Depression Takes a Toll on Academic Performance: Evidence from Rural Students in China

Ru Yan,1,2 Songqing Jin,3 Chen Ji,1 Cindy Feng,2 Huan Wang,2 Jiayang Lyu,1,2 Scott Rozelle2,4 1China Academy for Rural Development, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 2Stanford Center on China’s Economy and Institutions (SCCEI), Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA; 3Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA; 4Tsingshan Institute for Advanced Business Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Songqing Jin, Department of Agric, Food and Resource Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48823, USA, Email [email protected]: Depression is a growing public health concern around the world. For adolescents, depression not only impedes healthy development, but is negatively associated with academic performance. The purpose of this paper is to examine the prevalence of adolescent depressive symptoms in a sample of rural primary and junior high school students. Additionally, we examine various factors to identify subgroups within the sample that may be more vulnerable to depression. Finally, we explore the extent to which depression correlates with academic performance and conduct a series of heterogeneity analyses.Patients and Methods: We utilize cross-sectional data derived from 30 schools in underdeveloped regions of rural China encompassing primary and junior high school students (n = 1,609).Results: We find a high prevalence of depression, with 23% and 9% of students experiencing general depression (depression score ≥ 14) and severe depression (depression score ≥ 21), respectively. Female gender, elevated stress and anxiety levels, boarding at school, exposure to bullying, and having depressed caregiver(s) are positively correlated with depressive symptoms, while high social support exhibits a negative association. Importantly, our analyses consistently show a significantly negative link between depression and academic performance, which is measured using standardized math tests. For instance, transitioning from a non-depressed state to a state of general depression (depression score ≥ 14) is linked to a decline of 0.348– 0.406 standard deviations in math scores (p < 0.01). Heterogeneity analyses reveal that this adverse relationship is more pronounced for male students, boarding students, those with lower social support, individuals with more educated mothers, and those with lower family assets.Conclusion: Our findings underscore the high prevalence of depression in rural schools and the detrimental impact on academic performance. We advocate for the implementation of policies aimed at reducing student depression, particularly within vulnerable populations and subgroups.Keywords: adolescent health, academic performance, rural China, developing countries