American Journal of Applied Psychology 2020; 9(1): 14-21 http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/ajap doi: 10.11648/j.ajap.20200901.13 ISSN: 2328-5664 (Print); ISSN: 2328-5672 (Online) Correlation of Clinical Depression, Anxiety and Academic Performance of Adolescents in Selected Secondary Schools in Kenya Moureen Adhiambo Nyayieka 1, * , Stella Kemuma Nyagwencha 2 , Solomon Nzyuko 3 1 Department of Psychology and Counseling, Daystar University, Nairobi, Kenya 2 Department of Psychology, United States International University, Nairobi, Kenya 3 Institute of Leadership and Professional Development, Daystar University, Nairobi, Kenya Email address: * Corresponding author To cite this article: Moureen Adhiambo Nyayieka, Stella Kemuma Nyagwencha, Solomon Nzyuko. Correlation of Clinical Depression, Anxiety and Academic Performance of Adolescents in Selected Secondary Schools in Kenya. American Journal of Applied Psychology. Vol. 9, No. 1, 2020, pp. 14-21. doi: 10.11648/j.ajap.20200901.13 Received: February 18, 2020 Accepted: February 28, 2020; Published: March 6, 2020 Abstract: Depression and anxiety are associated with lower academic performance among adolescents. In Kenya, up to 26.4% of school going adolescents have been reported to present with symptoms of depression and anxiety. This study aimed at testing the correlation between academic performance, clinical depression and anxiety among adolescents in selected secondary schools in Homabay County, Kenya. In a quasi-experimental study, nonequivalent pretest-posttest design was adopted to test correlation between clinical depression, anxiety and academic performance among the adolescents. Two schools were selected with one being the experimental group and the other being the control group. Data was collected from 126 adolescents who were screened for depression and anxiety symptoms using Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and researcher generated questionnaire. Respondents aged 14-16 were 54% (68) while those aged 17-19 were 46% (58). In order to examine the relationship between depression and anxiety, and academic performance, bivariate analysis was employed. Spearman Correlation Coefficient was used to show correlation between depression, anxiety and academic performance. The study found that the correlation test between Y 1 (depression) and µX (academic performance) using Distance Correlation Coefficient indicated a significant correlation (p=0.010). However, the correlation test between Y 2 (anxiety) and µX (academic performance) was not significant (p=0.651). Moreover, µX (academic performance) was also used as predictor to test the dependence of Y 1 (depression) and Y 2 (Anxiety) in correlation. Depression and anxiety were found to correlate with academic performance which should be treated as a clinical concern for mental health service providers and secondary school heads. Keywords: Depression, Anxiety, Academic Performance, Adolescents, Correlation, Selected Secondary Schools, Kenya 1. Introduction Academic performance is defined as the extent to which an adolescent student or an institution accomplishes specific educational goals [9]. Performance often depends on the indicators used in measuring it such as examinations or continuous assessment, procedural knowledge such as skills as well as curricular based criteria like grades [25]. Psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety often put pressure on adolescent students to perform better in academics [22]. Performance in academic lifecycle of an adolescent demand all facets of mental well-being including psychological, social, emotional, spiritual and physical well- being [12]. Unidentified and untreated depressive symptoms are associated with decreased psychosocial functioning, poor academic performance or school drop-out, increased risk for substance abuse, other mental health issues, and increased suicidal thoughts, attempts and completion [26]. Numerous studies have indicated that mental issues like