Characteristics of emotional disturbance of female and male students in elementary, middle, and high school

• Published in: Psychology in the schools 2023-03, Vol.60 (3), p.855-875
• Main Authors: Cullinan, Douglas, Lambert, Matthew C., Epstein, Michael H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic Aptitude; age; Analysis of covariance; characteristics; Control Groups; Depression (Psychology); Elementary School Students; emotional disturbance; Emotional Disturbances; Fear; Fear & phobias; Females; gender; High School Students; Inappropriateness; Instructional Program Divisions; Interdisciplinary aspects; Interpersonal Relationship; Males; Men; Middle School Students; Middle schools; Multidisciplinary teams; Peer assessment; Physical symptoms; school; School based intervention; Secondary schools; Social Adjustment; Student Behavior; Student Characteristics; Students; Students with disabilities; Symptoms (Individual Disorders); Teachers
• ISSN: 0033-3085; 1520-6807
• DOI: 10.1002/pits.22803

Provide data on the five characteristics of emotional disturbance (ED). For 503 students with ED and 2016 without disabilities, teachers rated the characteristics (Inability to Learn; Relationship Problems; Inappropriate Behavior; Unhappiness or Depression; Physical Symptoms or Fears), plus Socially Maladjusted. We applied a 2 (ED, without disabilities) × 2 (female, male) × 3 (elementary, middle, high school) covariance analysis, with follow‐up comparisons. Students with ED showed greater problems than students without disabilities on all five characteristics, and Socially Maladjusted. On Inability to Learn, among students with ED genders did not differ at elementary but males had greater problems at middle school. On Inappropriate Behavior and Physical Symptoms or Fears, students with ED varied across school levels but students without disabilities did not. All five characteristics discriminated students with ED from those without disabilities. Differences between genders and school levels varied across characteristics. Practitioner points On all five IDEA characteristics of emotional disturbance (ED), students with ED show significantly more serious problems than their peers with no disabilities. Assessment of all five characteristics of ED can help the multidisciplinary team determine whether a student qualifies as ED. Assessment of the five characteristics can also suggest directions for school intervention.