Refusal Behavior Research Articles

Socio-demographic correlates of school refusal among primary school students in Ranchi City

Introduction: School refusal has some distinctive features and it can affect the academic achievement of the students very negatively. Several socio-demographic factors are responsible for school refusal. This study intends to see the role of some socio-demographic factors in school refusal among primary grade students of five private schools of the city of Ranchi. Methodology: It was a Cross-sectional school-based study on five private schools of Ranchi city. Total students approached were 1640, out of which 52 students were selected purposively as per the study criteria. Socio-demographic Data Sheet and School Refusal Assessment Scale-Revised (SRAS-R) were used and descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, one way ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test were used. Results: Factors like the gender of the students, parental education, monthly family income and family type have a significant impact on school refusal behaviour of selected students. Conclusion: School refusal is a complicated problem and it has been influenced by various factors. 
 Keywords: School refusal, demographic variables, parents, family, absenteeism

The Theoretical Model of School Refusal: The Self-Efficacy Concept

Introduction: School refusal is a common cause of chronically poor school attendance. The basis of school refusal behaviour can be grouped into the symptomatic and functional models, the operant conditioning model and the cognitive model. Objective: This paper is aimed to discuss the various systems and models which explain the school refusal behaviour. Method: An initial search of published literature in English Language was performed on the online databases including Google Scholar, Science Direct, EBSCOhost, and Proquest with the main keywords were School Refusal and Self–efficacy. Further sources were identified after consulting the original author for recommendations, and references within the literature retrieved in the initial search. Results: Out of 57 articles found, 41 were used in this review. Development and maintenance of school refusal involve heterogeneous risk factors and processes. The existing theoretical basis of school refusal behaviour can be grouped into symptomatic models, the operant conditioning model and the cognitive model. Conclusion: School refusal depicts a symptom, heralding the need for early intervention before development of a more pervasive mental health disorder. Where the problem had persisted for months to years, the child or adolescent would commonly present with coexisting anxiety or depressive disorders.

Shaping Appropriate Refusal Behavior at Lunchtime in a Special School Using an Intervention Based on Functional Assessment: Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Shaping Appropriate Refusal Behavior at Lunchtime in a Special School Using an Intervention Based on Functional Assessment: Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder

The Relationship between School Refusal Behavior and Parental Psychological Flexibility

The Relationship between School Refusal Behavior and Parental Psychological Flexibility

Prevalencia del rechazo escolar según sexo y curso en adolescentes ecuatorianos

La prevalencia del rechazo escolar es difícil de determinar debido a la discrepancia en la definición del constructo y a la falta de información nacional. En este sentido, el presente estudio tuvo como objetivo analizar las diferencias de prevalencia del rechazo escolar, entendido como la resistencia a ir a la escuela o a permanecer en esta, en función del sexo y curso académico. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 1,786 estudiantes ecuatorianos con edades comprendidas entre los 15 y los 18 años (Medad = 16.31; DE = 1.01). Se utilizó la School Refusal Assessment Scale-Revised for Children (SRAS-R-C), cuyos factores evalúan la evitación de estímulos que producen afectividad negativa (Factor I), el escape de la aversión social y/o situaciones evaluativas (Factor II), la búsqueda de atención de personas significativas (Factor III) y la búsqueda de refuerzos tangibles fuera de la escuela (Factor IV). Para establecer si existían diferencias entre el porcentaje de estudiantes clasificados con alta conducta de rechazo escolar en función del sexo y el curso académico, se utilizó la prueba Z de diferencia de proporciones. La proporción de chicas fue significativamente mayor en el Factor I, mientras que el porcentaje de chicos fue significativamente superior en el Factor IV. Las diferencias significativas en función del curso se hallaron en el Factor I entre primero y tercero y entre segundo y tercero de bachillerato, y en el Factor IV entre primero y tercero. Se discuten las implicaciones prácticas de estos hallazgos.

Subtyping of Adolescents with School Refusal Behavior: Exploring Differences Across Profiles in Self-Concept.

