title: School refusal behavior in South Korean first graders: A prospective observational community-based study.
abstract: Refusing to attend school is a serious problem that could lead to psychopathology. We aimed to: (1) prospectively observe the actual development of school refusal behavior according to a history of separation anxiety symptoms (SAS) and (2) explore factors for predicting school refusal behavior in children who were just beginning primary school. The participants were 277 children, aged 6-7 years, who were expected to enter primary school in 2 months. The parents were surveyed about the child׳s history of SAS and their behavior. The children were questioned about anxiety symptoms. The children were surveyed about whether school refusal behavior developed or not after they entered primary school. Of the 248 children who responded to the follow-up survey, 7.66% of children met the criteria for school refusal behavior during the 3 months after entering school. We found no significant differences in the occurrence of school refusal behavior according to the children׳s SAS history. Familial risk factors for school refusal behavior included low parental educational level and a working mother. School refusal behavior by first graders cannot be fully explained by the expression of SAS and could be implicated in a more complex psychopathology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The Catholic University of Korea, St. Vincent Hospital, Suwon, South Korea.
authors.forename: Min-Hyeon
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hyeon-Woo
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Yim
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Subin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul St. Mary׳s Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Chul
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul St. Mary׳s Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Chang-Uk
authors.initials: CU
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The Catholic University of Korea, St. Vincent Hospital, Suwon, South Korea.
authors.forename: Seung Chul
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The Catholic University of Korea, St. Vincent Hospital, Suwon, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jong-Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The Catholic University of Korea, St. Vincent Hospital, Suwon, South Korea.
authors.forename: Ho-Jun
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Seung Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sun-Jin
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Jo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The Catholic University of Korea, Daejeon St. Mary׳s Hospital, 520-2 Daeheung-dong, Jung-gu, 301-723 Daejeon, South Korea. Electronic address: cjwcool@catholic.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Jeewook
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: D001010:Anxiety, Separation / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D010290:Parents; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Anxiety; Mothers; Parents; Preschool children; Separation; Students