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Aim: To investigate the influence of gestational age (GA) on the association between completion of the final examination after 10-11 years of basic education and education, financial independence and income in early adulthood., Methods: A nationwide register-based study including individuals born in Denmark between 1990 and 1992. Completion of the examination was evaluated at age 18 and education, financial independence and income at age 28., Results: Of 165 683 individuals included, 15.7%, 10.8% and 5.5% had low educational level, were not financially independent and had low income. For those who completed the examination odds ratio (OR) ranged from 1.03 at GA = 32-36 weeks to 1.25 at ≤27 weeks for low education, from 1.10 to 0.91 for not being financial independent and from 1.06 to 1.48 for low income. For those who did not complete the examination, OR increased from 7.55 at ≥37 weeks to 15.03 at ≤27 weeks for low education and from 4.68 to 15.31 for not being financial independent. For low income, OR was 2.57 and independent of GA., Conclusion: For individuals who completed the examination, the odds of poor socioeconomic outcomes were independent of GA. Individuals who did not complete the examination had increased odds of poor socioeconomic outcomes, particularly as GA decreased., (© 2024 The Author(s). Acta Paediatrica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Foundation Acta Paediatrica.)

Professional Development (PD) programs in Pakistan typically follow a standardized approach, often overlooking the diverse strengths and weaknesses of various teacher groups, which may not adequately address their specific needs. This study aims to evaluate teacher competencies among different groups from the perspective of school principals in Pakistan's public schools, with the goal of enhancing the effectiveness of PD programs. Initially, the study identifies three key themes of 21st-century teacher competencies through an extensive review of recent literature. An interview guide, based on these competencies, was used to gather data from seven public school principals via structured interviews. The data were analyzed using a deductive content analysis approach, with MAXQDA software employed for theme coding. The findings revealed notable differences in teacher competencies from the principals' perspectives. Female and younger teachers exhibited more competencies compared to their male and senior counterparts. These insights provide crucial information for planning and customizing Teacher Professional Development (TPD) programs, emphasizing an objective evaluation of teachers rather than self-assessment. Tailored PD programs based on these findings can more effectively enhance teachers' professional growth and competence.", Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest No competing interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aim: We investigated the associations between motor performance and IQ at 5 years of age and school difficulties and grade point averages (GPAs) at 18 years of age. Additionally, the accuracy of preschool IQ in predicting school difficulties was examined., Methods: A nationwide follow-up study of children born in 1994-1995 who were <28 weeks of gestation or had a birthweight <1000 g. The Danish personal identification number was used to merge data from a national cohort study with population-based registries. Logistic regression analyses examined the associations between motor performance/IQ and school difficulties. Linear regression analyses and the area under the receiver operator curve (AUC) were used to examine the relationship between IQ and GPAs., Results: The study population comprised 248 children, 37% were classified with school difficulties. Motor performance and IQ were associated with school difficulties. The odds of having school difficulties increased as IQ decreased, and the same pattern was observed for GPAs. IQ predicted school difficulties, with an AUC of 0.80 (confidence interval: 0.74-0.86)., Conclusion: Preschool motor performance and IQ were associated with school difficulties. Additionally, IQ was linked to GPAs. As a screening tool, the predictive ability of preschool IQ for academic difficulties was moderate/high in this cohort., (© 2024 The Author(s). Acta Paediatrica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Foundation Acta Paediatrica.)

Introduction: There is little discussion in the literature on the pathway linking oral health problems and academic performance (AP) in children. This study investigated the hypothesis that the influence of dental caries on academic performance is mediated through toothache and impacted sleep and study activities., Methods: This cross-sectional study on children aged 12-14 years collected data on the exposure (decayed tooth index), outcome (school examination results), and mediator (school absence due to toothache, and oral health impact on sleep and study performances using the Child-Oral Impact on Daily Performance instrument) variables. It used mediation analysis to examine the indirect effects of a single and two serial mediators using model 4 (caries → mediator → AP) and model 6 (caries → mediator 1 → mediator 2 → AP), respectively, in PROCESS macro add-on software in IBM SPSS v24. Analyses were carried out separately for boys and girls at a 5% significance level., Results: In model 4, school absence due to toothache (boys: 95% CI: 0.42, 1.01; girls: 95% CI: 0.58, 0.98), and impacted sleep (95% CI: 0.13, 0.41; 95% CI: 2.17, 13.03), and study (95% CI: 0.05, 0.42; 95% CI: 0.54, 0.94) performance were significant single mediators in both sexes. In model 6, school absence due to toothache and impacted sleep activity (boys: 95% CI: 0.02, 0.29 and girls: 95% CI: 1.37, 12.81), and school absence due to toothache and impacted study activity (girls: 95% CI: 1.37, 12.81) were significant two serial-mediators., Conclusion: This study provides empirical evidence showing that dental caries and toothache can impact academic performance as they disrupt sleep and study performances to influence the learning and cognition process. The finding bridges the understanding of the mechanism underpinning the relationship and thus, further emphasizes the importance of caries prevention in children with high caries risk for improving their health outcomes and educational experience., (© 2024 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background: Education is essential for socioeconomic security and long-term mental health; however, mental disorders are often detrimental to the educational trajectory. Genetic correlations between mental disorders and educational attainment do not always align with corresponding phenotypic associations, implying heterogeneity in the genetic overlap., Methods: We unraveled this heterogeneity by investigating associations between polygenic risk scores for 6 mental disorders and fine-grained school outcomes: school grades in language and mathematics in ninth grade and high school, as well as educational attainment by age 25, using nationwide-representative data from established cohorts (N = 79,489)., Results: High polygenic liability of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder was associated with lower grades in language and mathematics, whereas high polygenic risk of anorexia nervosa or bipolar disorder was associated with higher grades in language and mathematics. Associations between polygenic risk and school grades were mixed for schizophrenia and major depressive disorder and neutral for autism spectrum disorder., Conclusions: Polygenic risk scores for mental disorders are differentially associated with language and mathematics school grades., (Copyright © 2023 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Elementary-school students enrolled in a trauma-informed program participated in a prepost longitudinal study of resilience. The study assesses increases in various components of resilience, the effects of the afterschool program on resilience, and the relationship between resilience and school performance. A shortened version of a reliable resilience survey was developed from Madsen Thompson's Trauma Resilience Scale and administered at students' entry and exit from 3 yearly sessions. The high response rate provided a sample of 103 students, 37 of whom were new students with no ceiling effects. Statistical analysis demonstrated that both contextual and individual resilience increased significantly, with protective components impacting one another. Regression analyses found that the afterschool program supports significantly affected individual resilience increases, and high levels of individual resilience led to increases in school performance. The results suggest that trauma-informed contextual supports may be useful in increasing young students' well-being and closing gaps in academic performance., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Dating violence is a serious public health issue among adolescents due to the detrimental short- and long-term consequences. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between adolescent dating violence (ADV) and adverse health behavioral outcomes related to substance abuse, mental health, and select risky health behaviors such as feeling unsafe, school performance, and inadequate sleep within the state of Florida. This study used data from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). The high school students represented a weighted total of 542,818 ( n = 4301). Logistic regression analyses, stratified by gender, examined the relationship between ADV and health risk behaviors after adjusting for race and grade. Proportions of ADV were as follows: 3.1% of students reported being abused both physically and sexually; 3.4% reported being abused only physically; 3.9% reported being abused only sexually; and 89.6% were uninvolved. ADV was associated with almost all the health risk behavior outcomes studied, with a few exceptions. Experiencing both kinds of abuse held the highest odds ratio among the four mutually exclusive categories of ADV. The findings from this study could be helpful in identifying youths who demonstrate warning signs of ADV abuse and thus could provide opportunities for targeted preventive interventions.

Background: Previous studies suggest that gestational diabetes mellitus is associated with poorer cognitive outcomes in children. However, confounding factors, especially maternal body mass index, have been poorly accounted for., Objective: This study aimed to examine the independent associations between maternal body mass index, gestational diabetes mellitus status, and educational outcomes., Study Design: Antenatal data from a prospective birth cohort (Pregnancy Outcome Prediction Study, 2008-2012, Cambridge, United Kingdom) were linked to mid-childhood educational outcomes (Department for Education, United Kingdom). A total of 3249 children born at term were stratified by maternal gestational diabetes mellitus status and body mass index at booking (<25 vs ≥25 kg/m 2 ). Regression models adjusted for relevant maternal, child, and socioeconomic factors were used to determine associations with academic outcomes at ages of 5 to 7 years., Results: No differences in educational attainment were found between children exposed to gestational diabetes mellitus and nonexposed children. Neither maternal glucose levels measured at 11 to 14 or 24 to 28 weeks, nor acceleration of the fetal abdominal circumference growth velocity were related to educational attainment at ages of 5 to 7 years. Children of mothers with booking body mass index ≥25 kg/m 2 (vs <25 kg/m 2 ) were ∼50% more likely to not meet expected educational standards regardless of gestational diabetes mellitus status (age 5: adjusted odds ratio, 1.44; 95% confidence interval, 1.19-1.74; P<.001; age 6: adjusted odds ratio, 1.61; 95% confidence interval, 1.28-2.02; P<.001). The association between maternal body mass index and offspring educational attainment is dose-dependent and robust to stratification by gestational diabetes mellitus status and adjustment for socioeconomic factors., Conclusion: Mid-childhood educational attainment is not associated with maternal glucose status. This may provide important reassurance for pregnant women and clinicians. However, maternal body mass index is associated with lower childhood educational attainment and may be modifiable with intervention before or during pregnancy., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Evidence is limited regarding the effect of prenatal benzodiazepine and z-hypnotic exposure and long-term neurodevelopment in childhood. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of initiating benzodiazepine or z-hypnotic treatment in early, mid and late pregnancy on fifth-grade numeracy and literacy scholastic skills in children, by emulating three target trials. The trials are identical except for the timing of enrollment and the number of eligible individuals. Eligibility to the trials required a history of anxiety and/or depression prior to pregnancy. We used data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study, linked to the Medical Birth Registry of Norway, to emulate the trials. We adjusted for baseline covariates that were available at time 0 for each trial by inverse probability of treatment weighting using the propensity score. The findings of this study did not show any effect of mothers' initiation of treatment with benzodiazepines or z-hypnotics in early, mid or late pregnancy on the children's 5th grade test scores in numeracy and literacy. The study results provide reassurance for patients in need of benzodiazepines and z-hypnotics during pregnancy; however, these findings need to be interpreted with caution due to low study power in some of the analyses., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.)

ADHD profoundly impacts educational attainment, quality of life, and health in young adults. However, certain subgroups of ADHD patients seem to do quite well, potentially due to differences in intelligence and socioeconomic status. Here we used paternal intelligence from the Swedish Defence Conscription and Assessment register, to investigate the role of genetic propensity for intelligence, on school performance in a large cohort of ADHD patients and matched controls. Patients treated for ADHD in Linköping, Sweden between 1995 and 2020 (n = 3262), sex- and age-matched controls (n = 9591) as well as their parents and siblings were identified using regional and national registers. Socioeconomic and demographic data, ADHD diagnosis and treatment and school grades at age 16 for the study population were extracted from Swedish National registers. We explored the associations between paternal intelligence and child school performance using linear mixed models and mediation analyses, taking a wide range of potential covariates into account. Results indicate that paternal intelligence was positively associated with standardized school grades in their offspring (Z adjusted =0.09, 95%CI 0.07, 0.10). This effect was present in both ADHD patients and controls, but ADHD patients had significantly lower standardized grades (Z adjusted =-1.03, 95%CI -1.08, -0.98). Child ADHD did not serve as a mediator for how paternal intelligence affected school grades. Our findings indicate that ADHD prevents children from reaching their academic potential at all levels of paternal intelligence. Increased understanding of the contributions of ADHD, intelligence, and SES to functional outcomes can help clinicians to better personalize interventions to the unique preconditions in each patient., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Although maternal hemoglobin levels during pregnancy are commonly associated with perinatal outcomes, their link to childhood neurodevelopment remains uncertain., Objective: This study aimed to examine the associations between maternal hemoglobin in early and late pregnancy and the educational attainment of offspring mid-childhood in a high-resource obstetric setting., Study Design: Pregnancy data from a prospective birth cohort (Pregnancy Outcome Prediction Study, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 2008-2012, N=3285) were linked to mid-childhood educational outcomes (Department for Education, United Kingdom). Regression models adjusted for maternal, child, and socioeconomic factors were used to determine associations between maternal hemoglobin, pregnancy complications, and offspring educational outcomes (aged 5-7 years)., Results: No association was observed between maternal hemoglobin at 12 weeks and the likelihood of either adverse pregnancy outcomes or children meeting expected educational standards between ages 5-7 years. Higher maternal hemoglobin at 28 weeks was associated with an increased risk of small-for-gestational-age infants (adjusted odds ratio, 1.26 [95% confidence interval, 1.11-1.59]; P=.002) and preterm birth (adjusted odds ratio, 1.38 [95% confidence interval, 1.11-1.81]; P=.005). There were no adverse birth outcomes associated with anemia. However, children of mothers who were anemic at 28 weeks had ∼40% increased risk of not attaining expected educational standards at age 5 (adjusted odds ratio, 1.42 [95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.95]; P=.03). There was no association between maternal anemia at 28 weeks and educational performance at ages 6-7. No associations were found between high maternal hemoglobin concentrations (top decile) or change in hemoglobin concentrations between 12 and 28 weeks and childhood educational attainment., Conclusion: Maternal anemia at 28 weeks of pregnancy is associated with reduced educational attainment at 5 years old but not at older ages (6-7 years old). A proactive approach to increasing maternal hemoglobin in high-resource settings is unlikely to impact long-term childhood educational attainment., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Investigations assessing how oral health status affects school performance and attendance considering individual and community variables are lacking., Aim: To analyze the association of school contextual factors and oral conditions with school performance and absenteeism in early adolescence., Design: This cross-sectional study was carried out with 593 12-year-old students from 20 schools in Passo Fundo, a southern city in Brazil. The caregivers provided sociodemographic information by means of a questionnaire. Oral health status was clinically examined for dental caries and gingival bleeding. Students answered the CPQ 11-14 questionnaire to assess the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Information on contextual factors was obtained from the schools' administrators. "School performance" was measured by Portuguese and Mathematic tests' scores, and "school absenteeism" by the number of school days missed. Descriptive statistics was conducted, followed by unadjusted and adjusted multilevel linear regression., Results: At the individual level, low OHRQoL was associated with lower school performance and higher absenteeism. At the contextual level, students from private schools had higher school performance and lower mean of school days missed., Conclusions: The type of school and OHRQoL were associated with school performance and attendance of adolescents., (© 2023 BSPD, IAPD and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a condition with a multifactorial aetiology that affects the skin. It most often begins at preschool age and involves the skin. The disease's main symptom is intense itching, which occurs especially at night and affects the child's sleep, negatively impacting the quality of life of affected children and, consequently, their families. The difficulty in resting during the night leads to many problems during the day, particularly behavioural disorders and difficulties in paying attention at school, which results in learning impairment. The unexpected symptoms of AD are caused by pathophysiological processes that include many molecular pathways and inflammatory cytokines such as IL-31, IL-1, IL-2, TNF-a, and IL-6. Drawing on a comprehensive review of the literature in PubMed/MedLine, our review offers an in-depth exploration of both the psychosocial impacts of AD and the molecular processes that contribute to this disorder.

