title: School attendance problems and youth psychopathology: structural cross-lagged regression models in three longitudinal data sets.
abstract: This study tests a model of reciprocal influences between absenteeism and youth psychopathology using 3 longitudinal datasets (Ns = 20,745, 2,311, and 671). Participants in 1st through 12th grades were interviewed annually or biannually. Measures of psychopathology include self-, parent-, and teacher-report questionnaires. Structural cross-lagged regression models were tested. In a nationally representative data set (Add Health), middle school students with relatively greater absenteeism at Study Year 1 tended toward increased depression and conduct problems in Study Year 2, over and above the effects of autoregressive associations and demographic covariates. The opposite direction of effects was found for both middle and high school students. Analyses with 2 regionally representative data sets were also partially supportive. Longitudinal links were more evident in adolescence than in childhood.
authors.affiliation: UCLA-GSEIS, Moore Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. jeffwood@ucla.edu
authors.forename: Jeffrey J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: Sarah D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Lynne-Landsman
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Langer
authors.forename: Patricia A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: Shaunna L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: J Mark
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Eddy
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ialongo
mesh_terms: D000041:Absenteeism; D000293:Adolescent; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011594:Psychometrics; D011599:Psychopathology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013223:Statistics as Topic