Adults with Dyslexia, an Invisible Disability: The Mediational Role of Concealment on Perceived Family Support and Self-Esteem

Abstract

Living with a concealable stigmatised identity, adults with dyslexia are at risk for low self-esteem. The small but growing body of research on adults with dyslexia suggests that perceived family support has a direct influence on the self-esteem of adults with dyslexia. Understanding potential causal mechanisms underpinning the relationship between perceived family support and self-esteem is important to address the needs of this hidden population. To be sure, adults with dyslexia often face complex decisions regarding disclosure. According to theoretical and empirical literature, concealment or chronic fear of and hesitancy towards disclosing their invisible identity paves the way for negative affective states including low self-esteem. The present study examined the mediational effect of how concealment may account for the empirical link between perceived family support and self-esteem. The participants were 224 adults with dyslexia who participated in a web-based survey and predominantly resided in the USA. A bootstrapping analysis (a contemporary approach to mediational analysis) revealed that concealment mediated the relationship between perceived family support and self-esteem. Implications for social work practice and research are discussed.