ERIC Number: EJ828825
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Jun
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0009-398X
EISSN: N/A
When Depression Mediates the Relationship between Entity Beliefs and Performance
Da Fonseca, David; Cury, Francois; Santos, Andreia; Payen, Vincent; Bounoua, Lenda; Brisswalter, Jeannick; Rufo, Marcel; Poinso, Francois; Deruelle, Christine
Child Psychiatry and Human Development, v40 n2 p213-222 Jun 2009
The aim of this study was to determine whether depression can explain the negative relationship between academic performance and the belief that intelligence is a fixed trait, i.e., entity belief. A sample of 353 French volunteer adolescents (age 11-16) completed questionnaires assessing entity theory and depressive symptoms (Children Depression Inventory: CDI). Academic performance was assessed by math performance while controlling for baseline level of math ability. Results of this study revealed that entity theory is a significant negative predictor of academic performance and a significant positive predictor of depression. Importantly, our findings also show that depression plays a significant mediating role between entity theory and academic performance. Our findings indicate that individuals who consider their abilities to be non-malleable are more likely to develop depressive symptoms which, in turn, decrease academic performance. These findings contribute to tailoring specific prevention and treatment programs for childhood and adolescent depression.
Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Questionnaires, Program Effectiveness, Depression (Psychology), Correlation, Foreign Countries, Adolescents, Intelligence Quotient, Preadolescents, Predictor Variables, Mathematics Achievement, Symptoms (Individual Disorders)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: France
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Childrens Depression Inventory
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A