ERIC Number: EJ1121070
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0003-1003
EISSN: N/A
Predictors of Absenteeism Severity in Truant Youth: A Dimensional and Categorical Analysis
Skedgell, Kyleigh; Kearney, Christopher A.
American Secondary Education, v45 n1 p46-58 Fall 2016
The present study examined the relationship between school absenteeism severity and specific clinical and family variables in middle and high school youth aged 11-19 years recruited from two truancy settings. School absenteeism severity was defined as a percentage of full school days missed from the current academic year at the time of assessment and was examined both dimensionally and categorically at various levels. Greater absenteeism severity, measured dimensionally (0-100%) as well as across various categories, was expected to be associated with (1) greater internalizing symptoms (general anxiety, separation anxiety, social phobia, panic, obsessions and compulsions, and depression), (2) greater externalizing symptoms (inattention/ hyperactivity, rule-breaking behavior, and aggressive behavior), and (3) greater family conflict and lower active-recreational orientation. Categorical analyses revealed more nuanced findings, specifically that students with 15-60% absenteeism displayed more internalizing symptoms than those with less or greater absenteeism. The findings are discussed with respect to possible demarcation of Tier 2 and Tier 3 points for students with problematic absenteeism as well as interventions that may apply to each.
Descriptors: Truancy, Attendance, Predictor Variables, Middle School Students, High School Students, Anxiety, Depression (Psychology), Hyperactivity, Attention, Student Behavior, Aggression, Antisocial Behavior, Family Characteristics, Family Environment, Regression (Statistics), Statistical Significance
Ashland University Dwight Schar College of Education. 229 Dwight Schar Building, 401 College Avenue, Ashland, OH 44805. Tel: 419-289-5273; Web site: http://www.ashland.edu/ase
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Junior High Schools; High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Family Environment Scale
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A