School Refusal in Youth: A Systematic Review of Ecological Factors.

To guide school practitioners in the identification and intervention of youth with anxious school refusal, this systematic review used an ecological lens to examine the factors that differentiated children and adolescents with school refusal from those without. Based on the rigorous protocol from the Center for Reviews and Dissemination's (CRD) internationally recognized guidelines, 15 studies examining 67 different factors were identified. Results reveal 44 individual, social and contextual factors that differentiate youth with school refusal from peers without school refusal. Findings highlight the centrality of anxiety, or anxiety-related symptoms, and diverse learning needs as main points of contrast between youth with school refusal and those without. Implications of an ecological understanding of the factors associated with school refusal for selective and indicative prevention by school and mental health practitioners are discussed.

"It's about having money, but also happiness:" A qualitative investigation of how adolescents understand subjective status in themselves and others.

INTRODUCTION: Understanding why adolescent subjective assessments of status matter to their psychosocial outcomes over and above objective assessments of socioeconomic status (SES) requires a better comprehension of how adolescents construct status in themselves and others. Using a qualitative approach, the goal of the current study was to better understand what factors adolescents use to assign status, and how their perceptions of this status vary according to their own SES. METHOD: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 32 adolescents from Quebec, Canada, from varied socioeconomic backgrounds. In particular, they were shown the ladder from the Subjective Social Status Scale and asked what defined scale placement in their communities. They were also asked where they would place themselves on this scale, and why. RESULTS: The importance of traditional indicators of SES such as money, educational level, and occupational prestige were underlined by almost all adolescents, but other factors (e.g., wellbeing, family life, values concerning work, other-orientation, or rule-following) were also frequently discussed. Adolescents used similar criteria in the placement of themselves and others. Contradictions often emerged, however, as adolescents' scale placement was often higher than what would be expected based on traditional SES indicators. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide a starting point for understanding why adolescents' subjective assessments of status may matter above and beyond traditional assessments of SES, and how we can better measure this construct.

Psychosocial Profile of Children Having Participated in an Intervention Program for Their Sexual Behavior Problems: The Predictor Role of Maltreatment.

This study sought to verify if a history of maltreatment may predict the psychosocial profile of children who participated in an intervention program aiming at reducing sexual behavior problems. Data were collected at both the beginning and the end of the intervention program using a clinical protocol and standardized tests selected on the basis of the intervention targets. In general, the results indicate that children who had experienced maltreatment display a psychosocial profile that is similar to that of children who had not experienced maltreatment. However, children who had experienced psychological abuse or neglect may display greater externalized or sexualized behaviors, whereas children who have a parent who had been a victim of sexual abuse may display fewer sexualized behaviors.

Types and Influence of Social Support on School Engagement of Young Survivors of Leukemia.

The present study aimed to describe and explore the influence of social support on the school engagement of young survivors of pediatric leukemia. Fifty-three young Quebecers, previously diagnosed and treated for leukemia, completed a questionnaire measuring their school engagement and participated in an interview focusing on the support offered by four groups of relations with regard to school: parents, siblings, friends, and other nonprofessional relations. The interview responses revealed that parents were perceived to be the primary source of informational and emotional support, with support also provided to a lesser extent by friends, siblings, and members of the extended family. Inferential analyses indicated that young survivors report a higher school engagement score when they perceive themselves as receiving support from a greater number of groups of relations, especially from friends or siblings.

School Reintegration Following Psychiatric Hospitalization: A Review of Available Transition Programs.

Objectives: This study aimed to 1) identify transition programs for school reintegration after youth psychiatric hospitalization, and 2) assess these programs using criteria established by Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development. Method: Principles outlined by the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Coordinating Centre were used to systematically search 15 electronic databases up to October 2021 for both published and unpublished reports of transition programs. Reports meeting inclusion criteria were examined through three steps: 1) coding of available information, 2) synthesis of programs and 3) assessment of intervention specificity. Results: Thirteen reports met the inclusion criteria and identified eight transition programs. Program theories were rarely explicit about the causal mechanisms and outcomes of their interventions. Nevertheless, areas of consensus emerge as to core components of these programs including: 1) the involvement of a multidisciplinary team, 2) the implementation of a multicomponent intervention, 3) the development of a reintegration plan, 4) the need for gradual transitions, and 5) extended support through frequent contact. Conclusion: School reintegration programs following psychiatric hospitalization are still rare. They can be hard to implement due to the challenges they impose for inter-professional and intersectoral collaborations. Despite this, four of the eight programs are in a good position for an evaluation of their promising standing. Nevertheless, well-designed controlled trials and cohort studies are needed.

Objectifs: Cette étude visait à 1) identifier des programmes de transition ayant pour but de favoriser la réintégration scolaire des jeunes à la suite d'une hospitalisation psychiatrique et 2) évaluer ces programmes sur la base de critères établis par les experts du Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development. Méthode: Les principes énoncés par le Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Coordinating Centre (EPPI-Centre) ont été suivis pour conduire une requête systématique dans 15 banques de données informatisées, en date du mois d'octobre 2021, à la recherche de documents publiés et non publiés portant sur des programmes de transition. Les documents qui rencontraient les critères d'inclusion ont fait l'objet d'un examen en trois étapes: 1) codification de l'information disponible, 2) synthèse des programmes et 3) évaluation des programmes au regard du critère de spécificité de l'intervention. Résultats: Treize documents ont rencontré les critères d'inclusion et ont permis d'identifier huit programmes de transition. Les théories de ces programmes sont rarement explicites au sujet de leurs mécanismes causaux et des changements anticipés des interventions qu'ils préconisent. Néanmoins, un consensus se dégage au sujet des composantes clés de ces programmes: 1) l'implication d'une équipe multidisciplinaire, 2) l'implantation d'une intervention multimodale, 3) le développement d'un plan de réintégration, 4) l'importance d'effectuer les transitions de manière progressive, et 5) l'offre de soutien prolongé au moyen de contacts fréquents. Conclusion: À ce jour, les programmes de réintégration scolaire à la suite d'une hospitalisation psychiatrique se font rares. Ils peuvent être difficiles à implanter en raison des défis qu'ils posent sur le plan de la collaboration interprofessionnelle et intersectorielle. Malgré cela, quatre des huit programmes identifiés sont en bonne position pour une évaluation de leur caractère prometteur. À cet effet, le recours à des devis de recherche rigoureux, comme des protocoles expérimentaux et des études de cohorte, s'avère nécessaire.