Primary School Children's Peer Relationships: Discrepancies in Self-Perceived Social Acceptance in Children with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders

Abstract

This population-based study investigated self-perception of social acceptance in children with emotional or behavioral disorders, and whether their perceptions were in line with parent/teacher reports of peer relationship problems. Children with behavioral disorders (n = 145) emotional disorders (n = 118), and a comparison group (n = 4,344) were selected from an 11–13-years-old population (n = 5073). Children with emotional disorders reported poorer social acceptance than children with behavioral disorders, also when adjusted for parent/teacher ratings of peer problems, confirming the negative self-perception reported in previous clinical studies. Self-perceptions of children with behavioral disorders were lower than in the comparison group and not inflated according to parent/teacher reports. The results emphasize the importance of peer-relations in both disorder groups.