Mental Health Consequences Associated with Dropping out of High School.

Abstract

This study examines the mental health consequences of dropping out of high school. It looks at levels of depression, anxiety, and self esteem reported by high school dropouts and graduates during the adolescent to young adult transition. It examines the extent to which family structure and family processes (parental support and transition specific help), as well as adolescent openness to parental support improved the prediction of mental health outcomes at the high school transition and two years later. The study found that young people who drop out of high schools are more likely to be depressed than high school graduates in their early adult years. Failure to find differences between dropouts and graduates in self esteem is consistent with earlier findings by others. Family support had a direct effect on depression for dropouts and graduates. (Contains 6 tables and 20 references.) (JDM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Mental Health Consequences Associated with Dropping Out of High School by Joan H. Liem Colleen O'Neill Dillon Susan Gore