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Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to know mental health promotion of high school students.
Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to know characteristics of feelings of school avoidance.
The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics of feelings of school avoidance (FSA) among high school students to determine measures to be taken to support the students through the school health service.
Methods:
This study conducted a self-administered questionnaire investigation with 3,985 subjects who were in the first grade of all the public high schools (day schools with standard curriculum) in “A” prefecture (58 schools), and who agreed to participate in our study after receiving detailed explanation about the study in writing.
Results:
A total of 3,028 responses (76.0%: 1,293 boys and 1,735 girls) were analyzed. The scale for measurement of FSA consisted of three sub-scales: 1. bad feeling to school; 2. tendency to friendlessness; 3. aversion to attending school, and the average scores are 26.2, 16.6, and 14.2, respectively. It was inferred that boys had a stronger FSA than girls. Further, students who did not live with their parents, had unidentified complaints, used email (as a means to communicate), had refused to attend school or been bullied, had higher anthropophobic tendencies, had lower social skills, had lower self-esteem, reported having a greater sense of maladjustment in relation to academics, and had lower motivation were likely to have higher FSA. Conversely, those subjects who reported having social support, rarely visited the school health clinic, and had future dreams and goals were likely to have lower FSA (p<0.01).
Conclusion:
These findings suggest the necessity of collaboration between the school nurse and classroom teachers to support students in being aware of their personal relationships, interpersonal communication, anthropophobic tendencies, unidentified complaints, and frequent use of the school health clinic on a daily basis. It is also necessary to create more concrete teaching methods to improve social skills, self-esteem, and stress coping ability.