Exploratory Longitudinal Associations Between SAPs and Individual and Contextual Variables: Toward the Development of Educational Guidelines.

Abstract

School attendance problems (SAPs) are a widespread phenomenon with significant academic, psychological, social, and relational consequences. These issues are particularly prevalent among adolescents worldwide and require careful examination of the individual and contextual factors associated with their onset and persistence to develop effective prevention and intervention strategies. Grounded in an ecological and systemic framework of school absenteeism, this longitudinal study examined the reciprocal associations between SAPs, learned helplessness, mastery orientation, academic procrastination, perceived competence (general, academic, relational, leisure), and school climate (teacher support, peer connection, school connection, affirming diversity, clarity of rules, and reporting and seeking help) in a sample of 523 high school students (Mage at T1 = 15.64, SD = 0.97), using a cross-lagged panel model. Results indicate temporal stability of SAPs and the examined variables over one school year. Notably, alongside the longitudinal associations between SAPs and different individual and contextual variables, a significant bidirectional relationship emerges between learned helplessness and SAPs, suggesting that feelings of helplessness are linked to greater school disengagement and increased absences. This finding confirms the importance of emotional, motivational, and cognitive vulnerabilities in shaping school participation trajectories. The results emphasize the need for school-based prevention and intervention strategies targeting these factors. Accordingly, guidelines are proposed for educational interventions addressing SAPs.