Interdisciplinary Center for Psychiatric Epidemiology and Graduate Schools for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences and for Health Research, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
J Pediatr. 2011 Dec;159(6):988-93.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2011.06.008. Epub 2011 Jul 23.
To examine whether school absenteeism is a perpetuating factor of functional somatic symptoms and whether this holds true for bullied adolescents.
This study is part of the longitudinal population-based study Tracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey. Data from assessment wave 2 (n = 2149; 51.0% girls; mean age = 13.65, SD = 0.53) and assessment wave 3 (n = 1816; 53.3% girls; mean age = 16.25, SD = 0.72) were used. Peer victimization was assessed by peer nominations, school absenteeism by both parent and teacher reports, and functional somatic symptoms with the Youth Self-Report.
With structural equation modeling, school absenteeism at the second wave, adjusted for functional somatic symptoms at the second wave, was revealed to predict functional somatic symptoms at the third wave in the entire cohort (β = 0.12; 95% CI, 0.02-0.22), but not in the subgroup of bullied adolescents (β = -0.13; 95% CI, -0.62--0.26). However, the difference between bullied and unbullied adolescents did not reach significance.
This study provides evidence that school absenteeism is a perpetuating factor of functional somatic symptoms in adolescents. A clinical intervention study is necessary to examine whether preventing school absenteeism truly helps to reduce functional somatic symptoms in adolescents.
探讨逃学是否是功能性躯体症状的持续因素，以及这在受欺凌的青少年中是否成立。
本研究是基于人群的纵向研究“追踪青少年个体生活调查”的一部分。使用了第 2 次评估（n = 2149；51.0%女孩；平均年龄 = 13.65，SD = 0.53）和第 3 次评估（n = 1816；53.3%女孩；平均年龄 = 16.25，SD = 0.72）的数据。同伴侵害由同伴提名评估，逃学由家长和教师报告评估，功能性躯体症状用青少年自我报告评估。
通过结构方程建模，第 2 波的逃学，在第 2 波的功能性躯体症状调整后，被发现可以预测整个队列在第 3 波的功能性躯体症状（β = 0.12；95%置信区间，0.02-0.22），但在受欺凌的青少年亚组中则不然（β = -0.13；95%置信区间，-0.62--0.26）。然而，受欺凌和未受欺凌的青少年之间的差异没有达到显著性。
本研究提供了证据表明逃学是青少年功能性躯体症状的持续因素。需要进行临床干预研究，以检验预防逃学是否真的有助于减少青少年的功能性躯体症状。
