Childhood adversities and learning difficulty in school children: Role of resilience and self-regulation

Pages: 498-503
Pratima (Department of Applied Psychology, South Campus, University of Delhi, Delhi)

Adverse childhood experiences often contribute to adverse health outcomes across life span. Apart from these, it also affects overall mental health including classroom performance of the child. The present study aims to do detailed analysis of literature and understand various types of childhood adversities and its impact on scholastic performance of the child. Long- term medical illness, specific learning disability, below average IQ, ADHD, poor socio-cultural home environment, psychiatric disorders, difficult temperament, poverty, large-size families, lack of school engagement, and neighborhood quality are some of the reasons to underperform at school. In various studies, childhood adversity significantly affected student’s level of adjustment and resilience and increased distress. It also lead to poor academic performance and somatoform complaints. The article will also suggest literature related to resilience building and self- regulation enhancement as a strategy to overcome and cope with those adversities and have better scholastic performance.