Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of youths and parents seeking psychological treatment for school attendance problems

Knowledge of school attendance problems (SAPs) is needed to inform treatments targeting SAPs and protecting youths from negative outcomes associated with SAPs. This study examined the school absence, absence categories (i.e., absence due to illness, excused, non-excused), sociodemographic characteri...

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Published in:	PloS one 2022-01, Vol.17 (1), p.e0261449-e0261449
Main Authors:	Johnsen, Daniel B, Lomholt, Johanne J, Heyne, David, Jeppesen, Pia, Jensen, Morten B, Silverman, Wendy K, Thastum, Mikael
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Absenteeism Academic achievement Adolescent Analysis Anxiety Anxiety in teenagers Anxiety in youth Biology and Life Sciences Care and treatment Child Cross-Sectional Studies Depression Depression, Mental Diagnosis Emotional behavior Health behavior Health problems Health risks Humans Male Management Medicine and Health Sciences Mental depression Mental disorders Mental Health Methods Parental rights Parents Psychological aspects Psychology Psychotherapy Risk factors School attendance Schools Social aspects Social Problems Social Sciences Sociodemographics Teenagers Truancy Youth
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Summary:	Knowledge of school attendance problems (SAPs) is needed to inform treatments targeting SAPs and protecting youths from negative outcomes associated with SAPs. This study examined the school absence, absence categories (i.e., absence due to illness, excused, non-excused), sociodemographic characteristics, and mental health problems among youths seeking psychological treatment for SAPs. The study used a cross-sectional design. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of 152 help-seeking youths with SAPs (i.e., >10% absenteeism) and their parents were examined. The data were derived from the baseline assessment conducted before treatment start. Older youths, youths with mental health problems, and youths whose parents had mental health problems exhibited higher levels of absence. Lower levels of non-excused absence were found among youths with highly educated fathers, and youths living with both parents. Many youths had clinical levels of anxiety, depression, or 'emotional and behavioral difficulties'. The study highlights the need for early intervention, addressing a broad range of mental health problems. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03459677.
ISSN:	1932-6203 1932-6203