Investigating frontal EEG asymmetry as a possible biomarker of cognitive control abilities is especially important in ecological contexts such as school and work. We used a novel approach combining judgment performance and hemispheric frontal event-related potential (ERP) P300 asymmetry (fP3As) to evaluate aspects of cognitive control (i.e., repetition and switching) in adolescent females over a two-week ordinary school period. While undergoing electroencephalographic recording, students performed a word-colour "Stroop-like" congruence judgment task during morning and afternoon sessions, on Mondays and Wednesdays. Proportion of incongruence and congruence trials was 75% and 25%, respectively. ERP analysis revealed larger "novelty" right hemispheric fP3As amplitude for infrequent congruence but equivalent or significantly smaller than left hemispheric fP3As amplitude for frequent incongruence. RTs increased with extent of right fP3As shift. Behaviorally, repeat trial pairs (i.e., congruent followed by congruent, incongruent followed by incongruent) generally did not differ by time or day and were associated with near-ceiling accuracy. In contrast, switch trial pairs (i.e., congruent followed by incongruent, incongruent followed by congruent) in the afternoon were slower and associated with lower accuracy at the expected 75% criterion rate (i.e., judging incongruence by default), dropping significantly below 75% in the mornings. Crucially, compared to afternoon, morning fP3As patterns did not change adaptively with switch trial pairs. Although retroactive switching during congruence judgment was affected at all testing times, we conclude it was most impaired in the mornings of both early and mid school weeks, supporting misalignment between adolescent circadian cycle and school start time. We discuss some implications for optimal learning of adolescents at school., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate differences in school performance, school attendance, quality of life, and physical activity in adolescents with Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) compared to healthy controls., Methods: One hundred and twenty-nine patients with FMF and 154 healthy controls between 13 and 18 years were included in the study. Demographic, school performance (according to grade point average), school absenteeism, and type and frequency of exercise were recorded. Quality of life was evaluated with the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0., Results: The mean age of FMF patients was 15.1 ± 2.7 years, and 69 patients (53.5%) were female. School performance was significantly higher in the control group compared to FMF patients (P < 0.001). In the control group, there were significantly higher participants who engaged in professional sports (P < 0.001). Patients with FMF had significantly lower self-reported PedsQL scores in school functioning, physical, and psychosocial health domains compared to those in the control group (P = 0.001, P < 0.001, and P = 0.028, respectively)., Conclusions: FMF patients demonstrated lower school performance and quality-of-life scores compared to healthy controls. In addition to improving symptoms in chronic diseases, it is important to evaluate and improve the quality of life of patients in routine practice and to ensure psychosocial well-being., (© Japan College of Rheumatology 2023. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Aim: To examine the association between infant weight for gestational age and school performance when leaving school at 16 years of age., Methods: Out of 2 525 571 infants born near- or at term, between 1 January 1973 and 31 December 2002, identified from the Swedish Medical Birth Register, 65 912 (2.6%) were born small-for-gestational age (SGA). Outcomes studied were the risk for the need for education in special school, and the final average grades. Modified Poisson regression analyses and weighted linear regression analyses were performed., Results: An association between SGA and the need for a special school was found, irrespective of restrictions or adjustments (RR between 2.47 and 2.25). SGA was associated with final grades below the 10th and 25th percentile (RR 1.49 and 1.18, respectively). A linear relationship between maternal height and the RR for education in special school (p = 0.005), suggested that SGA is a stronger risk factor among children of tall than of shorter women., Conclusion: SGA increased the risk for poor school performance, and for the need for a special school. We found an association between maternal height and school performance in relation to birthweight, suggesting that maternal height should be considered when estimating the impact of SGA on later outcomes., (© 2023 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objectives: To examine the association between dental clinical status and school performance and school attendance in the Kingdom of Bahrain (KoB) using a life-course framework., Methods: This time-ordered cross-sectional study included 466 school children in Grade 2 (aged 7-8 years) and their parents in the KoB. Data were collected through parents' self-administered questionnaires, children's face-to-face interviews and dental clinical examinations. Data on children's school performance and school attendance were gathered from parents and school records. Structural equation modelling (SEM) examined the direct and indirect pathways between variables., Results: Children born in families with high socio-economic status (SES) were less likely to have dental caries and more likely to have better school performance at 7-8 years of age. Dentine caries was directly linked with poor school performance. Treated teeth directly predicted high school performance. The presence of dentine caries mediated the relationship of SES with school performance., Conclusions: Birth and current socio-economic factors were significant predictors of dental clinical conditions and school performance. Dental caries and fewer treated teeth directly predicted poor school performance., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to verify the relationship between perceived physical literacy (PPL) and academic performance outcomes among Spanish adolescents aged 12-17 years., Methods: This cross-sectional study is a secondary examination utilizing data derived from the Eating Healthy and Daily Life Activities (EHDLA) project. The Spanish Perceived Physical Literacy Instrument for Adolescents (S-PPLI) was used to evaluate the PPL of the participants. To determine academic performance, the numerical grades for each subject were added together and then divided by the total number of subjects., Results: Overall, a positive trend in the association between S-PPLI scores and academic performance was observed. We identified two significant ranges within the S-PPLI scores. First, there was a significant range between 9 and 33 points on the S-PPLI, indicating an inverse association with academic performance. Second, another significant range was observed at scores of 34 points or higher on the S-PPLI, suggesting a positive association with academic performance. Participants with low PPL had the lowest academic performance (mean = 6.4; bias-corrected and accelerated (BCa) bootstrapped 95% confidence interval (CI): 6.2-6.6). Conversely, those adolescents with high PPL had the highest academic performance (mean = 6.9; BCa bootstrapped 95% CI: 6.6-7.1). Significant differences were found between low PPL and medium PPL ( p -adjusted = 0.031) and between low PPL and high PPL ( p -adjusted = 0.031)., Conclusions: Increased physical literacy could be a relevant factor for achieving greater academic performance in adolescents. This study has potential implications for physical education instructors, school leaders, and healthcare practitioners., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2024 Domínguez-Martín, Tárraga-López and López-Gil.)

