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A Comparison of Quality of Life Variables for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders and Students Without Disabilities

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Abstract

The importance of quality of life has been increasingly recognized in the field of special education. To date, however, there are no studies focusing exclusively on students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). This study examined quality of life differences between students with EBD and their nondisabled peers in four domains: (a) General quality of life; (b) Self; (c) Relationships; and (d) Environment. Additional analyses compared parent and adolescent ratings. Results indicated adolescents with EBD were significantly more dissatisfied with their quality of life in all domains than their non-EBD peers. No significant within group differences were found for gender or age; however, EBD students in self-contained schools rated self and environment significantly higher than their peers with EBD in public schools. Parents of adolescent with EBD rated their adolescent’s quality of life significantly lower than their adolescent did, while parents of non-EBD adolescents rated their adolescent’s quality of life as significantly higher than did their adolescents. This study has several implications for programming to improve the outcomes among this group of students.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the contribution of Drs. Sean Clarke and Grace Caskie to this research. Preparation of this manuscript was supported by grants H324Q020004 and H324C020033-04 from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). However, the opinions and positions are those of the authors and no endorsement by OSEP should be inferred.

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Correspondence to Lee Kern.

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Sacks, G., Kern, L. A Comparison of Quality of Life Variables for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders and Students Without Disabilities. J Behav Educ 17, 111–127 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-007-9052-z

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