Abstract
This study assessed if the association between mental disorders and higher student absences varies across different profiles of risk factors, and estimated the proportion of student absences associated with mental disorders. Data included responses from a nationally representative Australian survey of child and adolescent mental health (Young Minds Matter, N = 5,081). A latent class analysis identified four classes of multiple risk exposure for students and their families, including On Track (55%), Low Resources (22%), Child Concerns (15%), and Overwhelmed (7%). Negative binomial regression models with adjustment for misclassification probabilities showed that absence rate ratios were higher among students classified as Low Resources (1.8 times), Child Concerns (1.7 times), or Overwhelmed (3.0 times) than On Track students. Overall, students with an anxiety or depressive disorder had 1.2 times as many absences as students without a disorder, after adjusting for latent class membership. There was no support for the hypothesis that the association between anxiety/depressive disorder and absences would be greater for students experiencing multiple risk exposures. Behavioral disorders were not associated with higher absences. Mental disorders accounted for approximately 8.6% of absences among secondary students (Years 7–12) and 2.4% of absences among primary students (Years 1–6). The estimated contribution of mental disorders to school absences is not trivial; however, the contribution is about half that estimated by previous research. The educational impacts of mental disorders must be considered in conjunction with the broader social contexts related to both mental disorders and student absences.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
A Confidentialized Unit Record File (CURF) and associated survey metadata are available from the Australian Data Archive upon request (https://dataverse.ada.edu.au/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=doi:10.4225/87/LCVEU3).
Code availability
SAS, Mplus, and Latent GOLD syntax files detailing data preparation and analysis are available from the corresponding author.
References
Askeland, K. G., Bøe, T., Lundervold, A. J., Stormark, K. M., & Hysing, M. (2020). The association between symptoms of depression and school absence in a population-based study of late adolescents. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(1268). doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01268
Aucejo, E. M., & Romano, T. F. (2016). Assessing the effect of school days and absences on test score performance. Economics of Education Review, 55, 70–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2016.08.007.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2013). Census of Population and Housing: Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), Australia, 2011. Retrieved from https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2033.0.55.001Main+Features12011?OpenDocument. Accessed 27 January, 2021.
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (2016). National Report on Schooling in Australia 2014. Retrieved from https://www.acara.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/national-report-on-schooling-in-australia-2014.pdf?sfvrsn=51667207_0. Accessed on 27 January 2021.
Bakk, Z., Tekle, F. B., & Vermunt, J. K. (2013). Estimating the association between latent class membership and external variables using bias-adjusted three-step approaches. Sociological Methodology, 43(1), 272–311.
Bethell, C., Forrest, C. B., Stumbo, S., Gombojav, N., Carle, A., & Irwin, C. E. (2012). Factors promoting or potentially impeding school success: Disparities and state variations for children with special health care needs. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 16(1), 35–43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-012-0993-z.
Björkenstam, E., Björkenstam, C., Jablonska, B., & Kosidou, K. (2018). Cumulative exposure to childhood adversity, and treated attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a cohort study of 543 650 adolescents and young adults in Sweden. Psychological Medicine, 48(3), 498–507. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291717001933.
Collingwood, P., Mazerolle, L., & Cardwell, S. M. (2019). School truancy and welfare receipt dynamics in early adulthood: A longitudinal study. Life Course Centre Working Paper Series, 2019–29. Retrieved from https://www.lifecoursecentre.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2019-29-LCC-Working-Paper-Collingwood-et-al..pdf. Accessed on 27 January 2021.
Copeland, W. E., Shanahan, L., Costello E. J., & Angold, A. (2009). Childhood and adolescent psychiatric disorders as predictors of young adult disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry, 66(7), 764–772. https://doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2009.85.
Corville-Smith, J., Ryan, B. A., Adams, G. R., & Dalicandro, T. (1998). Distinguishing absentee students from regular attenders: the combined influence of personal, family, and school factors. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 27(5), 629–640. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022887124634.
Daraganova, G., Mullan, K., & Edwards, B (2014). Attendance in primary school: factors and consequences. Occasional Paper No. 51. Canberra: Australian Government Department of Social Services.
Dziak, J. J., Bray, B., C. & Wagner, A. T. (2017). LCA_Distal_BCH SAS macro users' guide (Version 1.1). University Park, PA: The Methodology Centre, Penn State. Retrieved from http://methdology.psu.edu. Accessed on 29 January 2021.
Egger, H. L., Costello, E. J., & Angold, A. (2003). School refusal and psychiatric disorders: A community study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 42(7), 797–807. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.Chi.0000046865.56865.79.
Fan, X., & Chen, M. (2001). Parental involvement and students’ academic achievement: A meta analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 13(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1009048817385.
Finning, K., Ford, T., Moore, D. A., & Ukoumunne, O. C. (2020). Emotional disorder and absence from school: Findings from the 2004 British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 29(2), 187–198. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-019-01342-4.
