Depression and achievement in subgroups of children with learning disabilities

Convergent Validity of the Internalizing Symptoms Scale for Children with Three Self-Report Measures of Internalizing Problems

Data that serve to support the convergent validity of the Internalizing Symptoms Scale for Children (ISSC), a new child self-report measure for assessing internalizing symptoms, are presented. The results of three studies are presented, wherein ISSC scores were correlated with three established internalizing comparison measures: the Youth Self-Report, the Children's Depression Inventory, and the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale. Correlations were in the desired direction and magnitude for demonstrating the convergent validity of the ISSC as a self-report measure of internalizing symptoms of children. Strong correlations were found between the ISSC and the Internalizing broad-band score of the Youth Self-Report, whereas moderate to moderately high correlations were found between the scores of the ISSC and those of the Children's Depression Inventory and the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale. The ISSC appears to measure the internalizing construct in children and to have promise as a research and clinical tool for use with children ages 8 to 12. Limitations of this investigation and implications for future research in this area are discussed.

Using Multiple Reporters of Problem Behavior to Predict Clinical Referral of Adolescents with Learning Disabilities

Ratings of behavioral and emotional problems at the start of a school year were used to predict referral for mental health assistance. Participants were 63 11- to 16-year-old adolescents with learning disabilities who attended a residential school. Reports of problem behavior consisted of internalizing and externalizing behavior on the parent and teacher reports of the Child Behavior Checklist, ADHD behaviors on the home and school forms of the Children's Attention and Adjustment Survey, and depressive symptoms on the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Students referred for mental health services had higher scores than adolescents not referred on teacher ratings of externalizing behavior, inattention, and conduct problems, as well as self-reports of depressive symptomatology, and were more likely to have scored above clinical cutoff scores on the first two measures as well as on parent reports of internalizing behaviors. There were correlations in the various kinds of problem behavior rated by teachers, parent ratipigs were also intercorrelated, and CDI ratings correlated with both teacher and parent ratings of internalizing behavior. However, situational specificity was demonstrated by an absence of relations between any reports by parents and teachers. Discussion focused on the use of screening measures in learning-disabled populations, as well as unique features of the current setting that may have influenced teacher reports of behavior.

Des classements de problèmes comportementals et émotionnels au début de l'année scolaire ont été utilisés pour prédire le recours ultérieur à des soins de santé mentale. Soixante-trois adoles cents entre 11 et 16 ans ayant des problèmes d'apprentissage et qui frequentaient un milieu scolaire residentiel ont participé à cette recherche. Les comptes rendus de comportement consistaient en: comportement intériorisant et extériorisant évalué par les parents et les enseignants (Child Behavior Checklist); une mesure d'inattention, d'impulsivité, and et d'hyperactivité évalué à l'école et à la maison (Children's Attention and Adjustment Survey); et un inventaire de symptômes de depression (Children's Depression Inventory). Les étudiants qui ont été dirigé vers les services de santé mentale avaient des scores plus élevés sur les évaluations des professeurs de comportement extériorisant, inattention, troubles de conduite, et rapports de symptomatologie de dépression que les autres étudiants. Ces étudiants risquaient aussi d'obtenir des scores en haut de la démarcation des scores cliniques sur les deux premiers mesures, aussi que les reportages d'intériorisation des parents. Les résultats obtenus démontrent des corrélations entre les problèmes comportementales et rapports des professeurs. Les rapports des parents étaient aussi en corrélation, et les classements CDI étaient reliés avec les classements d'intériorisation des parents et professeurs. La présence d'une spécificíté situationelle a été démontré, étant donnée l'absence de relations entre aucun des rapports de parents et d'enseignants. La discussion porte sur l'emploi des mesures d'évaluation chez les enfants qui présentent des difficultés d'apprentissage ainsi que sur les facettes uniques du présent contexte qui ont pu avoir influencé les rapports de comportement des enseignants.

Eventos estressores e estratégias de coping em adolescentes: implicações na aprendizagem

Ao longo da vida, nos deparamos com eventos com os quais não nos percebemos capacitados a lidar, o que pode gerar um estado de tensão no organismo denominado estresse. As alterações decorrentes do estresse e o impacto que provoca na vida das pessoas podem agravar a desadaptação do indivíduo em seu desenvolvimento, sobretudo no ambiente escolar. O presente artigo explora as relações entre eventos de vida estressores, estresse e estratégias de coping em adolescentes, discutindo as possíveis implicações desses fatores na aprendizagem. Além disso, são descritos os fatores ambientais e a neurobiologia do estresse, bem como o papel da resiliência no enfrentamento de situações estressantes.

Predicting LD on the basis of motivation, metacognition, and psychopathology: an ROC analysis

We examined how strongly motivation, metacognition, and psychopathology acted as predictors of learning disabilities (LD). The results from five studies suggested that level of motivation (as shown through self-efficacy, motivational force, task avoidance, goal commitment, or self-concept) was highly accurate in classifying students with or at risk for LD. Metacognition and psychopathology were also strong predictors. Classification accuracy using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves ranged between 77% and 96%. These rates were much higher than the chance-level (i.e., 50%-55%) rates sometimes yielded by cognitive indices. Linear discriminant function (LDF) analysis substantiated classification accuracy. These results suggest that motivation, metacognition, and psychopathology are strong predictors of LD. Understanding the influence of these characteristics may help researchers and practitioners more accurately screen and treat students with LD.

