anxiety and depression . It also included information on children ’ s experience of school exclusion and truancy .
Our analyses revealed that mental health di�culties in primary school left children more vulnerable to exclusion and truancy later when entering secondary school . More specifically , increases in emotional problems heightened a child ’ s chances of being excluded in their early adolescent years , and their chances of being truant from school .
Primary school children with worsening behavioural problems were also more at risk of being excluded when they reached secondary school . But , we found no evidence that behavioural problems increased children ’ s probability of truancy .
In our study , we also discovered that truancy and exclusion may in turn be exacerbating mental health problems . We showed that some of these detrimental effects differed according to the child ’ s gender . And while some affected mental health only in the shortterm , others had a longer lasting impact .
For example , boys � but not girls � who had been excluded in secondary school went on to have higher levels of depression and anxiety , with effects lasting even into late adolescence after they had left school . Both boys and girls who had been excluded also went on to have worse behavioural problems in early adolescence but not later in adolescence . Truants went on to have greater long-term emotional problems , and short-term their conduct problems were also higher .
Changing the pattern Our study very clearly demonstrates a cycle of disadvantage , where children who were struggling with their mental health went on to be truant or be excluded , but at the same time truancy and being excluded further exacerbated their problems , sometimes into late adolescence .
This new knowledge emphasises the need for prevention and intervention for child mental health problems . This could reduce the number of vulnerable children missing out on educational opportunities and also reduce further damage to their mental health .
School-based social and emotional learning programmes may have an important role to play as these have shown success in reducing both behavioural and emotional problems . Sports-based programmes may be another promising avenue for keeping children connected to school . More awareness of child mental health is also vital , even as young as primary school age . Many children may slip through the net : they need better and early access to mental health services .
It is interesting that school exclusion was found to increase emotional symptoms in boys , but not in girls , in both early and late adolescence . These symptoms generally increase much more in girls during this developmental period . Additional focus might be needed on finding alternatives to excluding boys from school .
It is particularly poignant that despite behavioural problems not leading to truancy , these types of problems increased following truancy . Children ’ s bond with their school seems key to reversing this trend .
Programmes that focus on transforming the school environment by developing student commitment to learning and creating a sense of belonging in the school , as these can reduce truancy , could make a significant difference here . And later mental health problems may also be avoided . n
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