title: The role of cognition in school refusal: an investigation of automatic thoughts and cognitive errors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to investigate the cognitions of anxious school refusers. The cognitive constructs under investigation included negative cognition commonly linked to youth anxiety (i.e. negative automatic thoughts and cognitive errors) and positive automatic thoughts.
  
  
  METHODS
  The cognition of school refusers (n = 50) and youth from a community sample (n = 181) was assessed with the Children's Automatic Thoughts Scale-Negative/Positive and the Children's Negative Cognitive Error Questionnaire-Revised.
  
  
  RESULTS
  When controlling for anxiety, school refusers were found to report more negative automatic thoughts concerning personal failure, fewer negative automatic thoughts concerning hostility, and fewer positive automatic thoughts. Negative automatic thoughts concerning personal failure and hostility, and the negative cognitive error of overgeneralizing were found to independently predict school refusal.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings underscore the importance of further researching the role of cognition in the development, maintenance, and treatment of anxiety-based school refusal.
authors: Leiden University Institute for Psychological Research, the Netherlands. m.maric@uva.nl
authors: Marija
authors: M
authors: Maric
authors: David A
authors: DA
authors: Heyne
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: de Heus
authors: Brigit M
authors: BM
authors: van Widenfelt
authors: P Michiel
authors: PM
authors: Westenberg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D001332:Automatism / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005793:Generalization, Psychological; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012016:Reference Values; D012649:Self Concept; D013850:Thinking