Promoting happiness: a pilot study on adolescent’s sample population with Specific Learning Disorder
Caterina Villirillo, Claudia Perdighe, Elena Cirimbilla, Gilda Franceschini
Satisfying interpersonal relationships, especially with peers, seems to play a critical role in the well-being perception in the developmental age. Even among children affected by Specific Learning Disorder (SLD), who have relational issues in 80% of cases, the presence of high levels of social support is a protective factor and predicts better mental health outcomes. The goal of this work is to evaluate an experimental protocol of well-being promotion, which aims to improve the quality and quantity of interpersonal relationships as well as to reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression related to the learning disorder. The hypothesis is that improving the relationships quality will also increase self-esteem, the perception of competence and self-efficacy and thus psychological well-being by decreasing the symptoms of anxiety and depression related to the SLD. A positive effect on the school achievement is also expected. The protocol is based on CBT procedures and techniques, specifically cognitive restructuring and procedures of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and it is structured by 10 sessions on a weekly basis, plus 2 follow-up sessions on a fortnightly basis. The sample consists of 6 people between 12 and 15 years of age who have already completed the SLD tutoring intervention or who have been under treatment for at least one year. The qualitative analysis of the results shows that there is a reduction in the symptoms of anxiety and depression detected in the pre-treatment phase, an increase in the self-esteem, self-efficacy and in the quality and quantity of interpersonal relationships. Furthermore, an improvement in academic performance was observed. The skills acquired are also confirmed at the one-month follow-up.
Keywords
Happiness, ACT, Adolescents, Specific learning disorders, Interpersonal relationship.