The Back2School modular cognitive behavioral intervention for youths with problematic school absenteeism: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Mikael Thastum, Daniel Bach Johnsen, Wendy K Silverman, Pia Jeppesen, David A Heyne, Johanne Jeppesen Lomholt, Mikael Thastum, Daniel Bach Johnsen, Wendy K Silverman, Pia Jeppesen, David A Heyne, Johanne Jeppesen Lomholt

Abstract

Background: School absenteeism (SA) is associated with anxiety, depression, and disruptive behavior. It is a risk factor for academic difficulties and school dropout, which predict problems in adulthood such as social, work-related, and health problems. The main goal of this study is to examine the initial effectiveness of a modular transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention (Back2School) for increasing school attendance and decreasing psychological problems, relative to a comparator control arm (treatment as usual [TAU]).

Methods/design: One hundred sixty children, aged 7 to 16 years, will be randomly assigned to either Back2School or TAU. The design is a two (Back2School and TAU) by four (preassessment [T1], postassessment [T2], and 3-month [T3] and 1-year [T4] assessments) mixed between-within design. The primary outcome is school attendance based on daily registration. Secondary outcomes pertain to youth psychosocial functioning, quality of life, bullying, self-efficacy, and teacher-parent collaboration. These secondary outcomes are measured via youth, parent, and teacher reports.

Discussion: This study will provide critically needed empirical evidence on the initial effectiveness of a manualized treatment program for youth with SA. If the intervention is found to be effective, the program can be further implemented and tested in a larger school health effectiveness trial.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03459677 . Retrospectively registered on 9 March 2018.

Keywords: Cognitive behavioral therapy; Randomized controlled trial; School absenteeism; Transdiagnostic.

Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The Regional Ethics Committee has been consulted, and the study has obtained approval from the Danish Data Protection Agency (j.nr. 2015-57-0002). The families receive oral and written information and sign an informed consent form. For participants in the Back2School group, the consent will include consent to video recordings of all Back2School sessions. The families will be informed that participation is voluntary and that they can withdraw their consent at any time. This will not affect their access to the municipality’s usual support and treatment.

Consent for publication

N/A.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of the Back2School study
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Standard Protocol Items: Recommendation for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) diagram of schedule of enrollment, allocation, interventions, and assessments

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