Research Journal of Medical Sciences
ISSN: Online 1993-6095ISSN: Print 1815-9346
Abstract
Absenteeism from school is a serious public health issue for mental health professionals, physicians and educators. Unexcused absences from school are a key risk factor for violence, injury, substance use, psychiatric disorders and economic deprivation. If left un‐addressed, school refusal behavior can lead to serious short‐term problems such as distress, academic decline, isolation from peers, family conflict and financial and legal consequences. Common long‐term problems include school drop‐out, delinquent behaviors, economic deprivation, social isolation, marital problems and difficulty maintaining employment. We need to remember that school absenteeism may be a cry for help and only a symptom of deep‐rooted psychological or adjustment problems. Present study was carried out with the objectives to study factors resulting in school absenteeism in children and to study association of school absenteeism with Age, Gender, Socioeconomic status, Nutritional status, school performance and Parent's education. Cross sectional study was conducted among 350 children in an English medium school near Mumbai Port Trust Hospital, for a period of 6 months. Parents of children who remained absent were interviewed using a predesigned questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of Sociodemographic profile, clinical examination and reasons for school absenteeism were collected. The questionnaire was validated by external and internal peers. Data was analyzed using SPSS 22 version software (IBM SPSS Statistics, Somers NY, USA). Chi‐square test was used as test of significance for qualitative data. p value of <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Majority of children were in the age group 8 years, 206 subjects were males and 144 subjects were females, among mother’s majority of them were educated up to 8‐10th std, among fathers, majority of them were educated up to 12th std, among mothers’ majority of them were semi‐skilled workers and majority of children had grade of 80‐90%. Age and Grade of marks were significant factor associated with school absenteeism. Age, BMI and General physical examination findings were significantly associated with gender in children with school absenteeism. There was significant difference in causes for School absenteeism between males and females. School absenteeism is significantly high among school children. Age and Grade were significantly associated with school absenteeism among children. Medical causes were the most common cause for school absenteeism. Between Genders, factors such as age, BMI and General physical examination findings were significantly associated with absenteeism.
How to cite this article:
Shrikant Hemant Joshi, V. Kuzhanthai Veerappan, Rushna Bano and H.R. Rohith. School Absenteeism in Children and Factors Associated with School Absenteeism.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36478/10.36478/makrjms.2024.6.325.329
URL: https://www.makhillpublications.co/view-article/1815-9346/10.36478/makrjms.2024.6.325.329