Study of the impact of depression on the school performance of primary school students in Kénitra, Morocco

The objective of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of depression among primary school students and to analyze its impact on their school performance in a sample of 205 students, aged 8 to 14 years with an average age of 10.37, enrolled in primary schools in the city of Kenitra. To do this, we used the CDI (Children depression inventory) test and the overall average obtained at the end of the school year to assess school performance. Initially, we studied these dimensions based on the students' gender and age. Our results indicate that older students show more depressive states than younger students (p value = 0.014 and F = 1.709), and as students age, their performance decreases (p value = -0.224). Additionally, girls have significantly higher depression scores than boys (F = 8.082; p value = 0.05) and are more engaged in their schooling and perform better (X2 = 17.6 and p < 0.005). Subsequently, we focused on correlational analyses which showed that depressive state negatively affects school performance (r = -0.355; p < 0.01). This study concludes that depressive state is likely to lead to a decline in school performance. It is therefore essential to implement preventive and supportive strategies to improve students' well-being and promote their school success.