Association between parenting styles and dyslexia in primary school students: the mediating role of home literacy environment

Abstract

Background: Despite an increasing amount of research on the relationship between parenting styles and neurodevelopmental disorders, there has been minimal focus on how parenting styles impact children's reading abilities. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential mediating role of the home literacy environment in the connection between parenting styles and dyslexia. Methods: A total of 212 primary school students from grade 2 to 5 were recruited in this study. The Chinese Reading Ability Test was used to screen children with dyslexia. Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran questionnaire was used to assess the parenting style (emotional warmth, rejection, overprotecting and anxious rearing). The structural equation modelling was carried out to evaluate the direct, indirect, and total effects of parenting styles on dyslexia. Results: Dyslexic children had lower scores for emotional warmth, overprotecting and anxious rearing compared to normal children, especially among male dyslexic children (all P<0.01). Dyslexic children were lack of regular reading time (OR=2.69, 95%CI:1.04-6.97, P<0.05), and have higher homework pressure compared to normal children (OR=7.41, 95%CI:1.45-37.82, P<0.05). Additionally, emotional warmth, paternal overprotection and anxious rearing were negatively associated with dyslexia in children (all P<0.05). Our findings indicate a strong correlation between dyslexia, home literacy environment, and parenting styles. In a structural equation model, an indirect effect was found showing that the home literacy environment independently mediated the effect of parenting styles on dyslexia. The total indirect effect is 0.55 and 0.68, respectively. Conclusions: The findings of this study indicate that home literacy environment serves as a mediato between parenting styles and dyslexia in children. This study offers fresh insights into the intricate connections between parenting styles and dyslexia, offering significantly important theoretical and practical implications.