School-based support for emotion-related attendance challenges: effectiveness of @School when implemented with neurodiverse adolescents, their parents, and school staff

Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 16, pp. 1613712

Abstract

Emotion-related school attendance challenges (ER-SAC) among neurodiverse adolescents are a growing concern due to their impact on both academic and social-emotional development. Despite the prevalence of ER-SAC, few school-based interventions specifically addressing this challenge have been evaluated in real-world settings. The current effectiveness study examined outcomes of the @School intervention, a modular, developmentally sensitive cognitive behavioral intervention that had previously only been evaluated in a research context. In this study, it was delivered by school-based psychologists in a specialized educational setting. Nineteen neurodiverse adolescents aged 12-17 years, all experiencing ER-SAC, participated in the study along with their parents. @School comprises individualized modules for adolescents and parents, as well as structured collaboration with school staff. Outcomes were assessed at pre-, post-, and five-month follow-up, and included adolescents' school attendance, anxiety, school-related fear, depression, and self-efficacy, together with parent self-efficacy. Results revealed significant improvements in school attendance, adolescent anxiety (reported by both adolescents and parents), adolescent depression (reported by parents), and school-related fear. No significant changes were observed in adolescent or parent self-efficacy. Post-hoc analyses indicated significant reductions in social anxiety symptoms, although these reductions did not predict school attendance outcomes. Findings support the effectiveness of the @School intervention, delivered in a real-world setting, for improving school attendance and reducing emotional distress among neurodiverse adolescents. The results also highlight the value of school-based interventions that integrate support across multiple levels-addressing the needs of adolescents, their parents, and the school environment-to respond to the complex emotional and contextual factors contributing to ER-SAC.

Authors 6

1. Evelyne Karel corresponding

   Tilburg University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Education and Innovation, De Berkenschutse, Centre for Educational Expertise, Heeze, Netherlands

   Department of Sociology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands

2. Cynthia Defourny
   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Education and Innovation, De Berkenschutse, Centre for Educational Expertise, Heeze, Netherlands

3. Gil Keppens

   Tilburg University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Sociology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands

4. Patricia A. Graczyk

   University of Illinois Chicago

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States

5. Floor M. Sauter

   Parnassia Groep

   Affiliation as printed

   De Banjaard, Outpatient Mental Healthcare Expertise Center for Youth with MID/BIF (Youz, Parnassia Group Psychiatric Institute), The Hague, Netherlands

6. David A. Heyne Aachen Institute of Psychology, Leiden University

   Leiden University · Deakin University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands

   School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, Australia