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 Chronic physical problems like asthma and diabetes have long been
linked to an increased risk of school absences, poor grades and test
scores, and lower odds of obtaining a college degree or a
high-paying job. The current study offers fresh evidence that mental
illness can also limit school performance and success in life, said
lead study author Katie Finning of the University of Exeter Medical
School in the UK.
"We were surprised to find evidence that anxiety is associated with
unexcused absences, or truancy, which is often assumed to be related
to behavioral difficulties rather than emotional difficulties like
anxiety or depression, as well as authorized absences," Finning said
by email.
"Poor attendance could be a sign of anxiety, no matter what type of
absence," Finning added.
Finning's team reviewed eight previously published studies with a
total of almost 26,000 young students from Europe, North America and
Asia. The youth were 15 years old on average, with ages ranging from
5 to 21.
The analysis focused on four categories of absences: truancy and
unexcused absences; medical and excused absences; school refusal
tied to emotional distress about attendance; and absenteeism for any
reason.
Anxiety was strongly linked to school refusal, as expected. It was
also associated with truancy, which was a surprise.
Parents and teachers may mistakenly assume some children are missing
school due to disobedience or behavior problems when they're
actually suffering from anxiety, Finning said. And some of kids
considered truant might have undiagnosed anxiety, depression or
other mental health problems.
"There are lots of things about the school environment that might be
challenging for young people with anxiety, including social
interaction with peers and/or school staff, academic challenges, or
separation from caregivers at home," Finning said.
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"Anxiety can also cause physical symptoms like headaches or tummy
aches, which might also impact on children's school attendance,"
Finning added.
Most of the studies in the analysis were small, and none were
designed to prove whether or how anxiety might directly cause school
absences.
The studies also measured anxiety and school attendance in a variety
of ways, so the researchers could not pool data across all the
studies.
Even so, the results suggest that at least some absences attributed
to misbehavior might be due to anxiety, said Bonnie Leadbeater, a
psychology researcher at the University of Victoria in Canada who
wasn't involved in the study.
"Parents should consider the possibility that anxiety is behind
school refusal and seek treatment once physical causes are ruled
out," Leadbeater said by email. "Punishing children for school
refusal due to anxiety will likely be unsuccessful," she added.
"Children experiencing excessive anxiety need help," Leadbeater
said. "While identifying this may be difficult, sometimes even
asking your child, 'what is it about going to school you find so
difficult,' and trying empathically to understand their point of
view may get you started in helping them, and getting help for them
to build the confidence to manage anxiety is important."
SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2WgclBw Child and Adolescent Mental Health,
online February 27, 2019.
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