2016 Volume 25 Issue 1 Pages 49-58
It is possible that a certain percentage of children in all classrooms might suffer from learning difficulties. These children might also be at risk for mental health conditions, such as depression, and aggression. If children have mental health problems in addition to writing skills deficits, teachers need to take these mental health problems into consideration when devising interventions and support strategies to improve writing skills. This study investigated the relationship between writing skills deficits , depression, and aggression. We administered questionnaires assessing depressive and aggressive traits to second-grade children (N = 886), as well as to their teachers and parents. Moreover, Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji writing abilities of children were tested. Results indicated that highly depressive and aggressive traits were related to writing skills deficits, such that children with writing skills deficits might be more likely to exhibit mental health problems. It is suggested that in addition to assessing cognitive abilities of each child, their depressive and aggressive personality traits should also be taken into consideration when developing interventions to improve writing skills.
