Psychology of Exceptional Individuals

Abstract The study aimed to compare social isolation and psychological well-being in students with specific and normal learning disabilities. The current research was descriptive and the causal-comparative type of research. The statistical population of the present study included all students with learning disabilities and normal students of Urmia City in the academic year of 2022-2023. A sample of 34 people (17 students with Specific learning disabilities and 17 normal students) were selected for each group using targeted sampling. The group of students with learning disabilities was diagnosed by the teacher and by a specialist in the psychology and education of children with special needs. Social Isolation Assessment Questionnaire of Asher et al., (1984) and Sterling's Children's Well-Being Questionnaire were used to collect data. Analysis of covariance test was used to analyze the data. The results of the research showed that there is a significant difference between the social isolation and mental well-being of students with specific learning disabilities and normal students (P<0.05). Therefore, it can be said that students with specific learning disabilities need to receive effective interventions to improve social isolation and well-being.
Keywords: Social Isolation, Psychological Well-Being, Students, Specific Learning Disability.
 
Extended Abstract

Introduction

Specific learning disability is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder (McDonough et al., 2017) that includes persistent problems in reading (dyslexia), written expression (dyslexia), or mathematics (Dyscalculia) (Colvin et al., 2022). One of the adverse consequences of this disorder in the social sphere is social isolation (Bruefach & Reynolds, 2022). Social isolation is defined as the objective lack of social relationships or low social contact with others (Wu, 2020) and is often measured in terms of the size of the social network, the diversity of the network or the frequency of contacts (Lim et al., 2022). On the other hand, students with specific learning disorders are at a lower level of Psychological well-being than normal children due to the frequent failures they face at school and at home (Alesi et al., 2014). Psychological well-being allows people to reach their maximum potential by developing virtues, focusing on capabilities and personal growth, and understanding that happiness is achieved through individual self-knowledge (Ryff, 2014).

Literature Review

Studies have shown that compared to normal children, children with special learning disorders have more information-processing defects and are less popular and more rejected (Khasawneh, 2021). In this regard, Brufak and Reynolds (2022) found that students with specific learning disabilities have fewer friends, their friends are less academically ambitious, they feel more incuriosity and hate at school, and they are more likely to avoid friendships. Abbasi (2016) also showed that students with specific learning disorders have problems in starting and maintaining friendships, and these problems may lead to feelings of loneliness, low self-esteem, and other psychological and social defects. Also, Matteucci & Soncini (2021) reported the prevalence of problems related to psychological well-being in students with specific learning disorders more than in normal students. Haft et al. (2019) showed that more psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, interpersonal relationships, and low self-esteem are observed in people with specific learning disorders.

Methodology

The current research was descriptive and the causal-comparative type of research. The statistical population of the present study included all students with learning disabilities and normal students of Urmia City in the academic year of 2022-2023. A sample of 34 people (17 students with Specific learning disabilities and 17 normal students) were selected for each group using targeted sampling. The group of students with learning disabilities was diagnosed by the teacher and by a specialist in the psychology and education of children with special needs. Social Isolation Assessment Questionnaire of Asher et al., (1984) and Sterling's Children's Well-Being Questionnaire were used to collect data. Analysis of covariance test was used to analyze the data.

Results

To answer the question of which of the dependent variables of the research have significant differences in the two groups, univariate analysis of variance was used, which is reported in Table 1.
Table 1. Multivariate analysis of variance for research variables




η


sig


F


MS


df


sst


dependent variable


 




0/755


0/0001


98/77


1006/61


1


1006/61


positive emotion


group




0/791


0/0001


120/74


743/55


1


743/55


positive attitude




0/538


0/0001


37/19


192/97


1


192/97


Social desirability




0/179


0/01


6/98


840/02


1


840/02


Social isolation




 


 


 


10/19


32


326/11


positive emotion


error




 


 


 


6/15


32


197/05


positive attitude




 


 


 


5/18


32


166/00


Social desirability




 


 


 


120/20


32


3846/58


Social isolation




The results obtained from univariate analysis of variance (Table 1) show that the two groups with specific learning disability and the normal group differ from each other in terms of psychological well-being sub-components (positive emotion, positive attitude and social desirability) as well as social isolation. In general, the results obtained from the following research show that the normal group has more psychological well-being than the specific learning disability group and also experiences less social isolation.
 

Discussion

In explaining this finding, it can be said that students with specific learning disorders have low social competence due to their weak social skills and problems in getting along with others due to the fear of making mistakes in front of others, or a negative evaluation by others leads to social isolation (Ezzati Babi and Aghajani, 2022). It can also be said that students with specific learning disorders have problems with stability and emotional stability, these people have more intense reactions when facing emotional situations and do not act in the same and stable conditions; also, these people absorb environmental stimuli slower than their peers and act like younger children and always have problems in the field of cognitive and emotional processing deficits (Rezaei Fard et al., 2021). Therefore, this result may be due to the fact that people who use weaker cognitive styles in terms of emotional processing, such as rumination, catastrophizing, and self-blame, are more vulnerable to emotional problems than other people, and as a result, have low psychological well-being.

Conclusion

It can be said that students with specific learning disabilities need to receive effective interventions to improve social isolation and well-being.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to all the parents and teachers who helped us in conducting this research despite many problems.