Finning, K., Ukoumunne, O. C., Ford, T., Danielsson-Waters, E., Shaw, L., De Jager, I. R., Stentiford, L., & Moore, D. A. (2019). The association between child and adolescent depression and poor attendance at school: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 245, 928–938. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.11.055.
Fornander, M. J., & Kearney, C. A. (2019). Family environment variables as predictors of school absenteeism severity at multiple levels: ensemble and classification and regression tree analysis. Frontiers of Psychology, 10, 2381. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02381.
Gallé-Tessonneau, M., Johnsen, D. B., & Keppens, G. (2019). The relationship between mental health and school absenteeism in a community sample of French secondary school students: four profiles derived from cluster analysis. European Journal of Education and Psychology, 12(1), 77–90. https://doi.org/10.30552/ejep.v12i1.242.
Gershenson, S., Jacknowitz, A., & Brannegan, A. (2017). Are student absences worth the worry in U.S. primary schools? Education Finance and Policy, 12(2), 137–165. https://doi.org/10.1162/EDFP_a_00207.
Gottfried, M. A. (2009). Excused versus unexcused: how student absences in elementary school affect academic achievement. Educational Evaluation & Policy Analysis, 31(4), 392–415. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373709342467.
Gottfried, M. A. (2014). Chronic absenteeism and its effects on students’ academic and socioemotional outcomes. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 19, 53–75. https://doi.org/10.1080/10824669.2014.962696.
Gottfried, M. A., Stiefel, L., Schwartz, A. E., & Hopkins, B. (2019). Showing up: disparities in chronic absenteeism between students with and without disabilities in traditional public schools. Teachers College Record, 121(8), 1–34.
Green, M. J., Tzoumakis, S., Laurens, K. R., Dean, K., Kariuki, M., Harris, F., O’Reilly, N., Chilvers, M., Brinkman, S. A., & Carr, V. J. (2018). Latent profiles of early developmental vulnerabilities in New South Wales child population at age 5 years. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 52(6), 530–541. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867417740208.
Hafekost, J., Johnson, S. E., Lawrence, D., Sawyer, M., Ainley, J., Mihalopoulos, C., & Zubrick, S. R. (2016). Introducing “Young Minds Matter.” Australian Economic Review, 49(4), 503–514. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8462.12163.
Hancock, K. J. (2019). Does the reason make a difference? Assessing school absence codes and their associations with student achievement outcomes (Doctor of Philosophy Doctoral Thesis). The University of Western Australia, Perth. https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/publications/does-the-reason-make-a-difference-assessing-school-absence-codes-
Hancock, K. J., Gottfried, M. A., & Zubrick, S. R. (2018a). Does the reason matter? How student-reported reasons for school absence contribute to differences in achievement outcomes among 14–15 year olds. British Educational Research Journal, 44(1), 141–174. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3322.
Hancock, K. J., Lawrence, D., Shepherd, C. C. J., Mitrou, F., & Zubrick, S. R. (2017). Associations between school absence and academic achievement: Do socioeconomics matter? British Educational Research Journal, 43(3), 415–440. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3267.
Hancock, K. J., Mitrou, F., Taylor, C. L., & Zubrick, S. R. (2018b). The diverse risk profiles of persistently absent primary students: Implications for attendance policies in Australia. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 23(1–2), 53–69. https://doi.org/10.1080/10824669.2018.1433536.
Henry, K. L., & Huizinga, D. H. (2007). Truancy’s effect on the onset of drug use among urban adolescents placed at risk. Journal of Adolescent Health, 40(4), 358.e359–317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2006.11.138.
Henry, K. L., & Thornberry, T. P. (2010). Truancy and escalation of substance use during adolescence. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 71(1), 115–124. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2010.71.115.
Heyne, D., Gren-Landell, M., Melvin, G., & Gentle-Genitty, C. (2019). Differentiation between school attendance problems: Why and how? Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 26, 8–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2018.03.006.
Ingul, J. M., Klöckner, C. A., Silverman, W. K., & Nordahl, H. M. (2012). Adolescent school absenteeism: modelling social and individual risk factors. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 17(2), 93–100. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-3588.2011.00615.x.
Kearney, C. A. (2008a). An interdisciplinary model of school absenteeism in youth to inform professional practice and public policy. Educational Psychology Review, 20, 257–282. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-008-9078-3.
Kearney, C. A. (2008b). School absenteeism and school refusal behavior in youth: A contemporary review. Clinical Psychology Review, 28(3), 451–471. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2007.07.012.
Kearney, C. A., & Graczyk, P. A. (2020). A multidimensional, multi-tiered system of supports model to promote school attendance and address school absenteeism. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 23, 316–337. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-020-00317-1.
Konold, T. R., & Pianta, R. C. (2005). Empirically-driven, person-oriented patterns of school readiness in typically developing children: Description and prediction to first-grade achievement. Applied Developmental Science, 9(4), 174–187. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532480xads0904_1.
Lanza, S. T., Collins, L. M., Kemmon, D. R., & Schafer, J. L. (2007). PROC LCA: A SAS procedure for latent class analysis. Structural Equation Modeling, 14(4), 671–694. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705510701575602.
