The Effects of Adolescent Depression and ADHD on Educational Attainment in Adulthood (2024)

Undergraduate: Jiaqi Chen

Faculty Advisor: Jane Fruehwirth
Department: Economics Department

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Mental disorders, notably early-onset depression and ADHD are of increasing concern for U.S. adolescents. Past research provides inconclusive findings on the effects of adolescent depression and ADHD on educational attainment, and the mechanisms for such effects are unclear. In this paper, I estimate the causal effects of adolescent depression and ADHD on adulthood educational attainment using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. To tackle unobservable confounders, measurement errors, and reverse causality, I use polygenetic scores (PGSs), friend suicide attempts, and the interview period as instruments for depression and ADHD. I find that a one standard deviation increase in adolescent ADHD score reduces years of education by 1.5-1.6, the predicted probability of attaining some post-secondary education by 15.2-16.5 percentage points, and the predicted probability of achieving a bachelor’s degree by 26.5-26.6 percentage points. Early-onset depression does not have significant effects on educational attainment. I further uncover that the adverse effects of ADHD on education arise through mechanisms of impaired cognitive and non-cognitive skills using intermediate in-school performance and educational outcomes. Potential interventions to mitigate the negative effects of ADHD could be school-based interventions and parent management training.