Graeff-Martins Ana Soledade, Oswald Sylvia, Comassetto Júlia Obst, Kieling Christian, Gonçalves Renata Rocha, Rohde Luis Augusto
Dept. of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Rua Ramiro Barcelos, 2350, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil 90035-003.
Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2006 Dec;15(8):442-9. doi: 10.1007/s00787-006-0555-2. Epub 2006 Jun 6.
School dropout rates are staggeringly high in developing countries, even for elementary school children. This study aims to assess the feasibility and initial efficacy of a package of interventions tailored to reduce school dropout in public schools in an urban city in Brazil.
Two public schools with similar high rates of dropout in elementary grades were selected. In one of them, a package of universal preventive interventions was implemented during a school year, including two workshops with teachers, five informative letters to parents, three meetings with parents at school, a telephone helpline at school, and a 1-day cognitive intervention. For children who stayed ten consecutive days out of school without reason, mental health assessment and referral to mental health services in the community were offered. In the second school, no intervention was implemented.
After this 1-year intervention, there were significant differences between the two schools in rates of both dropout (P < 0.001) and absenteeism in the last trimester (P < 0.05; effect size = 0.64). In the intervention school, 18 (45%) youths returned to school after intervention among the 40 at-risk students. Moderate engagement of school staff was the main logistic problem.
Our findings suggest that programs combining universal primary preventive strategies and interventions focused on at-risk students can be implemented and useful in developing countries to reduce school dropout.
在发展中国家，即使是小学生，辍学率也高得惊人。本研究旨在评估一套为降低巴西某城市公立学校辍学率而量身定制的干预措施的可行性和初步效果。
选择两所小学辍学率相近的公立学校。其中一所学校在一学年内实施了一套全面的预防性干预措施，包括为教师举办两场工作坊、给家长寄五封告知信、在学校与家长举行三次会议、设立学校电话热线以及开展为期一天的认知干预。对于无故连续十天未到校的儿童，提供心理健康评估并转介至社区心理健康服务机构。另一所学校未实施任何干预措施。
经过这一年的干预，两所学校在辍学率（P < 0.001）和最后一个学期的缺勤率（P < 0.05；效应量 = 0.64）方面均存在显著差异。在干预学校，40名有风险的学生中有18名（45%）在干预后重返学校。学校工作人员参与度一般是主要的后勤问题。
我们的研究结果表明，结合全面的初级预防策略和针对有风险学生的干预措施的项目在发展中国家可以实施且有助于降低辍学率。
