Dyslexia and Substance Use in a University Undergraduate Population

Wilcockson, Thomas; Pothos, Emmanuel M.; Fawcett, Angela J.

doi:10.3109/10826084.2015.1073322

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 42 publications

(43 reference statements)

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“…For instance, one study of substance-related and addictive disorders showed that out of a sample of adults with addiction issues, 40% had RD ( 92 ). However, a separate study reported significantly lower substance use history in RD versus non-RD university students ( 93 ). Future research is therefore needed to draw conclusion about the comorbidity of RD and substance abuse.…”

Section: Comorbid Mental Disordersmentioning

confidence: 94%

Recognizing Psychiatric Comorbidity With Reading Disorders

et al. 2018

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Reading disorder (RD), a specific learning disorder (SLD) of reading that includes impairment in word reading, reading fluency, and/or reading comprehension, is common in the general population but often is not comprehensively understood or assessed in mental health settings. In education settings, comorbid mental and associated disorders may be inadequately integrated into intervention plans. Assessment and intervention for RD may be delayed or absent in children with frequently co-occurring mental disorders not fully responding to treatment in both school and mental health settings. To address this oversight, this review summarizes current knowledge regarding RDs and common comorbid or co-occurring disorders that are important for mental health and school settings. We chose to highlight RD because it is the most common SLD, and connections to other often comorbid disorders have been more thoroughly described in the literature. Much of the literature we describe is on decoding-based RD (or developmental dyslexia) as it is the most common form of RD. In addition to risk for academic struggle and social, emotional, and behavioral problems, those with RD often show early evidence of combined or intertwined Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition childhood disorders. These include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders, autism spectrum disorders, and other SLDs. The present review highlights issues and areas of controversy within these comorbidities, as well as directions for future research. An interdisciplinary, integrated approach between mental health professionals and educators can lead to comprehensive and targeted treatments encompassing both academic and mental health interventions. Such targeted treatments may contribute to improved educational and health-related outcomes in vulnerable youth. While there is a growing research literature on this association, more studies are needed of when to intervene and of the early and long-term benefits of comprehensive intervention.

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Section: Comorbid Mental Disordersmentioning

confidence: 94%

Recognizing Psychiatric Comorbidity With Reading Disorders

et al. 2018

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“…One speculation we offered in our paper (Wilcockson et al 2016) was that dyslexic individuals with higher socioeconomic status may be more motivated (and more successful) in finding ways to compensate for any disadvantages associated with dyslexia. We now suggest that metacognitive differences may exist between individuals from different socioeconomic backgrounds.…”

mentioning

confidence: 94%

“…abuse from lower socioeconomic-backgrounds. Note, we are assuming that the participants recruited from Wilcockson et al (2016) all had high socioeconomic backgrounds. This may not be the case.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In our paper (Wilcockson et al 2016), we were motivated by theories of cognition which would predict that dyslexia may actually provide an advantage over the likelihood of developing substance abuse problems. We reached this hypothesis due to an observation that dyslexics may be impaired in automaticity development (Nicolson & Fawcett 1990) and the importance that automaticity may play in substance abuse (Tiffany 1990).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It may indeed be that dyslexics are less likely to engage in substance abuse initially as a result of automaticity deficits (cf. Wilcockson et al 2016). But, if they do engage in substance abuse, then they are less able to stop taking substances.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Likelihood of Substance Abuse for Dyslexics May Be Influenced by Socioeconomic Background and Metacognition

Wilcockson

McElhatton

Fawcett

2018

Int J Ment Health Addiction

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Research into the relationship between dyslexia and substance abuse has led to inconsistent findings. Some research papers suggest that dyslexics are at increased risk of substance abuse (and related) problems, whilst some research would suggest the contrary. We suggest that these different observations can be accounted for by socioeconomic background and the effect of this on metacognition. There are also an increased number of other factors which may predominantly affect people from low socioeconomic backgrounds which could exacerbate substance abuse.

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