Adolescent Psychological Health as a Predictor of Academic Performance at University

Abstract

The period of entering university after completing high school is a stressful transition for adolescents. There are many individual differences that contribute to a successful transition; however, this population of adolescent university students is understudied. This study looked to investigate the influence of psychological health on the academic performance of adolescents at a tertiary level. Sixty adolescent first-year students completed a survey containing measures of developmentally appropriate well-being, personality, intelligence, stress, and mental health measures, for the use of determining their predictive ability in relation to academic performance. The participants were aged 16-20, and predominantly female. Psychological health was found to have a significant influence on academic performance in this adolescent sample. The results indicated no significant gender differences present. Further, the role of personality, well-being, and ill-being on academic performance was examined. Potential personality predictors of positive psychological health were highlighted, and the role of personality and stress on psychological distress was examined. The implications of these results are in the development of programs and resources for high schools and universities, to help foster these positive psychological characteristics in students, to improve the performance and transition of first-year students.