How do Anxiety and Depression Symptoms Relate to Academic Self-efficacy Among Adolescents?

School Name

Governor's School for Science & Mathematics

Grade Level

12th Grade

Presentation Topic

Psychology and Sociology

Presentation Type

Mentored

Mentor

Mentor: Kate Flory, University of South Carolina

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between affective disorder symptoms such as depression and anxiety, and self-efficacy in adolescents. Self-efficacy is defined as one’s belief in one’s ability to succeed. The hypothesis was that students who showed a higher number of affective disorder symptoms would have low self-efficacies. To start the project, a small sample of students were selected from a random county in South Carolina to be screened for behavioral disorders and ticks. Once the students were screened, their families were contacted so that they could participate in a series of interviews that gauged risky behaviors, tics, self-efficacy, and affective disorder symptoms. The data from the interviews were then logged into a software package called PLAY. A few statistical analyses were run on the data dealing with self-efficacy and affective disorder symptoms. The results of those analyses were that students in middle and high school who showed a high level of affective disorder symptoms had lower self-efficacies. The results also showed that this relationship was completely inverted with elementary school students, meaning that when they exhibited affective disorder symptoms they also exhibited high self-efficacies.

Location

Wall 322

Start Date

3-25-2017 10:15 AM

Presentation Format

Oral and Written

Group Project

No

COinS
 
Mar 25th, 10:15 AM

How do Anxiety and Depression Symptoms Relate to Academic Self-efficacy Among Adolescents?

Wall 322

This study examined the relationship between affective disorder symptoms such as depression and anxiety, and self-efficacy in adolescents. Self-efficacy is defined as one’s belief in one’s ability to succeed. The hypothesis was that students who showed a higher number of affective disorder symptoms would have low self-efficacies. To start the project, a small sample of students were selected from a random county in South Carolina to be screened for behavioral disorders and ticks. Once the students were screened, their families were contacted so that they could participate in a series of interviews that gauged risky behaviors, tics, self-efficacy, and affective disorder symptoms. The data from the interviews were then logged into a software package called PLAY. A few statistical analyses were run on the data dealing with self-efficacy and affective disorder symptoms. The results of those analyses were that students in middle and high school who showed a high level of affective disorder symptoms had lower self-efficacies. The results also showed that this relationship was completely inverted with elementary school students, meaning that when they exhibited affective disorder symptoms they also exhibited high self-efficacies.