Are intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental illnesses associated with poorer educational outcomes? Evidence from India’s National Sample Survey
Abstract
Globally, one in eight people experiences mental illness, yet its intersection with education remains under-explored in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study uses nationally representative data from the 76th round of the National Sample Survey (2018) for India to examine how intellectual and developmental (IDD) disability and mental illness—treated as distinct categories—are associated with low educational attainments. Employing a generalised ordered logit model, we found that IDDs were associated with a 71.3% probability of receiving no formal education, while the corresponding risk for respondents with mental illness was 48.3%. Females with mental illness were 18.7% points more likely than males to receive no formal education among mentally ill respondents. Economic affluence reduces the gender gap, but it persists even in the richest quintile among mentally ill respondents. These findings highlight that income-based solutions are insufficient and underscore the need for gender-sensitive mental health and education policies in LMICs to attain Sustainable Development Goals related to mental health, education, gender, and income inequality.
Related
- Factors associated with the use of UK emergency services in children and young people with intellectual developmental disabilities
- Factors influencing engagement in smoking cessation for adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
- From exclusion to later life: residential care trajectories of ageing people with intellectual disabilities in Chile
- Art, normality and sensitivities: artistic workshops as spaces of expression for young people and adults with intellectual disabilities in Córdoba, Argentina
- Healthcare workers and caregivers’ perspectives on access to cancer screening for people with intellectual disabilities as revealed by system dynamics and group model building
BibTeX
@article{shah2026intellectual,
title = {{Are intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental illnesses associated with poorer educational outcomes? Evidence from India’s National Sample Survey}},
author = {Forum M. Shah and Zakir Husain and Soumitra Shankar Datta and Abhik Ghosh and Mousumi Dutta},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-74759-y},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-74759-y},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Are intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental illnesses associated with poorer educational outcomes? Evidence from India’s National Sample Survey
AU - Forum M. Shah
AU - Zakir Husain
AU - Soumitra Shankar Datta
AU - Abhik Ghosh
AU - Mousumi Dutta
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-74759-y
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-74759-y
AB - Globally, one in eight people experiences mental illness, yet its intersection with education remains under-explored in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study uses nationally representative data from the 76th round of the National Sample Survey (2018) for India to examine how intellectual and developmental (IDD) disability and mental illness—treated as distinct categories—are associated with low educational attainments. Employing a generalised ordered logit model, we found that IDDs were associated with a 71.3% probability of receiving no formal education, while the corresponding risk for respondents with mental illness was 48.3%. Females with mental illness were 18.7% points more likely than males to receive no formal education among mentally ill respondents. Economic affluence reduces the gender gap, but it persists even in the richest quintile among mentally ill respondents. These findings highlight that income-based solutions are insufficient and underscore the need for gender-sensitive mental health and education policies in LMICs to attain Sustainable Development Goals related to mental health, education, gender, and income inequality.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -