346 – Psychosocial Profile and Academic Achievement in a Selective Sample of Preparatory School Students

Abstract

Introduction:

School and academic performance are considered highly complex outcome. The pupil's intellectual capacities intervene, and other types of influencing factors can hinder or boost school performance. Aim of the work: To assess psychosocial variables including self-esteem, depression, anxiety symptoms and academic achievement in a selective sample of preparatory school students.

Participants:

This is a school based cross sectional study. The sample consisted of all students in the preparatory stage in a private school of both sexes, age ranged from 12–15 years. The sample was divided according to the academic performance of the student based on the overall grade of each student at the end of the school year into: Insufficient < 60%, Sufficient 60–70%, Good 70–80% and Very good >80%.

Method:

All students were given a questionnaire to assess personal data, family background, past history of medical or psychiatric condition, scholastic achievement and psychometric tools: including Porteus maze, Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, Children Depression Inventory (CDI) and, the Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale.

Results:

The higher the grades of students, the higher the level of anxiety and this was statistically significant. Girls had higher levels of anxiety than boys and this reached a statistically significant difference. There was significant correlation between depression and academic achievement of students. Self-esteem was significantly correlated with academic achievement.

Conclusion:

Depression has a significant role in academic performance of adolescents. Self-esteem of adolescents is highly related to their academic achievement.