The Role of Trait Anxiety and Preoccupation With Reading Disabilities of Children and Their Mothers in Predicting Children's Reading Comprehension.

This study investigated the relationship between reading comprehension (RC), trait anxiety, and preoccupation with reading disability (RD) in 88 school children in Grades 3 through 5 and in their mothers. Children's trait anxiety had a significant direct negative relationship with RC and also mediated the association between preoccupation with RD and RC. Mothers' preoccupation with their children's RDs had a direct negative association with their children's RC. This association was also mediated through children's trait anxiety. No association was found between mothers' trait anxiety and children's RC. In a final model, RC was explained significantly by children's word reading fluency and trait anxiety as well as by their mothers' preoccupation with their children's RDs. This study extends our understanding of multicomponential models of RC by shedding light on the significant role played by anxiety- and preoccupation-related factors involving both children with RDs and their mothers.

Knowledge about and preoccupation with reading disabilities: a delicate balance.

This study investigated the extent to which children's knowledge about reading disabilities, preoccupation with their own reading disability, and anxiety predicted reading comprehension in fifth and sixth grade children with reading disabilities (N=85). Participants provided rich and accurate information about reading disabilities and the academic and emotional implications of having a reading disability. Children's knowledge about the characteristics of reading disabilities was positively associated with reading comprehension, and preoccupation with their own disability was negatively associated with reading comprehension. Girls reported higher levels of preoccupation and anxiety than boys did. In addition to gender, children's reading comprehension, trait anxiety, and perceptions of their mothers' worry about their reading disabilities predicted their preoccupation with their own disability. Children with the most adaptive profile in terms of reading comprehension and anxiety were those who had high levels of knowledge and low levels of preoccupation with their disability.