Psychosocial Factors with School Non-attendance(<Special Issue>Psychosomatic Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence)

Abstract

School non-attendance is often caused by a combination of several factors. In most cases, regardless of its underlying cause, school non-attendance is preceded by frequent, unidentified complaints. Physical symptoms identified in absentees include hyperactivity, chronic headache, and irritable bowel syndrome-symptoms similar to those of psychosomatic disorders (PSD), which indicate a close association between PSD and school non-attendance. If we properly address students at an early stage of absenteeism, carefully paying attention to their unidentified complaints, this may help prevent long-term school non-attendance. We should be careful not to confuse school non-attendance with truancy, or overlook physical symptoms in students.