The Role of Depression in Academic Performance: A Literature Review

This essay examines the relationship between depression and academic performance through a literature review. It highlights depression as a significant factor influencing students' academic success at various levels, from school to university. The essay references studies indicating that depression can lead to decreased interest in studies, lower GPAs, and difficulties in concentration. It also addresses gender differences in depression rates and academic outcomes, noting that while girls may experience higher rates of depression, they often outperform boys academically. The essay further explores the complexities of procrastination as a symptom of depression and its potential impact on performance. Ultimately, the review concludes that depression generally has a negative impact on academic performance and emphasizes the importance of early identification and intervention. Desklib provides access to this essay and other resources for students.

Running head: DEPRESSION AS A VARIABLE OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
DEPRESSION AS A VARIABLE OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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DEPRESSION AS A VARIABLE OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
Depression as A Variable of Academic Performance
Depression is one of the most dominant causes of hindrances in all aspects of human
lives in the world today and the most underrated as well. According to the World Health
Organization (WHO), “depression is a common mental disorder, characterized by persistent
sadness and loss of interest in activities that people normally enjoy, accompanied by an inability
to carry out daily activities, for at least two weeks” ("Depression", 2019). Depression has
evident relationship with academic performance of the students as it decreases their interest in
studies. This relationship shall be further discussed in the following sections.
Mental health is now given much importance in every academic institution throughout
the globe as its causes and sources are increasing with the advancement in technology and
growing competition. In a study conducted by Hysenbegasi, Hass and Rowland (2005) that
involved students with depression and control groups it was revealed that depression was related
to lower academic performance. The students with depression had a GPA of 0.49. In addition,
the authors also found that students with depression, missed classes more often, missed
assignments and tests as compared to the control group. Reisbig et al. (2012) on the other hand
conducted study on veterinary medical students to reveal the relationship between depression and
academic performance. The author found that depression had “robust impact on veterinary
students in the first three semesters that included their grade point average (GPA) as well.
Depression also had negative influence on the students’ overall life satisfaction as well, the
author found.
Students often go into depression at the beginning of their school, college or university.
Many studies have found that students, who face rejection or bullying at the begging of their

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DEPRESSION AS A VARIABLE OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
academic life, often go into depression or suffer from other mental health disorders. As Furr et
al. (2001) found in their study, around 53% students have experienced depression at the
beginning of their college life. Amongst these 53%, 9 percent of the students have even thought
of committing suicide. This study shows the level of risk depression has on not only the
academic performance but also on the lives of the students. Friedlander et al. (2001) however
found in their study on university students that adjustment to university during the first semester
has strong links to stress and depression amongst students. They also found that reduced
depression invariably increases the academic performance of the students.
It is argued that depression and anxiety are strong indicators of lower academic
performance. Owens et al. (2012) undertook a study on two United Kingdom school students and
found that depression and anxiety had strong relations to their poor academic performance. The
authors conducted the study on students aged between 12 and 13 and used academic data from
schools, self-report questionnaires and computerized memory tasks. The study found that “higher
levels of anxiety and depression were associated with lower academic performance”. It is thus
evident that depression is a vital indicator of academic performance amongst students. The
students who undergo severe depressive symptoms find it difficult to concentrate in studies and
fall behind their peers. Fröjd et al. (2008) in their study on seventh and ninth grade students
found that those with higher levels of depression had lower GPA and further decline in the GPA
as their depressive symptoms increased. The study also found that depression led to “difficulties
in concentration, social relationships, and self-reliant school performance, reading and writing as
well as perceiving schoolwork as highly loading”.
Gender is an important factor to consider the level of depression amongst students and its
effects on their academic performance. It has been found that girls more than boys go though

