Mental Health Related to School Dropout in Luxembourg

Psychosocial Risk- and Protective Factors of Secondary School Dropout in Luxembourg: an Exploratory Case-control Study

This study aims to investigate psychosocial risk- and protective factors such as psychiatric disorder, socio-economic background and family functioning among school dropouts and to compare the findings with those by a matched control group of regularly enrolled students.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Psychotic Disorders; Mood Disorders; Anxiety Disorders; Antisocial Personality Disorder; Eating Disorders; Substance-related Disorders; Impulse Control Disorders

Detailed Description

In Luxembourg, the national authorities had to face school dropout rates of more than 15%. As a result, they introduced accompanying and preventive measures to reduce linguistic and cultural risk factors that may impede educational engagement and vocational decisions. Since 2006, the dropout rate has overall declined. However the proportion of early school leavers who remain without any specific occupation is still alarming.

This study aims to identify psychosocial risk - and protective factors of secondary school dropout in order to deliver solid insight on how to tailor early detection and intervention programs.

In the light of prior findings, the investigators hypothesize that school dropouts have significantly more mental health problems than their peers who go to school. They are also more likely to report a poor socio-economic background, negative school experiences and difficulties in family functioning.

To test those hypotheses, the investigators will have an exploratory case control study.Recruitment of cases will be prospective, from an exhaustive population of dropouts and recruitment of matched controls will be done by random sampling. Data will be collected using self-report questionnaires on mental health, family life and problematic internet use as well as a structured clinical interview to consider psychiatric diagnosis according to the criteria of DSM IV.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 200

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Luxembourg
  • Strassen
    • Luxembourg, Strassen, Luxembourg, 1445
      • Public Research Centre Health

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years to 25 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Cases: The ministry for education retrieves a monthly record of students classified as "school dropouts", who will be individually invited to participate in the study.

Controls: Normally enrolled students who are matched for age, gender, school and educational grade. Their recruitment will be subsequent to the participation of cases.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Enrolled in a public secondary school in Luxembourg
• Cases have to be reported as "school dropouts" in the electronic records of the ministry for education
• Informed consent obtained and signed by the adolescent and his/her legal guardian if the participant hasn't reached full age
• Understand German or French, which are the two languages of testing
• Resident in Luxembourg

Exclusion Criteria:

• Acute hospitalization or arrest

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
School dropouts; Students who quit school without graduation
Controls; Normally enrolled students matched for age, gender, school and educational level

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Prevalence and type of psychiatric disorders	Odds ratios of psychiatric disorders between cases and controls	1.5 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Family variables (task fulfillment,role performance, communication, affective expression, connectedness, control behaviour, values and standards)	Odds ratios of family variables as predictors of interest and school dropout. As associations between the primary outcome measure and school dropout may vary with family variables, interactions between family variables and classes of mental disorders will be analyzed.	1.5 years
Socio-economic background (low, medium, high)	Odds ratios of socio-economic background as predictor of interest and school dropout. As associations between psychiatric disorders and school dropout may vary with socio-economic background, interactions between socio-economic background and classes of mental disorders will be analyzed.	1.5 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Public Research Centre Health, Luxembourg
• Collaborators: Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique; Université de Liège; Hôpital du Kirchberg; Ministère de l'Education nationale et de la Formation professionnelle
• Investigators: Study Director: Marie-Lise Lair, Public Research Centre Health, Luxembourg; Principal Investigator: Pascale Esch, Public Research Centre Health, Luxembourg

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Esch P, Bocquet V, Pull C, Couffignal S, Graas M, Lair ML, Lehnert T, Fond-Harmant L, Ansseau M. Psychosocial risk and protective factors of secondary school dropout in Luxembourg: the protocol of an exploratory case-control study. BMC Public Health. 2011 Jul 13;11:555. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-11-555.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: January 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 11, 2011
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 13, 2011
• First Posted (Estimate): May 16, 2011

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): May 16, 2011
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 13, 2011
• Last Verified: May 1, 2011

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Pathologic Processes; Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Personality Disorders; Disease; Psychotic Disorders; Anxiety Disorders; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Mood Disorders; Antisocial Personality Disorder; Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: AFR-CESP-20100403