Not all adolescents with school attendance problems attribute their behavior to the same causes. Knowing the subtypes of students who reject school and their relationship with new variables, such as self-concept, is an unresolved task. This study aimed to identify different school refusal behavior profiles and to determine whether these profiles differed from each other based on the scores of the eleven dimensions of self-concept (Physical appearance, Physical abilities, Parent relations, Same-sex relations, Opposite-sex relations, Honesty, Emotional stability, Self-esteem, Verbal, Math, and General school). The participants were 1315 Spanish students (57.6% male) aged 12–18 years (M = 15.21; SD = 1.74). The School Refusal Assessment Scale-Revised and the Self-Description Questionnaire II-Short Form were administered. A latent class analysis revealed four school refusal behavior profiles: Moderately High School Refusal Behavior, Moderately Low School Refusal Behavior, Mixed School Refusal Behavior and Non-School Refusal Behavior. The results indicated that the Mixed School Refusal Behavior group was the most maladaptive profile and revealed the lowest mean scores on self-concept. In contrast, Non-School Refusal and Moderately Low School Refusal Behavior groups revealed the highest scores in all dimensions of self-concept. Implications for working toward the prevention of school refusal in students with low self-concept are discussed.

Evaluation of a finger prompt variation in the treatment of pediatric feeding disorders.

Children with feeding disorders often engage in refusal behavior to escape or avoid eating. Escape extinction combined with reinforcement is a well-established intervention to treat food refusal. Physical guidance procedures (e.g., jaw prompt, finger prompt) have been shown to increase food acceptance and decrease inappropriate mealtime behavior when more commonly employed escape extinction (e.g., nonremoval of the spoon) procedures are ineffective. The finger prompt, however, has not been extensively evaluated as a treatment adjunct to target food refusal, thus necessitating further examination. The purpose of this prospective study was to assess a variation of a finger prompt procedure to treat food refusal and to assess caregivers' acceptability of the procedure. Three children age 1 to 4 years admitted to an intensive feeding disorders program and their caregivers participated. The finger prompt was effective in increasing bite acceptance across all participants and decreasing or maintaining low levels of inappropriate behavior for 2 participants. The procedure was also acceptable to all caregivers.

How Do Men and Women Refuse? A Study on Refusal Speech Acts

Gender and speech behavior are considered to be two interrelated variables. Abarghoui (2012) suggests that gender is one of the social variables which influences the refusing behavior of people. This study is an attempt to investigate refusal speech acts of 20 male and 20 female enactors participated in TV dating programs such as "Esra Erol’da" and “Zuhal Topal’la” in regard to the way how they use refusing strategies. Based on Brown and Levinson’s (1987) Politeness Theory and face threatening acts, data is analyzed as direct and indirect speech acts and discussed from the perspective of gender difference. Brown and Levinson (1978-1987), Leech (1983), and Searle (1976) agree upon that the indirectness is a feature of politeness. This study shows that women use more euphemistic language while men are more direct in refusal behavior and concludes that gender influences the choices of expressions of refusals.

Identifying Risk Profiles of School Refusal Behavior: Differences in Social Anxiety and Family Functioning Among Spanish Adolescents.

School attendance problems negatively affect students’ development. This study attempted to identify different school refusal behavior profiles and to examine their relationship with three dimensions of social anxiety (fear of negative evaluation, social avoidance and distress in new situations, and social avoidance and distress that is experienced more generally in the company of peers) and the perception of family functioning. Participants included 1842 Spanish adolescents (53% girls) aged 15–18 years (M = 16.43; SD = 1.05). The School Refusal Assessment Scale—Revised (SRAS-R), the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A), and the Family APGAR Scale (APGAR: Adaptation, Partnership, Growth, Affection, and Resolve) were administered. Latent class analysis revealed four school refusal behavior profiles: non-school refusal behavior, high school refusal behavior, moderately low school refusal behavior, and moderately high school refusal behavior. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) indicated that adolescents’ with the profile of high school refusal behavior showed higher scores in all the subscales of social anxiety. In contrast, the non-school refusal behavior group revealed higher scores in the perception of good family functioning, whereas the high school refusal behavior profile obtained the lowest scores in this scale. These findings suggest that students who reject school are at a higher risk of developing social anxiety problems and manifesting family conflicts. These students should be prioritized in order to attend to their needs, promoting self-help to overcome social anxiety and family problems with the purpose of preventing school refusal behaviors.