Background: Fetal growth restriction and immaturity are associated with poor neurocognitive development and child psychopathology affecting educational success at school and beyond. However, the differential effects of either obstetrical risk factor on predicted psychomotor development have not yet been deciphered., Objective: This study aimed to separately study the impact of growth restriction and that of immaturity on predicted psychomotor development at the preschool age of 4.3 (standard deviation, 0.8) years using birthweight percentiles in a prospective cohort of preterm infants born at ≤37 +6/7 weeks of gestation. Differences between small for gestational age newborns with intrauterine growth restriction and those without were described. We examined predicted total psychomotor development score, predicted developmental disability index, calculated morphometric vitality index, and predicted intelligence quotient, Porteus Maze test score, and neurologic examination optimality score in 854 preterm infants from a large prospective screening cohort (cranial ultrasound screening, n=5,301)., Study Design: This was a prospective cranial ultrasound screening study with a single-center cohort observational design (data collection done from 1984-1988, analysis done in 2022). The study included 5,301 live-born infants, of whom 854 (16.1%) were preterm infants (≤37 +6/7 weeks' gestation), and was conducted on the day of discharge of the mother at 5 to 8 days postpartum from a level 3 perinatal center. Predicted psychomotor development, as assessed by the predicted total psychomotor development score, predicted developmental disability index, calculated morphometric vitality index, predicted intelligence quotient, Porteus Maze test score, and neurologic examination optimality score were calculated. We related psychomotor development indices and measures to gestational age in 3 groups of birthweight percentiles (ie, 10%, 50%, and 90% for small, appropriate, and large for gestational age newborns, respectively) using linear regression analysis, analysis of variance, multivariate analysis of variance, and t test procedures., Results: The key result of our study is the observation that in preterm infants born at ≤37 +6/7 weeks of gestation, growth restriction as compared with immaturity is the prime risk factor for impairment of overall predicted psychomotor development, intelligence quotient, Porteus Maze test results, and neurologic examination optimality score at the preschool age of 4.3 (standard deviation, 0.8) years ( P <.001). This is particularly true for intrauterine growth restriction. These detrimental effects of growth restriction become more prominent with decreasing gestational age ( P <.001). As expected, growth restriction in preterm infants born at ≤37 +6/7 weeks of gestation was associated with a number of obstetrical risk factors, including hypertension in pregnancy ( P <.001), multiple pregnancy ( P <.001), pathologic cardiotocography ( P =.001), and low pH ( P =.007), increased pCO2 ( P =.009), and poor pO2 ( P <.001) in umbilical arterial blood. Of note, there were no differences in cerebral hemorrhage or white matter damage among small, appropriate, and large for gestational age birthweight percentile groups, suggesting an independent mechanism of brain injury caused by preterm growth restriction resulting in poor psychomotor development., Conclusion: Compared with immaturity, growth restriction in preterm infants has more intense detrimental effects on psychomotor development, necessitating improved risk stratification. This finding has implications for clinical management, parental consultation, and early intervention strategies to improve school performance, educational success, and mental health in children. The mechanisms of brain injury specific to growth restriction in preterm infants require further elucidation., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Aims/hypothesis: Type 1 diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood. It is hypothesised that the metabolic and psychosocial consequences of type 1 diabetes may affect educational outcomes; however, existing literature presents conflicting results. This study aimed to assess whether educational outcomes differ for young people with and without type 1 diabetes in Aotearoa/New Zealand (NZ)., Methods: This was a nationwide 9 year birth cohort study of all people born in NZ from 1993 to 2001 using linked administrative data held within the Integrated Data Infrastructure, a national research database containing linked health and non-health data. Educational outcomes of high school attainment, high school attendance and university enrolment were measured from age 13 years until 20 years. Generalised linear regression models with log link and Gaussian distributions were used to compare educational outcomes between those with and those without type 1 diabetes, adjusting for sociodemographic and maternal characteristics., Results: Of the 442,320 children in the birth cohort, type 1 diabetes was identified in 2058 (0.47%) (mean [SD] age of type 1 diabetes diagnosis 7.7 [3.4] years). Educational outcomes were significantly lower for children with type 1 diabetes than for those without type 1 diabetes, including for any high school qualification (RR 0.97 [95% CI 0.95, 0.99]), university entrance-level high school attainment (RR 0.88 [95% CI 0.84, 0.92]), regular high school attendance (RR 0.91 [95% CI 0.85, 0.97]) and university enrolment (RR 0.93 [95% CI 0.88, 0.98]), even after adjusting for sociodemographic and maternal factors. In addition, educational outcomes were substantially lower for those with post type 1 diabetes diagnosis hospitalisations for diabetic ketoacidosis and hypoglycaemia., Conclusions/interpretation: In this whole NZ birth cohort study, type 1 diabetes was associated with lower educational outcomes spanning secondary school and into university enrolment. Ongoing efforts to support students with type 1 diabetes are needed, particularly for those with a greater risk profile., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objectives: This study investigated the unique associations of motor competence and ADHD risk status on school functioning. Additionally, this study examined the factor structure of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Short Form (BOT2-SF)., Methods: Participants included early elementary school children ( N  = 202, M age  = 6.83, SD  = 0.96, Male = 53.5%, ADHD-risk = 46.5%). Child assessments of motor competence and teacher and parent reports of school functioning were used., Results: A two-factor model of the BOT2-SF with correlated fine and gross motor factors and correlated residuals best fit the data. Fine and gross motor competence were unique positive predictors of academic performance, after accounting for the effects of ADHD-risk on academic performance. ADHD-risk was the only unique predictor of adaptive school behavior., Conclusion: Findings suggest that assessing for ADHD and motor competence in children demonstrating school functioning problems may better allow for targeted intervention in school., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: Many children treated for cancer experience a negative impact on their academic performance; however, most studies of children treated for sarcomas have not investigated academic performance. Our aim was to explore how Swedish children treated for sarcomas perform academically, as well as how they adjust to life afterwards., Procedure: We compared 167 pediatric sarcoma survivors with 776 matched, non-sibling controls without a history of cancer, in a retrospective cohort study using data from nationwide registries. Primary outcomes were grades at the end of compulsory education, high school eligibility, post-compulsory education (i.e., education after school Year 9), employment, and sickness or activity compensation., Results: Pediatric sarcoma survivors were more likely to be ineligible for high school (odds ratio [OR] 1.76; p = .045) and more likely to fail Swedish (OR 2.12; p = .046), mathematics (OR 2.27; p = .011), and/or physical education (OR 2.24; p = .004), compared with controls. Survivors were less likely to have been employed (OR 0.58; p = .027) and received sickness or activity compensation more often (OR 2.49; p = .008) compared with controls., Conclusions: Pediatric sarcoma survivors have poorer academic performance compared to peers without cancer in multiple school subjects. Survivors seem to catch up during post-compulsory education, but might struggle to find employment., (© 2023 The Authors. Pediatric Blood & Cancer published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Aim: To investigate the associations between problematic familial alcohol use and adolescent subjective health, binge drinking, relationships with parents, school performance, and future orientation, and to study whether these associations differ in relation to parental education. Methods: Cross-sectional data from the Stockholm School Survey (SSS) collected among students in the 9th and 11th grades in 2018 and in 2020 were used (n = 19,415). Subjective health, parent-youth relationships, and school performance were coded as continuous variables; binge drinking and future orientation were coded as binary variables. Familial drinking included three categories: problematic; don't know/missing; and not problematic. Parental university education distinguished between adolescents with two, one, or no university-educated parent(s). Control variables included gender, grade, family structure, migration background, parental unemployment, and survey year. Linear and binary logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: Problematic familial alcohol use was associated with worsened subjective health, a higher likelihood of engaging in binge drinking, worse relationships with parents, and a higher likelihood of having a pessimistic future orientation, even when adjusting for all control variables. Having less than two university-educated parents was associated with a higher likelihood of reporting problematic familial alcohol use. Parental university education moderated the association between problematic familial alcohol use and binge drinking as this relationship was stronger for adolescents with no and one university-educated parent(s). Conclusions: Adolescents with problematic familial alcohol use fared worse with regards to all studied outcomes, except for school performance. Parental university education only moderated the association between problematic familial alcohol use and binge drinking. However, since problematic familial alcohol use was more common among adolescents with less than two university-educated parents, we argue that at the group level, this category may be more negatively affected by alcohol abuse in the family. Policy interventions could benefit from having a socioeconomic perspective on how children are affected by alcohol's harms to others., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2023.)

In comparison to research on assets and their impact on school performance, less research has been devoted to household assets. This article studies the relationship among durable goods, academic achievement, and school attendance in Colombia. Durable goods are approximated through three different methodological approaches: inventory, attributional, and index approaches. Data come from the 2017 SABER test, a nationwide examination that assesses reading and math skills, for fifth- and ninth-grade students, ( N  = 621,218). Students with complete durable goods information ( N  = 364,436) were included. Multilevel modeling was used to test the effects of durable goods on academic achievement and school attendance. The results suggest that while the index approach provides a broad understanding of how durable goods relate to school performance, the inventory and the attributional approaches show that different types of durable goods have differential effects on educational outcomes. The index approach illustrates that the possession of durable goods is positively associated with academic achievement and school attendance. The inventory and the attributional approaches show that washing machines, computers, and internet access are positively related to academic achievement and school attendance. In contrast, TVs, video games, and cars are negatively related to school performance. This research added to the literature by using different methodological approaches to operationalize durable goods, and by expanding the geographic scope to Latin America. Findings from this study may contribute to reassessing current measures of multidimensional poverty in Colombia to include durable goods., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Author.)

