The mediating role of depression in the association between social capital and school absenteeism among students: a multilevel mediation analysis in Japanese elementary and junior high schools.
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Abstract
Background: School absenteeism is a significant issue affecting children and adolescents worldwide. This study aimed to examine the mediating role of depression in the association between social capital and school absenteeism among students in Japanese elementary and junior high schools.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from 7765 students (aged 9-15 years, 49.7% female) in Hirosaki, Japan. Social capital was measured using the Japanese version of the Social Capital Questionnaire for Adolescent Students (SCQ-AS), depression was assessed via the Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents (PHQ-A), and school absence was reported by parents/guardians. Multilevel mediation analysis was employed to examine the associations at both the student and school levels.
Results: At the student level, depression fully mediated the relationship between social capital (school social capital, perceived safety, and neighborhood social capital) and school absence. At the school level, perceived safety had a direct effect on school absence (β = - 0.70, p < 0.01), whereas school social capital was negatively associated with depression (β = - 0.57, p < 0.001). However, no significant indirect effects were observed at the school level.
Conclusion: Depression mediates the association between social capital and school absence at the student level, whereras school-level perceived safety is directly associated with school absence. These findings suggest a multitiered approach to addressing school absenteeism, focusing on enhancing individual social capital and mental health support, as well as improving school-wide safety perceptions.
期刊介绍:
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, the official journal of the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions, is an open access, online journal that provides an international platform for rapid and comprehensive scientific communication on child and adolescent mental health across different cultural backgrounds. CAPMH serves as a scientifically rigorous and broadly open forum for both interdisciplinary and cross-cultural exchange of research information, involving psychiatrists, paediatricians, psychologists, neuroscientists, and allied disciplines. The journal focusses on improving the knowledge base for the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of mental health conditions in children and adolescents, and aims to integrate basic science, clinical research and the practical implementation of research findings. In addition, aspects which are still underrepresented in the traditional journals such as neurobiology and neuropsychology of psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence are considered.