The Back2School modular cognitive behavioral intervention for youths with problematic school absenteeism: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

BackgroundSchool absenteeism (SA) is associated with anxiety, depression, and disruptive behavior. It is a risk factor for academic difficulties and school dropout, which predict problems in adulthood such as social, work-related, and health problems. The main goal of this study is to examine the initial effectiveness of a modular transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention (Back2School) for increasing school attendance and decreasing psychological problems, relative to a comparator control arm (treatment as usual [TAU]).Methods/designOne hundred sixty children, aged 7 to 16 years, will be randomly assigned to either Back2School or TAU. The design is a two (Back2School and TAU) by four (preassessment [T1], postassessment [T2], and 3-month [T3] and 1-year [T4] assessments) mixed between-within design. The primary outcome is school attendance based on daily registration. Secondary outcomes pertain to youth psychosocial functioning, quality of life, bullying, self-efficacy, and teacher-parent collaboration. These secondary outcomes are measured via youth, parent, and teacher reports.DiscussionThis study will provide critically needed empirical evidence on the initial effectiveness of a manualized treatment program for youth with SA. If the intervention is found to be effective, the program can be further implemented and tested in a larger school health effectiveness trial.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03459677. Retrospectively registered on 9 March 2018.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13063-018-3124-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Working with school-refusing young people in Tower Hamlets, London

“…The family components aimed to enhance family communication, decision-making and problem solving. Gradual socialization has also been a key component of effective CBT interventions such as the Back2School intervention (Thastum et al, 2019). Chu, Guarino, Mele, O’Connell, and Coto (2019) illustrate the use of technology as a means of early identification of truancy.…”

An International Examination of the Effectiveness of Functional Family Therapy (FFT) in a Danish Community Sample

“…Additionally, disruptive behavior problems and substance use have been linked to school absenteeism, which has been associated with school dropout and lower academic performance in Danish youth. Currently, the mean rate of school absences has risen to 5.6% in Denmark (Thastum et al, ).…”

Reconciling Contemporary Approaches to School Attendance and School Absenteeism: Toward Promotion and Nimble Response, Global Policy Review and Implementation, and Future Adaptability (Part 1)

“…A key advantage of the functional model is its clear linkage to specific prescriptive treatment packages that include child-, parent-, and family-based interventions as well as Tier 3 interventions as needed (Kearney and Albano, 2018). The treatment packages are also designed to be flexible enough to be adapted to a variety of cases and locations, and indeed have been across educational, mental health, and medical settings (e.g., Tolin et al, 2009; Rohrig and Puliafico, 2018; Hannan et al, 2019; Thastum et al, 2019).…”