Behavioral correlates of differences between a child's assessment and the parents' assessment of the child's self-esteem

• Published in: Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics Vol. 16; no. 4; p. 211
• Main Authors: Schor, E L, Stidley, C A, Malspeis, S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.08.1995
• Subjects: Child; Child Behavior; Child Behavior Disorders - diagnosis; Child Behavior Disorders - psychology; Female; Humans; Male; Parenting; Parents; Self Concept; Self-Assessment; Social Support
• ISSN: 0196-206X
• DOI: 10.1097/00004703-199508000-00001

When, as commonly occurs, a parent's and child's reports about the child differ, the lack of agreement usually leads to consideration of which information is objective and valid. Little attention has been given to understanding what meaning these differences might have in the context of parent-child relationships or to whether the existence or absence of these differences might be causally related to the child's psychosocial status and functioning. Third- through fifth-grade children (N = 178) in behavior disorder and regular classrooms were asked to complete a self-concept measure; parents were asked to independently complete the same instrument as they thought their child would. Parents of children without behavior disorders were significantly more accurate in their descriptions of their children's perceptions than were parents of children with behavior problems. They also tended to expect their children to have more positive self-concepts than the children actually reported. Parents who are able to accurately report their children's feelings and who err toward more positive assessments may be preventing behavior problems.