Factors affecting mental health, social performance, and cognitive performance in children with and without developmental disabilities
Date
2024
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
This study compares the presence of mental health problems (anxiety, depression, behavioral problems), cognitive/academic performance, and social performance/participation between children with developmental disabilities (DD) and typically developing (TD) children using a data sample from the National Survey of Children’s Health. Findings point to higher rates of anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems among children with DD compared to TD children. Among the five most common DD subgroups, children with intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), had higher prevalence of the measured mental health challenges. Correlation analyses in the DD and TD groups indicated significant relations between mental health outcomes and child factors and parent/family factors. Notably, lower income levels were associated with reduced social participation. Child-related factors such as cognitive delay, speech disorder, and caregiver burden were associated with poorer outcomes in academic/cognitive and social performance/participation domains. In the DD group, weight concerns and presence of physical pain were associated with lower social performance and academic performance, respectively. Parent/family factors, including education, marital, physical health, mental health, and employment were also associated with the outcomes in these domains. Better neighborhood resources not only were associated with better outcomes, but also with living in metropolitan areas, higher-income families, as well as better employed and educated caregivers. These findings call for mental health clinicians and professionals and healthcare policies to consider child-related barriers, as well as the need to support and provide better resources (family and neighborhood) to the families of children with DD in order to improve children’s mental health outcomes.
Description
Keywords
Developmental disabilities, Intellectual disability, Children, Speech disorder