Rumination and Emotional Profile in Children with Specific Learning Disorders and Their Parents.

Vanessa Marra,Lorenzo Desideri,Paola Bonifacci,Cristina Ottaviani,Roberto Baiocco,Valentina Tobia

doi:10.3390/ijerph17020389

Abstract

Rumination, namely a cognitive process characterized by a repetitive thinking focused on negative feelings and thoughts, is a significant predictor for the onset of internalizing symptoms and has also been found to run in families. Rumination has never been studied in children with specific learning disorders (SLD), a population that, due to its condition, might encounter more difficulties in daily life and is at risk of increased psychological distress, compared to typically developing (TD) peers. The present study covers this gap by examining whether children with SLD, and their parents, tend to use rumination more than TD peers and their parents. The study also explores associations between rumination and both children’s and parents’ emotional profile. Results on 25 children with SLD and 25 TD peers and their parents (n = 150), showed higher levels of rumination in children with SLD when referring to a negative social situation, as well as higher levels of rumination in both mothers and fathers of children with SLD. Modest correlations between parents’ and children’s rumination traits were also found. This study offers evidence on rumination as a possible risk factor for children with SLD, particularly considering when they deal with social contexts.

Highlights

Specific learning disorders (SDL), i.e., neurodevelopmental disorders that impede learning or efficiently using reading, writing, or math skills [1] have an ascertained neurobiological etiology, nowadays best explained as deriving from multiple risk factors [2], that involve genetic, cognitive, and environmental influences [3]
This study offers evidence on rumination as a possible risk factor for children with specific learning disorders (SLD), considering when they deal with social contexts
The multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) ran on the four vignettes of the Kid Rumination Interview (KRI) showed a significant multivariate effect of

Summary

Introduction

Specific learning disorders (SDL), i.e., neurodevelopmental disorders that impede learning or efficiently using reading, writing, or math skills [1] have an ascertained neurobiological etiology, nowadays best explained as deriving from multiple risk factors [2], that involve genetic, cognitive, and environmental influences [3]. Due to the difficulties that people encounter in their daily lives, in the scholastic/academic settings, longitudinal evidence suggests that, as a consequence of dealing with their condition, students with SLD might develop increased psychological distress [4]. It has been found that parents of children with SLD have increased parental stress compared to parents of TD children [5,6]. Rumination, defined as a cognitive process characterized by an abstract, repetitive style of thinking focused on negative feelings and thoughts and their consequences, emerged to be a significant predictor for the onset of internalized disorders [7]. Children with SLD (and their families) might experience, Int. J. Public Health 2020, 17, 389; doi:10.3390/ijerph17020389 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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