The educational inclusion of children with chronic disorders – such as developmental and physical disabilities – is a well-studied area, across Europe and globally. The siblings of these children, however, are less studied, particularly in relation to their educational experiences and outcomes. Siblings of children with chronic disorders have divergent, and often adverse, life experiences. Some siblings may experience positive outcomes, such as increases in prosocial functioning (Orm et al., 2022). Overall, however, siblings are at risk for negative psychological effects including emotional and behavioural problems (Havill et al., 2019; Vermaes et al., 2012). Reduced psychological well-being, in turn, can affect siblings’ educational experiences, functioning, and outcomes (Gan et al., 2017).

Studies of siblings of children with chronic disorders (herein “siblings”) tend to utilise mainly parent and self-ratings on measures of psychosocial well-being (Hayden et al., 2019). While these perspectives are important, they offer limited insight into the functioning of siblings within a school environment, particularly in the case of parent-rated measures. Given the centrality of school to children’s daily lives and the importance of education outcomes to later life outcomes, it is essential to consider the perspectives of teachers on sibling well-being. The present study aims to address this gap by examining:

1)    Teacher ratings for siblings on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)

2)    Agreement between teacher and parent ratings on the SDQ, and

3)    Factors that may explain disagreement between raters. 

Previous studies of child psychosocial functioning – generally, rather than specific to siblings of children with chronic disorders – have found low to moderate levels of agreement between teacher and parent ratings on the SDQ (Murray et al., 2021). This pattern is also found across different measures of child psychosocial functioning. Across these studies, teachers tend to report fewer problems than parents, particularly in the case of internalising problems. Rather than signalling poor reliability of measures, however, the discrepancy between teacher and parent ratings suggests that children’s behaviour is context and rater-specific. Teacher and parent ratings may be seen as complimentary pieces of a larger picture and understanding differences can facilitate better targeted interventions (De Los Reyes et al., 2015). A number of factors may explain a lack of interrater agreement on the SDQ and other measures of child psychosocial functioning. Factors of the home environment, for example, can influence the level of agreement between raters; family stress has been found to be associated with less agreement between teacher and parent ratings while positive parent-child relationship is associated with more agreement (Cheng et al., 2018).

Overall, little is known about the educational experiences of siblings of children with chronic disorders. Furthermore, the SDQ is widely used across European countries and globally. A better understanding of the conditions under which teacher – parent agreement tends to be higher and lower will help researchers and practitioners to interpret SDQ ratings and target solutions and support accordingly.

The present study is part of a larger RCT evaluating a therapeutic intervention programme, “SIBS”, for siblings and parents of children with chronic disorders (Fjermestad et al., 2020). SIBS aims to improve the emotional and behavioural well-being of siblings and to improve communication between parents and siblings. Participants were recruited from six sites that provide support to children with chronic disorders and their families across Norway. The SIBS intervention consists of five sessions, with separate and joint sibling and parent components. Data – including SDQ scores – were collected at baseline and at 3, 6, and 12 months following the intervention. The present study uses baseline SDQ scores from teachers (n=127) and parents (n=173). The SDQ is a measure of children’s behavioural and emotional functioning. It is composed of 25 items organised into five subscales: emotional difficulties, conduct problems, hyperactivity and inattention, peer difficulties, and pro-social behaviour. The first of these four subscales comprise a total difficulties scale of 20 items. Each item includes a statement about the child’s behaviour and three options: not true (0), somewhat true (1), and certainly true (2). The SDQ has been validated across a range of populations and contexts. The psychometric properties of the teacher and parent versions of the SDQ are strong, with satisfactory internal consistency and test-retest reliability (Stone et al., 2010). Means and standard deviations of teacher and parent scores will be calculated for total difficulties and each of the five subscales. Total scores will be compared with population norms using paired sample t-tests. Agreement between teacher and parent ratings will be calculated using Pearson’s correlation coefficient, for both the SDQ totals and the subscales. Finally, factors associated with agreement will be tested using logistic regressions, and will include gender and age of the sibling, family stress, child-parent communication, and diagnosis of the child with the chronic disorder.

Data analysis is currently in progress and therefore results are forthcoming. Preliminary results suggest that siblings’ teacher total SDQ scores are similar to population norms (M = 6.50, SD = 4.89) and that teachers’ scores were significantly lower than parent reports (effect size difference: mother d = .37 and father d = .46). Results of the study will provide a novel insight into the well-being of siblings of children with chronic disorders and how their strengths and difficulties may be enacted in a school environment. Additionally, the study contributes to discussions about agreement between teacher and parent ratings on the SDQ, providing data from a unique sample of children. Finally, results will contribute to the literature on factors associated with agreement / disagreement between raters, such as parent-child communication, family socio-economic situation, and family stress levels. In previous studies of siblings of children with chronic disorders, the diagnosis of the child with the disorder has affected sibling well-being; thus, it is possible that this factor may also be associated with differences in teacher and parent SDQ scores. School is an important part of young people’s lives and teachers play a key role in young people’s well-being and life outcomes. The results from this study can be used to build a foundation for understanding siblings’ experiences and behaviours at school, allowing practitioners to build on existing strengths and offer targeted support if required.

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