School climate and attendance problems: the mediating role of student's academic and interpersonal competence

A positive school climate promotes regular attendance through strong relationships, a sense of belonging, diversity promotion, clear rules, and safety, leading to improved relational and educational outcomes. This study explores how perceived academic and interpersonal competence mediate the relationship between school climate components and absenteeism, using Havik’s (2015) model. A cross-sectional study of 539 Italian high school stu- dents employed structural equation modelling with latent variables to examine these mediations. Results indicated that perceptions of interpersonal competence mediated the relationship between Peer Connectedness ( =.16, p<.01) and Affirming Diversity ( =-.05, p<.05) with Truancy. Perceived academic competence mediated the rela- tionship between School Connectedness and Subjective Health ( =-.12, p<.01), Truancy ( =-.14, p<.01), and School Refusal ( =-.14, p<.01). The findings highlight the importance of promoting a positive school climate and enhancing students’ competences to reduce absenteeism.