A study of family-related factors associated with scholastic backwardness in urban lower middle class school children

INTRODUCTION: Causes of scholastic backwardness in a child may be internal or external. The external factors include the factors related to the family the child is living in, and these factors are usually under-estimated in assessing contribution to scholastic backwardness. AIMS: The aim of this study is to study the family factors associated with scholastic backwardness in school-going children in Pune Cantonment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three hundred school children aged 8–14 years studying in Class III to IX from two government aided semi-Marathi Schools in Pune Cantonment were screened for scholastic backwardness, and evaluation of family-related factors was carried out for positive cases and matched controls. RESULTS: Significant association was found between scholastic backwardness and such family factors as maternal education, chronic illness in the family members, and family problems such as domestic violence and substance abuse (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The family a child lives in plays an important role in determining the scholastic performance of a child. Adverse impact on the child's performance can be made by such variables as low maternal education, chronic illness in one or more family members, and poor family environment. Management strategies and policies aimed at correcting these preventable cause would ensure that they are identified and remedied at an early stage to ensure optimum scholastic performance by children.