2020_08_03_ICS_noticia_educacion_secundaria_adultos

A study led by the University of Navarra suggests that students enrolled in Education secondary school for seniors suffer mental health problems more frequently than those in other non-university programs for adults. The research, published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Psychology, proposes increasing psychological resources to address the student body.

According to article, 124,092 people studied through this modality in the 2016-2017 academic year, which accounted for 7% of the total number of those enrolled in Education basic secondary education. 

This level educational is the last resource for many adults with a history of school failure or withdrawal to obtain this basic degree program , say the main authors of the study, Maite Aznárez, from the School of Education and Psychology, and Gonzalo Arrondo, from the group Mente-Cerebro del Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) of the University of Navarra. "It is necessary to access the labor market and avoid their social exclusion," Aznárez emphasizes.

The research team conducted a cross-sectional survey to 134 adult students from Education basic secondary and 149 from training Professional (FP) in Spain and compared the results. They were asked if they had ever received a professional diagnosis of psychological disorders, which were subsequently divided into three categories.

Mental health problems and educational difficulties

First, some disorders typically diagnosed during adolescence or adulthood were categorized: depression, anxiety, social phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder, personality disorder, eating disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse and gambling problems. Second, problems that primarily affect school outcomes: dyslexia, dyscalculia, language disorder and intellectual disability. Finally, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was included separately.

fees Although the frequency of mental health problems is high in both groups, the former group had a higher frequency of psychiatric disorders typically diagnosed in adulthood, "which is mainly attributed to a higher probability of being diagnosed with depression and anxiety," Arrondo notes. 

Both researchers point out that these problems and educational difficulties can feed back on each other, with negative consequences for the individual, so it is especially important to provide adequate psychoeducational resources to this subject of centers.

The study has received funding from UNED Pamplona, Fundación Caja Navarra and Obra Social "La Caixa".