Investigation of the Effect of the Fear of COVID-19 on School Refusal in terms of Depression, Anxiety, Social Functioning and Academic Resilience

Abstract

Background: As one of the possible results of COVID-19 pandemic on young people, it is thought that school refusal and related problems, which have an important place among problematic school attendance problems, may come to light. Aim:It is aimed to investigate whether depression-anxiety symptoms, social and adaptive functioning and academic resilience have a mediating role in the relationship between fear of infection to Covid-19 and school refusal. Samples:The data collection process on the Turkish sample of 609 adolescents reached online has been completed. Methods:The research was carried out with a correlational design based on a cross-sectional process.Results: This study show that the fear of COVID-19 positively predicts depression-anxiety, and depression-anxiety negatively predicts academic resilience and social functioning, as well as social functioning and academic resilience, negatively and significantly predict school refusal and thus the variables in question mediate the relationship between the fear of COVID-19 and school refusal. Conclusion:According to the results of the research, it was determined that the fear of COVID-19 constitutes the ground for depression and anxiety in adolescents and that depression-anxiety can also lead to the emergence of school refusal and thus problematic school absenteeism issues due to the effect of weakening academic resilience and social functionality.