Substance use initiation and the prediction of subsequent academic achievement

Predicting academic achievement from the collaborative influences of executive function, physical fitness, and demographic factors among primary school students in China: ensemble learning methods

BACKGROUND

Elevated levels of executive function and physical fitness play a pivotal role in shaping future quality of life. However, few studies have examined the collaborative influences of physical and mental health on academic achievement. This study aims to investigate the key factors that collaboratively influence primary school students' academic achievement from executive function, physical fitness, and demographic factors. Additionally, ensemble learning methods are employed to predict academic achievement, and their predictive performance is compared with individual learners.

METHODS

A cluster sampling method was utilized to select 353 primary school students from Huai'an, China, who underwent assessments for executive function, physical fitness, and academic achievement. The recursive feature elimination cross-validation method was employed to identify key factors that collaboratively influence academic achievement. Ensemble learning models, utilizing eXtreme Gradient Boosting and Random Forest algorithms, were constructed based on Bagging and Boosting methods. Individual learners were developed using Support Vector Machine, Decision Tree, Logistic Regression, and Linear Discriminant Analysis algorithms, followed by the establishment of a Stacking ensemble learning model.

RESULTS

Our findings revealed that sex, body mass index, muscle strength, cardiorespiratory function, inhibition, working memory, and shifting were key factors influencing the academic achievement of primary school students. Moreover, ensemble learning models demonstrated superior predictive performance compared to individual learners in predicting academic achievement among primary school students.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that recognizing sex differences and emphasizing the simultaneous development of cognition and physical well-being can positively impact the academic development of primary school students. Ensemble learning methods warrant further attention, as they enable the establishment of an accurate academic early warning system for primary school students.

Alcohol Intake and Academic Performance and Dropout in High School: A Prospective Cohort Study in 65,233 Adolescents

PURPOSE

During the teenage years, many adolescents start drinking alcohol, and binge drinking is prevalent. We investigated the relationship between alcohol intake and academic performance.

METHODS

We conducted a longitudinal cohort study by combining data from the Danish National Youth Study on 65,233 high school students aged 15-20 years, with information on dropout and grade point average. We assessed associations between alcohol intake and academic performance using multilevel Poisson regression and linear regression, accounting for dependency between students from the same school and class.

RESULTS

The average alcohol intake was 10 drinks per week, and 43.6% engaged in binge drinking 3+ times per month. During follow-up, 9.8% of the boys and 6.7% of the girls dropped out. The incidence rate ratio was higher in never drinkers, frequent binge drinkers, and those with a high weekly alcohol intake as compared to those with a low intake. For example, the incidence rate ratio was 1.47 (95% confidence level: 1.24, 1.76) in girls who drank 21-27 drinks per week and 1.29 (95% confidence level: 1.13, 1.48) in girls who never drank as compared to those who drank <7 drinks per week. Alcohol associated with a lower grade point average over the entire span of intake in a dose-dependent manner, and similarly so in boys and girls. Findings were consistent in strata of socioeconomy and individual academic ambition.

DISCUSSION

Alcohol intake has implications for academic performance and poses a threat for the prospects of the individual as well as society. Policies and interventions aimed at lowering the intake among high school students are warranted.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of health, functional, and cognitive outcomes in young people who use methamphetamine

Methamphetamine use typically starts in adolescence, and early onset is associated with worse outcomes. Yet, health, functional, and cognitive outcomes associated with methamphetamine use in young people are not well understood. The aim of this study was to comprehensively assess the evidence on health, functional, and cognitive outcomes in young people (10-25 years-old) who use methamphetamine. Sixty-six studies were included. The strongest association observed was with conduct disorder, with young people who use methamphetamine some 13 times more likely to meet conduct disorder criteria than controls. They were also more likely to have justice system involvement and to perpetrate violence against others. Educational problems were consistently associated with youth methamphetamine use. The cognitive domain most reliably implicated was inhibitory control. Key limitations in the literature were identified, including heterogenous measurement of exposure and outcomes, lack of adequate controls, and limited longitudinal evidence. Outcomes identified in the present review - suggesting complex and clinically significant behavioural issues in this population - are informative for the development of future research and targeted treatments.

