Truancy and perceived school performance: An alcohol and drug study of UK teenagers

This study is based on a subsample of 15- and 16-year-old school students f rom the UK, part of the European School Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD). information was available on truancy rates, perceived school perfo rmance, family structure, lifestyle, and usage of alcohol, cigarettes and i llicit drugs in 6409 teenagers. Living in a single-parent family, lack of c onstructive hobbies, presence of psychiatric symptoms, and an aggressive ou tgoing delinquent lifestyle bore the strongest associations to truancy and to perceived school performance. There were also strong relationships betwe en both these last two variables and use of alcohol, cigarettes, and illici t drugs. However, the effects of alcohol, cigarettes, and illicit drugs wer e largely accounted for by other variables. Having at least one parent who both supported the respondent and who exercised some control was predictive of better perceived school performance.