Background: Several observational studies indicate that dietary habits in children and adolescents are associated with school performance. These associations are heavily confounded by socio-economic characteristics, such as household income and parents' educational attainment, amongst other factors. The objective of this study was to explore the association between diet and school performance in adolescents from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 (NFBC1986)., Methods: Dietary and school performance data were collected using self-reported questionnaires from adolescents in the NFBC1986 cross-sectional, 16-year follow-up study. In this work we derived exploratory factors for the dietary variables, frequency of skipping main meals and school performance variables, performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) against these factors to obtain genetic association data and conducted one-sample and two-sample Mendelian randomisation (MR) analyses using individual level data for up to 9220 adolescents in NFBC1986 and GWAS results from external cohorts. We report observational and MR effects of diet on school performance and cognition-related phenotypes., Results: The observational study and the one-sample Mendelian randomisation analysis showed that high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) consumption was associated with poor school performance in general/science subjects (-0.080, -0.128 to -0.033) and staple food consumption with better school performance in general/science subjects (0.071, 0.024 to 0.119) and physical education (0.065, 0.021 to 0.110). Findings from our two-sample MR analysis identified dietary principal components described best as whole brain bread, wheat, cheese, oat cereal and red wine to be associated with higher educational attainment and other cognition-related phenotypes., Conclusion: Using genetics, we highlighted the potential role of HFSS food consumption and consumption of the components of a staple food diet for school performance. However, further research is required to find conclusive evidence that could support a causal role of diet on school performance., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None declared., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Cannabis is one of the most popular drugs of the 21st century, especially among adolescents and young adults. Evidence of a variety of lasting neuropsychological deficits as a result of chronic cannabis use has increased. Furthermore, regular cannabis use is found to be a predictor of mental health problems, less motivation in school, and school dropout., Aim: Our goal is to propose a theoretical model of adolescent cannabis use disorder (CUD) based on Zinberg's drug, set, and setting model and explicated by a review of the literature on adolescent cannabis use to improve the prevention and treatment of CUD for adolescents., Methods: PubMed and Web of Science were searched for relevant publications as part of a hypothesis-based and model-generating review., Results: Individual (set) and environmental (setting) risk factors play important roles in the development of CUD in adolescents. School performance, motivation, and attendance can be negatively influenced by persistent cannabis use patterns and adolescent brain development can consequently be impaired. Thus, cannabis use can be understood as both being the cause of poor school performance but also the consequence of poor school performance. To prevent and reduce adolescent CUD the drug, set, and setting must all be considered. It is important to notice that the multiple feedback loops (indicated in our dynamic interaction model) are not mutually exclusive, but offer important intervention focus points for social workers, addiction professionals, parents, and other care takers., Conclusion: We argue that the three dimensions of drug, set, and setting contribute significantly to the eventual manifestation of CUD. Based on our dynamic interaction model, recommendations are made for possible preventive and therapeutic interventions for the treatment of adolescents and young adults with CUD., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Aphantasia is a neurocognitive phenomenon affecting voluntary visual imagery, such that it is either entirely absent, or markedly impaired. Using both the social and medical models of disability, this article discusses the extent to which aphantasia can be understood as a disorder or just a form of neutral neurodivergence, given that imagery plays a central role in thinking and memory for most other people. Preliminary school performance data are presented, showing that low imagery does not necessarily complicate life, especially given compensatory strategies and low societal barriers. In addition, we discuss the consequences of labelling aphantasia a disorder with regard to self- and public stigma, and we provide further data regarding a confidence gap, by which aphantasics perceive themselves as performing worse than they objectively do. We conclude that aphantasia should be understood as neutral neurodivergence and that labelling it a disorder is not only wrong, but potentially harmful., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Protective factors of adolescent gambling at the school level and their buffering potential are scarcely explored in prior research. This study aims to examine the protective possibility of low student-teacher ratio on youth gambling, both directly and by moderating the effect of low school performance., Methods: Data were derived from the 2016 Stockholm school survey, collected among 5,221 grade 11 students (∼17-18 years) in 46 schools, with information on schools' composition and student-teacher ratio obtained through registers. Gambling and risk gambling were coded as binary variables. School performance was captured by self-reported marks in three core subjects, dichotomised into average/above average and below average, respectively. Student-teacher ratio was used both as a continuous and trichotomised variable. Two-level binary logistic regression analyses were performed., Results: A below average school performance was associated with gambling and risk gambling but the association with gambling was only statistically significant at the 10%-level in the fully adjusted model. Student-teacher ratio was not directly associated with gambling and risk gambling but moderated the associations between school performance and both gambling and risk gambling, as these relationships were less pronounced in schools with a low student-teacher ratio., Conclusions: In sum, a low student-teacher ratio may protect students from gambling and risk gambling by buffering against the adverse effects of other risk factors, such as poor school performance. These findings suggest that a higher teacher density in upper secondary schools can be beneficial beyond school matters by positively influencing student behaviour outside of school., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

Background: Signs and symptoms of Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) occur during early childhood, progress over time, and place substantial, multifaceted burden on patients and their caregivers. Hyperphagia may be a contributing factor to early-onset obesity in BBS; however, there are limited insights into its impacts on patients and caregivers. We quantified disease burden as it relates to the physical and emotional impacts of hyperphagia in BBS., Methods: The CAREgiver Burden in BBS (CARE-BBS) study was a multicountry, cross-sectional survey of adult caregivers of patients with BBS who have had hyperphagia and obesity. The survey consisted of questionnaires including Symptoms of Hyperphagia, Impacts of Hyperphagia, Impact of Weight on Quality of Life (IWQOL)-Kids Parent Proxy, and Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) v1.0-Global Health 7. In addition, clinical characteristics, medical history, and weight management questions were included. Outcomes were scored and summarized descriptively in aggregate and by country, age, and obesity severity according to weight class., Results: There were 242 caregivers of patients with BBS who completed the survey. Caregivers observed hyperphagic behaviors throughout the day, with negotiating for food (90%) and waking up and asking or looking for food during the night (88%) being the most frequent. Hyperphagia had at least a moderate negative impact on most patients' mood/emotions (56%), sleep (54%), school (57%), leisure (62%), and familial relationships (51%). Hyperphagia affected concentration at school (78%), and symptoms of BBS contributed to patients missing ≥ 1 day of school a week (82%). Responses from the IWQOL-Kids Parent Proxy suggested obesity most greatly negatively affected physical comfort (mean [standard deviation (SD)], 41.7 [17.2]), body esteem (41.0 [17.8]), and social life (41.7 [18.0]). On the PROMIS questionnaire, mean (SD) global health score for pediatric patients with BBS and overweight or obesity (36.8 [10.6]) was lower than the general population (mean, 50)., Conclusions: Evidence from this study suggests that hyperphagia and obesity may have broad negative impacts on the lives of patients with BBS, including physical health, emotional well-being, school performance, and personal relationships. Therapies that target hyperphagia may alleviate the extensive clinical and nonclinical impacts experienced by patients with BBS and their caregivers., (© 2023. © Rhythm Pharmaceuticals 2023.)

Background: The evidence for the impact of oral health on academic performance is still unclear., Aim: To assess the impact of oral health conditions on poor academic performance in schoolchildren by including a range of clinical and self-reported OH measures in a modified cross-sectional study., Design: This study was carried out on schoolchildren aged 12-14 years in Jazan, Saudi Arabia, using a stratified and randomised cluster sampling method. Clinical indices from oral screening and self-reported OH conditions and behaviours and school absence from the self-administered questionnaire were recorded a month before the school examination. Results of passing or failing the examination were obtained after the examination. Statistical associations were examined using bivariate and multiple logistic regressions. The oral health measures were categorised based on the types of conditions and briefly appraised., Results: Measures of dental caries, dental pain, soft tissue problems, oral hygiene, tooth discolouration, tooth mobility and school absence due to dental pain were associated with greater odds of failing the examination (p < .05). Measures of dental treatment and absence due to dental visits were associated with lower odds of failing (p < .05)., Conclusions: Dental caries with pain likely explains the poor academic performance of schoolchildren, whereas treatment has a protective effect., (© 2023 BSPD, IAPD and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background:  Post-COVID-19 syndrome has emerged as a long-term complication in adults and children; its effect on adolescents' performance in school is not well studied., Objectives: To study the physical/psychological impact of prolonged post-COVID-19 symptoms on school performance., Methods:  This is a cross-sectional study using Google Forms, a web-based fully anonymized survey of children in grades 10-12., Results:  The study included 54 students with a mean age of 16 years of whom 32 had COVID-19. Two were hospitalized and 10 had symptoms lasting more than four weeks. Commonly reported chronic symptoms were fatigue and cough. Seven students quit sports; eight had a decrease in their academic performance. Adolescents being infected more than once or not being fully vaccinated were more likely to develop prolonged symptoms and quit sports while academic performance in school was not affected. Three out of 10 (30%) students who had COVID-19 and responded to the questionnaire reported not seeking help., Conclusion: Post-COVID-19 syndrome is associated with a decline in physical but not mental performance in school. Being infected more than once with SARS-CoV-2 seems to play an important role in the persistence of post-COVID-19 symptoms despite the fact that some adolescents are hesitant to seek medical or psychological care., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, El Khoury et al.)

