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Cited by 20Youth Substance Use and School AttendanceMigration, Health and TraumaEducation and experiences of immigrants and refugees

School Refusal in Immigrants and Ethnic Minority Groups: A Qualitative Study of Adolescents' and Young Adults' Experiences

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Brault, Camille, Thomas, Isaiah, Moro, Marie Rose, Benoit, Laelia·2022·Frontiers in Psychiatry
DOI 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.803517PMC PMC9035588
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Abstract

Background: School refusal is one cause of school absenteeism along with truancy, and the two can be difficult to distinguish. School absenteeism behaviors among students in transcultural situations (immigrants or children of immigrants) and from ethnic minority groups are subject to misdiagnosis and decreased access to care. To improve the care provided, this exploratory study addresses the experience of adolescents and young adults engaging in school refusal, from immigrant and ethnic minority groups. Methods: Sixteen participants between the ages of 16 and 20 years old presenting with school refusal were interviewed for this qualitative study. All participants were either immigrants, children of immigrants, or from an ethnic minority group. We conducted a qualitative analysis based on Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results: Participants experienced school refusal as a loss of identity and as a failure to achieve what was perceived as parental expectations of success, which triggered feelings of worthlessness, shame, and guilt. The loss of a peer group, namely their classmates, as a result of school absenteeism was experienced as a marginalization from the larger society. Although participants denied having personally experienced racism, some of them recalled their parents experiencing racism at school. Conclusion: School refusal complicates identity construction, autonomy, and integration into society. For adolescents and young adults from immigrant and ethnic minority backgrounds, it also triggers guilt, transgenerational traumatic memories, and the fear of marginalization. In addition to validated therapies for school refusal, sociological, intersectional, and cross-cultural tools would be a valuable addition to treatment.

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  • Emotional and behavioral problems in combination with other risk factors such as socioeconomic status, immigrant background, and special education needs are referenced in most studies as contributing factors to youth's capacity to attend school regularly.

    “On the one hand, emotional and behavioral problems in combination with other risk factors (such as socioeconomic status, immigrant background, and special education needs) are referenced in most of the studies as contributing factors to youth's capacity to attend school regularly”

    From “So That You Can Feel Well”: Perspectives of Students with Social, Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties on Factors that Support School Attendance (2025) · cites this paper as Brault et al., 2022

    The Introduction links school refusal with emotional distress and behavioral problems, while the Discussion describes socioeconomic disparities and migration as intersecting with school-attendance difficulties. The paper does not identify special education needs as a factor or establish that most studies cite this combination of factors. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.87)

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References 41 · Cited by 20

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Authors
Brault, C., Thomas, I., Moro, M. R., & Benoit, L.
Affiliations
  • Hôpital de Ville-Évrard (FR)
  • Yale University (US)
  • Inserm (FR)
Corresponding author
Benoit, Laelia
ORCID
Venue
Frontiers in Psychiatry
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2022-04-11
Volume
13
Pages
803517-803517
ISSN
1664-0640 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/fpsyt.2022.803517
PMC
PMC9035588
OpenAlex
W4223615751
Cited by
20
References
41
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 5 · 2022: 2
FWCI
7.01
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Frontiers in Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Yale University
  • Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine
  • Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Education › Youth Substance Use and School Attendance
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Migration, Health and Trauma
  • Social Sciences › Education › Education and experiences of immigrants and refugees
Keywords
school refusal, school absenteeism, truancy, immigrants, immigrant children, ethnic minority youth, adolescents, young adults, identity loss, parental expectations, guilt and shame, marginalization, racism, intergenerational trauma, intersectionality

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