Predicting academic performance associated with physical fitness of primary school students using machine learning methods

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to explore the relationship between physical fitness and the academic performance of primary school students and to predict the academic performance associated with physical fitness using machine learning methods. The results provide new evidence confirming the relationship between physical fitness and the academic performance of primary school students. This study provides a practical foundation for early intervention methods to improve the physical fitness and academic performance of primary school students via physical exercise.

METHODS

A total of 432 fifth-grade students from five primary schools in Huai'an, China, were selected using the cluster sampling method. Their physical fitness was evaluated in terms of their body mass index, muscle strength, flexibility, speed, and aerobic endurance. The final exam scores in Chinese, mathematics, and foreign language were used to quantify their academic performance. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to investigate the differences in physical fitness between academic performance groups. The Spearman correlation analysis was used to quantify the relationship between physical fitness and academic performance. Machine learning models based on random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), and K-nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithms were used to predict the academic performance of primary school students. The respective prediction performances of machine learning models were evaluated using the accuracy and validated in the test sample.

RESULTS

The body mass index (z = -2.046, p < 0.05) of high-score (HS) primary school students was lower than non-high-score (NHS) students, and the upper limb (z = -2.143, p < 0.05), trunk (z = -3.399, p < 0.05), and lower limb strength (z = -2.525, p < 0.05) and aerobic endurance (z = -2.105, p < 0.05) of HS students were better than NHS students. The academic performance of primary school students was negatively correlated with body mass index (r = -0.105, p < 0.05) and positively correlated with upper limb (r = 0.11, p < 0.05), trunk (r = 0.175, p < 0.05), and lower limb strength (r = 0.13, p < 0.05) and aerobic endurance (r = -0.108, p < 0.05). The average accuracy of RF, SVM, and KNN models in predicting the academic performance of primary school students in training samples were 59.4% ± 5.16%, 56.41% ± 3.81% and 57.89% ± 4.98%, respectively, which were found to be higher than baseline accuracy, as validated in the test sample.

CONCLUSION

The body mass index, muscle strength, and aerobic endurance of primary school students are significantly different between academic performance groups and are correlated with their academic performance. Machine learning methods can effectively predict academic performance associated with the physical fitness of primary school students.

The trajectories and associations of insomnia symptoms with addictive behaviours in adolescents: A two-year longitudinal study

Insomnia displays heterogeneous trajectories across adolescence, which may induce addictive behaviours, including internet gaming disorder and substance use. This study aimed to investigate the latent trajectory classes of insomnia symptoms over 2 years and to examine the associations between insomnia trajectories and these addictive behaviours. Participants were 910 adolescents from six middle schools in Shanghai, China (52.7% males; mean age = 13.17 years). The three-wave survey measured insomnia symptoms, internet gaming disorder, substance use, depressive symptoms, and sociodemographic characteristics from 7th to 9th grade. Latent class growth modelling was performed to identify the latent trajectory classes of insomnia symptoms. Then multivariable logistic regressions were conducted within the best-fitting latent class growth model to examine the associations of insomnia trajectories with internet gaming disorder and substance use. Two latent trajectory classes of insomnia symptoms were recognised: the non-insomnia group (71.8%) and the insomnia group (28.2%). In the multivariable analysis controlling for baseline demographic variables and depressive symptoms, the insomnia group had a higher risk of developing internet gaming disorder (OR = 2.203 [95% CI: 1.258-3.858]) and substance use (OR = 2.215 [95% CI: 1.324-3.705]) compared with the non-insomnia group. These findings add to a growing body of research on heterogeneous trajectories of insomnia symptoms during adolescence, suggesting that intervention strategies are needed to target the characteristics or developmental patterns of different insomnia subgroups. The ultimate goal is to mitigate the impact of insomnia symptoms on adolescent addictive behaviours.

