Psycho-Behavioural Factors Contributing To Truancy Among Malay Secondary School Students in Malaysia

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