Abstract

PSYCHO-BEHAVIOURAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO TRUANCY AMONG MALAY SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN MALAYSIA

Author(s): Shamsul Azhar Shah*, Azura Abdullah**, Azimatun Noor Aizuddin*, Mohd Rohaizat Hassan*, Nazarudin Safian*, Rozita Hod*, Rahmah Mohd Amin*

Objective: Truancy is a disciplinary problem, which frequently occurs among school students and it has many contributory as well as inter-related factors. It is a growing problem in this country and it often becomes a prelude to other delinquent behaviours. The study objective is to determine the prevalence of truancy as well as factors related to it including psycho-behavioural factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 556 Malay student’s selected using multi-stage sampling was conducted.

Results: The overall prevalence of truancy is 30.2%. The predictors to truancy are age, students who frequenting entertainment centre, students who have not completed Quran recital, coping strategies using problems solving methods and time spent watching television/video. There is a significant association between truancy and psycho-behaviour such as watching video/internet pornography, frequenting entertainment centre, smoking, motorcycle racing and dating a special friend.

Conclusion: Truancy is a social issue, which must be given serious attention by all concerned components of the society.

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