Objective: To explore the experiences of young people and their parents regarding the impact on school performance due to time away from school for orthodontic appointments and to explore their views about a possible extension to the current service., Design: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews., Setting: UK district hospitals., Participants: A total of 11 pairs of interviewees: young people undergoing fixed appliances and their parents., Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with young people and their parents. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. A framework approach was used to analyse the data., Results: A thematic analysis of the data identified five main themes which were as follows: (1) expectations of the treatment process and appointments; (2) impact of school absences and treatment; (3) appointments; (4) implications for young people, parents and others; and (5) satisfaction with treatment. These themes were then further subdivided and analysed., Conclusion: Young people and their parents felt that attending appointments for orthodontic treatment had minimal impact on a young person's school performance. However, some young people did engage in coping mechanisms in order to ensure this was the case. Young people and their parents advised they were satisfied with the process of the treatment despite the time missed at school/work. Some young people and their parents saw a real benefit to appointments that could be fitted into a 'NHS seven-day' service model, but this did not apply to all interviewees.

Background: A child's ability to succeed in social interactions and in a school setting are important for their development and growth. Exposure to environmental pollutants has been associated with poorer school performance and fewer social interaction in children. Fly ash, a waste product generated when burning coal for energy, is comprised of small glass spheres with neurotoxic heavy metal(loid)s found to be risk factors for learning and social problems in school., Objective: The purpose of this novel study was to assess the association of fly ash in children's homes with school and social competency., Methods: We recruited children aged 6-14 years old from communities located within 10 miles of two coal-burning power plants. In homes of the participants, fly ash was collected on polycarbonate filters using personal modular impactors. We measured school competency and social competency using the validated Child Behavioral Checklist. Using Tobit and linear regression we investigated the relationship of indoor fly ash with school and social competency., Results: Forty-three percent of children in the study had fly ash in their homes. In covariate-adjusted Tobit models, children with fly ash in their homes scored on average 2.63 (95% CI: -4.98, -0.28) points lower on the school competency scale than peers without ash in their homes. We did not observe that fly ash in homes was related with lower social competency., Significance: Results from this study suggest that children with fly ash in their homes had poorer performance in the school setting, compared to peers without fly ash in their homes. In the US, coal-fired power plants are being closed, however health concerns about pollution from coal ash storage facilities remains. Findings from this study can provide impetus for creating of public health policy and to highlight the need future research on children's exposure to fly ash., Impact: Children's growth and development are impacted by their social interactions and ability to perform in school settings. Environmental pollutants may impact these essential elements of development. Millions of children are exposed to fly ash which is a waste product generated from burning coal. Fly ash, an environmental health threat throughout the world, is comprised of small glass spheres with trace concentrations of neurotoxic metal(loid)s. Findings from this research show that children with fly ash in their homes are significantly more likely to have poorer school performance than children without fly ash in their homes., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.)

Introduction: It is suggested that birth by elective cesarean section (CS) reduces the risk of birth-related infant mortality and injury. Other studies suggest an increased risk of somatic immune-related diseases among children born by CS such as asthma, type 1 diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease. The WHO Statement on Cesarean Section Rates 2015 described an increase in CS globally. The statement concluded that the effects of CS on social and psychological outcomes remain unclear and that more research is needed to fully understand the effects of CS, including effects on cognition and intelligence in the child. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between delivery by CS (elective and acute) and school performance and intelligence in youth., Material and Methods: This cohort study included all Danish live-born children in 1978-2000. We retrieved data regarding pregnancies, births, parents, school grades, and intelligence of the children from Danish registers and performed multiple imputations to avoid discarding data. The final cohort after exclusion comprised 1 408 230 children. Associations between CS and school graduation, grades, conscription attendance, and conscription intelligence scores were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic and linear regressions., Results: Adjusted odds ratio with 95% CI of graduating from lower (LSE) and upper (USE) secondary education and of attending conscription were significantly lower in the CS group: LSE graduation: 0.87 (0.84-0.89), USE graduation: 0.93 (0.92-0.94), attending conscription: 0.95 (0.93-0.98). The CS group had significantly lower grade point averages (GPA) in LSE with adjusted differences in mean total GPA of -0.090 (-0.10 to -0.007), and mean core subject GPA of -0.098 (-0.11 to -0.08), in USE with total GPA difference of -0.091 (-0.11 to -0.075) and lower mean intelligence scores of -0.36 (-0.46 to -0.27) in adjusted linear models. A sub-analysis revealed lower chances of graduating LSE and USE when born by acute rather than elective CS., Conclusions: Chances of LSE and USE graduation and of attending conscription were significantly lower for children born by CS. However, even significant differences in mean GPAs and intelligence scores were very small, so performances when graduating school and attending conscription were comparable regardless of delivery mode., (© 2023 The Authors. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology (NFOG).)

Background: By combining the classical twin design with regression analysis, we investigated the role of two non-cognitive factors, self-control and grit, in the prediction of school performance. We did so at the phenotypic, genetic, and environmental level., Methods: Teachers filled out a survey on the twins' school performance (school grades for reading, literacy, and math), self-control (ASEBA self-control scale), and grit (the perseverance aspect) for 4891 Dutch 12-years-old twin pairs (3837 pairs with data for both and 1054 pairs with data for one of the twins). We employed regression analyses to first assess the contributions of self-control and grit to school performance at the phenotypic level, and next at the genetic and environmental level, while correcting for rater (teacher) effects, parental SES, and sex., Results: Higher SES was associated with better school performance, self-control, and grit. On average, girls had more self-control and grit than boys. Corrected for sex, SES, and teacher rater effects, genetic factors accounted for 74%, 69%, and 58% of the phenotypic variance of school performance, self-control, and grit, respectively. Phenotypically, self-control and grit explained 28.3% of the variance in school performance. We found that this phenotypic result largely reflected genetic influences., Conclusions: Children who have better self-control and are grittier tend to do better in school. Individual differences in these three traits are not correlated because of shared environmental influences, but mainly because of shared genetic factors., Competing Interests: The authors have declared they have no competing or potential conflicts of interest., (© 2023 The Authors. JCPP Advances published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.)

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) are important for brain development and functioning and with that, possibly school performance. Several cross-sectional studies have shown significant positive associations between fish consumption, an important source of LCPUFA and school grades in adolescents. The effect of LCPUFA supplementation on school grades in adolescents has not been investigated yet. The goal of the current study was to investigate (I) the associations between the Omega-3 Index (O3I) at baseline and after 12 months respectively and school grades and (II) the effect of one year krill oil supplementation (source of LCPUFA) on school grades in adolescents with a low O3I at baseline. A double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial with repeated measurements was executed. Participants received either 400 mg eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) per day for the first three months in Cohort 1 and the nine months thereafter 800 mg EPA + DHA per day, Cohort 2 started immediately with 800 mg EPA + DHA per day,or a placebo. The O3I was monitored with a finger prick at baseline, three, six and twelve months. Subject grades for English, Dutch and math were collected, a standardised mathematics test was executed at baseline and at 12 months. Data was analysed with (I) explorative linear regressions to investigate associations at baseline and follow-up and (II) mixed model analyses separately for each of the subject grades and the standardised mathematics test to investigate the effect of supplementation after 12 months. The krill oil group had a small significant increase in the mean O3I at all time points. However, very few participants achieved the intended target O3I range of 8-11%. At baseline a significant association between baseline O3I and English grade was show, additionally a trend for an association with Dutch grade was shown. After 12 months no significant associations were found. Additionally, there was no significant effect of krill oil supplementation on subject grades or standardised mathematics test score. In this study, no significant effect of krill oil supplementation on subject grades or standardised mathematics test performance was found. However, as many participants dropped out and/or were non-adherent, results should be interpreted with caution., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest CVS is the owner of Omegametrix, which is responsible for the blood analyses in this study. TB is a former employee of Aker Biomarine, who partly funded the study. ISMW, PAK, MPZ, and RHMG declare no conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data, nor in the decision to publish the results., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Birth weight, fetal growth and placental function influence cognitive development. The gradient of these associations is understudied, especially among those with a birth weight considered appropriate-for-gestational age. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations between birth-weight centile and intellectual development in term/near-term infants across the entire birth-weight spectrum, in order to provide a basis for better understanding of the long-term implications of fetal growth restriction and reduced placental function., Methods: This was a population-based cohort study of 266 440 liveborn singletons from uncomplicated pregnancies, delivered between 36 and 42 weeks of gestation. Perinatal data were obtained from the Dutch Perinatal Registry over the period 2003-2008 and educational data for children aged approximately 12 years were obtained from Statistics Netherlands over the period 2016-2019. Regression analyses were conducted to assess the association of birth-weight centile with school performance. The primary outcomes were mean school performance score, on a scale of 501-550, and proportion of children who reached higher secondary school level., Results: Mean school performance score increased gradually with increasing birth-weight centile, from 533.6 in the 1 st -5 th birth-weight-centile group to 536.8 in the 81 st -85 th birth-weight-centile group. Likewise, the proportion of children at higher secondary school level increased with birth-weight centile, from 43% to 57%. Compared with the 81 st -85 th birth-weight-centile group, mean school performance score and proportion of children at higher secondary school level were significantly lower in all birth-weight-centile groups below the 80 th centile, after adjusting for confounding factors., Conclusions: Birth-weight centile is associated positively with school performance at 12 years of age across the entire birth-weight spectrum, well beyond the conventional and arbitrary cut-offs for suspected fetal growth restriction. This underlines the importance of developing better tools to diagnose fetal growth restriction and reduced placental function, and to identify those at risk for associated short- and long-term consequences. © 2023 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology., (© 2023 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.)

