Early Identification of School Refusal from Parents’ Perspectives

School refusal is a growing concern having potentially long-term consequences for affected children and adolescents. Early intervention is widely recommended, yet there is limited knowledge about early warning signs that could support timely identification. This study explores whether parents’ experiences can contribute to a better understanding of such early indicators. A two-phase survey was conducted among parents of children with school refusal. In the first phase, 196 parents responded to an open-ended question about early signs, which were categorized into 30 types. These categories formed the basis for a structured questionnaire used in the second phase, completed by 509 parents. The analysis revealed significant variation in the occurrence of signs and signals. A factor analysis identified seven distinct types of early indicators, including social difficulties, academic challenges, psychosomatic complaints, and emotional expressions. The findings suggest that parents’ observations can provide valuable insights for early identification. However, many of the signs overlap with indicators of other challenges, such as anxiety or neglect, and must therefore be interpreted within a broader social context. This study highlights the importance of incorporating parental perspectives into early intervention strategies and the need for nuanced interpretation of early signs of school refusal.