Social-Emotional Profile of Children with and without Learning Disabilities: The Relationships with Perceived Loneliness, Self-Efficacy and Well-Being

Tali Heiman and Dorit Olenik-Shemesh
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Tali Heiman: Department of Education and Psychology, The Open University of Israel, 1 University Road, Ra’anana 4353701, Israel
Dorit Olenik-Shemesh: Department of Education and Psychology, The Open University of Israel, 1 University Road, Ra’anana 4353701, Israel

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 20, 1-15

Abstract: The current study examined whether perceived social support mediated the effects of loneliness and self-efficacy on well-being among students with or without a learning disability (LD). Participants included 834 elementary, middle, and high school students from Israel (29.6% students with LDs) who completed self-report questionnaires. The results of structural equation modeling indicate that social support mediates the indirect effects of age, gender, loneliness and self-efficacy on well-being. In addition, the results show differences between groups, as non-LD girls noted a higher self-efficacy and well-being than boys, and well-being had indirect effects in the non-LD group than in the LD group. These results indicate students with LDs have a unique social-emotional profile that affects their well-being. The study highlights the importance of enhancing self-efficacy and reducing loneliness in order to increase social support, thus predicting positive well-being. Effective and practical educational programs are needed for both groups across age and gender.

Keywords: children; social support; loneliness; self-efficacy; well-being (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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