Background: Many studies (especially cross-sectional ones) have shown signicant links between two of these three constructs-achievement, self-concept and anxiety., Objectives: Unlike past longitudinal studies that examined only two of these three constructs, this study examines all three, grounded in self-determination theory, control-value theory and transactional theory of anxiety., Methods: Chinese secondary school students (N = 823) completed questionnaires across three time points covering one school year, and we collected data on their mathematics and second language (L2) English test scores., Results: Cross-lagged panel models showed equal effect sizes in both pairs of time periods (T1-T2 and T2-T3). In both mathematics and L2 English, (a) achievement, self-concept and anxiety all showed moderate autoregression effects and hence, relative stability, (b) achievement and self-concept showed reciprocal positive effects and (c) self-concept negatively predicted subsequent anxiety. In mathematics but not L2 English, anxiety negatively predicted self-concept, and achievement negatively predicted anxiety, showing domain differences. Self-concept mediated achievement's negative effect on anxiety only in L2 English., Conclusions: Distinguishing within domain and cross domain effects of achievement, self-concept, and anxiety in mathematics and L2 English deepen our understanding of the relationships among these three constructs., (© 2022 British Psychological Society.)

Background: Most children with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) recover but may suffer from long-term sequelae, interfering with development and quality of life. Owing to the lack of published data, we aimed to assess the long-term neurological, behavioral, functional, quality of life, and school performance outcomes them., Methods: Design: Cross-sectional observational., Setting: Pediatric intensive care unit., Patients: Children, aged one to 12 years, with GBS admitted over five years (July 2012 to June 2017) were enrolled during one year (July 2017 to June 2018). These children were assessed for the following outcomes: neurological (Hughes disability score, Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category [PCPC], Pediatric Overall Performance Category [POPC], and Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended Pediatric version [GOS-E Peds] scales), behavioral (Childhood Psychopathology Measurement Schedule [CPMS]), functional (Vineland Social Maturity Scale [VSMS]-Indian Adaptation), quality of life (Pediatric Quality of Life [PedsQL]), and school performance (Parent-Directed Questionnaire)., Results: Eighty children were enrolled after a median of 3.0 (1.3-4.2) years from discharge. The majority (95%) had favorable neurological recovery (Hughes disability score 0 to 1). Favorable outcome was noted in 95% of children on PCPC, 87.5% on POPC, 60% on GOS-E Peds, 86.2% on CPMS, 92.5% on VSMS, and 98% on PedsQL. The majority (97.5%) of childre were attending schools, and 57.7% had satisfactory school performance. The presence of quadriparesis at admission, mechanical ventilation, tracheostomy requirement, poor ambulatory status at discharge, and longer pediatric intensive care unit and hospital stay predicted unfavorable neurological outcome on different tools. Absence of quadriparesis at admission and no requirement of mechanical ventilation predicted a favorable result on all outcome measures., Conclusions: On long-term follow-up, most children with severe GBS showed favorable neurological, behavioral, functional, and quality of life outcomes. Severe clinical presentation and prolonged intensive care unit stay predict poor long-term outcome., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: We do not know if children born with a simple or uncorrected congenital heart disease (CHD) have school performance issues and an increased need for special education compared to healthy peers. With this study we examine the school performance and the need for special education in children with both simple and complex CHD. Further, we evaluate if exposure to preeclampsia or smoking affects the need for special education., Methods: In this nation-wide population based registry study, we included all Danish children with CHD born 1994-2012. In addition ten age and gender matched control per CHD child were included. Non-singletons and children born with a syndrome were excluded. Exposure was defined as having a CHD and the outcome was defined as needing special education service in the Danish primary and lower secondary school., Results: The population consisted of 7,559 CHD children and 77,046 non-CHD children (controls). CHD children had a higher need for special education compared to non-CHD children, OR: 2.14 (95% CI: 2.00; 2.28), p  < 0.001. The odds ratio was also increased when comparing children with a minor CHD to non-CHD children, OR: 1.99 (95% CI: 1.86; 2.14), p  < 0.001. CHD children exposed to preeclampsia or smoking had a higher risk of receiving special education compared to unexposed CHD children., Conclusion: We find that school performance is impaired in children born with CHD. This applies to both simple and complex CHD. If a child with CHD was exposed to preeclampsia or maternal smoking this further increased the need for special education., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2023 Omann, Kristensen, Tabor, Gaynor, Hjortdal and Nyboe.)

Objective: Children with ADHD often tend to underperform in school. This partial study aimed to find out if the school experience of adults with higher ADHD symptomatology differs from those with lower and no ADHD symptomatology., Method: Based on the results of ASRS questionnaires, the respondents were divided into three groups (low, medium, and high) according to the manifested ADHD symptomatology. We explored their school experiences by looking at their grades for behavior at school, notes regarding their attendance, school expulsion, and other school experiences., Results: Children with higher ADHD symptomatology were significantly more likely to be expelled, receive notes for bad behavior, disturbing or forgetting as well as receive reprimands from teachers., Conclusion: Our results show that children with increased ADHD symptomatology experience more difficulties with school behavior, they are frequently reprimanded, and they do receive more negative feedback regarding their attendance and tardiness from teachers.

Adolescents' school experience can be developmentally related to adolescents' sleep. This study aimed to understand how sleep patterns (i.e., sleep duration and sleep-schedule) and weekend sleep-recovery strategies (i.e., social jetlag and weekend catch-up sleep) are associated with adolescents' school experience (i.e., educational identity and school performance). Moreover, the differences in the school experiences between adolescents with different numbers of weekend-sleep-recovery strategies were assessed. For this purpose, 542 Italian adolescents (55.2% females, mean age 15.6 years) wore an actigraph for one week. After the actigraphic assessment, questionnaires on educational identity and school performance were administered. Results showed that short sleep-duration, later bedtime during weekdays and weekends, and a higher amount of social jetlag were negatively associated with school performance. Furthermore, adolescents who did not use any sleep-recovery strategy during the weekend presented lower levels of educational in-depth exploration compared to adolescents with higher levels of catch-up sleep but not social jetlag. These data pointed out a potentially detrimental role of social jetlag on school performance and differences in identity processes between adolescents who used and those who did not use sleep-recovery strategies, which could affect adolescents' psychosocial adjustment.

This article analyzes the relationship between access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and school performance. It contributes to the empirical literature in the area since there is no consensus yet. Moreover, the context associated with COVID-19 pandemic also considers the analysis as the most relevant. The goal of this article is to study the impact of ICT on school performance at elementary level. The hypothesis set forth is that having both a computer and connection to Internet at the students' homes, improves their school related achievements. To contrast it, we propose an econometric model using the Propensity Matching Score (PSM) methodology with data from the Learning 2018 (Aprender 2018) campaign of students at the last year of elementary school in Argentina and in each of the regions that conform it. Finally, there is evidence in favor of the hypothesis., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestNone., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2022.)

