Description/Abstract
Mental health challenges are common among adolescents in the United States. This brief summarizes findings from a study using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a nationally representative survey of middle and high school students conducted in 1994-1995. The analysis included over 17,000 students from 133 schools across the United States. The authors find that the mix of boys and girls in a classroom affects adolescent mental health and school satisfaction. When classes have more girls, both boys and girls experience better mental health outcomes. Boys in classes with more female peers are 10% less likely to meet the clinical threshold for depression and report greater satisfaction with school. The mental health benefits are strongest for middle school students and for boys from lower-income families. Boys benefit through stronger friendships, while girls benefit through better grades and improved self-image.
Document Type
Research Brief
Keywords
Mental health, education, classroom gender composition, adolescent mental health
Disciplines
Education Policy | Mental and Social Health | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Public Health
Date
12-2-2025
Language
English
Acknowledgements
This brief was drafted with the assistance of Claude (Anthropic) to summarize and synthesize the peer-reviewed article. All content was reviewed and verified by Alyssa Kirk and the brief authors for accuracy and appropriate interpretation of the original article. We thank Alyssa Kirk and Shannon Monnat for additional edits on this brief.
Recommended Citation
Deza, Monica and Zhu, Maria. (2025). More Girls in Class Improves Mental Health for Adolescent Boys and Girls. Lerner Center Population Health Research Brief Series. Research Brief #138. Accessed at: https://doi.org/10.14305/rt.lerner.2025.21.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
