A systematic review of intervention programs for school attendance problems

Abstract

School attendance problems (SAPs) refer to a construct that encompasses different manifestations of negative behaviours or persistent difficulties of a student to attend or stay in school for various reasons (anxiety, rejection, fear, etc.). Due to the worldwide concern about the negative repercussions of non-attendance, a deeper understanding of its intervention is essential. For this reason, this study aims to offer a systematic review of the programs designed to reduce or eradicate SAPs in child and adolescent population, differentiating between two main types according to the causal origin of the attendance problem: school refusal or truancy. For this purpose, a systematic process of search was carried out in the databases Web Of Science, Scopus, PsycINFO and Psicodoc with a common search strategy. According to 5 inclusion criteria, the data extracted from each study were analyzed based on 3 levels of effectiveness and the Cochrane’s risk bias tool. Seventy-eight programs aimed at intervening in SAPs in 6–18-year-old population were reviewed. Twenty-nine of the studies showed one of the established levels of effectiveness for the reduction of School Refusal or Truancy, which had similar characteristics in the application of the intervention program. Consequently, the strengths and weaknesses of these programs are discussed in order to provide a source of reference for staff responsible for improving school attendance. This work will contribute to clarifying which types of interventions are the most effective in dealing with SAPs.