- Title
- Relationships between reading ability and child mental health: moderating effects of self-esteem
- Creator
- Boyes, Mark E.; Tebbutt, Bree; Preece, Kathryn A.; Badcock, Nicholas A.
- Relation
- Australian Psychologist Vol. 53, Issue 2, p. 125-133
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ap.12281
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2018
- Description
- Objective: Children with reading difficulties are at elevated risk for externalising (e.g., conduct disorder) and internalising (e.g., anxiety and depression) mental health problems. Reading ability is also negatively associated with self-esteem, a consistent predictor of child and adolescent mental health more broadly. This study examined whether self-esteem moderated and/or mediated relationships between reading ability and mental health. Method: One hundred and seventeen children (7-12 years) completed standardised reading assessments (Castles and Coltheart Test 2; CC2) and self-report measures of mental health (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; SDQ) and self-esteem (Coopersmith Self-esteem Inventory). Non-verbal intelligence (IQ) was measured using the block design and matrix reasoning subscales of the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, and was controlled for in all multivariate analyses. Results: Reading ability was negatively associated with internalising symptoms. This relationship was not moderated by self-esteem. Poor readers also reported more total difficulties and externalising symptoms, but only at low levels of self-esteem. There was no evidence that self-esteem mediated relationships between reading ability and mental health. Conclusions: Poor reading was associated with internalising symptoms. Self-esteem moderated the impact of reading ability on total difficulties and externalising symptoms, with high self-esteem buffering against negative impacts of poor reading. However, the reliability of the self-esteem scale used in the study was poor and findings need replication using a reliable and valid self-esteem measure, as well as other measures of child mental health. If replicated, future research should examine whether interventions aiming to improve self-esteem can reduce the risk of externalising problems in children with reading difficulties.
- Subject
- children; externalising; internalising; mental health; reading; self-esteem
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1409794
- Identifier
- uon:36060
- Identifier
- ISSN:0005-0067
- Rights
- This is the peer reviewed version of above article, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ap.12281. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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