High prevalence of school truancy in a national sample of in-school adolescents in Kuwait: Internalizing, externalizing and social risk factors

ABSTRACT

Academic achievements in adolescents can be reduced by school truancy. This investigation reports on the prevalence and correlates of school truancy in adolescents in Kuwait. The study participants comprised of 3,637 adolescents (15 years median age) that took part in the nationally representative and cross-sectional “Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS)” in Kuwait in 2015. Results indicate that 48.5% of the students reported one or more days truancy in the past month (32.5% 1–2 days and 16.7% 3 or more days truancy). In adjusted multinomial logistic regression analysis, female sex, older age, current tobacco use, frequent soft drink consumption, suicide attempt, poor parental and peer support were independently and positively associated with 1–2 days and/or 3 or more days truancy (past month). A very high prevalence of school truancy was discovered in Kuwait and several risk factors identified that can be incorporated in interventions.

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescents
• behavioral risk factors
• school truancy
• Kuwait