Study of schoolchildren having a school refusal in Gironde over the school year 2014-2015: description of the period necessary for a return to school, and its factors ; Étude des collégiens présentant un refus scolaire anxieux en Gironde sur l’année scolaire 2014-2015 : description du délai de reprise d’une scolarisation et de ses déterminants

Introduction: in France, in the last few years, school refusal became more and more important, for its media coverage, and because of its suspected increasing incidence. It is hard to differentiate an increasing number of cases from a better detection of existing cases by caregivers. Objective: the aim of the study was to assess the delay between school dropout and the return to school, and to evidence prognostic factors. Study materials and method: my research identified 91 potential cases of school refusal. Among them, 22 parents agreed to be part of the study. These parents were contacted, provided with information, and signed the consent form. During the interview, several questions were asked about their family history, including the siblings, the story of the school refusal and the school dropout. Social life events have also been included. Results: in my research, among 91 children suspected to suffer from school refusal, 22 parents agreed to answer my questions: 18 boys’ parents, and 4 girls’ parents. Regarding the school characteristics, it can be noted that most of the school dropouts happen in sixth grade (45%), and the average delay between school dropout and the return to school is 6 months, the children that do not return to school after this delay rarely return to school. About one third of the schoolchildren show early signs, since the kindergarten. Regarding the analised factors, bullying, either by a teacher or by another child, seems to be a major factor: 45% of the children of the study are concerned by this phenomenon, as well as 86% of the children that do not return to school. The continuation, or not, of an afterschool activity illustrates that the effects of school refusal might go beyond school, since 64% of the children suffering from school refusal stop all afterschool activity. The frequency and the kind of medical care do not seem to have an impact: children with a more frequent monitoring do not have a better school future, while children monitored in psychiatric services, for ...