Abstract Abstract Depression is a mood disorder that results in persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest. The purpose of this study was to compare the executive functions and sluggish cognitive tempo of individuals with depressive disorder to those who are normal. The present study utilized a descriptive causal-comparative method. The statistical population consisted of clients with depression disorder who visited Health Centers in Tabriz city. A total of 100 participants were selected to take part in the research. The executive skills questionnaire (Strait et al., 2019), Sluggish Cognitive Tempo questionnaire (Beker et al., 2017), and the depression screening questionnaire (PHQ-9) were used to collect data. The results of the multivariate analysis of variance indicated that individuals with depression exhibited weaker performance in all components of executive functions (planning, time management, emotion regulation, organization, and behavior regulation) compared to the healthy group (p < 0.001). Additionally, the Sluggish Cognitive Tempo component was significantly higher in depressed individuals than in normal individuals (p < 0.001). Therefore, based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that individuals with depression experience serious deficiencies in executive functions and encounter more problems in the Sluggish Cognitive Tempo component than the healthy group. Extended Abstract Introduction Major depressive disorder is a widespread psychological disorder that affects public health worldwide (Vancappel et al, 2021). Studies have shown that depression is related to deficits in executive functions (Hawkey, 2017; Wagner et al, 2012), wich means people with major depressive disorder show more deficits in executive functions (LeMoult & Gotlib, 2019).   Executive functions are a set of skills that enable individuals to plan and meet goals, self-regulate, and stay focused in face of distractions (Abdolmohammadi et al, 2019). Slow cognitive tempo is a relatively new clinical construct that refers to symptoms such as lethargy, daydreaming, sleepiness, mental confusion, and slow thinking and behavior (Becker, 2021; Bernad et al, 2016). However, research on Slow Cognitive Tempo (SCT) as a separate disorder from Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) has not been well-established for people with depressive disorder. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to compare levels of executive functions and Slow Cognitive Tempo between two groups: those with depressive disorder and those without. Literature Review Researches have reported that individuals with depression who have more deficits in their executive functions tend to experience more resistance in the treatment process (López-Sola et al, 2020), leading to more challenging treatment outcomes. While some studies have showed a link between executive functions and depression, others have produced conflicting results. For example, Nakano et al (2008) and Pardo et al (2006) both found no significant difference between the executive functions of depressed and non-depressed individuals. Despite this ambiguity, research has shown a strong connection between major depressive disorder and slow cognitive rhythm disorder (Bernad et al, 2016), leading to the hypothesis that cognitive tempo disorder may be a distinct clinical construct worth investigating, particularly in the context of depression. However, Burns et al (2013) suggested through their research that cognitive tempo disorder and major depressive disorder are two unrelated disorders that should be treated separately. Overall, while there is evidence supporting the relationship between executive functions and depression, more consistent and robust research is needed to understand the extent of this connection. Methodology The present study adopted a descriptive causal-comparative method. A total of 100 participants with depression disorder who were clients of the health centers in Tabriz city were selected. The Executive Skills Questionnaire, Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Questionnaire, and Depression Screening Questionnaire (PHQ-9), were used to collect data. Results The results obtained from univariate analysis of variance show two groups with depressive disorder and healthy in terms of sub-components of functions, with depressive disorder and healthy in terms of sub-components of implementation functions (planning, time management, emotion regulation, organization and regulation of behavior) as well as slow cognitive tempo are significantly different from each other. Supplementary investigations show that the healthy group has fewer executive function defects than the group with depressive disorder, and the problem of slow cognitive tempo is more common in the depressed group than in the healthy group. Conclution The study suggests that individuals with depressive disorder scored lower than healthy controls all most components of executive functions. Additionally, the results indicated that individuals with depressive disorder experienced a higher level of slow cognitive tempo compared to healthy controls. Keywords: Depression, Executive Functions, Sluggish Cognitive Tempo. Acknowledgments We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all individuals who participated in this study, as well as the health care providers and staff of the health centers of Tabriz who lent us their invaluable aid and support in conducting this research.

Abstract The present study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the psychometric properties of the anxiety scale of children with autism spectrum disorder (parent form). The method of the current research was a correlational description. The statistical population of the present study was all children with autism spectrum disorder in Tehran city who were referred to autism education and rehabilitation centers in 2022. 315 children (193 boys and 122 girls) were selected using available sampling method. After translating and obtaining the opinions of experts and subjects, the face validity of the scale was confirmed. AMOS and SPSS software were used for statistical analysis. The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that in the sample of Iranian children with autism spectrum disorder, the four-factor structure of the scale including performance anxiety, anxiety arousal, separation anxiety and uncertainty had a good fit with the data. The results related to the correlation between this scale and the Spence anxiety scale experimentally supported the convergent validity of the anxiety scale of children with autism spectrum disorder. The internal consistency coefficients of the whole scale and subscales of functional anxiety, anxiety arousal, separation anxiety and uncertainty were obtained as 0.79, 0.78, 0.81, 0.76 and 0.82, respectively. Overall, the results of the present study showed that the anxiety scale of children with autism spectrum disorder is a valid and reliable tool for measuring anxiety in Iranian children with autism spectrum disorder. This tool can be used to measure anxiety in Research and treatment sections.