Associations Between Social Determinants of Health, Chronic Absence From School, and Teacher Ratings of Parents’ Engagement in Early Education

Rachael E. Paulson, Corinne M. Plesko, Deborah Gross, Amie F. Bettencourt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This study examined associations between four indicators of social determinants of health (SDOH; parent education, poverty, material hardships, and child health problems), chronic school absence, and teachers’ ratings of parents’ engagement in their children's education. Surveys were collected from 304 parents and 26 teachers from eight Baltimore City Public Schools. Results revealed that teachers’ ratings of parent engagement were consistently lower among families experiencing adverse SDOH and/or whose children were chronically absent; however, there was no significant relationship between teachers’ ratings of parent engagement and child health problems. Additionally, chronic absence partially mediated the relationship between three SDOH indicators (total material hardships, parent education level, and child health problems) and teacher-rated parent engagement. Poverty was excluded from mediation analysis due to evidence of multicollinearity suppressive effects. Addressing the SDOH assessed in this study may be an effective strategy to reduce chronic absence, promote parent engagement, and foster equity in education.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)431-443
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of School Nursing
Volume39
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2023

Keywords

  • absenteeism
  • child health
  • health disparities
  • kindergarten
  • parent involvement

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Nursing (miscellaneous)

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