The Impact of Parents’ Emotional Expression on Their Children with Specific Learning Disorders: The Role of Parental Educational Counseling Program

Authors

  • Ola Al-Safory Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt
  • Hoda Abdo Hussein Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
  • Maha Abdul Rahman Mowafy Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
  • Mai Diaa Sarhan Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2022.8664

Keywords:

Specific learning disorders, Emotional expression, Anxiety disorder, Serum cortisol level, Egypt

Abstract

Background: According to the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, the fifth edition (DSM-5), specific learning disorders (SLDs) are neurodevelopmental disorders that share common features of persistent difficulty in learning key academic skills like reading, writing, or mathematics. Some children in different countries worldwide suffer from various forms of SLDs, which can be highly frustrating for a schoolchild, especially if associated with high (negative) parents' emotional expression (PEE).
Aim: This study aimed to identify the relation between PEE and anxiety in children with SLD, and evaluate the effect of a parental educational counselling program (PECP) on the emotional expressions (EE) of parents and anxiety in children with SLD.
Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted on 140 children with SLD and their parents at the Helwan University Educational Hospital's Learning Disability Unit (LDU) in Cairo, Egypt. The emotional expression scale (EES) of parents and Taylor manifest anxiety scale (TMAS) of children were used, and children's serum cortisol levels were measured as an anxiety marker. TMAS and EES were repeated after the conduction of 10 sessions of PECP. Serum cortisol samples were taken before PECP.
Results: The study was revealed that more than half (60%) of studied children are suffered from morbid anxiety, and 80% of their parents practised high EE. Cortisol levels were significantly higher in children with severe& morbid anxiety, and in children whose parents practised high EE (P<0.001). After applying PECP, scores of TMAS demonstrated a significant drop from 33.06±10.4 to 25.85±10.4, and scores of EES showed a significant drop from 61.31±16.84 to 36.51±13.89.
Conclusions: There was a statistically significant positive correlation between scores of TMAS& EES before and after PECP (r=0.533) and (r=0.309), respectively, proving the presence of a direct impact of PEE on the anxiety of studied children with SLDs.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Plum Analytics Artifact Widget Block

References

Santos JB, Goncalves TS, Franco R, Cerenitte P. Suggestive signs of stress in school children with learning disabilities. Rev CEFAC. 2016;18:32.

Al-Mahrezi A, Al-Futaisi A, Al-Mamari W. Learning disabilities: Opportunities and challenges in Oman-Sultan Qaboos University. Med J. 2016;16:e129-31. https://doi.org/10.18295/squmj.2016.16.02.001 PMid:27226902 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18295/squmj.2016.16.02.001

Panicker AS, Chelliah A. Resilience and stress in children and adolescents with specific learning disability. J Can Acad Child Adoles Psychiatry. 2016;25(1):17-23. PMid:27047553

Moll K, Kunze S, Neuhoff N, Bruder J, Schulte-K Sch G. Specific learning disorder: Prevalence and gender differences. PLoS One. 2014;9:e103537. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0103537 PMid:25072465 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0103537

National Center for Learning Disabilities. The State of Learning Disabilities. 3rd ed. National Center for Learning Disabilities; 2014. Available from: http://www.ncld.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/2014-State-of-LD.pdf [Last accessed on 2016 Feb 20].

Abd El Hamid G. Characteristics of Students with Special Needs and Teaching Strategies for them. Arab Thought House-Cairo, Egypt; 2001. In: Arabic: [الخاصه تاذوي الاحتياج نمالتلاميذ صخصائ يره, دار الفكر العربهام: القهلالتدريس تاواستراجي]

El-Keshky M, Emam M. Emotional and behavioural difficulties in children referred for learning disabilities from two Arab countries: A cross-cultural examination of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Res Dev Disabil. 2015;36:459-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2014.10.039 PMid:25462506 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2014.10.039

Kaplan HI, Sadock BJ. Synopsis of Psychiatry. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. 2015. p. 192-283.

