School participation among young people with craniofacial microsomia and other childhood-onset disabilities.

Aim: To examine how school environment, physical functioning problems, and behavioral problems explain levels of school participation (i.e. attendance and involvement) among young people with craniofacial microsomia (CFM) and other childhood-onset disabilities, and whether participation-focused caregiver strategies play a role in these relationships.

Method: We conducted secondary analyses of a subset of data (n = 260 families: 120 with CFM and 140 with other childhood-onset disabilities) from the second follow-up phase of a longitudinal cohort study. We applied structural equation modeling with data collected from the Participation and Environment Measure - Children and Youth version, the Child Behavior Checklist, and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory physical functioning scale.

Results: Model fit was acceptable to close (comparative fit index = 0.973; root mean square error of approximation = 0.055; standardized root mean squared residual = 0.043; Tucker-Lewis index = 0.958). School environmental support had a positive effect on young people's participation attendance and involvement, and physical functioning problems had a negative effect on participation involvement. The number of disclosed caregiver strategies had a significant positive effect on the relationship between school environmental support and school participation attendance.

Interpretation: Findings confirm the effect of school environmental support and physical functioning problems on school participation and highlight the role of participation-focused caregiver strategies to intensify the positive effect of school environmental support on school participation attendance.

What This Paper Adds: Environmental support had a positive effect on participation attendance and involvement. Physical functioning problems had a negative effect on school participation involvement. Disclosed caregiver strategies intensified the impact of environmental support on participation attendance.