Emotional and behavioural difficulties among middle school students in Oman: an examination of prevalence rate and gender differences

ABSTRACT

Children with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBDs) began to receive considerable attention in several countries in the Middle East and North Africa region including Oman. In the Omani context, there is lack of valid assessment instruments which can be used to obtain information on EBDs in schools. The current study used the Arabic self-report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (A-SDQ) to examine EBDs in a sample of middle school students. 816 middle school students from both genders, who were randomly selected from different schools in two big cities in Oman, filled out the A-SDQ. Results provided initial evidence of good psychometric properties of the A-SDQ reflecting that it can be a valid tool for use in schools in Oman. Further, the participants reported moderate to high rates of EBDs as measured by the different subscales of the A-SDQ. Significant gender differences were found in students self-report of EBDs. Compared to boys, girls reported more emotional symptoms, less conduct and peer problems. Implications of the study findings for the identification of students with EBDs in schools in Oman are presented.

KEYWORDS:

• Self-report
• emotional and behavioural difficulties
• middle school
• Sultanate of Oman

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mahmoud Mohamed Emam

Mahmoud Mohamed Emam, Ph.D., is currently employed as an Associate Professor of special-inclusive education at the department of psychology at Sultan Qaboos University in The Sultanate of Oman. He also holds a 20% position as Associate Professor in special education at Assiut University in Egypt. His research is in the fields of assessment and intervention for children with learning disabilities and developmental disabilities in school settings the Middle Eastern Countries.

Ali Mahdi Kazem

Ali Mahdi Kazem, Ph.D., is a Professor in educational measurement and evaluation at the department of psychology at Sultan Qaboos in The Sultanate of Oman. His research interests include educational measurement and evaluation.

Abdulqawi Salim Al-Zubaidy

Abdulqawi Salim Al-Zubaidy, Ph.D., is a Professor in educational psychology at the department of psychology at Sultan Qaboos in The Sultanate of Oman. His research interests include learning, motivation, and EBDs.