Lawrence, D., Dawson, V., Houghton, S., Goodsell, B., & Sawyer, M. G. (2019). Impact of mental disorders on attendance at school. Australian Journal of Education, 63(1), 5–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004944118823576.
Lazarsfeld, P. F., & Henry, N. W. (1968). Latent Structure Analysis. . Houghton Mifflin.
Lehr, C. A., Sinclair, M. F., & Christenson, S. L. (2004). Addressing student engagement and truancy prevention during the elementary school years: A replication study of the check & connect model. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 9(3), 279–301. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327671espr0903_4.
McShane, G., Walter, G., & Rey, J. M. (2001). Characteristics of adolescents with school refusal. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 35(6), 822–826. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1614.2001.00955.x.
Melvin, G. A., Heyne, D., Gray, K. M., Hastings, R. P., Totsika, V., Tonge, B. J., & Freeman, M. M. (2019). The Kids and Teens at School (KiTeS) Framework: an inclusive bioecological systems approach to understanding school absenteeism and school attendance problems. Frontiers in Education, 4(61). doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2019.00061
Morrissey, T. W., Hutchison, L., & Winsler, A. (2014). Family income, school attendance, and academic achievement in elementary school. Developmental Psychology, 50(3), 741–753. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033848.
Nagin, D. S. (2005). Group-Based Modeling of Development. . Harvard University Press.
Neild, R. C., & Balfanz, R. (2006). An extreme degree of difficulty: The educational demographics of urban neighborhood schools. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 11(2), 123–141. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327671espr1102_1.
Nylund-Gibson, K., & Choi, A. Y. (2018). Ten frequently asked questions about latent class analysis. Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 4(4), 440–461. https://doi.org/10.1037/tps0000176.
Rogers, T., & Feller, A. (2018). Reducing student absences at scale by targeting parents’ misbeliefs. Nature Human Behaviour, 2, 335–342. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-018-0328-1.
Ryan, S. M., Jorm, A. F., Toumbourou, J. W., & Lubman, D. I. (2015). Parent and family factors associated with service use by young people with mental health problems: A systematic review. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 9(6), 433–446. https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.12211.
Shaffer, D., Fisher, P., Lucas, C. P., Dulcan, M. K., & Schwab-Stone, M. E. (2000). NIMH diagnostic interview schedule for children version IV (NIMH DISC IV): Description, differences from previous version, and reliability of some common diagnoses. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 39(1), 28–38. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200001000-00014.
Sheldon, S. B. (2007). Improving student attendance with school, family, and community partnerships. The Journal of Educational Research, 100(5), 267–275. https://doi.org/10.3200/joer.100.5.267-275.
Shochet, I. M., Dadds, M., Ham, D., & Montague, R. (2006). School connectedness is an underemphasized parameter in adolescent mental health: Results of a community prediction study. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 35(2), 170–179. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15374424jccp3502_1.
Stempel, H., Cox-Martin, M., Bronsert, M., Dickinson, L. M., & Allison, M. A. (2017). Chronic school absenteeism and the role of adverse childhood experiences. Academic Pediatrics, 17(8), 837–843. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2017.09.013.
Tanner-Smith, E. E., & Wilson, S. J. (2013). A meta-analysis of the effects of dropout prevention programs on school absenteeism. Prevention Science, 14, 468–478. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-012-0330-1.
Telethon Kids Institute. (2015). Young Minds Matter: the second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, Survey User's Guide. Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia: Perth, Australia.
Van Eck, K., Johnson, S. R., Bettencourt, A., & Lindstrom Johnson, S. (2017). How school climate relates to chronic absence: A multi-level latent profile analysis. Journal of School Psychology, 61, 89–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2016.10.001.
Vermunt, J. K., & Magidson, J. (2013). LG-Syntax User's Guide: Manual for Latent GOLD 5.0 Syntax Module. Belmont, MA: Statistical Innovations Inc.
Acknowledgements
The Centre is administered by the Institute for Social Science Research at The University of Queensland, with nodes at The University of Western Australia, The University of Melbourne, and The University of Sydney.
Funding
This study uses data from the second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. The survey was funded by the Australian Government Department of Health, managed by the Telethon Kids Institute and The University of Western Australia, and Roy Morgan Research carried out data collection. The secondary analysis of survey data was supported by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course (CE140100027).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Applications for data access, and data analysis were performed by Kirsten Hancock and Leah Cave. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Leah Cave and Kirsten Hancock. Subsequent reviews and revisions were performed by Kirsten Hancock, Leah Cave, Daniel Christensen, Francis Mitrou, and Stephen Zubrick. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflicts of interest
On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hancock, K.J., Cave, L., Christensen, D. et al. Associations Between Developmental Risk Profiles, Mental Disorders, and Student Absences Among Primary and Secondary Students in Australia. School Mental Health 13, 756–771 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-021-09443-9
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-021-09443-9