Poster #208 - Parent-level protective factors and the mental health and self-regulation skills of children with reading difficulties

• In Event: 3-053 - Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: PS 10 Section - Social, Emotional, Personality

Integrative Statement

Children with reading difficulties experience more academic and social stressors than their typically developing peers. Self-regulation and parental support may be key to their adjustment. Compared to the etiologies and symptoms of reading problems, protective factors have received less attention in research. Parents’ self-regulation characteristics influence their children’s coping. Also, child characteristics such learning difficulties influence parents’ emotional regulation. The present study investigates how children with and without reading difficulties differ on mental health and self-regulation. Also, parents of children with reading difficulties and parents of typical readers were compared on measures of self-regulation.
Forty-two children (22 with reading difficulties) aged 7 to 11 completed standardized reading measures as well as self-report measures of mental health (Mood and Feelings Questionnaire, Angold & Costello, 1987), self-regulation skills (Child Trends, 2014) and self-perception of reading (Reader Self-Perception Scale, Henk & Melnick, 1995). All children’s parents completed self-report measures of effortful control (Adult Temperament Questionnaire, Evans & Rothbart, 2007) and emotional regulation (Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Gross & John, 2013).
One-way ANOVAs were used to compare the two groups. Typical readers showed significantly higher decoding [F(1, 40)= 3.83 , p= .002], reading comprehension [F(1, 40)= 3.90, p< .001], and positive self-perception of reading ability [F(1, 40)= 3.73, p= .001] than children with reading difficulties. No significant differences were found for mental health and self-regulation. Parents of children with reading difficulties reported significantly higher likelihood of emotion suppression [F(1, 40)= 2.47, p= .02] as an emotional regulation strategy. No significant differences were found in effortful control and their use of the cognitive reappraisal strategy to regulate emotions.
Although children with reading difficulties were aware of their disadvantage in reading, they did not report significantly heightened mental health symptoms. Also, their self-regulation skill appeared similar to that of typical readers. Parents of children in the two reading groups do not show significant differences in effortful control. The only area where two groups of parents differ is emotion suppression. Parents of children with reading difficulties were more likely to suppress both positive and negative emotions. Considering the reciprocal nature of the family system, it is possible that this is an adaptive strategy in response to some children’s difficulties; however, the present study does not address causal relationships among variables due to limited sample size. Nevertheless, future investigation of parent-level self-regulation variables may identify areas to target to promote the well-being of children with reading difficulties as well as their families.

Authors

• Huilin Sun, Texas A&M University
  Presenting Author

• Jenna Schwartz, Texas A&M University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Claudia M Dunn, Texas A&M University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Qinxin Shi, Texas A&M University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Trang Nguyen, Texas A&M University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Steven Woltering, Texas A&M University
  Non-Presenting Author