School-based support for emotion-related attendance challenges: effectiveness of @School when implemented with neurodiverse adolescents, their parents, and school staff
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 evaluate...
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| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1613712/full |
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| author | Evelyne Karel Evelyne Karel Cynthia Defourny Gil Keppens Patricia A. Graczyk Floor Sauter David Heyne David Heyne |
| author_facet | Evelyne Karel Evelyne Karel Cynthia Defourny Gil Keppens Patricia A. Graczyk Floor Sauter David Heyne David Heyne |
| author_sort | Evelyne Karel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7e22b0230bd2426fbe9d03020212a1c2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-7e22b0230bd2426fbe9d03020212a1c22025-08-20T03:23:11ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-06-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.16137121613712School-based support for emotion-related attendance challenges: effectiveness of @School when implemented with neurodiverse adolescents, their parents, and school staffEvelyne Karel0Evelyne Karel1Cynthia Defourny2Gil Keppens3Patricia A. Graczyk4Floor Sauter5David Heyne6David Heyne7Department of Education and Innovation, De Berkenschutse, Centre for Educational Expertise, Heeze, NetherlandsDepartment of Sociology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, NetherlandsDepartment of Education and Innovation, De Berkenschutse, Centre for Educational Expertise, Heeze, NetherlandsDepartment of Sociology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, NetherlandsDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United StatesDe Banjaard, Outpatient Mental Healthcare Expertise Center for Youth with MID/BIF (Youz, Parnassia Group Psychiatric Institute), The Hague, NetherlandsInstitute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, NetherlandsSchool of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, AustraliaEmotion-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.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1613712/fullemotion-related school attendance challengesschool refusalneurodiversityschool-based interventioncognitive behavioral therapyschool attendance |
| spellingShingle | Evelyne Karel Evelyne Karel Cynthia Defourny Gil Keppens Patricia A. Graczyk Floor Sauter David Heyne David Heyne School-based support for emotion-related attendance challenges: effectiveness of @School when implemented with neurodiverse adolescents, their parents, and school staff Frontiers in Psychology emotion-related school attendance challenges school refusal neurodiversity school-based intervention cognitive behavioral therapy school attendance |
| title | School-based support for emotion-related attendance challenges: effectiveness of @School when implemented with neurodiverse adolescents, their parents, and school staff |
| title_full | School-based support for emotion-related attendance challenges: effectiveness of @School when implemented with neurodiverse adolescents, their parents, and school staff |
| title_fullStr | School-based support for emotion-related attendance challenges: effectiveness of @School when implemented with neurodiverse adolescents, their parents, and school staff |
| title_full_unstemmed | School-based support for emotion-related attendance challenges: effectiveness of @School when implemented with neurodiverse adolescents, their parents, and school staff |
| title_short | School-based support for emotion-related attendance challenges: effectiveness of @School when implemented with neurodiverse adolescents, their parents, and school staff |
| title_sort | school based support for emotion related attendance challenges effectiveness of school when implemented with neurodiverse adolescents their parents and school staff |
| topic | emotion-related school attendance challenges school refusal neurodiversity school-based intervention cognitive behavioral therapy school attendance |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1613712/full |
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