Behavioural Assessments in the School Health Service: A Comparison of Information Obtained from Interviews with Parents, Teachers and Children

Abstract

The behavioural and adjustment problems of all 410 10–12-year-old children in one particular school district of Southern Sweden were assessed by interviews with the parents, the teachers and the children themselves. Three problem groups were defined: A parents' problem group of 26 children (6%), considered difficult to bring up or in need of expert advice, a teachers' problem group of 52 children (13%), who posed problems in the school situation, and a childrens' problem group of 74 individuals (18%) who complained of psychosomatic and/or discomfort symptoms. The correlation between parents' and teachers' opinions of the children's behavioural problems was less than 0.2. Of the childrens' problem group only 15 (20%) were conceived of as problems by teachers and parents. This lack of agreement is explained by divergences in frames of reference and rules of behaviour between home and school. Parents' and childrens' problems are not identical with those of teachers, a fact which must be taken into account by the School Health Service.