A systematic review of functional analysis in pediatric feeding disorders.

We conducted a systematic review of the functional analysis of inappropriate mealtime behavior in peer-reviewed studies in PsycINFO, ERIC, PubMed, and the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis between 2000-2016. We identified 18 studies involving 86 functional analyses. We coded descriptive data and calculated summary statistics in addition to conducting a quality appraisal of the literature. We identified escape, exclusively or in part, as the maintaining reinforcer for inappropriate mealtime behavior in 92% of cases. Results indicate that differentiated functional analyses of inappropriate mealtime behavior can be obtained, and outcomes are consistent with etiological theories of food refusal behavior. We discuss procedural differences across studies as well as directions for future research.

School Refusal Behavior in Students with Intellectual Disabilities and Comorbid Disorders in Japan: A Brief Review

School Refusal Behavior in Students with Intellectual Disabilities and Comorbid Disorders in Japan: A Brief Review

Latent Class Analysis of School Refusal Behavior and Its Relationship With Cyberbullying During Adolescence.

Cyberbullying is a common relational problem having negative repercussions on the academic performance of adolescents. Numerous questions remain to be answered with regard to the relationship between cyberbullying and school refusal behavior. This study examines school refusal profiles (measured by School Refusal Assessment Scale-Revised) and assesses whether these profiles vary with respect to the level of victimization, aggression, aggression-victimization, and observation of cyberbullying (measured with the Screening of Harassment among Peers). The sample consisted of 1,102 Spanish high school students, aged 12–18 (M = 14.30, SD = 1.71). Latent class analysis revealed three school refusal behavior profiles: non-school refusal behavior, school refusal behavior by negative reinforcements (oriented to the avoidance of social evaluation and negative affectivity in school situations), and school refusal behavior by positive reinforcements (oriented to obtaining the attention of others with significant or tangible reinforcements). The ANOVA found statistically significant differences for all cyberbullying behaviors. Students with school refusal by negative reinforcements had significantly higher mean scores as compared to the other profiles in victimization, aggression, aggression-victimization, and observation behaviors, while the levels of cyberbullying were similar between students without school refusal and students with school refusal behavior by positive reinforcements. These findings underscore the need to consider priority interventions to prevent cyberbullying in children who refuse school for the purpose of avoiding situations of anxiety and negative emotions.

Child and Adolescent Social Adaptive Functioning Scale: Factorial Invariance, Latent Mean Differences, and Its Impact on School Refusal Behavior in Spanish Children

This study aims to examine the factorial invariance and latent mean differences across gender of the Spanish version of the Child and Adolescent Social Adaptive Functioning Scale (Study 1) and to value the function of social functioning as a protective ability of school refusal behavior (Study 2). Participants were Spanish students aged 8–12 years carefully chosen by simple random cluster, 345 for the first study (M = 9.17; SD = 1.03) and 1,032 students for the second study (M = 10.02; SD = 1.77). The measures used were the Child and Adolescent Social Adaptive Functioning Scale (CASAFS) and the School Refusal Assessment Scale-Revised (SRAS-R). Results about the validation of the scale supported the model proposed in this study for the CASAFS, with 15 items and a four-factor structure (school performance, peer relationships, family relationships, and home duties/self-care). Findings revealed invariance across gender for this model and good internal consistency levels were exhibited in each of the four dimensions of the CASAFS (0.76, 0.72, 0.74, and 0.71). Latent mean differences did not report differences between boys and girls. Regarding the second study, the social functioning acted as a protective factor of school refusal behavior by negatively and significantly predicting high scores in school refusal behavior due to anxiety symptoms or feelings of negative affect linked to the obligation to attend school. Opposite results were found for those students who justify their refusal to attend school in pursuing tangible reinforcements outside the school setting. These findings strengthen the reliability and validity of the CASAFS and the idea of social functioning as a person’s ability which could prevent school refusal behavior is discussed.

