Description
TitleFunctional outcomes in school refusal
Date Created2015
Other Date2015-10 (degree)
Extent1 online resource (vi, 109 p. : ill.)
DescriptionSchool refusal (SR), defined as youth-motivated refusal to attend school and/or problems remaining in classes for an entire day, is a psychological problem that accounts for thousands of school-aged children not attending school every day (Kearney & Albano, 2007). School refusal behavior is associated with impairments in several functional domains including academic, familial, and social functioning (e.g., Lambin, 1996; Last and Strauss, 1990; Naylor et al., 1994). Several cognitive and/or behavioral therapies have been researched for the treatment of SR, yet there has been limited research on the effects of treatment on broader functional outcomes. The implementation of a novel approach to treating school refusal behavior meant to address all domains of functioning called Dialectical Behavior Therapy for School Refusal (DBT-SR) was utilized in this research. This paper presents two case studies from this pilot study focusing primarily on identification of, and changes in, the functional outcomes of academic, familial, and social functioning across the course of the study. Qualitative and quantitative data revealed that many constructs within family functioning, such as high conflict and low cohesion, remained relatively constant throughout the course of the study. Other constructs within the domains of social and academic functioning showed improvement, including social withdrawal and class grades. As the main primary outcomes of diagnostic remission and school attendance improved, some but not all functional outcomes improved. These mixed findings imply that youth with SR continue to exhibit some functional impairment despite treatment success. Future controlled studies of SR that address all areas of youths functioning are warranted.
NotePsy.D.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
Noteby Lauren Bonavitacola
Genretheses, ETD doctoral
Languageeng
CollectionGraduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.