Is the effect of ill health on school achievement among Swedish adolescents gendered?. (August 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bortes, Cristian; Strandh, Mattias; Nilsson, Karina
• Is Part Of: SSM - population health. Volume 8(2019)
• Publication Date: 2019-08
• Subjects: Sweden -- Child health -- Adolescent health -- Disease -- Mental disorders -- Academic achievement -- Registries -- Gender differences; Social medicine -- Periodicals; Medical anthropology -- Periodicals; Public health -- Periodicals; Psychology -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Periodicals; 362.105
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2019.100408
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2352-8273

Abstract

Abstract: This study investigates why the relationship between health problems requiring hospitalization between the ages of 13 and 16 and school achievement (school grades in 9th grade) in Sweden was stronger for girls than for boys. We reviewed previous research on gender differences in subjective health, health care utilization and medical drug treatment to identify mechanisms responsible for this gendered effect. The relationship was analysed using retrospective observational data from several national full-population registers of individuals born in 1990 in Sweden (n = 115 196), and ordinary least squares techniques were used to test hypotheses. We found that girls had longer stays when hospitalized, which mediated 15% of the interaction effect. Variability in drug treatment between boys and girls did not explain the gendered effect of hospitalization. The main mediator of the gendered effect was instead differences in diagnoses between boys and girls. Girls' hospitalizations were more commonly related to mental and behavioural diagnoses, which have particularly detrimental effects on school achievement. Highlights: Uses medical and social microdata from Swedish full-population registers. Analyses how the interaction between ill health and gender relates to school grades. The effect of ill health is more negative for girls' school outcomes than boys. This effect was primarily due to differences in diagnoses between boys and girls. Mental and behavioural disorders were the key factor.