Abstract

BOLSONI-SILVA, Alessandra Turini et al. Behavioral problems and adaptive functioning in teacher's report form (TRF): comparisons by gender and education level. Gerais, Rev. Interinst. Psicol. [online]. 2016, vol.9, n.1, pp. 141-155. ISSN 1983-8220.

The study of behavioral problems during the childhood, through identifying peculiarities by gender and education level, is important in preventing future problems. This article aims to describe the occurrence of behavioral problems and adaptive functioning in children, differentiated by gender and education level. We attempted to verify similarities and differences between the indication of teachers and the diagnosis confirmation by TRF. This study included 291 teachers of children enrolled in public schools, both in kindergarten and elementary school. The TRF and the data were used and compared with the chi-square test. Boys demonstrated higher occurrence of problems and lower adaptive functioning than girls. Elementary students demonstrated aggressive behavior, anxiety, oppositional-defiance and attention problems more often than preschoolers. Teachers' indications, in most cases, had the diagnosis confirmation by TRF. These findings clearly demonstrate the importance of early evaluation and intervention in school context.

Keywords : Behavioral problems; academic competence; adaptive functioning; evaluation; teacher.

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