Strengths and Difficulties of Primary Schoolchildren From Parents' Perspective

Background: Schoolchildren face academic challenges like learning difficulties and bullying, as well as social and emotional challenges such as peer pressure and mental health issues. Objective: This study seeks to assess the strengths and challenges experienced by schoolchildren in the aftermath of crises. Methods: A preliminary cross-sectional study was conducted between April and May 2023, utilizing a standardized questionnaire for data collection. A convenient sample of 130 students from a private school was included in this investigation. The study compared various factors, such as conduct problems, peer-related issues, emotional well-being, hyperactivity, and overall difficulty scores. Bivariate analyses were performed, with the dependent variables being age, gender, and difficulty scores. Results: The study revealed a significant prevalence of peer-related issues (32.2%) and emotional symptoms (22.2%) among the participants. There was a notable risk of clinically significant problems associated with hyperactivity. Female students exhibited a higher risk of clinical problems (46.9%) related to their emotional symptoms, which was significantly greater than their male counterparts (25%; p=0.015). This also resulted in a significantly higher prevalence of clinical problems associated with their overall difficulties scores than male students (32.3% versus 15.1%; p=0.031). Overall, the majority of students (90.9%) did not experience significant issues. However, 5% displayed a slightly lower prosocial scale, and 4.1% exhibited lower scores, indicating a higher likelihood of substantial clinical risk. Conclusion: The crises in Lebanon have exacerbated pre-existing disparities in educational access, leading to the emergence or exacerbation of academic challenges among students. These findings underscore the influential roles of parents and schools in shaping the academic performance and psychological well-being of children and emphasize the necessity of providing additional support to schools and investing in mental health services for students.