Anxiety, self-esteem in children with specific disorders of scholastic skills

The study aimed at examining anxiety and self-esteem in children with Specific Developmental Disorders of Scholastic Skills (SDDSS). A purposive sample of 40 children between the ages of 8-13 years, attending English medium schools, with IQs above 80 were taken. Of these, 20 children fulfilling the ICD-10 criteria for SDDSS, were taken from a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit, and compared to 20 non-SDDSS children drawn from nearby schools. Both groups were assessed on: (1) A semi-structured interview schedule (2) Malin's Intelligence Scale for Indian Children (MISIC) (3) NIMHANS Index for Specific Learning Disabilities (4) State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children and (5) Culture-Free Self-Esteem Inventory for Children. The obtained data was analysed using descriptive statistics, parametric and non-parametric tests. Findings revealed a significant difference in self-esteem of children with and without SDDSS. Particularly, low parental, academic and general self-esteem were seen in SDDSS children (p < 0.01). The SDDSS children also had significantly higher state anxiety (p < 0.01), but did not differ significantly on trait anxiety scores, Moreover, parental self-esteem was found to be significantly related to state and trait anxiety in SDDSS children. The findings were discussed in terms of their importance in planning intervention for the SDDSS children, both in the clinic and school settings.