Abstract
Background/ObjectiveAdult Lower Secondary Education is an education program for basic qualifications for the labor market. Our study aimed to compare lifetime mental health problems between current Adult Lower Secondary Education students and higher Vocational Education students, as the former constitutes a highly distinct and understudied group.MethodsFindings were based on a cross-sectional self-report survey. Lifetime relative odds of occurrence of mental disorders [i.e., psychiatric disorders typically diagnosed in adults, learning difficulties or deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)] were compared between Adult Lower Secondary Education students (n = 134) and Vocational Education students (n = 149).ResultsWhile the frequency of mental health problems was high in both groups, psychiatric disorders typically diagnosed in adults were more common in Adult Lower Secondary Education students than among other students. Vocational Education students reported higher rates of ADHD.ConclusionThere is a need for additional psychological resources for Adult Lower Secondary Education students, an educational level that is the last path for many to acquire a basic degree.
Highlights
Attaining compulsory education is a key gateway for the job market and any person without such education is at a high risk of social exclusion
Sociodemographic variables related to subjects with a lifetime history of mental disorders can be found in Tables 1, 2
27% of individuals in Adult Lower Secondary Education (ALSE) reported a history of mental health problems of adulthood, and 17% of vocational education (VE) students reported a history of ADHD
Summary
Attaining compulsory education is a key gateway for the job market and any person without such education is at a high risk of social exclusion. Adult Lower Secondary Education (ALSE) programs become the last option for many to get basic qualifications either before beginning the search for a job or even after many years of labor (Feito Alonso, 2015). We refer to ALSE as any program of instruction designed to prepare adults for the award of a lower secondary education degree (obtained in Spain after the completion of the four post-primary education courses, typically at age of 16). ALSE students constitute a highly distinct and understudied population with a history of ASLE Lifetime Mental Health Occurrence past educational failure who desire to continue studying. Qualitative studies on ALSE programs have shown that, students have very varied profiles, the presence of mental disorders, disabilities and learning difficulties was a recurrent theme in their educational history (Feito Alonso, 2015). A cycle with deleterious consequences can be created for the individual
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