Success with Adolescent Girls (SWAG) (2013)

Undergraduate: Whitney Adams

Faculty Advisor: Eleanor Seaton
Department: Psychology & Neuroscience

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This study examines the relation between academic outcomes and mental health for African American adolescent females. More specifically, it is hypothesized that adolescent females who report depressive symptoms will score lower on several measures of academic outcomes. This investigation draws from a sample of 209 African-American female high school students. Academic outcomes are assessed in three domains: academic effort, academic competence and academic importance. To examine potential processes in the relation between depressive symptoms and academic outcomes this study further explores the moderating role of family configuration, grade level and self-identification. Results indicate that depressive symptoms are linked to academic outcomes. However, this relation is not affected by the proposed moderators in this sample.