Shah HR, Sagar JKV, Somaiya MP. Clinical practice guidelines on assessment and management of specific learning disability. Department of science and technology. Indian J Psychiatry. 2019;61(Suppl 2):211-25. https://doi.org/10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_564_18 PMid:30745697 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_564_18

Thakkar AN, Karande S, Bala N, Sant H, Gogtay NJ, Sholapurwala R. Is anxiety more common in school students with newly diagnosed specific learning disabilities? A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. J Postgrad Med. 2016;62(1):12-9. https://doi.org/10.4103/0022-3859.167663 PMid:26482116 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/0022-3859.167663

Chiappedi M, Baschenis MC. Specific learning disorders and anxiety: A matter of school experience? Min Pediatr. 2014;68(1):51-5. PMid:25243500

Mahmoud NH, Kashkosh EZ. Family Counseling Program to Enhance the Parental Effectiveness to Relieving the Psychological Disorders for a Sample of Elementary School Students with Learning Disabilities. Ain Shams University, Faculty of Education, Department of Mental Health- Cairo, Egypt; 2017. In: Arabic: [“ناريمان حامد محمود, إبراهيم زكي قشقوش, طه ربيع تخفيف حدة الاضطرابات النفسية لدى يفالعدوي )برنامج إرشادي لتدعيم الفاعلية الوالدية المرحلة البتدائية(- كلية التربية, قسم الصحة يفالتالميذ ذوي صعوبات التعلم نمعينة النفسية- جامعة عين شمس]

Abdelnaby EM, Mohamed SF, Kasem NF. Family Counseling of Parents of Children with SLD to Improve Negative PEE and the Academic Difficulties of Schoolchildren in Primary Stage. Mental Health and Psychological Counseling Department, Faculty of Education, Ain Shams University Cairo, Egypt; 2017. In: Arabic: [“إسراء محمد عبد النبي, صابر فاروق محمد, نادر فتحي قاسم )برنامج ذوي صعوبات التعلم نمإرشادي أسري لتحسين أساليب المعاملة الوالدية السلبية نحو الأبناء كلية التربية, قسم الصحة النفسية- جامعة عين شمس الدراسية بالمرحلة الإبتدائية]

Farag S. Intelligence scale. In: Arabic translation of Stanford-Binet. 5th ed. Egypt: Egyptian Anglo Library-Cairo; 2011.

El-Zayat. Battery for Diagnostic Assessing Standards of Developmental and Academic Learning Disabilities. Al-Anglo Egyptian House, Publisher House for Universities- Cairo, Egypt; 2007-2008. In Arabic: [بطارية الزيات: مقاييس التقديرالتشخيصيه لصعوبات التعلم النمائية والأكاديمية- مكتبة الأنجلو المصرية ]

Taylor J. A personality scale of manifest anxiety. J Abnorm Soc Psychol. 1956;48(2):285-90. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0056264 PMid:13052352 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/h0056264

Fahmi M, Ghali M, Meleka K. Arabic version of the personality scale of manifest anxiety. Egypt Psychiatry. 1997;11:119-26.

Lanzenberger R, Wadsak W, Spindelegger C, Mitterhauser M, Akimova E, Mien LK, et al. Cortisol plasma levels in social anxiety disorder patients correlate with serotonin-1A receptor binding in limbic brain regions. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2010;13(9):1129-43. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1461145710000581 PMid:20519060 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1461145710000581

LaGow. PDR lab Advisor, eds. A Comprehensive Point of-care Guide for Over 600 Lab Tests. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Thomson PDR; 2007.