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DEPRESSION AS A VARIABLE OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
depression especially in their school-going age. As per a report published in The Guardian, 24%
of 14-year-old girls have depression as compared to 9 percent of boys of the same age in the UK
(The Guardian, 2019). However, Ibrahim et al. (2013) have found in their study that although
girls have depression rates higher than boys have, their academic performance is much better
than the boys are. The authors have found that girls outperform boys in almost all subjects
despite having depression. This study indicates that depression alone might not be a factor
affecting academic performance.
Chun Chu and Choi (2005) in fact have found that procrastination, which is one of the
symptoms of depression, results in an increase in academic performance. However, the authors
have distinguished between passive procrastination and active procrastination. While passive
procrastinators are termed as negative procrastinators, active procrastinators are positive. The
authors argue that active procrastinators prefer to work under pressure, as they believe it
increases their performance. The active procrastinators successfully complete their tasks in due
time this reducing stress and depression and increasing academic performance.
It is however important to reiterate that depression is in no way an indicator of improved
academic performance. One of the most important things to consider is that depression affects
students differently and it is important for the parents and teachers to identify it in the initial
stages and find effective solutions. Depression is a mental health problem. As described the
WHO, clinical depression is a mood disorder that is caused by numerous factors including
personality stress, genetic predisposition and brain chemistry. Children and students are amongst
the most vulnerable populations that could incur depression. The WHO has found that one in six
of those aged between 10 and 19 years are prone to depression (Who.int, 2019).

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DEPRESSION AS A VARIABLE OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
The literature reviewed has revealed that depression is an important variable that is
related to academic performance. In the review, it has been proved that depression has a
remarkably negative influence on the academic performance of students at all levels – school,
college and university. The review has also found gender discrepancies related to depression and
academic performance where girls are more prone to depression but perform better in academic
arena than boys do. The literature however does not provide enough evidence on the positive
implications of depression despite one or two instances. This proves further that depression has
an evident relationship with academic performance either negative or positive.

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DEPRESSION AS A VARIABLE OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
References:
Chun Chu, A. H., & Choi, J. N. (2005). Rethinking procrastination: Positive effects of" active"
procrastination behavior on attitudes and performance. The Journal of social psychology,
145(3), 245-264.
Depression. (2019). Retrieved from
https://www.who.int/mental_health/management/depression/en/
Friedlander, L. J., Reid, G. J., Shupak, N., & Cribbie, R. (2007). Social support, self-esteem, and
stress as predictors of adjustment to university among first-year undergraduates. Journal
of college student development, 48(3), 259-274.
Fröjd, S. A., Nissinen, E. S., Pelkonen, M. U., Marttunen, M. J., Koivisto, A. M., & Kaltiala-
Heino, R. (2008). Depression and school performance in middle adolescent boys and
girls. Journal of adolescence, 31(4), 485-498.
Furr, S. R., Westefeld, J. S., McConnell, G. N., & Jenkins, J. M. (2001). Suicide and depression
among college students: A decade later. Professional Psychology: Research and
Practice, 32(1), 97.
Hysenbegasi, A., Hass, S. L., & Rowland, C. R. (2005). The impact of depression on the
academic productivity of university students. Journal of Mental Health Policy and
Economics, 8(3), 145.
Ibrahim, A. K., Kelly, S. J., Adams, C. E., & Glazebrook, C. (2013). A systematic review of
studies of depression prevalence in university students. Journal of psychiatric research,
47(3), 391-400.

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DEPRESSION AS A VARIABLE OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
Owens, M., Stevenson, J., Hadwin, J. A., & Norgate, R. (2012). Anxiety and depression in
academic performance: An exploration of the mediating factors of worry and working
memory. School Psychology International, 33(4), 433-449.
Reisbig, A. M., Danielson, J. A., Wu, T. F., Hafen Jr, M., Krienert, A., Girard, D., & Garlock, J.
(2012). A study of depression and anxiety, general health, and academic performance in
three cohorts of veterinary medical students across the first three semesters of veterinary
school. Journal of veterinary medical education, 39(4), 341-358.
The Guardian. (2019). One in four girls have depression by the time they hit 14, study reveals.
Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/sep/20/one-in-four-girls-have-
depression-by-the-time-they-hit-14-study-reveals
Who.int. (2019). Adolescent mental health. Retrieved from
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health