| The purpose of the present study was to document the comorbidity of depressive symptoms among three groups of differentially diagnosed underachieving high school students: conduct disorder, overanxious disorder and academic problem underachievers. Furthermore, qualitative differences on a measure of depressive symptomatology were explored, among and within each of the three groups of underachievers.;Initially, the Matrix Analogies Test - Short Form (MAT-SF), (Naglieri, 1985), and the Motivation and Achievement Inventory (MAI) were administered to all subjects (Mandel, Marcus and Friedland, in press) and students' academic averages were obtained. Once achievers and underachievers were identified (using a regression formula based on MAT-SF scores and grade point averages), 185 underachievers and 211 achievers were invited to participate in the second phase of the study. For underachievers, the second phase involved participation in a diagnostic interview and the completion of a number of self-report measures, including the Multiscore Depression Inventory (MDI), (Berndt, 1986). The MDI was used to identify students suffering from depressive symptoms and to consider qualitative components of depression. The achieving students only completed the self-report measures. In total 34 underachieving and 79 achieving students participated in both phases of the study.;Results of this study confirmed an inverse relationship between academic achievement and mild depression. While the conduct disorder or overanxious disorder underachiever experienced moderate depressive symptoms, the academic problem underachievers' experience of depressive symptoms was at a significantly milder level.;Within each group of underachievers more specific consequences of comorbid depressive symptoms were revealed. Conduct disorder underachievers with comorbid depressive symptomatology reported greater pessimism and hopelessness. Trends on subscales of cognitive difficulty, lowered self esteem and passive helplessness were noted and require further investigation.;Overanxious disorder underachievers with comorbid depressive symptomatology, as compared to overanxious disorder underachievers, did not score significantly differently on the Multiscore Depression Inventory subscales. Trends on subscales that suggest pervasive depressive symptoms that could be negatively affecting mood, cognitive functioning and behaviour of comorbid overanxious underachievers were considered and noted for future research.;Two groups of academic problem underachievers, with and without comorbid depressive symptomatology were also identified. The academic problem underachievers with comorbid depressive symptoms reported trends of greater instrumental helplessness, lower self-esteem compared to the academic problem only underachievers, that need further investigation.;Implications of these results were discussed, including the need for replication due to small sample size.;It is clear from the present study that underachieving high school students are more depressed than achieving peers. Differential diagnosis of the underachievers clarified the impact of comorbid depressive symptoms with conduct disorder, overanxious disorder and academic problem underachievers. |
