Children's Emotional and Behavioral Problems Reported by Parents and Teachers and Associating Factors

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine children's emotional and behavioral problems using parent and teacher ratings. The study also explored how children's individual factors were associated with their problems. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Korean version (SDQ-Kr) was completed by parents and teachers of 157 elementary school students. Parents reported perceptions of their child's social skills. Children completed the measure of self-esteem. The results showed that moderate to strong correlations were found between parents and teachers, revealing a stronger correlation in regard to hyperactivity than to emotional problems. Self-esteem and social skill were associated with emotional and behavioral problems in children classified by socio-emotional developmental level. Integrating information from parents and teachers can provide a more complete portrait of a child's adjustment and can better identify a child's problems. These findings highlight that self-esteem and social skill may play critical roles in intervening on children's emotional and behavioral problems.