externalizing behaviour. Our results provide support for the health-related selection hypothesis in relation to attention problems and educational attainment. Further, our results highlight the role of social causation from parental SES in determining adolescent educational level, attention problems, and externalizing behaviour.",

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author = "Heiko Schmengler and Margot Peeters and Gonneke Stevens and Kunst, {Anton E} and Hartman, {Catharina A} and Oldehinkel, {Albertine J.} and Wilma Vollebergh",

note = "Funding Information: This study is made possible by the Consortium on Individual Development (CID). CID is funded through the Gravitation program of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) (grant no. 024.001.003). This research is part of the TRacking Adolescents{\textquoteright} Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS). Organizations participating in TRAILS include various departments of the University Medical Center and University of Groningen, the Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, Utrecht University, the Radboud Medical Center Nijmegen, and the Parnassia Bavo group, all in the Netherlands. TRAILS has been financially supported by various grants from NWO, ZonMW, GB-MaGW, the Dutch Ministry of Justice, the European Science Foundation, BBMRI-NL, and the participating universities. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The authors would like to thank the participants of the TRAILS Study and all staff involved in the management and execution of this project. Funding Information: This study is made possible by the Consortium on Individual Development (CID). CID is funded through the Gravitation program of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) (grant no. 024.001.003). This research is part of the TRacking Adolescents{\textquoteright} Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS). Organizations participating in TRAILS include various departments of the University Medical Center and University of Groningen, the Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, Utrecht University, the Radboud Medical Center Nijmegen, and the Parnassia Bavo group, all in the Netherlands. TRAILS has been financially supported by various grants from NWO, ZonMW, GB-MaGW, the Dutch Ministry of Justice, the European Science Foundation, BBMRI-NL, and the participating universities. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The authors would like to thank the participants of the TRAILS Study and all staff involved in the management and execution of this project. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021, The Author(s).",

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Schmengler, H , Peeters, M , Stevens, G, Kunst, AE, Hartman, CA, Oldehinkel, AJ & Vollebergh, W 2023, 'Educational level, attention problems, and externalizing behaviour in adolescence and early adulthood: the role of social causation and health-related selection—the TRAILS study', European child & adolescent psychiatry, vol. 32, no. 5, pp. 809–824. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-021-01913-4

Educational level, attention problems, and externalizing behaviour in adolescence and early adulthood: the role of social causation and health-related selection—the TRAILS study. / Schmengler, Heiko ; Peeters, Margot ; Stevens, Gonneke et al.
In: European child & adolescent psychiatry, Vol. 32, No. 5, 05.2023, p. 809–824.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

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N2 - Social causation and health-related selection may contribute to educational differences in adolescents’ attention problems and externalizing behaviour. The social causation hypothesis posits that the social environment influences adolescents’ mental health. Conversely, the health-related selection hypothesis proposes that poor mental health predicts lower educational attainment. From past studies it is unclear which of these mechanisms predominates, as attention problems and externalizing behaviour have the potential to interfere with educational attainment, but may also be affected by differences in the educational context. Furthermore, educational gradients in mental health may reflect the impact of ‘third variables’ already present in childhood, such as parental socioeconomic status (SES), and IQ. We investigated both hypotheses in relation to educational differences in externalizing behaviour and attention problems throughout adolescence and young adulthood. We used data from a Dutch cohort (TRAILS Study; n = 2229), including five measurements of educational level, externalizing behaviour, and attention problems from around age 14–26 years. First, we evaluated the directionality in longitudinal associations between education, externalizing behaviour, and attention problems with and without adjusting for individual differences using fixed effects. Second, we assessed the role of IQ and parental SES in relation to attention problems, externalizing behaviour, and educational level. Attention problems predicted decreases in education throughout all of adolescence and young adulthood. Differences in parental SES contributed to increases in externalizing behaviour amongst the lower educational tracks in mid-adolescence. Childhood IQ and parental SES strongly predicted education around age 14. Parental SES, but not IQ, also predicted early adolescent attention problems and externalizing behaviour. Our results provide support for the health-related selection hypothesis in relation to attention problems and educational attainment. Further, our results highlight the role of social causation from parental SES in determining adolescent educational level, attention problems, and externalizing behaviour.

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Schmengler H , Peeters M , Stevens G, Kunst AE, Hartman CA, Oldehinkel AJ et al. Educational level, attention problems, and externalizing behaviour in adolescence and early adulthood: the role of social causation and health-related selection—the TRAILS study. European child & adolescent psychiatry. 2023 May;32(5):809–824. Epub 2021 Nov 19. doi: 10.1007/s00787-021-01913-4

Educational level, attention problems, and externalizing behaviour in adolescence and early adulthood: the role of social causation and health-related selection—the TRAILS study

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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