A cohort study of school withdrawals with implications for mental health.

The epidemiological-public health approach is applied to an investigation of school withdrawals from a rural Florida county school system. Operating on the premise that school withdrawals constitute a risk group from a mental health viewpoint, five specific withdrawal groups are identified, and time points at which withdrawal is most likely to occur are located. On the basis of certain background information, it was possible to predict in advance students who were most apt to withdraw and the form the withdrawal would take. Implications for program planning are discussed.