P01-221 - Anxiety and Depression Symptoms in Children-commorbidity with Learning Disabilities

Abstract

Previous studies at General Children's Hospital of Penteli have indicated that children in primary school with learning difficulties often present secondary psychological problems (e.g. anxiety, depression, anger). This study aimed to systematise the typology of these psychological problems, to confirm the same hypothesis to adolescents and finally to explore the role of children's sex.

The sample consisted of 421 children (292 boys, 129 girls) aged 7 to 14 years old. Children were categorised into 3 groups: children with a) slight learning difficulties, b) dyslexia and c) mental disabilities. Children completed Beck Youth Inventory, while their parents were invited to fill Ascenbach's questionnaire. To compare the 3 groups, we used the t-test, as well as ANOVA.

According to Beck Youth Inventoiry, 29% of children mentioned low self-esteem, 32,3% presented anxiety, 22,1% depression symptoms, 21,6% anger and 20,9% disruptive behavior. According to Ascenbach's questionnaire, 21,4% of parents mentioned that their children presented anxiety, 21,4% depression symptoms, 18,5% aggressiveness and 16,2% deliquent behaviour. Based upon these results, it could be argued that parents tend to underestimate these secondary psychoemotional symptoms and mainly focus on the treatment of learning difficulties.

As it was expected, children with dyslexia presented higher levels of anxiety, regardless of their age. Nevertheless, children's self-esteem seemed to be aggravated by age, as adolescents often present lower self-esteem. Furthermore, children's sex was found to be an important factor, as girls with dyslexia had lower self-esteem and more anxiety and depression symptoms, whereas boys presented disruptive and deliquent behavior more regularly.