Self-rated School Adjustment and Absenteeism: An Epidemiological Study

Objective: Long-term school absenteeism is a problem in Japan, but its determinants remain unknown. We examined the association between adjustment to school and absenteeism. Methods: Our sample was 5519 students from 28 elementary schools. We obtained data on students' adjustment to school and absences during one school year. We analyzed long-term absentee- ism patterns by grade and assessed the relationship between school adjustment subscales and risk of long-term absenteeism. Results: Overall, poor self-rated adjustment was associated with higher risks of absenteeism. Life satisfaction and learning difficulties were significantly associated with absenteeism in the grouped data (OR = 2.53, 95%CI: 1.41-4.53, OR = 1.96, 95%CI: 1.07-3.60, respectively). Conclusions: Our findings might help curb absenteeism and associated social withdrawal.