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Psychosocial risk and protective factors of secondary school dropout in Luxembourg: the protocol of an exploratory case-control study.

ABSTRACT: In Luxembourg, the extensive phenomenon of school dropout is a prime policy concern in the light of individual, social and economic consequences. Although the authorities report an overall decrease of the national dropout rate, the proportion of early school leavers who remain without any specific occupation is still alarming. Therefore, this study intends a shift of focus from system-inherent to individual factors, including mental health and family correlates, to provide a more comprehensive analysis of the dropout phenomenon.The objectives of this study are to investigate the type and prevalence of psychiatric disorders among school dropouts and to compare the findings with those by a matched control group of regularly enrolled students. Furthermore, family variables and socioeconomic status will be analysed, as they are factors likely to interfere with both educational attainment and mental health. A trained psychologist will use structured interviews and self-report forms to investigate for mental health issues, information on schooling, socioeconomic situation and family life. Controls will be matched for gender, age, school type and educational grade.As school dropouts face a serious risk of long term professional and social marginalization, there is an evident need for action. Identifying psychosocial risk and protective factors of school dropout will deliver solid insight on how to conceive public health strategies for young people who may need a more customized support to carry out their academic potential.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01354236.

SUBMITTER: Esch P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3151235 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Psychosocial risk and protective factors of secondary school dropout in Luxembourg: the protocol of an exploratory case-control study.

Esch Pascale P Bocquet Valéry V Pull Charles C Couffignal Sophie S Graas Marc M Lair Marie-Lise ML Lehnert Torsten T Fond-Harmant Laurence L Ansseau Marc M

BMC public health 20110713

<h4>Background</h4>In Luxembourg, the extensive phenomenon of school dropout is a prime policy concern in the light of individual, social and economic consequences. Although the authorities report an overall decrease of the national dropout rate, the proportion of early school leavers who remain without any specific occupation is still alarming. Therefore, this study intends a shift of focus from system-inherent to individual factors, including mental health and family correlates, to provide a m ...[more]

PMID: 21752239

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Project description:Background:Severe adverse life events, such as traumatic experiences, are well-known stressors implicated in (youth) major depression (MD). However, to date, far less is known about the role of more common psychosocial stressors in the context of MD, which are part of everyday life during youth. In addition, it is not well-understood whether and how distinct stressors interact with protective factors in youths diagnosed with MD. Thus, the present study aimed at examining several specific psychosocial stressors implicated in a first-episode juvenile MD and addressed the question whether protective factors might moderate the relationship between stressors and a diagnosis of MD. Methods:One-hundred male and female youths with MD and 101 typically developing (TD) controls (10-18 years) were included. A large number of qualitatively different psychosocial stressors occurring in various areas of life were assessed via self-report. Moreover, we also investigated sociodemographic and pre- and postnatal stressors, as well as the presence of familial affective disorders via parental-report. Social support and a positive family climate were conceptualized as protective factors and were assessed via self-report. Results:Results showed that the proportion of youths experiencing specific psychosocial stressors was higher in the MD than in the TD group. In particular, the proportion of youths indicating changes at home or at school, experiences of violence, delinquent behavior, as well as the proportion of youths who were exposed to sociodemographic stressors was higher in the MD than in the TD group. Moreover, the percentage of youths with a family history of an affective disorder, or whose mothers experienced psychological burdens during/after pregnancy was elevated in the MD group. Youths with MD experienced less social support and a less positive family climate than their TD peers. These factors, however, did not buffer the influence of specific stressors on MD. Conclusion:We could show that next to more severe adverse life events, more common psychosocial stressors are linked to youth MD. Importantly, by identifying distinct stressors in youth MD, our results can increase treatment and prevention efforts aiming to improve the outcomes in youths affected by MD or in at-risk individuals.

Project description:This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the association between psychosocial school factors and life satisfaction, symptoms of depression and psychosomatic health complaints among first grade secondary school students in Serbia. We analysed data from the 2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study in the Republic of Serbia. Analyzed psychosocial school factors included satisfaction with school, schoolwork pressure, teacher support, classmate support and being bullied at school. Life satisfaction was assessed by the 11-step Cantril's ladder (cutoff >5). Symptoms of depression were measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10) and psychosomatic health complaints by using the HBSC symptom checklist. Univariable and multivariable binary logistic regression was used to determine independent predictors of students' life satisfaction, symptoms of depression and psychosomatic health complaints in the school environment, while also considering their socio-demographic characteristics and perceived family and friend support. The study included 1605 students (average age 15.26 ±0.44 years), of whom 50.3% were females. Results from the binary logistic regression analyses showed that life satisfaction was positively related to school satisfaction and classmate support, and negatively to being bullied at school. Symptoms of depression were positively associated with schoolwork pressure and being bullied at school, and negatively with teacher and classmate support. All analyzed factors of the school environment were significantly related to psychosomatic health complaints, whereby schoolwork pressure and being bullied at school were positively associated, while teacher and classmate support and satisfaction with school were negatively associated. Given the established association of psychosocial school factors with mental health, there is a need for targeted measures both at school and community level with the aim of improving social support in the school environment, reducing schoolwork burden and preventing bullying at school, potentially resulting in the overall improvement of mental health of the first grade secondary school students.

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Psychosocial risk and protective factors of secondary school dropout in Luxembourg: the protocol of an exploratory case-control study.

Publications

Psychosocial risk and protective factors of secondary school dropout in Luxembourg: the protocol of an exploratory case-control study.

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