Effect of Depressive Symptoms and Learning Difficulty on Academic Achievement Among Adolescents in China: A Cross-Lagged Panel Study

Academic achievement, depressive symptoms and learning difficulty have become globally important issues closely related to adolescents. However, there is currently limited understanding of the nature and direction of the relationship between academic achievement, depressive symptoms and learning difficulty, particularly in the context of Chinese education. Based on two-wave longitudinal survey data, this study examines the relationship between depressive symptoms, learning difficulty and academic achievement in a sample of Chinese middle school students (N = 8615). Using cross-lagged models, the results show that depressive symptoms significantly negatively predict academic achievement, and there is a significant bidirectional negative relationship between learning difficulty and academic achievement. This finding highlights the importance of low depressive symptoms and learning difficulty in predicting high academic achievement. The conclusions deepen our understanding of the relationships between these variables and provide empirical support for practical educational and psychological interventions.