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Adolescent Mental Health : Impact of Introducing Earlier Compulsory School Grades

Linder, Anna LU ; Gerdtham, Ulf G. LU orcid and Heckley, Gawain LU orcid (2025) In Health Economics (United Kingdom)
Abstract

We examine how the earlier introduction of compulsory school grades affects the likelihood of receiving a mental disorder diagnosis among Swedish adolescents. We exploit a school reform that shifted the introduction of grades from grade 8 to grade 6, resulting in first exposure to grading at different ages between cohorts. Our results show that girls exposed to earlier grading are more likely to be diagnosed with internalizing disorders, such as depression and anxiety, by the end of compulsory school. This effect is particularly pronounced among students with low to moderate academic achievement. We also find suggestive evidence that both girls and boys exposed to earlier grading face an increased risk of being diagnosed with... (More)

We examine how the earlier introduction of compulsory school grades affects the likelihood of receiving a mental disorder diagnosis among Swedish adolescents. We exploit a school reform that shifted the introduction of grades from grade 8 to grade 6, resulting in first exposure to grading at different ages between cohorts. Our results show that girls exposed to earlier grading are more likely to be diagnosed with internalizing disorders, such as depression and anxiety, by the end of compulsory school. This effect is particularly pronounced among students with low to moderate academic achievement. We also find suggestive evidence that both girls and boys exposed to earlier grading face an increased risk of being diagnosed with alcohol-related disorders. These findings highlight that early exposure to grading may have unintended adverse effects on adolescent mental health. Education systems should acknowledge these potential risks and consider implementing complementary mental health support when revising grading policies.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
keywords
education policy, human capital development, mental health, school grades
in
Health Economics (United Kingdom)
publisher
John Wiley & Sons Inc.
external identifiers
  • pmid:40629918
  • scopus:105010023701
ISSN
1057-9230
DOI
10.1002/hec.4982
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e0ed79d7-2b98-49f7-927f-1049e674aa6d
date added to LUP
2025-07-24 16:59:12
date last changed
2025-08-07 18:28:25
@article{e0ed79d7-2b98-49f7-927f-1049e674aa6d,
  abstract     = {{<p>We examine how the earlier introduction of compulsory school grades affects the likelihood of receiving a mental disorder diagnosis among Swedish adolescents. We exploit a school reform that shifted the introduction of grades from grade 8 to grade 6, resulting in first exposure to grading at different ages between cohorts. Our results show that girls exposed to earlier grading are more likely to be diagnosed with internalizing disorders, such as depression and anxiety, by the end of compulsory school. This effect is particularly pronounced among students with low to moderate academic achievement. We also find suggestive evidence that both girls and boys exposed to earlier grading face an increased risk of being diagnosed with alcohol-related disorders. These findings highlight that early exposure to grading may have unintended adverse effects on adolescent mental health. Education systems should acknowledge these potential risks and consider implementing complementary mental health support when revising grading policies.</p>}},
  author       = {{Linder, Anna and Gerdtham, Ulf G. and Heckley, Gawain}},
  issn         = {{1057-9230}},
  keywords     = {{education policy; human capital development; mental health; school grades}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
  series       = {{Health Economics (United Kingdom)}},
  title        = {{Adolescent Mental Health : Impact of Introducing Earlier Compulsory School Grades}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hec.4982}},
  doi          = {{10.1002/hec.4982}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}