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Externalizing and internalizing syndromes in relation to school truancy among adolescents in high‐risk urban schools
Author(s) -
Nik Jaafar Nik Ruzyanei,
Tuti Iryani Mohammad Daud,
Wan Salwina Wan Ismail,
Fairuz Nazri Abdul Rahman,
Kamal Nor Azlin,
Prakash Reddy Jaya,
Shah Shamsul Azhar
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
asia‐pacific psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.654
H-Index - 21
eISSN - 1758-5872
pISSN - 1758-5864
DOI - 10.1111/appy.12072
Subject(s) - truancy , psychosocial , kuala lumpur , clinical psychology , psychology , logistic regression , odds ratio , mental health , medicine , demography , psychiatry , developmental psychology , criminology , marketing , sociology , business
To examine the relationship between externalizing/internalizing syndromes and school truancy among Form Four (10th grade) students attending “high‐risk” schools in Kuala Lumpur. Methods This is a cross‐sectional study conducted upon 16‐year‐old adolescents attending three high‐risk schools in Kuala Lumpur. A total of 373 students completed self‐administered questionnaires on the sociodemographic variables and externalizing/internalizing syndromes. The number of truant‐days per student during the study period was obtained from the school records. Results The mean internalizing score, externalizing score and total problem score of those who were truant were found to be significantly higher ( P < 0.05) than those who were non‐truant. Multiple logistic regressions showed externalizing syndrome (odds ratio [ OR ] = 1.044; confidence interval [ CI ] = 1.012–1.078, P = 0.018) significantly predicts truancy but not the internalizing syndrome. Two other psychosocial factors, namely, having divorced parents ( OR = 2.495, CI = 1.058–5.886, P = 0.037) and did not understand or were uncertain of the purpose of schooling ( OR = 2.621, CI = 1.265–5.433, P = 0.010) were also showed to be stronger predictors of truancy compared to externalizing/internalizing syndromes. Discussion Truancy has significant association to externalizing syndrome, in addition to other significant psychosocial variables like parental and schooling factors. This finding indicated the need for comprehensive assessment of students presenting with truant behavior, including the identification of associated psychological and behavioral problems which highlights the roles of mental health professionals in tackling truancy.