The present study investigated depression and school achievement of 215 children and adolescents of both sexes, 7 to 15 years-old, who were attending public schools in poor regions of Porto Alegre and Viamão, Brazil. About half the participants (n=105) were living in public institutions. The others (n=110) lived with their families and attended the same schools. The participants completed the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) and the Raven test. An evaluation scale to assess school achievement was completed by teachers. The CDI scores showed significant differences between the groups. Females living in institutions presented significantly higher scores. A negative correlation was found between the CDI scores and school achievement. Females presented higher school achievement than males but institutionalized children had lower school achievement. These results point to the need of developing specific strategies to deal with institutionalized children and adolescents to improve school performance and to prevent depression, specially among females.
Depression; school achievement; institutionalization