Characterizing Social and Academic Aspects of School Anxiety in Pediatric Chronic Pain.

School anxiety is a prevalent and debilitating mental health problem among youth with chronic pain. Despite evidence that anxiety in the context of school is associated with significant school-related disability, no studies have examined specific aspects of school anxiety in a pediatric chronic pain population. Adolescents with chronic pain (n=30) and age-matched and sex-matched controls (n=30) and their parents completed questionnaires assessing school anxiety and functioning. Adolescents with chronic pain reported significantly more cognitive, behavioral, and psychophysiological symptoms of school anxiety relative to healthy controls. Youth with pain also endorsed significantly greater school anxiety in situations involving negative social evaluation and peer aggression. Exploratory analyses indicated that adolescents with chronic pain reporting school refusal behaviors more strongly endorsed behavioral and psychophysiological school anxiety symptoms, and more symptoms in social-evaluative situations. Youth with pain reporting lower school functioning endorsed more cognitive school anxiety symptoms and anxiety in situations involving academic failure relative to those reporting higher functioning. Present results offer a nuanced perspective into the underlying sources of school anxiety among adolescents with chronic pain. Our findings may inform future research efforts and targeted school functioning interventions. In particular, findings suggest that an individualized approach to the assessment of school anxiety which considers the unique sources of anxiety (eg, social vs. academic) may lay the groundwork for the refinement of school functioning interventions in pediatric chronic pain.

Behavioral and Physiological Differences between Working Horses and Chilean Rodeo Horses in a Handling Test.

Simple SummaryAnimal welfare is a current societal concern, and non-invasive indicators are required to assess the welfare state of animals. The selection of horses for certain functions and individual differences could result in different strategies to deal with stressors. This is why in the present study we assessed behavioral and physiological responses of two types of horses (working horses and Chilean rodeo horses) to a handling test (bridge test). We evaluated five behaviors, the number of attempts, and the time required to cross a bridge. Heart rate and the variability of heart rate were registered with a polar system during rest and during the bridge test. Chilean rodeo horses displayed several active behaviors in order to avoid the bridge and required a higher number of attempts to complete the task, but physiologically responded better. On the other hand, all working horses crossed the bridge on the first attempt, without refusal behaviors, but physiologically did not respond as well as Chilean rodeo horses. Behavior does not always correlate with physiological data, and needs to be interpreted carefully when assessing horse welfare.Non-invasive measures are preferred when assessing animal welfare. Differences in behavioral and physiological responses toward a stressor could be the result of the selection of horses for specific uses. Behavioral and physiological responses of working and Chilean rodeo horses subjected to a handling test were assessed. Five behaviors, number of attempts, and the time to cross a bridge were video recorded and analyzed with the Observer XT software. Heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV), to assess the physiological response to the novel stimulus, were registered with a Polar Equine V800 heart rate monitor system during rest and the bridge test. Heart rate variability data were obtained with the Kubios software. Differences between working and Chilean rodeo horses were assessed, and within-group differences between rest and the test were also analyzed. Chilean rodeo horses presented more proactive behaviors and required significantly more attempts to cross the bridge than working horses. Physiologically, Chilean rodeo horses presented lower variability of the heart rate than working horses.

Refusal bias in HIV data from the Demographic and Health Surveys: Evaluation, critique and recommendations.

Non-response is a commonly encountered problem in many population-based surveys. Broadly speaking, non-response can be due to refusal or failure to contact the sample units. Although both types of non-response may lead to bias, there is much evidence to indicate that it is much easier to reduce the proportion of non-contacts than to do the same with refusals. In this article, we use data collected from a nationally representative survey under the Demographic and Health Surveys program to study non-response due to refusals to HIV testing in Malawi. We review existing estimation methods and propose novel approaches to the estimation of HIV prevalence that adjust for refusal behaviour. We then explain the data requirement and practical implications of the conventional and proposed approaches. Finally, we provide some general recommendations for handling non-response due to refusals and we highlight the challenges in working with Demographic and Health Surveys and explore different approaches to statistical estimation in the presence of refusals. Our results show that variation in the estimated HIV prevalence across different estimators is due largely to those who already know their HIV test results. In the case of Malawi, variations in the prevalence estimates due to refusals for women are larger than those for men.

