Mental health in adolescents with a history of developmental language disorder: The moderating effect of bullying victimisation

Abstract

Background: Children and adolescents with a history of developmental language disorder are at elevated risk of experiencing internalising and externalising symptoms. The existing literature suggests a link between developmental language disorder, bullying victimisation and low self-esteem, both of which are negatively associated with child and adolescent mental health more generally. Aim: We examined the relationship between having a history of developmental language disorder and internalising and externalising symptoms in adolescence. We also tested whether bullying victimisation and self-esteem were associated with mental health outcomes, and whether they moderated the association between a history of developmental language disorder and psychological symptoms. Methods and procedures: Adolescents with a history of developmental language disorder (n ¼ 20, 10-16 years, 10% female, 90% male) were compared to a group of typically developing peers (n ¼ 22, 10-16 years, 36.4% female, 63.6% male). Receptive and expressive language, internalising and externalising symptoms, bullying victimisation and selfesteem were assessed with well-validated measures. Outcomes and results: Contrary to our predictions, a history of developmental language disorder was not directly associated with internalising or externalising symptoms. However, in terms of internalising symptoms, there was a significant interaction between a history of developmental language disorder and bullying victimisation (b ¼ 1.01, p ¼ .02). Specifically, there was a significant association between a history of developmental language disorder and internalising symptoms at high levels of bullying victimisation [t(41) ¼ 2.52, p ¼ .02] but not at low levels of bullying victimisation [t(41) ¼-.67, p ¼ .51). Conclusions and implications: Bullying victimisation appears to increase the risk of internalising symptoms in adolescents with a history of developmental language disorder. Future research should examine whether anti-bullying interventions can help prevent the development of internalising problems for children with developmental language disorder. These findings may aid clinicians in developing their understanding of developmental language disorder and reinforces the importance of holistic client management in speech language therapy.

Associations Between Self, Peer, and Teacher Reports of Victimization and Social Skills in School in Children With Language Disorders

“…However, although these children do not label these behaviors as victimization, they suffer their emotional consequences (Valera-Pozo et al, 2020). In this sense, authors such as Kilpatrick et al (2019) found that bullying mediated the effect between a history of DLD and internalizing symptomatology (depression, anxiety, etc.). This situation might lead to a more obvious sociometric profile of rejection by class peers (García Bacete et al, 2018).…”

Association between CCC-2 and Structural Language, Pragmatics, Social Cognition, and Executive Functions in Children with Developmental Language Disorder

“…However, it would also be important to include aspects of SC (e.g., regarding the understanding of a speaker’s intention) and EF (e.g., regarding attention to cues from context, or impulsive or quick responses to the speaker) to improve other social communication skills that have not been addressed with the CCC-2 (e.g., understanding irony). Early diagnosis of pragmatic difficulties is crucial due to the fact that children with DLD are at greater risk of experiencing poor social, emotional, and mental health outcomes [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ], which increases the probabilities of them being the victim of bullying [ 13 ].…”

“…This condition is commonly known as Pragmatic Language Impairment (PLI), or what has more recently been called Social Communication Disorder (SCD; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-5 [ 8 ]; see Davies, Andrés-Roqueta and Norbury [ 2 ] for a discussion on whether pragmatic language skills of children with SCD may elucidate sources of pragmatic breakdown in other developmental populations such as autism). With all these difficulties, early diagnosis is crucial because children with DLD have a greater risk of experiencing poor social, emotional, and mental health outcomes [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ], which in turn increases the probabilities of them becoming victims of bullying [ 13 ].…”

A Cross-Lagged Analysis of Emotion Regulation, Peer Problems, and Emotional Problems in Children With and Without Early Language Difficulties: Evidence From the Millennium Cohort Study

“…Reciprocal effects are also possible, as low mood may encourage withdrawal from social interactions, leading to fewer opportunities to practice social skills and regulate emotions. Indeed, very recent evidence indicates that peer victimization has a stronger link to emotional difficulties in adolescents with DLD than in the TD peers (Kilpatrick et al, 2019). Overall, there is evidence to suggest that emotion regulation, social problems, and emotional problems are interrelated.…”