Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess multiaxially school non-attendance students who were hospitalized at the department of psychosomatic medicine. On the basis of the assessment results, sex differences and age differences of psychopathological characteristics were examined. The subjects of the analysis included 67 school non-attendance students, hospitalized at the department of psychosomatic medicine. They were assessed according to the axis 1 (psychiatric disorders), the axis 2 (personality features and disorders), the axis 3 (general medical conditions), and the axis 4 (psychosocial and environmental problems) of DSM-III-R & DSM-IV. These results of the assessment were stratified in each axis after they were classified into one to eight categories. Next, age differences (junior high school group, high school group, and college group) of the number of diagnoses were examined in the axis 1 and the axis 4. Age differences of the existence of any diagnosis were examined in the axis 2 and the axis 3. In addition, sex differences of the number of diagnoses were examined in the axis 1 and the axis 4. Sex differences of the existence of any diagnosis were examined in the axis 2 and the axis 3. In the axis 1, the diagnoses of eating disorders, anxiety disorders, mood disorders were made in many cases (Since adjustment disorders were diagnosed in most of the cases, they were excluded from the analysis). In the axis 2, the diagnosis of immaturity, was found in many cases. In the axis 4, the diagnoses of family-related problems and bullying were made in many cases. In addition, some kind of diagnosis was made in 27 cases (40%) in the axis 2, and 26 cases (39%) in the axis 3. The college group had significantly larger number of diagnoses in the axis 1 than the junior high school group and the high school group (p<0.05, Kruskal-Wallis test. Mann-Whitney U-test following Ryan's procedure for multiple comparison tests). Some kind of diagnosis was given significantly more often in females in the axis 2 than males [p<0.05, χ^2-test (Fisher's exact test)]. Overall, psychopathological characteristics of school non-attendance students are diverse, and the non-attendance behavior cannot be attributed to a single cause. In addition, age difference and sex difference were also found in the results of multiaxial diagnosis. Therefore, school non-attendance students should be assessed multiaxially, and be treated individually.
