Estimating the prevalence of school refusal and school-related fears. A Venezuelan sample.

This study investigated the prevalence of school refusal and school-related fears in a sample of 1034 Venezuelan children from 3 to 14 years of age. Fear surveys were administered to children older than 9 years and to the younger children's parents. In addition, parents and teachers completed questionnaires regarding the children's other behavior problems, and teachers reported on the children's school achievement and attendance. Although a significant proportion (17.7 per cent) of the children expressed intense fears of school, only rarely were such fears combined with high absenteeism or with parents' or teachers' reports of school refusal problems. School refusal prevalence was calculated using six different fear and absenteeism criteria. When refusal was defined by agreement among all information sources, prevalence was .4 per cent, which is comparable to rates reported in other countries using similar criteria. However, the data indicate that there are various degrees of school aversion and refusal.