Relationships between problem behaviors and academic achievement in adolescents: the unique role of attention problems.

Numerous studies have documented relationships between a variety of problem behaviors and academic achievement measures. However, the results of these studies should be interpreted cautiously, given the considerable comorbidity of problem behaviors that often exists among school-age youth. This study addressed the relationships between 8 teacher-reported problem behavior syndromes (withdrawal, somatic complaints, anxiety/depression, social problems, thought problems, attention problems, delinquent behavior, aggressive behavior) and standardized measures of academic achievement (overall, reading, spelling, arithmetic, performance). The sample comprised 41 boys and 17 girls ages II to 19 years (M = 15.02, SD = 1.90) enrolled in an alternative school. Although withdrawn, somatic complaints, delinquent behavior, and aggressive behavior syndromes exhibited significant zero-order correlations with the academic achievement measures, each of these relationships was mediated by attention problems. A post hoc analysis suggested that the observed association between attention problems and academic achievement was primarily due to the inattention component of the syndrome rather than the hyperactivity-impulsivity component. The findings are discussed with reference to theoretical, research, and treatment implications.

**********

A SUBSTANTIAL BODY OF RESEARCH has documented associations between problem behaviors and academic achievement. This topic has relevance from an educational perspective that views problem behaviors as serious impediments to optimal education. From a psychopathology perspective, low academic achievement represents a significant risk factor for poor behavioral outcomes. A systemic viewpoint posits that behavioral and academic problems exert reciprocal influences on one another, which, over time, can negatively affect the development of individuals and their environments. Regardless of perspective, a clear understanding of the relationship between problem behaviors and academic achievement will help generate appropriate assessment, prevention, and intervention strategies for at-risk or troubled youth.

We are using the term academic underachievement to denote academic performance that is below normative age level rather than discrepant from one's general cognitive ability (as in the diagnosis of learning disabilities). A wide variety of problem behaviors have been linked to academic underachievement. For example, investigations have consistently revealed that aggression and other forms of antisocial behavior display inverse relationships with academic achievement (e.g., Williams & McGee, 1994). Additionally, the symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder have shown a robust inverse relationship with achievement (Faraone et al., 1993). Problem behaviors associated with internalizing have also evidenced connections to academic underachievement, though less consistently. Anxiety and negativism have been identified as key personality traits associated with academic problems (Stevens & Pihl, 1987). Moreover, several researchers have linked depressive disorders or symptoms to underachievement (e.g., Puig-Antich et al., 1993). It is noteworthy that other researchers have found no connections between internalizing symptoms and poor academic performance (e.g., Reinherz et al., 1993). At this time, the evidence regarding this relationship remains equivocal. In addition to externalizing and internalizing symptoms, quality of social relations has been linked to academic achievement and related variables. A subjective sense of belonging and interpersonal support has been associated with higher achievement motivation and educational plans (Cotterell, 1992; Goodenow, 1993). Conversely, peer rejection has been found to be a risk factor for academic underachievement (e.g., Ollendick, Weist, Borden, & Greene, 1992).

Interpretation of this research should proceed cautiously. Research of problem behaviors is complicated by the fact that many children and adolescents exhibit multiple problem behaviors. Significant comorbidity among a substantial proportion of youths has been documented in referred and nonreferred samples (e.g., McConaughy & Achenbach, 1994). Investigators should be aware of potential confounds that can result from associated problem behaviors that are not of primary interest in a particular study. Specifically, in the present study, a problem behavior may exhibit a spurious correlation with academic achievement only because it is associated with another problem behavior that plays a more direct or central role in academic achievement. Studies of externalizing problems have suggested that aggressive behaviors in childhood are related to underachievement primarily because of their associations with attention problems (e.g., Frick et al., 1991). The observed relationships between internalizing behaviors and academic underachievement may also be primarily due to their associations with attention problems, although this hypothesis has not hitherto been tested. This hypothesis is plausible, however, given that attention problems are frequently comorbid with internalizing problems (e.g., Jensen, Martin, & Cantwell, 1997) and some internalizing disorders even include symptoms that explicitly refer to attention difficulties (e.g., difficulty concentrating is a symptom of major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder).

Attention problems may represent a syndrome that is not only comorbid with, and conceptually related to, a variety of other syndromes but also fundamentally involved in academic underachievement. Attention deficiencies could represent core elements of poor academic functioning that can coexist with a variety of other problem behaviors that do not necessarily have a direct impact on academic achievement. To evaluate this hypothesis, the relationships between eight teacher-reported problem behavior syndromes (withdrawal, somatic complaints, anxiety/ depression, social problems, thought problems, attention problems, delinquent behavior, aggressive behavior) and standardized measures of academic achievement (overall, reading, spelling, arithmetic, performance) were assessed. Our primary aim was to determine whether or not attention problems mediate the relationships between other problem behaviors and academic underachievement. A secondary aim was to explore possible curvilinear and moderated relationships between these sets of variables.

METHOD

Participants

Participants were 41 boys…