Cole JD, Kazarian SS. The level of expressed emotion scale: A new measure of expressed emotion. J Clin Psychol. 1988;44(3):392-7. https://doi.org/10.1002/1097-4679(198805)44:3<392:aid-jclp2270440313>3.0.co;2-3 PMid:3384966 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/1097-4679(198805)44:3<392::AID-JCLP2270440313>3.0.CO;2-3

Kavanagh DJ, O’Halloran P, Manicavasagar V, Clark D, Piatkowska O, Tennant C, et al. The family attitude scale: Reliability and validity of a new scale for measuring the emotional climate of families. Psychiatry Res. 1997;70(3):185-95. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0165-1781(97)00033-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-1781(97)00033-4

PMid:9211580

Loutfy Z, Abd El Hassan M, Mohamed E. Emotional Expressions among Families of Addicts. Thesis. Ain Shams University-Cairo, Egypt; 2016. In Arabic: [التعبيرات الانفعالية بين أسر مرضى الإدمان. جامعة عين شمس]

Abdel-Aal MH, Sayed MA. Relation between Expressed Emotion and Burden among Family Caregivers of Patients with Dementia at outpatient clinic of El Abbassia mental health hospital, Cairo-Egypt. Port Said Sci J Nurs. 2017;4(1):2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21608/pssjn.2017.33087

National Center for Education Statistics. US Department of Education, for Educational Statistics in the United States and other Nations. National Center for Education Statistics; 2019.

American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. Arlington, VA: Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data; 2013. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

Ismail RM, Mohamed HT, Soltan BG. Prevalence of learning disabilities among a sample of primary school students. Sci J Al-Azhar Med Fac Girls. 2019;3:125-30. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/sjamf.sjamf_65_18

Chandramukhi, Venkatakrishnashastry I, Sastry, Vranda MN. Attitudes of Parents towards Children with Specific Learning Disabilities who attend the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Out-Patient Department at National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India; 2012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5463/dcid.v23i1.47

Garcia-Lopez LJ, Diaz-Castela Mdel M, Muela-Martinez JA, Espinosa-Fernandez L. Can parent training for parents with high levels of expressed emotion have a positive effect on their child’s social anxiety improvement? J Anxiety Disord. 2014;28(8):812-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.09.001 PMid:25265549 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.09.001

Rashkova M, Kalchev P, Emilova R, Ribagin L, Doganova TZ, Stoeva I. Cortisol in Saliva a Marker for Increased Anxiety in Children. Vol. 16. IMAB Annual Proceeding (Scientific Papers); 2010. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5272/jimab.1642010_67

Dughi T, Dughi D, Juncu M. Parental Counselling and the Education of Children with Special Educational Needs. Uploaded by Daniel Craciun Meriden; 2014.

Tawfik NM, Sabry NA, Darwish H, Soliman S. Psychoeducational program for the family member caregivers of people with dementia to reduce perceived burden and increase patient’s quality of life: A randomized controlled trial. J Prim Care Community Health. 2021;12:1-7. https://doi.org/10.1177/21501327211014088 PMid:33971764 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/21501327211014088

Pagana K, Pagana TJ. Mosby’s Manual of Diagnostic and Laboratory Tests. 5th ed. ST. Louis, Missouri. Elsevier eBook on Vital Source; 2014.

Beko G, Vaga I, Glaze, Series M. Cutoff values of salivary cortisol for the diagnosis of hypercortisolism. Clin Chim Acta 2009;411(5-6):364-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cca.2009.11.033 PMid:19968981 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cca.2009.11.033

Anesiadou S, Makris G, Michou M, Bali P, Papassotiriou I, Apostolakou F, et al. Salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase daily profiles and stress responses to an academic performance test and a moral cognition task in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Stress Health. 2020;37(1):45-59. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.2971 PMid:32608561 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.2971

Downloads

Published

2022-03-20

How to Cite

1.
Al-Safory O, Hussein HA, Mowafy MAR, Sarhan MD. The Impact of Parents’ Emotional Expression on Their Children with Specific Learning Disorders: The Role of Parental Educational Counseling Program. Open Access Maced J Med Sci [Internet]. 2022 Mar. 20 [cited 2024 Mar. 28];10(B):1706-14. Available from: https://oamjms.eu/index.php/mjms/article/view/8664