Peer-reviewed article
Dyslexia, School-Connectedness, Depression, and Anxiety During the Transition From Primary to Secondary School.
Sumner RA, Tonta KE, Wilmot A, Hill E, Boyes ME ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how dyslexia affects depression and anxiety in children transitioning from primary to secondary school, and whether school connectedness protects mental health. The research followed 208 children (61 with dyslexia) from age 12 before and after transition. Children with dyslexia showed no direct increase in depression or anxiety after transition, but dyslexia was linked to these mental health problems indirectly through weaker school and peer connectedness. Strong relationships with peers and the school environment appear to be important protective factors for children with dyslexia during this transition.
Key points
- Children with dyslexia who felt less connected to their school and peers were more likely to develop depression and anxiety after transition to secondary school
- School-connectedness and peer-connectedness acted as protective factors mediating the relationship between dyslexia and mental health outcomes
- No direct effect of dyslexia on depression or anxiety in Year 7 was found after accounting for baseline mental health and gender
- The transition to secondary school may intensify mental health risks for children with dyslexia through reduced social connectedness
- Interventions targeting peer relationships and school belonging could support mental health for children with dyslexia
Limitations
The study is limited to children in one country (UK) and does not include longer-term follow-up beyond Year 7, so it cannot determine whether these patterns persist through secondary school. The sample was relatively small and predominantly female (58%), which may limit generalisability to other populations.
Abstract
Children with dyslexia are at elevated risk of depression and anxiety. The transition from primary to secondary school may be particularly challenging given increased educational demands. Past research indicates school-connectedness may be a protective factor across this transition. We tested longitudinal relationships between dyslexia, school-connectedness, depression, and anxiety over the secondary school transition. Children (N = 208, Mage = 12.16, 58% girls, 61 with dyslexia) and their caregivers (95% mothers) completed standardised measures of school-connectedness, depression, and anxiety in Year 6, and again in Year 7 after the transition to secondary school. Mediation models tested direct and indirect effects of dyslexia on Year 7 depression and anxiety through domains of school-connectedness (whole school, peer, friend, and teacher). After adjusting for Year 6 depression, anxiety, and gender, there were no significant direct effects of dyslexia on depression or anxiety in Year 7. However, dyslexia was indirectly associated with both depression and anxiety via school- and peer-connectedness. These findings support the role of school-connectedness in supporting mental health, and suggest peer-connectedness might be an important protective factor post-transition to secondary school. Future studies should explore further change across adolescence and mental health promotion targeting school- and peer-connectedness among children with dyslexia.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Measurement of school-connectedness domains (whole school, peer, friend, and teacher connectedness) as a protective mechanism; the study tests whether strengthening connectedness could buffer mental health risks
- Population
- 208 children aged 12 (61 with dyslexia, 147 without) transitioning from primary to secondary school in the UK
Key finding
No significant direct effect of dyslexia on Year 7 depression or anxiety after adjusting for baseline levels