Assessment of Primary School Teachers' Knowledge and Attitude toward Conduct Disorders

Abstract

Background: DSM-5-TR defines conduct disorder as groups of repetitive and persistent behaviors, including aggression to people or animals, destruction of property, deceitfulness or theft, and serious violation of rules in children and adolescents aged under 18 years. Objectives: To assess of primary school teachers' knowledge and attitude toward Conduct Disorders. Methodology: Descriptive study was carried throughout the period (1st December 2022 to 10th June 2023) to assess primary school teachers' knowledge’s and attitudes toward conduct disorders among children in Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf city. A (70) primary school teachers were selected by a non-probability (purposive) sample from candidate school were included in the present study, The Study Instrument consists of three parts, the first part contains demographic information. The second part contains six domains to measure teachers' knowledge toward conduct disorders, and the last part consists of fifteen questions to find out teachers' attitudes toward conduct disorders. Results: the result indicate that 71.4 % of study sample with poor knowledge toward conduct disorders, while 55.7% of sample with unfavorable attitude. Conclusion: The results of the current study indicate that two third of teachers' with poor level of knowledge and half of teachers with unfavorable attitude toward conduct disorders. Recommendations: The authors recommended collaborating between the Ministry of Education and mental health organizations to establish partnerships between schools and mental health professionals or organizations specializing in conduct disorders. This collaboration can provide additional support and resources to teachers and help create a more comprehensive approach to addressing conduct disorders in educational settings.