Concordance between substance use self-report and hair analysis in community-based adolescents

Background: Accurate drug use identification through subjective self-report and toxicological biosample (hair) analysis are necessary to determine substance use sequelae in youth. Yet consistency between self-reported substance use and robust, toxicological analysis in a large sample of youth is understudied.Objectives: We aim to assess concordance between self-reported substance use and hair toxicological analysis in community-based adolescents.Methods: Hair results by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS and self-reported past-year substance use from an Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study subsample (N = 1,390; ages 9-13; 48% female) were compared. The participants were selected for hair selection through two methods: high scores on a substance risk algorithm selected 93%; 7% were low-risk, randomly selected participants. Kappa coefficients the examined concordance between self-report and hair results.Results: 10% of youth self-reported any past-year substance use (e.g. alcohol, cannabis, nicotine, and opiates), while a mostly non-overlapping 10% had hair results indicating recent substance use (cannabis, alcohol, non-prescription amphetamines, cocaine, nicotine, opiates, and fentanyl). In randomly selected low-risk cases, 7% were confirmed positive in hair. Combining methods, 19% of the sample self-reported substance use and/or had a positive hair sample. Kappa coefficient of concordance between self-report and hair results was low (kappa = 0.07; p = .007).Conclusions: Hair toxicology identified substance use in high-risk and low-risk ABCD cohort subsamples. Given low concordance between hair results and self-report, reliance on either method alone would incorrectly categorize 9% as non-users. Multiple methods for characterizing substance use history in youth improves accuracy. Larger representative samples are needed to assess the prevalence of substance use in youth.

The Dark Side of ADHD: Factors Associated With Suicide Attempts Among Those With ADHD in a National Representative Canadian Sample

AIM

This study investigated the prevalence and odds of suicide attempts among adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared to those without and identified factors associated with suicide attempts among adults with ADHD.

METHODS

Secondary analysis of the nationally representative Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health (CCHS-MH) (n = 21,744 adults, of whom 529 had ADHD). Respondents were asked whether they received an ADHD diagnosis from a health care professional. Lifetime suicide attempt was based on self-report.

RESULTS

Adults with ADHD were much more likely to have attempted suicide than those without (14.0% vs. 2.7%). One in four women with ADHD have attempted suicide. Sixty percent of the association between ADHD and attempted suicide was attenuated when lifetime history of depression and anxiety disorders were taken into account. Female gender, lower education attainment, substance abuse, lifetime history of depression, and childhood exposure to chronic parental domestic violence were found to be independent correlates of lifetime suicide attempts among those with ADHD.

CONCLUSION

These findings can inform targeted screening and outreach to the most vulnerable adults with ADHD.

Alcohol and Brain Development in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review of the Literature and Advisory Report of the Health Council of the Netherlands

Young people, whose brains are still developing, might entail a greater vulnerability to the effects of alcohol consumption on brain function and development. A committee of experts of the Health Council of the Netherlands evaluated the state of scientific knowledge regarding the question whether alcohol negatively influences brain development in young people. A systematic literature search for prospective studies was performed in PubMed and PsychINFO, for longitudinal studies of adolescents or young adults ranging between 12 and 24 y of age at baseline, investigating the relation between alcohol use and outcome measures of brain structure and activity, cognitive functioning, educational achievement, or alcohol use disorder (AUD), with measures at baseline and follow-up of the outcome of interest. Data were extracted from original articles and study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A total of 77 studies were included, 31 of which were of sufficient quality in relation to the study objectives. There were indications that the gray matter of the brain develops abnormally in young people who drink alcohol. In addition, the more often young people drink or the younger they start, the higher the risk of developing AUD later in life. The evidence on white matter volume or quality, brain activity, cognitive function, and educational achievement is still limited or unclear. The committee found indications that alcohol consumption can have a negative effect on brain development in adolescents and young adults and entails a risk of later AUD. The committee therefore considers it a wise choice for adolescents and young adults not to drink alcohol.