This study aims to analyze the mediating role of risk of depression in the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and academic performance in a sample of adolescents and to test the moderation effect of sex. A total of 263 adolescents (125 girls, 13.9 ± 0.3 years) from the DADOS (Deporte, ADOlescencia y Salud) study were included in the analysis. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed by the 20-m shuttle run test. Academic performance was assessed through the final academic grades and the test of educational abilities. Risk of depression was evaluated through the Behavior Assessment System for Children and Adolescents. Mediation analyses were performed to determine the direct and indirect associations between cardiorespiratory fitness, risk of depression, and academic performance. Indirect effects with confidence intervals not including zero were interpreted as statistically significant, and percentages of mediation were calculated in order to know how much of the association was explained by the mediation. Our findings indicated a significant mediating effect of risk of depression in the association between cardiorespiratory fitness with final grades in math, language, and grade point average (percentages of mediation: 26%, 53%, and 29%, respectively). These analyses were not moderated by sex (all confidence intervals included 0)., Conclusion: Risk of depression acts as a possible underlying mechanism in the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and academic grades in adolescents. Educational and health institutions could benefit from our findings since the promotion of higher cardiorespiratory fitness levels might reduce the risk of depression with potential benefits on adolescents' academic performance., What Is Known: • Cardiorespiratory fitness is positively associated with academic performance in adolescents. Nevertheless, the psychological mechanisms underlying this association are poorly understood., What Is New: • Risk of depression mediates the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and academic performance in adolescents, independently of sex. • Our findings may improve the efficacy of mental health and educational programs by promoting the enhancement of cardiorespiratory fitness levels, which may reduce risk of depression with potential benefits on academic performance., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objective: This study aimed to identify school problems and levels of cognitive activity in youths aged 5-18 years with a concussion during the recovery stages of return to school (RTS)., Study Design: In a prospective cohort, participants completed in-person assessments at three time points: First Visit Post-injury, Symptom Resolution Visit, and Follow-Up Visit. These time points varied based on the participants' recovery progress. The post-concussion symptom scale (PCSS) and a cognitive activity scale were completed every 2 days until symptom resolution was achieved. Participants and their parents completed a school questionnaire detailing how their concussion had impacted their school learning/performance and their level of concern about their injury as well as the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT)., Results: Sixty-three percent ( N  = 44/70) of participants returned to school by the First Visit Post-injury (average 7.7 days following injury), and of these, 50% ( N  = 22) were experiencing school problems. Sixty-five participants (out of 70) returned to school at the Follow-Up Visit, and of these, 18% reported school problems. There was a significant difference in the school problems reported by parents and youth. At the First Visit Post-injury, the youth reported more problems ( p  = 0.02), and the In-Person Symptom Resolution Visit with parents reported more problems ( p  = 0.01). The cognitive activity score increased, while the PCSS score decreased from RTS Stage 1 to Stage 5., Conclusions: This study identified that 50% of youth experienced school problems at the First Visit Post-injury, whereas only 18% reported school problems at the Follow-Up Visit. There is a significant difference in the perception of school problems reported by youth and their parents at different stages of recovery. The amount and complexity of cognitive activity increased with decreasing symptoms and increasing RTS stage. Findings can guide youth with a concussion and their parents in supporting a cautious return to school with accommodations. Healthcare providers and researchers can use this knowledge to better support youth in their return to school and understand the importance of gathering information from youth and their parents to gain the best insight into recovery., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2022 DeMatteo, Jakubowski, Randall, Stazyk, Lin and Yakubov.)

Background: Both undiagnosed celiac disease and some chronic childhood diseases are associated with lower academic achievement. However, there is little knowledge of achievements in those diagnosed with celiac disease. Our aim was to investigate school achievements in upper secondary school among Swedish adolescents with celiac disease., Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study using register data. We analyzed choice of upper secondary school program, completion of upper secondary school including achievements of basic eligibility for college/university, and final grade in individuals with celiac disease diagnosed before 15 years of age, born 1991-97. We compared with the Swedish population of the same birth years. Analyses were adjusted for sex, year of birth, living region at 17 years of age, and parental education as well as income., Results: The cohort included 734 074 individuals, whereof 3 257 (62% females) with celiac disease. There was no significant difference in choice of upper secondary school program. No significant difference was found in completion or achieving basic eligibility for college/university in adjusted analyses. The mean final grade in the celiac disease group was 13.34 (standard deviation 4.85) compared to 12.78 (standard deviation 5.01) in the reference population (p < 0.001), out of a maximum of 20. The effect of celiac disease on final grade remained in adjusted analyses (p = 0.012)., Conclusions: We found that diagnosed celiac disease does not negatively affect school achievements in upper secondary school. This finding suggests the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up programs of celiac disease could reverse potential deleterious academic processes., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Socially withdrawn children tend to perform poorer academically than their peers. What remains unknown, is the temporal ordering of the two phenomena. Also, substantial gender differences exist in both social withdrawal and academic achievement; thus, it is conceivable that the strength of the relation between them is gendered as well., Aims: To investigate cross-sectional correlates and test directional effects of social withdrawal and academic achievement from primary to upper secondary school, and to examine potential gendered effects., Methods: Prospective associations were analysed from age 6 to age 14 using biannual teacher ratings of children's social withdrawal and academic achievement in a representative community sample (n = 845), by means of random intercept cross-lagged panel modelling., Results: In boys, increased academic achievement at ages 8 and 12 forecasted decreased social withdrawal 2 years later, whereas increased social withdrawal at age 10 predicted reduced academic achievement at age 12. No such effects were seen in girls., Conclusions: Social withdrawal and academic achievement are bidirectionally related among boys, but not girls. Results are discussed in light of need-to-belong theory, and practical implications for schools and teachers are illuminated., (© 2022 The Authors. British Journal of Educational Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.)

Chronic disease may affect adolescents' educational success. We study whether adolescents with a somatic chronic condition have lower school performance, lower odds for academic education, and a delayed start of upper-secondary studies. Seventh graders and ninth graders in the Helsinki Metropolitan Region, Finland, were invited to participate in a school survey in 2011 and 2014, respectively. The respondents (2011, N = 8960; 2014, N = 7394) were followed using a national application registry until 2017. The chronic conditions were asthma, diabetes, and epilepsy. Outcomes were grade point average (GPA), study place in an academic school, and delayed start of secondary education. Adolescents with a chronic disease needing medication had lower GPAs in both grades. Chronic disease with medication in the seventh grade predicted higher odds for the non-academic track (OR = 1.3) and the delayed start (OR = 1.4). In the ninth grade, chronic disease predicted non-academic studies univariately (OR = 1.2) and was not associated with the delayed start. The somatic chronic condition with medication, particularly epilepsy, slightly lowers students' school performance, which is a mediator between the chronic condition and selection into educational paths. Compared to gender and parents' education, and particularly to GPA, the role of chronic conditions on educational outcomes is small.

IQ scores are often used to predict school performance. However, for children with learning disabilities, the predictive validity of IQ scores appears to be low. In the fourth and fifth versions of the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children (WISC), new ancillary indices were introduced. The General Ability Index ( GAI ) is a broad measure of fluid reasoning with verbal, visual-spatial, and figural test items. By contrast, the Cognitive Proficiency Index ( CPI ) combines different executive functions known to be frequently affected in children with dyslexia, ADHD, or combined learning disorders. To date, there is little evidence to demonstrate that these measures improve the prediction of school performance beyond the Full-scale IQ ( FSIQ ). We therefore used lasso regression to explore the predictive validity of these measures for school grades. The analyzed samples were taken from the German standardization samples of the WISC-IV and the WISC-V. In most cases, the prediction of school performance was not considerably improved by taking the GAI or the CPI into account. However, when the individual discrepancy between the CPI and the GAI was high, the FSIQ lost its predictive validity in elementary school. In this subgroup of children, reading and writing skills were best predicted by the CPI , whereas math skills were limited by the lowest score (i.e., the minimum out of the CPI and the GAI ).