Depression among students with learning disabilities: assessing the risk

Researchers have found that students with learning disabilities (LD) obtain statistically higher scores on measures of depression than their peers without LD. However, what is not known is whether students with LD display greater levels of clinical depression than their peers without LD. If they do, then special education services should address this area of concern. If they do not, then the current mental health system may be adequate to treat children and adolescents with depression regardless of whether they have concomitant LD. The purpose of this study was to meta-analyze the data-based literature and quantify mean differences in depression measure scores and levels of clinical depression between students with and without LD.

Severity of emotional and behavioral problems among poor and typical readers

The purpose of this study was to examine the severity of behavioral and emotional problems among adolescents with poor and typical single word reading ability (N = 188) recruited from public schools and followed for a median of 2.4 years. Youth and parents were repeatedly assessed to obtain information regarding the severity and course of symptoms (depression, anxiety, somatic complaints. aggression, delinquent behaviors, inattention), controlling for demographic variables and diagnosis or ADHD. After adjustment for demographic variables and ADHD, poor readers reported higher levels of depression, trait anxiety, and somatic complaints than typical readers, but there were no difference, in reported self-reported delinquent or aggressive behaviors. Parent reports indicated no difference, in depression, anxiety or aggression between the two groups but indicated more inattention, somatic complaints, and delinquent behaviors for the poor readers. School and health professionals should carefully assess youth with poor reading for behavioral and emotional symptoms and provide services when indicated.

Emotional adjustment and school functioning of young adolescents with multiple versus single learning disabilities

Early adolescents (Grades 6-8) with multiple learning disabilities (LD; reading and math) in inclusive settings were compared to adolescents with single LD (reading or math) and typically achieving (TA) peers regarding their psychosocial functioning in two areas of adolescent well-being: emotional adjustment and school functioning. The Behavior Assessment System for Children (Reynolds & Kamphaus, 1998) Self-Report of Personality for adolescents was used to determine well-being. One hundred twenty middle school students-15 boys and 15 girls in each group-were included in the current study. The results confirmed that adolescents with multiple LD (reading and math) reported poorer functioning (i.e., higher T scores) on school maladjustment, clinical maladjustment, emotional symptoms index, attitude to school, atypicality, and depression when compared to TA peers but not when compared to peers with a single LD (reading or math). All three groups differed from the TA group (but not from each other) on sense of inadequacy, with the multiple LD group reporting the highest T scores. Additional analyses indicated significant differences between girls and boys, regardless of disability status. Girls reported higher T scores on the emotional symptoms index, social stress, and depression, but boys reported greater school maladjustment and sensation seeking. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Depressive symptoms in and type of classroom placement for adolescents with LD

This study investigated the relationship of depressive symptomatology to type of classroom placement in a sample of adolescents with learning disabilities who attended an urban public high school. Fifty-two students, half of whom were in self-contained classrooms and half of whom were in general education classrooms with resource room, self-rated their depressive symptoms. Their guidance counselors also rated these students' depressive symptoms. Self-ratings of depression did not differ depending on classroom placement. Guidance counselors rated students with learning disabilities who were in general education classrooms as more depressed than students placed in self-contained classes.

Adolescents with learning disabilities: risk and protective factors associated with emotional well-being: findings from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health

PURPOSE

To identify differences in emotional well-being among adolescents with and without learning disabilities and to identify risk and protective factors associated with emotional distress.

METHODS

Cross-sectional analysis of adolescent in-home interview data of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. A total of 20,780 adolescents were included in this study of whom 1,301 were identified as having a learning disability. Initially, emotional distress, suicidal behaviors, and violence involvement were compared among those adolescents with and without learning disabilities using Student's t-test for the continuous or semicontinuous variables and Chi-square for the dichotomous variables. Subsequently, logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify which variables were most strongly associated with risk and protective factors for emotional distress.

RESULTS

Adolescents with learning disabilities had twice the risk of emotional distress, and females were at twice the risk of attempting suicide and for violence involvement than their peers. While educational achievement is below that of peers, connectedness to school is comparable. So, too, is connectedness to parents. Connectedness to parents and school was identified as most strongly associated with diminished emotional distress, suicide attempts, and violence involvement among adolescents with learning disabilities.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the increased association with emotional distress, suicidal attempts, and violence involvement, clinicians need to assess social and emotional as well as educational and physical functioning of these young people. We also need to be aware of the role protective factors play in the lives of young people with learning disabilities.

The Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale: correlations with depression in college students with learning disabilities

Interpretations of depression in children and adolescents with learning disabilities have tended to be neuropsychological or motivational. Some research has related various cognitive-behavioral constructs with depression and other problematic outcomes for this population. Research with nonlearning-disabled college students has provided correlations for scores on the Self-oriented and the two social scales of the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale with those on depression. No such work has been done with college students having learning disabilities. Measures for multidimensional perfectionism, anxiety, and depression were administered to 110 learning-disabled undergraduate men and women. Analysis showed that scores on only one of the social scales of perfectionism were positively correlated with depression scores, and this relation was weaker than previously found for nonlearning-disabled students. Findings are discussed in terms of previous research and a motivational interpretation of depression in learning-disabled collage students.

Adolescents with learning disabilities at risk? Emotional well-being, depression, suicide

As recently as 5 years ago, very little information on the emotional well-being of adolescents with learning disabilities (LD) was available. However, a great deal of research has been conducted recently and some of the implications are unnerving. Research on self-concept, attributions, anxiety, depression, and suicide among adolescents with LD is examined for the purpose of detecting consistency of indicators concerning these emotional and developmental variables. The research indicates that the emotional development of many adolescents with LD is not notably positive, and these students appear to be at increased risk for severe depression and suicide. The discussion highlights methodological pitfalls and developmental issues. Practical implications are suggested.