[School refusal and psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence: findings from an outpatient sample of a psychiatric "school refusal ambulance"].
Based on a review of medical reports, a sample of 89 patients of a specialized school refusal outpatient unit of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Essen, Germany, is described. Variables included psychiatric diagnoses and treatment recommendations as well as individual and family characteristics such as type of school absence (school refusal vs. truancy), intelligence, anxiety, school career, parental occupational status, and parental divorce. Furthermore, differences between three groups of patients (anxious school refusers, truants, mixed school refusers) were explored. The results showed a high prevalence of psychiatric disorders and associated risk factors in the sample. Although some of the expected differences between the groups were obtained, the results yielded much overlap between anxious school refusers and truants and thus tended to stress the similarities among children who refuse to attend school.
Knollmann
Martin
M
Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie des Kindes- und Jugendalters, Rheinische Kliniken Essen, Institut der Universität Duisburg-Essen. martin.knollmann@lvr.de
Al-Mouhtasseb
Kinan
K
Hebebrand
Johannes
J
D000041:Absenteeism; D000293:Adolescent; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011581:Psychological Tests; D045808:Refusal to Participate; D012951:Socialization