TY - JOUR
T1 - Cognitive Behavioral Interventions for School Attendance Problems
T2 - A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
AU - Jakobsen, Sarah
AU - Tølbøll, Katrine B.
AU - Thastum, Mikael
AU - Lomholt, Johanne J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2025.
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - This pre-registered (#CRD42024509947) systematic review synthesized evidence on cognitive behavioral interventions (CBTs) for youths with school attendance problems (SAPs). The PsycINFO, PubMed, ERIC, and Scopus databases were searched through 1985–2024 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs), non-RCTs, and open trials (OTs) evaluating SAP-focused CBT. Data were synthesized narratively and through meta-analysis. Four RCTs and eleven OTs met eligibility criteria, including 932 youths. Meta-analyses revealed small to large uncontrolled pre- to post-intervention effects for school attendance (g = 1.02), anxiety (g = – 0.57), depression (g = – 0.66), and behavioral problems (g = – 0.40), which were maintained at follow-up. When compared to a control, CBT had a medium effect on school attendance (g = 0.44) but non-significant effects on anxiety (g = – 0.09) and depression (g = – 0.14). While the results hold promise for SAP-focused CBTs, evidence was limited by study heterogeneity, bias risks, methodological limitations, and inconsistent outcome measures, highlighting the needed for further RCTs.
AB - This pre-registered (#CRD42024509947) systematic review synthesized evidence on cognitive behavioral interventions (CBTs) for youths with school attendance problems (SAPs). The PsycINFO, PubMed, ERIC, and Scopus databases were searched through 1985–2024 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs), non-RCTs, and open trials (OTs) evaluating SAP-focused CBT. Data were synthesized narratively and through meta-analysis. Four RCTs and eleven OTs met eligibility criteria, including 932 youths. Meta-analyses revealed small to large uncontrolled pre- to post-intervention effects for school attendance (g = 1.02), anxiety (g = – 0.57), depression (g = – 0.66), and behavioral problems (g = – 0.40), which were maintained at follow-up. When compared to a control, CBT had a medium effect on school attendance (g = 0.44) but non-significant effects on anxiety (g = – 0.09) and depression (g = – 0.14). While the results hold promise for SAP-focused CBTs, evidence was limited by study heterogeneity, bias risks, methodological limitations, and inconsistent outcome measures, highlighting the needed for further RCTs.
KW - Cognitive behavioral therapy
KW - Meta-analysis
KW - School attendance problems
KW - Systematic review
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105004573744&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10578-025-01847-x
DO - 10.1007/s10578-025-01847-x
M3 - Review
C2 - 40335864
AN - SCOPUS:105004573744
SN - 0009-398X
JO - Child Psychiatry and Human Development
JF - Child Psychiatry and Human Development
ER -