Back2School - CBT Intervention for School Absenteeism

NCT03459677 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: Sponsor
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 155
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The main objective of this study is to examine the efficacy of a new psychological intervention, called Back2School, in helping youths with problematic school absenteeism to return to school. Furthermore, the study will examine how well this program fares against the treatment or interventions that are usually given to youths with school absenteeism (treatment as usual or TAU). Based on previous studies we hypothesize that the Back2School intervention will be better at improving levels of school attendance as compared with treatment as usual (TAU).

Conditions

Anxiety Symptoms; Depressive Symptoms; Behavioral Problem; School Absenteeism

Keywords

School Refusal; Truancy; School Absenteeism; Anxiety; Depression; Behavioral problems; CBT

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change in School Attendance - Registry data

  Aarhus Municipality's registry data of the youths' school attendance

  Baseline, post-treatment (4-months), 3-months follow-up, 12-months follow-up

• Change in School Attendance - Self-reported data

  Self-reported school attendance in the previous two weeks, reported by parents.

  Baseline, post-treatment (4-months), 3-months follow-up, 12-months follow-up

Secondary Outcomes (7)

• The Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)

  Baseline, post-treatment (4-months), 3-months follow-up, 12-months follow-up

• The Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS)

  Baseline, post-treatment (4-months), 3-months follow-up, 12-months follow-up

• The Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ)

  Baseline, post-treatment (4-months), 3-months follow-up, 12-months follow-up

• The Child Health Utility 9D Index (CHU-9D)

  Baseline, post-treatment (4-months), 3-months follow-up, 12-months follow-up

• The Self-efficacy Questionnaire for School Situations (SEQ-SS)

  Baseline, post-treatment (4-months), 3-months follow-up, 12-months follow-up

Other Outcomes (2)

• The Experience of Service Questionnaire (ESQ)

  Post-treatment (4-months), 3-months follow-up.

• Collaboration with the school

  Post-treatment (4-months), 3-months follow-up, 12-months follow-up

Study Arms (2)

Back2School Condition

EXPERIMENTAL

The Back2School condition is a Modular Trans-Diagnostic Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MTCBT) treating school absenteeism in youths. The MTCBT intervention consist of 10 sessions and 4 school meetings, conducted over a period of 4 months.

Behavioral: Back2School

Treatment As Usual Condition

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

The Treatment As Usual condition (TAU) consist of an array of interventions that the municipality is required to give youths presenting school absenteeism. The TAU condition will last for 4 months.

Other: Treatment As Usual

Interventions

Back2School BEHAVIORAL

Modular Trans-diagnostic Cognitive Behavioral Therapy treating school absenteeism in youths

Also known as: B2S

Back2School Condition

Treatment As Usual OTHER

Aarhus municipality's treatment as usual for youths presenting school absenteeism

Also known as: TAU

Treatment As Usual Condition

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 7 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Youths are enrolled in a public school within the municipality of Aarhus.
• Aged 7-18 years and in 0-9th grade (excluding second semester of the 9th grade).
• Report more than 10% absenteeism during the last 3 months of school (excluding legal absence, e.g. permitted extra holidays).
• The youth and at least one of the two parents understand and speak Danish sufficiently to participate in treatment and complete questionnaires.
• At least one of the parents is motivated for working on increasing the youths' school attendance.
• The participating families are willing to participate in assessment, intervention procedures, and acceptance of random assignment to intervention.
• Written informed consent from the holders of the parental rights and responsibilities (usually both parents).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Aarhus: lead
• Aarhus County, Denmark: collaborator
• Innovation Fund Denmark: collaborator
• The Danish Mental Health Foundation: collaborator
• TRYG Foundation: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Aarhus University, Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences

Aarhus, 8000, Denmark

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Johnsen DB, Lomholt JJ, Heyne D, Jensen MB, Jeppesen P, Silverman WK, Thastum M. The Effectiveness of Modular Transdiagnostic Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Versus Treatment as Usual for Youths Displaying School Attendance Problems: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol. 2024 Sep;52(9):1397-1412. doi: 10.1007/s10802-024-01196-8. Epub 2024 May 13.

  PMID: 38739306 DERIVED

• Johnsen DB, Lomholt JJ, Heyne D, Jeppesen P, Jensen MB, Silverman WK, Thastum M. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of youths and parents seeking psychological treatment for school attendance problems. PLoS One. 2022 Jan 26;17(1):e0261449. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261449. eCollection 2022.

  PMID: 35081106 DERIVED

• Thastum M, Johnsen DB, Silverman WK, Jeppesen P, Heyne DA, Lomholt JJ. The Back2School modular cognitive behavioral intervention for youths with problematic school absenteeism: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2019 Jan 8;20(1):29. doi: 10.1186/s13063-018-3124-3.

  PMID: 30621787 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Anxiety Disorders; Depression; Problem Behavior; Phobia, School

Interventions

Therapeutics

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mental Disorders; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Child Behavior; Phobic Disorders

Study Officials

• Mikael Thastum, Professor

  Aarhus University, Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Johanne L Jeppesen, PhD

  Aarhus University, Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences

  STUDY DIRECTOR

• Daniel B Johnsen, PhD Fellow

  Aarhus University, Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: The study is a randomized controlled superiority trial (RCT) that compares a modular trans-diagnostic CBT intervention (Back2School), treating school absenteeism in youths aged 7-17 years with treatment as usual (TAU). The design will follow a two (Back2School and TAU) by four (Time: pre, post, 3-month, and 1-year assessment) mixed between-within design.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 15, 2018
• First Posted: March 9, 2018
• Study Start: August 25, 2017
• Primary Completion: December 1, 2020
• Study Completion: December 1, 2020
• Last Updated: March 15, 2023

Record last verified: 2019-04

Locations

DK (1)