Relationship between school refusal behavior and social functioning: a cluster analysis approach

On the basis of the heterogeneous casuistry that characterizes the students who refuse going to school, it is useful to have a classification of this population in homogeneous groups. For this, the aim of this study was, first, to identify by cluster analysis the profiles of school refusal behavior based on the functional model evaluated through the School Refusal Assessment Scale-Revised (SRAS-S). Secondly, it is intended to analyze if there are differences in social functioning scores according to the school refusal profiles identified. This study involved 1212 Spanish children between 8 and 11 years old (M=9.12, SD=1.05) who completed the SRAS-R to evaluate the school refusal behavior and the Child and Adolescent Social Adaptive Functioning Scale (CASAFS) to assess social functioning. Four profiles were identified: Non-school refusers, School refusers by mixed reinforcements, School refusers by tangible reinforcements and School refusers by negative reinforcements. The profile of Non-school refusers achieved the highest average scores in social functioning, while School refusers by mixed reinforcements group obtained the lowest average scores in social functioning. In general, the profiles found support the clusters identified in previous studies. The implications of social functioning on school refusal behavior are discussed.

Avances actuales en el rechazo escolar y otros problemas de asistencia: una perspectiva internacional. Introducción al monográfico.

Los problemas de asistencia a la escuela afectan a nivel mundial a un número de estudiantes mayor a lo deseado. Importantes efectos negativos sobre el desarrollo académico, social y personal se asocian a este fenómeno. El objetivo de este número especial es presentar los avances más recientes en este campo de investigación desde un enfoque internacional. Para ello, este monográfico cuenta con seis investigaciones enmarcadas en el contexto de España, Francia, Estados Unidos, Japón, Malasia y Países Bajos. Entre las principales aportaciones, los trabajos aquí recopilados han conseguido reflexionar sobre el comportamiento de rechazo hacia la escuela desarrollando tres niveles de análisis: (1) nivel legal y político, (2) nivel personal del niño o joven afectado y (3) nivel familiar. A partir de los hallazgos encontrados, se concluye que fomentar la prevención y reducir los problemas de asistencia a la escuela son una intención que no tiene límites geográficamente. Es un propósito compartido por todos los estudios que conforman este número especial incitar a la reflexión del lector y promover nuevas líneas de investigación.

Current advances on school refusal and other attendance problems: An international perspective. Introduction to the Special Issue.

The school attendance problems affect a larger number of students worldwide than desired. Important negative effects on academic, social and personal development are associated with this phenomenon. The aim of this special issue is to present the most recent advances in this field of research from an international perspective. For this, this special series has six investigations framed in the context of Spain, France, the United States, Japan, Malaysia and the Netherlands. Among the main contributions, the works compiled here have managed to reflect on the school refusal behavior reaching three levels of analysis: (1) legal and political level, (2) personal level of the child or young person affected and (3) family level. Based on the findings obtained, it is concluded that promoting prevention and reducing the school attendance problems are activities that have no limits geographically. It is a purpose shared by all the studies that make up this special issue to encourage reflection and promoting new lines of research.

School Refusal Behaviour in Primary School Students: A Demographic Analysis

<em>School Refusal Behaviour (SRB) is an action, which is in another word a child-motivated refusal to attend school or difficulty remaining in class for an entire day. The objective of this study was to identify whether there are any differences in the demographic factors regarding SRB in primary school students in Selangor. Quantitative survey method was adopted as the method of this study. The survey was conducted at the end of school term in 2016, and students were recruited from 20 primary schools in six districts in Selangor with a total of 915 students from Year 4 and Year 5 participating. The sample of students had been absent from school for more than 15% of school days in the current year. Demographic measures were implemented and the study showed a high incidence rate of SRB in primary school students in Selangor (94.9%). The analysis showed there were no gender differences although the SRB in both categories were high (M=3.9). Similarly, the study also found there were no significant differences between single parent and two-parents; and low-class and middle-class family with SRB; although the occurrence of SRB in both categories were high.</em>