Mental Health and Social Adaptation Following the Transition From High School

Abstract

Through a two-wave panel analysis, we examine the effects of the transition from high school on changes in depressed mood, drinking, and delinquent behavior. Two models are examined. A model of life change-stress mediation posits that transitions such as graduation from high school bring about either improvement or worsening in critical arenas of functioning, in turn affecting these mental health outcomes. An interactive model of stress vulnerability posits that developmental status will alter the longitudinal associations of stressful life conditions, personal and social resources, and prior functioning with measures of adaptation. Based on a sample of 920 students randomly selected from three public schools in the Boston area, analyses indicate lower levels of depressed mood and delinquent behavior among the graduates, a change that is largely mediated by improvements in relations with parents. Further, prior mental health and behavioral problems are less predictive of post-transition outcomes among the...