Understanding mental health in developmental dyslexia through a neurodiversity lens: The mediating effect of school-connectedness on anxiety, depression and conduct problems.
Dyslexia, a neurocognitive difference characterised by poor word-reading, is associated with elevated risk for internalising (e.g., anxiety) and externalising (e.g., aggression) mental health concerns, the reasons are largely unknown. We took a neurodiversity perspective and explored whether school-...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Wiley-Blackwell
2024
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| Online Access: | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1173043 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/95317 |
| _version_ | 1848766000160309248 |
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| author | Wilmot, Adrienne Hasking, Penelope Leitao, Suze Hill, Elizabeth Boyes, Mark |
| author_facet | Wilmot, Adrienne Hasking, Penelope Leitao, Suze Hill, Elizabeth Boyes, Mark |
| author_sort | Wilmot, Adrienne |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Dyslexia, a neurocognitive difference characterised by poor word-reading, is associated with elevated risk for internalising (e.g., anxiety) and externalising (e.g., aggression) mental health concerns, the reasons are largely unknown. We took a neurodiversity perspective and explored whether school-connectedness mediated these associations. A total of 283 primary school children (87 with dyslexia) and their caregivers (95.4% mothers) completed a battery of well-validated connectedness and mental health measures. Two mediation models (one for child-report and one for caregiver-report) tested direct and indirect effects of dyslexia on anxiety, depression and conduct problems via several domains of school-connectedness. After controlling for gender and neurodevelopmental conditions other than dyslexia, there were no direct effects of dyslexia on child- or caregiver-reported internalising symptoms or child-reported conduct problems. Dyslexia was associated with child and caregiver reported anxiety, depression and conduct problems via low levels of school (but not teacher, friend or peer) connectedness. Findings highlight school-connectedness as an important intervention target for the mental health of children with dyslexia. Future research is needed to test associations between dyslexia, school-connectedness and mental health over time. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:44:11Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-95317 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:44:11Z |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publisher | Wiley-Blackwell |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-953172024-08-08T05:44:17Z Understanding mental health in developmental dyslexia through a neurodiversity lens: The mediating effect of school-connectedness on anxiety, depression and conduct problems. Wilmot, Adrienne Hasking, Penelope Leitao, Suze Hill, Elizabeth Boyes, Mark Dyslexia, a neurocognitive difference characterised by poor word-reading, is associated with elevated risk for internalising (e.g., anxiety) and externalising (e.g., aggression) mental health concerns, the reasons are largely unknown. We took a neurodiversity perspective and explored whether school-connectedness mediated these associations. A total of 283 primary school children (87 with dyslexia) and their caregivers (95.4% mothers) completed a battery of well-validated connectedness and mental health measures. Two mediation models (one for child-report and one for caregiver-report) tested direct and indirect effects of dyslexia on anxiety, depression and conduct problems via several domains of school-connectedness. After controlling for gender and neurodevelopmental conditions other than dyslexia, there were no direct effects of dyslexia on child- or caregiver-reported internalising symptoms or child-reported conduct problems. Dyslexia was associated with child and caregiver reported anxiety, depression and conduct problems via low levels of school (but not teacher, friend or peer) connectedness. Findings highlight school-connectedness as an important intervention target for the mental health of children with dyslexia. Future research is needed to test associations between dyslexia, school-connectedness and mental health over time. 2024 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/95317 10.1002/dys.1775 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1173043 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Wiley-Blackwell fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Wilmot, Adrienne Hasking, Penelope Leitao, Suze Hill, Elizabeth Boyes, Mark Understanding mental health in developmental dyslexia through a neurodiversity lens: The mediating effect of school-connectedness on anxiety, depression and conduct problems. |
| title | Understanding mental health in developmental dyslexia through a neurodiversity lens: The mediating effect of school-connectedness on anxiety, depression and conduct problems. |
| title_full | Understanding mental health in developmental dyslexia through a neurodiversity lens: The mediating effect of school-connectedness on anxiety, depression and conduct problems. |
| title_fullStr | Understanding mental health in developmental dyslexia through a neurodiversity lens: The mediating effect of school-connectedness on anxiety, depression and conduct problems. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding mental health in developmental dyslexia through a neurodiversity lens: The mediating effect of school-connectedness on anxiety, depression and conduct problems. |
| title_short | Understanding mental health in developmental dyslexia through a neurodiversity lens: The mediating effect of school-connectedness on anxiety, depression and conduct problems. |
| title_sort | understanding mental health in developmental dyslexia through a neurodiversity lens: the mediating effect of school-connectedness on anxiety, depression and conduct problems. |
| url | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1173043 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/95317 |